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The Moderator |
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Joan Gray elected as Moderator
[6-15-06, 11:20 pm CDT) After presentations from the
four candidates for moderator of the PC(USA), and an hour of their
responding to questions from commissioners and Youth Advisory Delegates, the
General Assembly has just elected the Rev. Joan Gray as its new Moderator.
She was elected on the third ballot, by a vote of 307 to
152 for the Rev. Deborah Block, 20 for the Rev. Tim Halverson, and 19 for
the Rev. Kerry Carson.
The first round of votes was remarkably close: Block
received 143, Gray 139, Halverson 113, and Carson 109.
See also the
Presbyterian
News Service report on the election of Joan Gray >>
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More about Joan Grey: a
"polity wonk" who sees hope for the church in "a burning passion for God"
[6-16-06, 1:30 am CDT]
For some background on Joan Grey, you might look at
her responses to the questions submitted by the
Witherspoon Society to her and the other three moderatorial candidates.
Gray has served seven churches in the Atlanta area, most
recently as interim pastor of College Park Presbyterian Church.
She has filled leadership positions at the presbytery and
General Assembly levels of the PC(USA). She was moderator of Greater Atlanta
presbytery for one term, and has served on numerous presbytery committees.
She has co-authored Presbyterian Polity for Church
Officers, and is known as an expert on church polity, having served on
the GA Advisory Committee on the Constitution, Moderator of the Permanent
Judicial Commission, Presbytery Council, and much more. She has held
teaching positions as adjunct faculty at Columbia Theological Seminary and
Johnson C. Smith Seminary, as well as teaching in the Princeton Theological
Seminary Continuing Education program. She has also served in pastoral
ministry in seven different congregations.
Nevertheless, in her opening statement to the General
Assembly, she made clear that "polity is not going to save us." She told of
her own experiences in working for the healing of "some congregations so
broken I almost despaired. But when we broadened our focus and threw
ourselves on the mercy of God, we began to move forward."
Responding to questions
In the one hour allotted for questioning the candidates,
with each of them responding to each of the ten questions, Gray offered some
interesting answers.
Asked about how she would work to fulfill the
long-standing PC(USA) commitment to becoming a multicultural church, she
spoke of her own experience with multicultural congregations, and of how
those experiences have led her to love people from other cultures.
One questioner cited the Presbyterian conviction the
"Jesus Christ is the way of salvation," asking how the candidates would deal
with this claim. While Halverson and Carson both gave simple affirmations of
that claim, Block spoke of a window in her church with the words "The lamps
are many, the light is one." Gray said "there are two things I hold in
tension: Jesus Christ is the way, and I will not limit God’s freedom. I draw
on Jesus as the well which sustains me," but she did not seem to rule out
the possibility of other sources of water.
A Youth Advisory Delegate asked very directly about their
stance on the ordination of "openly gay Presbyterians." Gray began by
affirming her respect for gay people, but immediately added, "I can’t get my
head around [the possibility of ordination] in light of the Biblical faith.
I’m uncomfortable with this [by which she seemed to mean the exclusion of
lgbt Presbyterians], and I’ve decided to be comfortable with being
uncomfortable." She then added that as Moderator, she would act in
accordance with the Constitution.
Among the other three candidates, Halverson and Carson
were both clear in saying that they would not support gay ordination;
Deborah Block offered some support for the idea of giving presbyteries the
right to make determinations on candidates’ qualifications for ordination,
but offered absolutely no support for efforts to delete G-6.0106b.
Your humble reporter is not quite sure what to make of
this, but our lgbt friends here are not feeling hopeful tonight, and, it
would seem, with good reason.
In talking with a few people after the election, your
reporter found general agreement that most of the questions asked, and most
of the answers given, offered little in the way of inspiration or insight.
We can be thankful for this afternoon’s announcement of a
gift of $150,000,000 dollars to the PC(USA), but tonight’s election, and the
candidates’ presentations before the vote, does not inspire hope.
Progressives and their organizations will be challenged to think with more
creativity, plan with more intention, and work with more dedication, if our
church is to recover some of its historic commitment to mission for peace
and justice. |
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Candidates for Moderator respond to
Witherspoon questions
[Posted 5-2-06 by Doug King for Witherspoon Society]
One of the first acts of the 217th General Assembly will be the election
of a new Moderator. To help our readers weigh this important choice, the
Witherspoon Society has invited each of the four candidates to respond
briefly to five questions that reflect Witherspoon concerns – and, we
believe, the concerns of the wider church.
