Skimming the early batches of overtures submitted to the 2006 General Assembly is sort of like watching a one-minute highlights show of the controversies of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Divestiture.
Gay ordination.
Churches withholding per capita.
Non-geographic presbyteries.
The Theological Task Force.
It’s all there — and more, in the first opportunity the church has had in two years to ask the assembly to take a stand.
But these overtures also reflect a real desire that the PC(USA) be a light of hope to a hurting world — that it be a denomination not afraid to wade in to troubled waters in places like Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
So far, more than 60 overtures have been formally submitted, with more surely on the way. Here’s some of what lies ahead.
DIVESTMENT
The decision of the 2004 General Assembly to recommend selective, phased divestiture of some companies doing business in Israel lit a blast of reaction, with some accusing Presbyterians of anti-Semitism — and now presbyteries are responding with their own ideas.
Some want to stop the move toward divestiture. In Overture 29, for example, New Covenant presbytery asks that any moves towards divestiture in Israel cease and that the PC(USA) focus instead on “Palestinian and Israeli reinvestment for a positive, helpful and peaceful future, rather than punitive acts of divestment.”
Both Mississippi presbytery (Overture 1) and the Presbytery of the James (Overture 8) ask that the divestment action be rescinded — saying it undermines the cause of peace, is punitive rather than redemptive and suggests bias against Israel. Eastern Virginia presbytery (Overture 59) also asks that the move towards divestment be suspended.
Several other presbyteries suggest that the PC(USA) pursue investment approaches in the Middle East that might “promote peace between the Israeli and Palestinian people,” as Overture 6 from National Capital presbytery puts it.
Transylvania presbytery, in Overture 36, suggests that any proceeds from divestment in Israel “be reinvested in corporations whose business in Israel is positive, helpful and peaceful.” Chicago presbytery, in Overture 49, flies along a similar path — it asks that the proceeds of divestment be reinvested in companies or entities in Israel and Palestine “whose work reflect the Hebrew injunction of `tikun olam’ — to repair the world.”
Sheppards and Lapsley, in Overture 53, calls on the assembly to cease divesting in Israel and to pursue investments likely to “promote peace and reconciliation between Israelis and Presbyterians.”
Eastern Virginia presbytery, in Overture 57, asks for a task force to be set up to draft a new statement on Middle East policy.
And, in a gesture of reconciliation, Overture 40 from Newton presbytery asks the assembly to affirm “a common Abrahamic heritage” among Jews, Muslims and Christians, and to encourage them to work together for peace, justice and righteousness.
NON-GEOGRAPHIC PRESBYTERIES
Beaver- Butler presbytery in Pennsylvania, an area where conservative Presbyterians are strong, is proposing that the assembly set up a system of non-geographic presbyteries and synods — so congregations and ministers that share similar theological views can be more closely connected to one another.
Beaver-Butler passed the overture Jan. 28, but it was still waiting to be assigned a number.
If approved, it would allow ministers and congregations to affiliate with each other based on factors they consider important — including geography, theology, approaches to mission or other reasons.
Congregations could decide to switch presbyteries with a two-thirds vote at a congregational meeting, and it would take a majority vote by the presbytery to decide to accept them. If a church switched presbyteries, the minister of that church would become a member of the new presbytery if the Committee on Ministry determined that that pastor’s call was in order.
Synods would consist of at least three presbyteries that decided to affiliate with one another.
The overture states that the Theological Task Force on the Peace, Unity and Purity of the PC(USA) has called for greater flexibility in church life. The overture states that the proposed new arrangement would “provide safe opportunity for congregations and judicatories to express shared, deeply-held convictions. To seek flexibility regarding essential belief, as the Task Force does, without providing a corresponding freedom of association based on those very convictions is contradictory and ultimately self-defeating,”
And it says this proposal is “future-oriented,” while maintaining accountability and the connectional nature of the Presbyterian system. The overture argues that such a system appreciates the central role of congregations in ministry and “allows the denomination to focus on positive change rather than defensive battles.”
THEOLOGICAL TASK FORCE
After four years of hard work by the Theological Task Force, much of the response to its work centers on the controversial fifth recommendation in its report, which would allow local governing bodies to determine whether candidates for ordination have departed from the current ordination standards — and whether a departure in a particular case “constitutes a failure to adhere to the essentials of Reformed faith and polity.”
