Pastoral Letter to the Presbyterian Church (USA)

As former moderators of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA), we the undersigned oppose proposed Amendment 00-O, which would prohibit the use of church property and the participation of deacons, elders, or ministers in "any ceremony or event that pronounces blessing or gives approval of the church or invokes the blessing of God upon any relationship that is inconsistent with God's intention for all people to live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman or in chastity in singleness."

A range of arguments will be presented by faithful Presbyterians in opposition to Amendment O, including theological, cultural/social, liturgical, pastoral, and historical concerns. We find many of those arguments compelling. We note especially that this amendment might have an unintended consequence: to argue against committed relationships in an age of "sexual anarchy," in the language of the Confession of 1967. And as Reformed Christians, we are concerned about any human endeavor that would claim with such certainty to comprehend "God's intention."

Yet our concerns focus primarily on the polity and governance issues presented by the proposed amendment. While we are not all of one mind on the issue of "holy unions," we do firmly assert that Amendment O raises significant constitutional concerns that would lead us away from the traditional rights and responsibilities exercised by sessions and ministers.

Sessions -- Amendment O suggests a kind of "ecclesiastical micro-managing," prohibiting local church sessions from making the appropriate, thoughtfully considered decisions that our constitution asks them to make. Sessions will certainly choose to address the issue of holy unions in differing ways, and we believe such choices to be an appropriate exercise of a session's "responsibility and power to provide for the management of the property of the church, including determination of the appropriate use of church buildings and facilities" (G-10.0102 o) and "to oversee and approve all public worship in the life of the particular church" (W-1.4004 e).

Ministers -- Amendment O suggests a kind of "pastoral gag order," prohibiting ministers from exercising pastoral discretion, sensitivity, and leadership. Can we really go on record as prohibiting prayer in a specific pastoral circumstance? Again, ministers will choose to address this issue in differing ways, but the implications of an amendment that would prohibit that choice from being made are troubling. Surely a minister should be permitted to exercise fully the God-given "suitable gifts for their various duties" (G-6.0106a) in their calling to "pray with and for the congregation" (G-6.0202).

Other pastoral implications of Amendment O are manifold and significant: for instance, the prohibition of the baptism of an adopted child, the banning of the presence of an elder at a beloved child's union service, the inability to conduct the funeral of a partner in an unmarried relationship.

For all these reasons and more, we oppose Amendment O, and encourage presbytery commissioners to search their hearts, to discern the mind of Christ and to vote in a manner that affirms session responsibility and pastoral integrity.

The Pastoral Letter is signed by 

Dr. Thelma Adair (188th G.A., UPCUSA) (1976) 
Ms. Dorothy Barnard (121st G.A., PCUS) (1981) 
The Rev. Robert W. Bohl (206th G.A.) (1994) 
The Rev. John M. Buchanan (208th G.A.) (1996) 
The Rev. James H. Costen (194th G.A., UPCUSA) (1982/3) 
The Rev. John Fife (204th G.A.) (1992) 
Ms. Freda Gardner (211th G.A.) (1999) 
The Rev. Robert C. Lamar (186th G.A. , UPCUSA) (1974) 
The Rev. William Lytle (190th G.A. , UPCUSA) (1978) 
Ms. Sara Bernice Moseley (118th G.A., PCUS) (1978) 
The Rev. Harriet Nelson (196th G.A.) (1984) 
The Rev. Douglas Oldenburg (210th G.A.) (1998) 
The Rev. Howard Rice (191st G.A., UPCUSA) (1979) 
Dr. Isabel Rogers (199th G.A.) (1987) 
Dr. J. Randolph Taylor (195th G.A.) (1983) 
Mr. William P. Thompson (177th G.A., UPCUSA) (1965) 
The Rev. Herbert Valentine (203rd G.A.) (1991) 
The Rev. Benjamin Weir (198th G.A.) (1986) 
The Rev. Albert C. Winn (119th G.A., PCUS) (1979)

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