For background news reports on the four candidates
>>
With gratitude to the candidates for their cooperation in responding, we
are happy to share their comments here, presenting them in alphabetical
order.
They are:
The five questions were:
1. It seems likely that the coming General Assembly will be shaped by its
response to the report of the Theological Task Force on the Peace, Unity and
Purity of the Church. What would you like to see as the outcome of the
discussion of this report? Specifically, how do you respond to Part V,
recommendation 5, with its proposed authoritative interpretation of
G-6.0108, and recommendation 6, with its call for no further action during
the 217 th Assembly on "any of the
major issues in the task force’s report, including Christology, biblical
interpretation, essential tenets, and sexuality and ordination."
2. Related to this, what are your thoughts on the 22 overtures coming to
the Assembly, calling for the removal of G-6.0106b and related authoritative
interpretations from the Book of Order?
3. Some have asserted that our church is deeply divided, and they have
raised the possibility of leaving the PC(USA), or declaring a
"constitutional crisis," if the Task Force’s Recommendation 5 is adopted.
How would you address this concern?"
4. A major debate has been going on since 2004, concerning the action of
the 216 th Assembly that called for
study of the possibility of divestment from some corporations doing business
in ways that have supported the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and
Palestinian acts of terrorism. Various overtures to this Assembly will call
for abandoning that effort, or continuing it, or modifying it in some way.
What do you think we should do at this point?
5. The actions and policies of the United States in relation to the use
of torture have concerned many of us. There will be overtures urging further
investigation into American use of torture, and into the responsibility of
higher officers of government and the military. How do you believe the
Assembly should deal with these proposals?
The Rev. Deborah A. Block
Pastor of Immanuel Presbyterian Church,
Milwaukee, Presbytery of Milwaukee
Web site:
http://www.deborahblock.org/
On the report of the Theological Task Force on the Peace, Unity and
Purity of the Church.
I hope that this General Assembly will be shaped by the
Theological Task Force on the Peace, Unity and Purity of the Church by
imitating its spirit of respectful, faithful engagement. Before we consider
outcomes of the Assembly, I have a concern for the "in-come," what we bring
to this General Assembly. We commissioners are not to represent our
presbyteries or congregations, aren’t delegated by our affinity groups. This
calls for a disciplined commitment to open-minded, open-hearted discernment
and deliberation. I hope that we will come to this Assembly fully prepared
and not fully positioned, ready and willing to seek God’s agenda for us.
The report deserves a well-informed discussion in
committee and on the floor, born of thorough reading and ruminating, not
rumor. I respect the unanimity of the task force. If the Assembly adopts the
report, the recommendations together allow the intent of #5 to be worked in
the life of the church. Recommendation 5 calls us to renew our commitment to
the historic principles that define Presbyterians. It lifts up some
essential strengths of our polity. I’m willing to exercise them toward the
horizon of a healthier, more whole, body.
On the overtures calling for the removal of G-6.0106b.
There is a clear voice from 22 presbyteries calling for
the removal of G-6.0106b and related authoritative interpretations. That
voice is a lament over the exclusion of called, gifted, and qualified lgbt
Presbyterians and it is a significant witness to the rest of the church. I,
too, believe that God makes "no distinction" in calling and equipping
persons for discipleship and ministry. Twenty-eight years as a woman in
ministry and a deepening familiarity with the story of women’s ordination
make me acutely aware of long and yet hopeful journeys toward our baptismal
unity and equality. Clergywomen have lived "justice delayed" after justice
was denied in 1920 and 1930 (when women were granted the constitutional
right to be ordained as elders but not ministers) and even when justice was
granted in 1956. Both the insertion of G-6.0106b and efforts for its removal
have been painful and polarizing, but I will testify to what I see and hear
as a pastor. Preaching, teaching, prayer, study, and example are making a
difference. The Spirit is at work. When Bibles open, hearts and minds open
and church doors open.
On suggestions of some about leaving the PC(USA) or
declaring a "constitutional crisis."
