Let’s help the PC(USA) move through those doors!
[from the Witherspoon Society, 7-24-08]

Gene TeSelle, Witherspoon Issues Analyst, writes:  "The actions of the 2008 General Assembly suggest that the tide has turned in the Presbyterian Church. ..."

He analyzes the significant steps toward making the ordination process more open and fair, looks at the announced plans of the Presbyterian Right to oppose those steps, and suggests ways we might move forward to bring a truly inclusive church closer to reality during the months ahead, as presbyteries will be considering their responses to the proposed amendments to the Book of Order.

A long-time leader in That All May Freely Serve, Stroud opens his thorough analysis with this comment: 

As an observer and advocate for LGBT issues at the 218th General Assembly (GA) meeting in San Jose, CA, June 21-28, 2008, it is my assessment that the 218th GA took decisive positive actions to begin to dismantle the oppressive, long divisive and debilitating homophobia that has plagued the PC(USA) as a denomination for the past thirty years.

Following a helpful explanation of some of the terms that were used in the discussions, he deals with the Assembly’s actions:
•      on the ordination and/or installation of LGBT members,
•      on the Overture from John Knox Presbytery to provide an “authoritative interpretation” on the 217th GA’s AI on G-6.0108, commonly called the “scruple process” for individual candidates for ordination and/or installation,
•      on various overtures to correct the translation problems of the Heidelberg Catechism,
•      and on overtures to amend the Directory for Worship regarding the definition of marriage, and to affirm equal rights for families of same-gender partners and call for an in-depth study on marriage.

The Department of Constitutional Services, part of the Office of the General Assembly, has issued an Advisory Opinion which states what actions of the 218^th GA, dealing with Book of Order provisions G-6.0106b and G-6.0108, are taking effect immediately, and which ones, as constitutional amendments, must be approved by a majority of the presbyteries before they might take effect.

Briefly, the new Authoritative Interpretation of G-6.0106b has gone into effect immediately following the Assembly. That means that earlier AIs, beginning with 1978 and 1979, which state that “[f]or the church to ordain a self-affirming, practicing homosexual person to ministry would be to act in contradiction to its charter and calling in Scripture,” are no longer in effect.

However, the “fidelity and chastity” requirement set forth in G-6.0106b does remain in effect, until it is removed from the Book of Order by the approval of a majority of the presbyteries. That action must be taken within one year from the conclusion of the 218^th General Assembly.

The Authoritative Interpretation of G-6.0108 also takes effect immediately. This allows a candidate for ordination to declare a departure (or “scruple”) from a standard of either belief or practice on grounds of conscience. It is still a matter for the examining body to “give prayerful and careful consideration, on an individual, case-by-case basis,” to any such departure – but the recent GAPJC decision in the case of Bush v. Presbytery of Pittsburgh, which rejected any departure in matters of behavior, is invalidated.

by Gene TeSelle, Witherspoon Issues Analyst  [6-30-08]

Committee 5 on Church Orders and Ministry reported three issues in their logical order, and the committee's recommendations were followed by the Assembly as a whole.

1. It overwhelmingly approved the overture from Scioto Valley, with many concurrences from other presbyteries, to direct the Stated Clerk to collect or develop "best practices" for the examination of candidates.

2. It approved, by a vote of 53 to 47 percent, the John Knox overture, an AI designed to correct the decision of the General Assembly's Permanent Judicial Commission (PJC) that the "fidelity and chastity" sentence in G-6.0106b is binding and cannot be "scrupled."

3. The most heated debate was over the Boston overture to replace the language of G-6.0106b with new language, and to adopt a new AI declaring that past AIs concerning "ordained service of homosexual church members" (starting with the "definitive guidance" of 1978/79 in the two churches and including the AI of 1993) have "no further force or effect."

by Doug King, Witherspoon WebWeaver     [6-30-08]

The 218^th General Assembly took significant steps to make the Presbyterian Church (USA) more open and affirming toward its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members. There are, of course, many Presbyterians who are distressed – or maybe outraged is a better word – by this modest step toward justice and (we believe) authentic peace in the denomination.

Seminary faculty letter calling for better translation will help you in the debate   [6-24-08]

As you may know, the debate over restoring the Heidelberg Catechism to its original text was intense yesterday.  The good news is that it successfully got out of committee (33 to 26) and will be voted on by the full GA as soon as Wednesday. 

Very helpful material is found in the letter from the 32 seminary faculty calling for a better translation of the Heidelberg Catechism. 

Click here for the text, where you'll also find a link to a PDF version to print and share with others.