At stake: whether the PC(USA) wants to stick unequivocally to standards now in the Book of Order requiring that candidates for ordination practice fidelity if they are married or chastity if they are single, or if the church is willing to give governing bodies some leeway of conscience, when a candidate’s gifts for ministry and manner of life are being considered as a whole. The case most frequently cited as an example: a gay or lesbian candidate, who otherwise would be considered stellar, lives in a committed, monogamous same-sex partnership.
In Overture 30, Mississippi presbytery seeks to amend the tasks force’s fifth recommendation to say that governing bodies are responsible making decisions about ordaining and installing candidates “subject to the requirements of the Book of Order.”
And it would add language saying that sessions and presbyteries must consider whether any “disqualifying conduct” exists — including any failure by the candidate to be governed by the church’s polity or abide by its discipline.
In recommending that, the overture draws a distinction between belief and conduct — in other words, as a previous judicial case involving women’s ordination determined, “the minister was free to believe what he wished, but his practice had to be governed by the Constitution” of the PC(USA).
Riverside presbytery, in Overture 43, also addresses the faith vs. practice question, by asking the assembly to adopt an authoritative interpretation. “Historically, regarding matters of faith, it has been left up to each presbytery and session to determine what it considers to be a departure from the essentials of the Reformed faith,” the overture states.
But the essentials of Reformed polity are determined nationally — not by individual presbyteries and sessions — and are expressed in the Book of Order, the overture states. Working to change the constitutional standards is acceptable, “defiance and subversion are not,” it says.
And to void or ignore the church’s constitution, “as if the individual interpreter is a constitution unto him or herself, is to stand in schism.”
GAY ORDINATION
The Theological Task Force recommends that the 2006 assembly not try to change the current ordination standards or issue or remove any authoritative interpretations involving homosexuality and ordination, other than the one the task force is recommending. In other words: do what we suggest, and leave the rest alone.
Some presbyteries disagree.
Some want to remove the “fidelity and chastity” language — in Overture 2, Heartland presbytery recommends that, and so far more than a dozen presbyteries have signed on to support that too.
Some want the whole church to study policy statements that the 1978 and 1979 assemblies approved regarding homosexuality — part of which the 1993 assembly made into an authoritative interpretation. Overture 37, from Indian Nations presbytery, says those documents contain valuable statements about “God’s design for human sexual practice,” but have been misunderstood.
But Cincinnati presbytery, in Overture 39, calls for deleting some of the language from the 1978 and 1979 statements, calling them unwelcoming and even insulting to gays and lesbians.
And Central Washington presbytery, in Overture 10, is calling for a “Decade of Peace” — for the PC(USA) to make no change to the “fidelity and chastity” language before 2018. Upper Ohio Valley, in Overture 54, seeks an eight-year moratorium.
JUDICIAL CASES
Some overtures seem intended to respond to the kind of cases that attorney Paul Rolf Jensen has filed with great energy against other Presbyterians — in some instances, initiating disciplinary cases against people he has never met, but suspects of being in violation of church regulations.
Santa Fe presbytery is proposing, in Overture 4, a rule change that would allow someone to make an accusation against another regarding a disciplinary matter if the person alleged to have been directly harmed by an alleged offense, or if both were under the jurisdiction of the same governing body.
Currently, any Presbyterian living anywhere can accuse another, and the governing body is obliged to investigate, the overture states. “This procedure can be abused if any single Presbyterian chooses to accuse numerous other Presbyterians of offenses,” the overture states. “This has happened in recent years, resulting in much unnecessary judicial action costing both the church and individuals time and money.”
Overture 22, from National Capital presbytery, would add a section to the PC(USA) constitution regarding judicial cases that did not involve allegations of sexual abuse. In all other cases, the overture proposes, the investigating committee or permanent judicial commission involved must decide whether the person initiating the complaint pursued alternative forms of discipline, such as conflict mediation.