As a pastor, I am called to invite all persons to the
table. As Moderator, I would affirm that all Presbyterians belong at the
tables of our life together and work to keep us there in a fair and faithful
conversation. We should question the "deeply divided" diagnosis, not
dismissing the seriousness of our differences, but not resigning to
pessimistic scenarios.
On divestment from some corporations doing business in
ways that support the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and Palestinian acts
of terrorism.
That the action of the 216th GA came as such a surprise
to both Presbyterians and Jews raises a prior question about procedure and
communication around decisions that will have impact on both the
denomination and the larger community. Were voices from all perspectives
heard? Was there enough time to make and interpret a decision of this
magnitude? I’ve been involved since then in Presbyterian-Jewish dialog
groups at the local and national level, but I still have many questions
about divestment, and more that I want to learn about positive investment.
What does it mean to be pro-peace in this complex context? I want the
Presbyterian Church (USA) to be a peacemaking force in the world and work
for justice and healing for all victims. I regret that we didn’t have an
Assembly this past summer to deal with this very issue, and I welcome the
opportunity before us to consider how we go forward.
On U.S. use of torture.
Our presbytery unanimously passed a Presbyterian Initiative Against
Torture overture. We hope that the Assembly will support this call for
action and awareness and add its voice to our concern.
The Rev. Kerry Carson
Pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Conrad, Iowa,
North Central Iowa Presbytery
Web site: www.kerrycarson.com
On the report of the Theological Task Force on the Peace,
Unity and Purity of the Church.
One of the gifts to the church from the Theological Task
Force is the thoughtful and respectful approach they used in their work
together. I would hope those qualities would characterize our work at
General Assembly on their report and all our actions as well. Part "e" of
Recommendation #5 states: "all parties should endeavor to outdo one another
in honoring one another’s decisions . . .". For me, that means living out in
community the life we have been called to in Jesus Christ. In other words,
how we treat one another in times of discussion and/or disagreement, as well
as how we honor decisions once they are made is one of the clearest ways we
witness to our faith.
When the General Assembly meets, we recognize that God
calls us to faithful service and witness. As we seek to discern God’s will
for the PCUSA, we will listen to hear God’s Word faithfully and with the
refreshing, life-giving wind of the Spirit speaking truth in love. It is the
spirit behind our motto: "Reformed, always being reformed." Therefore, the
Assembly will determine whether to adopt Recommendation #6 or take
additional action.
On the overtures calling for the removal of G-6.0106b.
Ordination standards and the authoritative
interpretations that define them continue to be an issue before the PCUSA.
The overtures coming to the 217th General Assembly provide a new opportunity
to appropriately revisit the issue. It is my hope that we will do so seeking
to honor one another and our constitution in the process, both during and
after the Assembly.
On suggestions of some about leaving the PC(USA) or
declaring a "constitutional crisis."
There are people who are saying they will leave if
Recommendation #5 passes and those who will leave if it does not pass. There
is hurt and frustration on many sides of this and other issues facing the
PCUSA. In difficult times, I am reminded that the God who calls us is
faithful in providing everything necessary for us to serve in the building
of Christ’s Kingdom on earth. It is God who can reconcile differences, heal
relationships, and renew our calling to serve Jesus Christ by serving one
another "with all our heart, soul, mind and strength." If elected as the
Moderator of the 217th General Assembly, I will work to help facilitate
experiencing God’s presence in the midst of our work, our decisions, our
worship and our disagreements.
On divestment from some corporations doing business in
ways that support the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and Palestinian acts
of terrorism.
The PCUSA has taken an active interest in the Middle East
for most of our history. From sending mission personnel and working with
partner churches to working for peace with justice, education, health, and
ending poverty and hunger, we have historically sought to be a healing
influence for all people in the region. Since 1948, our church has affirmed
the right of Israel to exist, alongside a neighboring, independent,
sovereign state for Palestinians.
The question of divestment must be seen in the context of
this balanced approach to peace in the Middle East. For me, it is always
appropriate for us to ask if the businesses we are invested in at home are
acting in a consistent way with our mission goals abroad. It is also
appropriate to listen to and work with our mission partners to shape a
lasting peace in the Middle East. My hope is, as we seek to discern
our next steps in our mission and investment goals and activities, that we
do so through thoughtful, quiet and respectful conversation with ourselves
and with our partners in both areas.
