It’s dangerous too draw many conclusions from scant evidence. But, I’m a blogger – we live to break (or at least push) the rules – so here I go.
Last night at Cynthia Bolbach, an elder and lawyer from National Capital Presbytery, was elected Moderator of the 219th General Assembly. The election took several hours, and was the first significant decision by the commissioners (I am not counting, for example, some test questions posed to the assembly such as “Did you eat supper?”).
Bolbach was elected from a crowed pool of six candidates. How did she do it? And, if I were to speculate (seriously or in jest) what might her election say about this assembly?
* In Bolbach’s five-minute speech she drew heavily from scripture, discussing the gospel story of the friends who helped their paralyzed friend to see Jesus by cutting a hole in the roof. She analogized that the commissioners at this general assembly are the friends who can help our paralyzed denomination to see Jesus. Several other candidates drew from scripture, but Bolbach’s use of the story seemed particularly strong. Does her election mean this assembly might have a particular interest in scripture to guide their decisions?
* Bolbach showed a quick wit several times, including responding to a minister candidate who noted that ministers sometimes go off on tangents by saying, in a room full of pastors, “Ministers going off on tangents? Who knew!” She also sarcastically quipped in response to a question about what was at stake if each candidate were not elected, that if she was not elected there would be: “Total chaos.” She immediately smiled and said, “I am of course kidding.” Bolbach’s election could point to the assembly’s appreciation of a good laugh even in the midst of tough work. Look for more disarming Bolbach humor later in the week.
* Cynthia Bolbach was the lone elder among the six candidates standing for moderator. She joked – but made a constitutional point by saying “Elders rule.” Perhaps her election points to this assembly’s particular appreciation of elders, or even further, that some commissioners may want to emphasize the role of elder in the church. Look for more discussion of the role of elders in the new Form of Government debate including the proposed move to the titles “Teacher Elder” and “Ruling Elder” for the office of Minister of Word and Sacrament and Elder respectively.
* Compared to what I remember from previous assemblies, the lines of commissioners and advisory delegates standing at the microphones to ask questions to the candidates were much shorter. In fact, at a few mics, there were no lines at all. This could mean a few things: perhaps, many at the assembly were already aware the election would take a long time and were simply reticent to draw it out longer by asking many questions. On the other hand, maybe the commissioners are just holding their cards close to the chest and planning on saving their speeches at the mic time for later in the week.
* Did you notice what color Bolbach was wearing? Green. This clearly means she’s either (1) a secret part of BP’s public relations campaign for the gulf oil spill, (2) an extreme pro-environmental activist, or (3) just looks good in green. The jury is still out on this one.
* When asked a question on same sex marriage and civil unions, Bolbach indicated her support for moves towards allowing same sex marriage or civil unions, and said the denomination should give more guidance to pastors on the matter. She did so, however, in a direct and simple way by asking the assembly who they thought threatened the institution of marriage more – Larry King and his seven or eight marriages or faithful gay partners of over sixty years. So, does her election signal a willingness of the assembly to broaden the PC(USA) definition of marriage, or at least clearly address the quandary of some pastors in states with legal same sex marriage?
* Finally, the election was delayed after questions about the accuracy of the electronic voting system. In fact, after the election, Bolbach quipped she hoped her middle name would not become “Florida” (do not fear, there were no pregnant chads in the hall). Overall, it seemed like the commissioners dealt calmly with the technical issues, but if the malfunctions resurface, how might a failure in voting technology affect the commissioner’s trust in our Presbyterian process?
For some of these questions and observations, more time as an assembly will bring more clarity. For others, we must simply speculate. But, now it’s your turn. What do you think about any of these observations or your own? How did you perceive the elections last night, and what might that say about the Spirit working this week?
–Adam J. Copeland, Outlook Blogger