If that hasn’t happened, and if “there is evidence of bad faith or reckless disregard” by the person initiating the action, the investigating committee or permanent judicial commission could declare the accusation or complaint to be “frivolous,” which would prevent that person using the judicial process (except for making allegations of sexual abuse) for up to a year.
The proposed overture — which would involve a constitutional change and so would need approval from the majority of presbyteries — contends that using the PC(USA)’s judicial process “to advance personal or political agendas” or to punish someone for taking positions with which the accuser disagrees “undermines and eviscerates” the denomination’s Rules of Discipline.
REACHING OUT
Some overtures veer away from internal PC(USA) politics — they’re about trying doing good in the world.
Northern New York presbytery, for example, wants to work harder to fight malaria in Africa (Overture 45). Both Heartland and Mid-Kentucky presbyteries want to take a stronger stand to protect the environment (Overtures 47 and 50).
And North Central Iowa presbytery (Overture 52) asks that presbyteries be given “broad latitude” to recognize the ordination of ministers coming from developing countries who are serving immigrant ministries.
HOT BUTTON STEW
Other overtures hit some of the hottest issues in church politics.
Abortion: Redstone presbytery has sent Overture 26, which says that “when late-term pregnancies must be terminated, we urge decisions intended to keep the baby alive.”
Christian educators: At least two overtures, Overture 16 from Mission presbytery and Overture 31 from Shenandoah, raise again the question of whether Christian educators should be considered church officers. Mission presbytery suggests creating an office of Minister of Christian education. And Shenandoah proposes a new office of educating elder.
Korean synod: Midwest Hammi presbytery, in Overture 35, asks the assembly to create a task force to consider creating a non-geographic Korean-American synod, and to report back to the assembly in 2008.
Montreat historical society office: Middle Tennessee presbytery is challenging a controversial plan to close, for economic reasons, the Presbyterian Historical Society office at Montreat. Overture 44 asks the assembly to direct the Historical Society to keep the office in North Carolina open and to find ways to pay for it. The overture states that the Friends of the Historical Foundation at Montreat, Inc., a non-profit group, “is prepared to undertake the support” of the Montreat office, relieving the assembly “of responsibility for its restoration and continuing support.”
Per Capita: Overture 23, from Baltimore presbytery, seeks an authoritative interpretation regarding the obligation of sessions to pay per capita to support the broader church — an interpretation that sessions are responsible for making per capita or per-member payments unless the presbytery has excused them from doing so.
Past General Assembly actions and rulings of the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission have left ambiguity and inconsistency, this overture contends. Sessions have a strong moral obligation to pay per capita, unless the presbytery has excused them from doing so — in the case, for example, of a financially struggling church.
But presbyteries are obliged to pay per capita to the national church — and “the current inconsistencies of interpretations can place an impossible financial burden upon presbyteries, which must pay their full per capita even if sessions do not pay the presbytery,” the overture states. It argues that the current situation is unfair to congregations that pay their full per capita, and siphons funds away from presbyteries’ mission priorities.
Same-sex unions: In Overture 27, Redstone presbytery asks the assembly to reaffirm that the church believes that “no sexual union outside the bonds of marriage, such as in domestic partnerships or same-sex unions, is within the will of God” or approved of by the PC(USA). It also says “the matter is so serious, and of such great import in our own time, that we urge our churches to provide loving and consistent teaching in this area and to call erring members and leaders to repentance.”
Redstone also submitted Overture 28, which urges pastors, elders and all others involved in pastoral counseling to encourage people to live “in accordance with biblical standards” that requires fidelity if one is married and chastity if one is single — and to encourage repentance if they don’t. The overture also says the PC(USA)’s national offices should produce materials which reflect those standards and should not encourage any governing body to recognize as legitimate partnerships other than marriage.
And Mississippi presbytery, in Overture 10, calls for amending the Book of Order to say that marriage is between one man and one woman, and same-sex unions are in opposition to Scripture.
Torture: San Francisco presbytery, in Overture 64, wants the assembly to petition the U.S. Congress to convene an investigative body to determine whether any officer or official of the U.S. government has been involved in mistreating detainees at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, or elsewhere, or in transporting people to detention in other countries with ‘known records of brutality and torture.’ It also asks that a special prosecutor be appointed to pursue such cases.