On U.S. use of torture.
The global "War on Terror" and the conduct of our
government with regard to our prisoners of war provides an opportunity to
witness to our faith in God as Creator, Jesus Christ as Prince of Peace, and
the Holy Spirit as the "Breath of Life." I believe the General Assembly,
consistent with our current policy, should:
• continue to affirm the honorable performance of our
military in the rebuilding of Iraq and the security of the United States of
America
• urge our governmental officials to develop safe-guards
that will help prevent torture and abuse of prisoners
• declare that valuing human life by maintaining the
dignity and just treatment of our prisoners is consistent with the Gospel
found in Jesus Christ.
I would encourage the Assembly to maintain these current
commitments.
The Rev. Joan S. Gray
Most recently interim pastor of College Park Presbyterian
Church,
Presbytery of Greater Atlanta
Web site:
www.therevjoansgray.org
On the report of the Theological Task Force on the Peace,
Unity and Purity of the Church.
Voting recommendation 5 from the Peace, Unity and Purity
report either up or down will not solve our denomination’s conflict around
the question of what constitutes Godly sexuality. Instead, I would like us
to focus on recommendation # 2 of the Task Force report and use it to shape
a new process of discerning God’s will on these matters. What we really need
is a more faithful, graceful, and courageous way of living together in the
midst of our conflict until the day when God’s Spirit brings us into one
mind about how to interpret the Bible on issues of sexuality. If the
Assembly does follow the call to discernment as proposed in recommendation
2, it is important that means be found to involve all Presbyterians who have
a stake in this matter in that process without putting them at personal
risk.
As for recommendation 6, I do not see the value of tying
the Assembly’s hands on these or any other matters. I trust the Holy Spirit
to move the Assembly to take up whatever pieces of business it believes to
be in the best interest of the church, whether recommendation 5 passes or
not.
On the overtures calling for the removal of G-6.0106b.
I know that G-6.0106b is very painful to many members of
our church, especially gay and lesbian Presbyterians. I am also aware,
however, that our denomination is very much at odds over how to deal with
issues concerning the sexuality of ordained persons in the life of the
church. Due to the severity of this division I cannot be in favor of
answering these overtures in the affirmative.
On suggestions of some about leaving the PC(USA) or
declaring a "constitutional crisis."
In my estimation the idea of declaring a constitutional
crisis if recommendation 5 passes verges on the hysterical. Our polity
provides clear process by which those who are unhappy with the decisions of
any governing body may work to have those decisions reversed. Those who
disagree with whatever happened at GA regarding the Task Force report should
avail themselves of that process. On the question of leaving the church,
every Presbyterian has the freedom of conscience to decide for him or
herself when he or she can no longer in good conscience remain in the PC(USA).
However, those in leadership in the church would do well to remember that
breaking apart the body of Christ except in situations of clear and serious
apostasy is a very grave sin and breaks the heart of Jesus.
On divestment from some corporations doing business in
ways that support the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and Palestinian acts
of terrorism.
I have some questions about the overall effectiveness of
divestment as a strategy for social change. However, for a moral compass on
this issue I go with some wisdom I heard from a former Presbyterian mission
worker in the Middle East : "We should divest from those things that make
for war and invest in those thing that make for peace." In order to know
which is which our church should engage in a serious process of study,
discernment, and prayer. Listening to both Israelis and Palestinians should
be at the heart of how we figure out what God is calling us to do to be
instruments of peace in the Middle East.
On U.S. use of torture.
Torture is abhorrent to any right thinking Christian and
to any citizen who truly prizes democracy. I hope the General Assembly will
continue to speak strongly against the use of torture for any purpose
whatsoever by the US or any other government. The possibly of being killed,
or worse, having someone I love killed in a terrorist action is part of the
price I calculate when I say this. It is a price I am willing to pay in
order to be a civilized human being, let alone a Christian.
The Rev. H. Timothy
Halverson
Faith Presbyterian Church, Cape Coral, FL,
Peace River Presbytery
Web site: www.faithcapecoral.org
On the report of the Theological Task Force on the Peace, Unity and Purity
of the Church.