On Saturday morning (long, long ago!), June 21, the Witherspoon Society presented a time of orientation for commissioners and others – offering some practical hints for working effectively in the Assembly, and some perspectives on a few of the issues that, from our justice-oriented focus, seem most important.

One of those issues, of course, is the question of whether our church will truly welcome lgbt members into its life and leadership. Witherspoon Co-Moderator Jake Young presented this perspective:

The Rev. Ray Bagnuolo, who describes himself as a gay Presbyterian minister of Word and Sacrament, is currently serving as interim pastor of Palisades (NY) Presbyterian Church.

Over the past few months he has posted six carefully considered and documented papers dealing with the ongoing debate about ordination of lgbt Presbyterians.

Charles Forbes, former Stated Clerk of Baltimore Presbytery, has recently written about a passage in the Scots Confession which says that in what we would call disputes over faith or practice, the primary basis for making decisions must be "what the Holy Ghost uniformly speaks within the body of the Scriptures and what Christ Jesus himself did and commanded."

Committee 5 -- Church Orders and Ministry

Dan Holloway                        Moderator - Commissioner 

Barbara Farley                        Vice-Moderator - Commissioner 

Susan Krummel                      Committee Assistant - Volunteer 

Therese Howell                      Parliamentarian/Recorder - Volunteer 

Marcia Myers                         Lead Resource Person - Staff 

Ronald Anderson                    Commissioner 

Jeanne Banks                          Commissioner 

Creighton Berry                      Commissioner 

Randall T Clayton                  Commissioner 

Andrew Cook                         Commissioner 

Sharon Core                            Commissioner 

Sylvia Dooling                       Commissioner 

Nancy Drake                          Commissioner 

Samuel Fabila                         Commissioner 

Gavin Finefield                       Commissioner 

Susan Fisher                           Commissioner 

Harlan Gilliland                      Commissioner 

Paul Granstrom                      Commissioner 

Lloyd Green                           Commissioner 

Nelson Gutierrez-Pagan         Commissioner 

Walter Hamer                         Commissioner 

Myrlene Hamilton                  Commissioner 

Mark Henslee                         Commissioner 

Myra Hester                            Commissioner 

Rebecca Hinds                        Commissioner 

Dale Johnson                          Commissioner 

Mary Jorgenson                      Commissioner 

Dianne Kareha                        Commissioner 

Eileene MacFalls                    Commissioner 

Emily McColl                         Commissioner 

Bobbi Monroe                        Commissioner 

Deborah F. Mullen                 Commissioner 

Tedd Oyler                             Commissioner 

Elizabeth Ann Peters              Commissioner 

Charlotte Poetschner              Commissioner 

Nancy Prince                          Commissioner 

David Reimer                         Commissioner 

Linda Saleeby                         Commissioner 

William Samford                    Commissioner 

Jodi Schmidt                           Commissioner 

Donald Steele                         Commissioner 

Dean Strong                            Commissioner 

Mary Ellen Summerlin           Commissioner 

Byron Wade                           Commissioner 

Burfoot Ward                         Commissioner 

John Wiley                             Commissioner 

Warren Wilkewitz                  Commissioner 

Karen Wilson                         Commissioner 

David Young                          Commissioner 

William Anderson                  Youth Advisory Delegate 

Erin Angeli                             Youth Advisory Delegate 

Robert Bruce                          Youth Advisory Delegate 

Chelsea Crowell                     Youth Advisory Delegate 

Anna Curl                               Youth Advisory Delegate 

Anna Grewe                           Youth Advisory Delegate 

Jenna Gunnoe                         Youth Advisory Delegate 

Gina Meester                          Youth Advisory Delegate 

Michelle Osman                     Youth Advisory Delegate 

Megan Reith                           Youth Advisory Delegate 

Loretta Spaulding                   Youth Advisory Delegate 

Jeffrey Schooley                     Theological Student Advisory Delegate 

Lowell Almen                        Ecumenical Advisory Delegate 

David Harrison                         

Kay Moore                             

Do you want to be notified whenever something new is added to this web site?

Just send a note, and we'll add you to our e-list for brief notes when something new is posted here.

1.  We want to share our concerns and views with commissioners and others attending the Assembly, and with anyone else who is watching from afar.  While some of our groups focus on one area of concern and others are more general in their focus, we are all committed to the wholeness of our world, which we understand to involve justice and peace and the well-being of all people; and we are committed to the wholeness and health of our Church and its witness and service in the world.

2.  We want to get to know you better and serve your concerns and needs in any way we can.  So we will invite you to share your views with us and with one another with any email responses or questions.  We'll invite your responses with links here and there, and we'll try to post those that seem to contribute to our conversations.  Just send a note now, and tell us how we can be helpful!