This action piggybacks on a vote taken last evening after lengthy and conflicted debate to reject the paper. The major complaint of the commissioners was that the paper was prepared without engaging Palestinian Christians, given the practical and political implications such a document can have upon those who live in the Palestinian Occupied Territories.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Offices of Interfaith Relations and Theology and Worship prepared the first document, in consultation with Jewish scholars. The new document will enlarge that circle to include “broader consultation, “ specifically, the National Middle East Presbyterian Caucus, the denomination’s partner churches and agencies in the Middle East, “related mission networks of the PC(USA),” the Advocacy Committee on Racial Ethnic Concerns, and the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy.
The second document shall be prepared for consideration at the 2012 General Assembly.