The outcome for which I pray is that the report of the
Theological Task Force on the Peace, Unity and Purity of the Church (PUP)
will unite the General Assembly. The goal of this task force is to present
"not a finished or perfect product, but a starting point" (line 1015) that
would allow everyone to remain at the table. I hope that this report is
viewed as an important first step in the process of genuine discernment
rather than an ultimate irreversible and divisive ruling. Fostering peace,
unity and purity mandates courage, strength and patience as we live inside
the tension of diversity and spiritual growth.
I support PUP. I support Recommendation 5 and
Recommendation 6 because I believe they provide a space for our denomination
to stand within that tension.
On the overtures calling for the removal of G-6.0106b.
If PUP is adopted, including Recommendation 6, the 22
overtures should not be acted upon.
On suggestions of some about leaving the PC(USA) or declaring a
"constitutional crisis."
Recommendation 4 speaks to the need to "explore the use
of alternative forms of discernment and decision-making as a complement to
parliamentary procedure, especially in dealing with potentially divisive
issues." My concern is that a winner-takes-all parliamentary approach is
against the spirit of PUP and would thus have the potential to further
divide us.
I hope PUP passes by an overwhelming majority. If,
however, PUP passes by only a narrow margin, I fear that many will perceive
that ratification by the presbyteries was intentionally by-passed in order
to achieve victory. If we attend GA with the idea of winning, if we attend
GA believing that PUP "must" or "must not" pass, we will be deaf to the Holy
Spirit and the Church of Jesus Christ will be the big loser.
If PUP passes by a super-majority, I shall see it as the
work of the Holy Spirit and, if elected Moderator, I will be its strong
supporter. If PUP passes by a narrow majority, I shall seek the spirit of
Recommendation 4, so that we can agree on a process of discernment and
decision-making that allows us to leave the Assembly more united than we are
today.
On divestment from some corporations doing business in ways that support
the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and Palestinian acts of terrorism.
The PC(USA) must develop a consistent ethic both for
investment and divestment; modern market capitalism requires such
responsibility. At the same time, we are called to realize that justice
transcends economics. Scripture teaches us that justice is relational… and
that requires long, hard and tedious work. This is the work of
reconciliation that confronts Palestinians and Israelis.
The unintended consequence of the 216th General Assembly
action on divestment has been to hurt our relationship with the Jewish
community, which understands our action as punitive rather than restorative.
The Jewish community believes that it alone was singled out and that our
failure to condemn militant Islamic extremism is a grievous omission.
At this point, the divestment issue with Israel should be
rescinded. Israel does have a biblical theology of responsibility to the
alien and marginalized that morally obligates its participation in seeking a
peace with justice, and it is difficult to imagine, however, that divestment
can serve to enable Israel’s moral obligations.
On U.S. use of torture.
William Sloane Coffin (Credo, pg. 20) tells the
story of a beggar in 16th century Paris who, desperately ill, was about to
be operated upon by a group of doctors. One of the doctors, certain that his
patient did not understand Latin, said, "Faciamus experimentum in anima
vile." ("Let us experiment on this vile fellow.") The beggar, an
impoverished student who would later become the renowned poet Marc Antoine
Muret, replied from the slab on which they had placed him, "Animam vilem
appellas pro qua Christus non dedignatus mori est?" ("Will you call vile one
for whom Christ did not disdain to die?").
Torture is wrong. Torture violates the Christ in us and the Christ in our
neighbor. Torture not only dehumanizes those who are tortured but also the
torturer. The General Assembly can say no less.
NOTE: The last paragraph of Rev. Timothy Halverson's
response (just above) was omitted in our editing; we apologize! Our
thanks to him for catching the omission.
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Candidates for Moderator
The four ministers who have been
endorsed by their presbyteries for Moderator of the 217thGeneral
Assembly have all responded to a set of five questions from the Witherspoon
Society, to give them the opportunity to express their views on some of the
more urgent concerns of our church today.
The Presbyterian News Service
has released stories on each of the candidates as they have been endorsed by
their presbyteries.
You may want to look at those
stories to learn a little of their background.
The Rev. Kerry Carson,
from North Central Iowa Presbytery
The Rev. H. Timothy
(Tim) Halverson, from Peace River Presbytery
The Rev. Deborah A.
Block, from the Presbytery of Milwaukee
The Rev. Joan S. Gray,
from the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta
[Posted by Doug King,
4-21-06] |
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