The Biblical St. Paul was seldom mentioned, but his presence was palpable. Echoes of his teachings reverberated through the halls of the convention center. That’s not to presume that the apostle was reveling over all the decisions. However, many an argument could have cited Paul as one’s champion — regardless of the outcomes.
Like the Galatian Christians, we Presbyterians proclaim the message of salvation by grace alone. Like the Galatians we also drag around a cartful of rules to regulate the way we live in grace. Like Paul the commissioners blurted, “Enough!” They adopted the new Form of Government and referred it on to the presbyteries for ratification, having an eye to jettisoning hundreds of rules, in the hope of unleashing the church’s global mission.
While extending his mission to the Gentiles, Paul still expressed passionate love for his people Israel. Alongside our Presbyterian mission to the Arab world, we also love the children of Israel. Just how do you express both those loves within the polarized context of Middle East geo-politics? This GA evaluated a study document that pre-Assembly critics had insisted was weighted heavily against Israel. In overnight discussions amid the committee deliberations, some parts of the document were edited, a balance struck, and then the committee adopted it unanimously. The GA approved it with an 82% affirmative vote. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) renewed its role as a peacemaker in that region.
Of course, Jesus is our peace, and his ministry of reconciliation was entrusted to the church, as St. Paul taught. So too, the commissioners pursued the vision of Jew and Gentile united, adopting a study paper on Christian-Muslim relations, and referring for further refinement a paper on Christian-Jewish understandings.
The author of Philemon surely could resonate with the vision of the Belhar Confession, given its proclamation of Jesus as Lord and the implication that all people are loved equally. Its call to end racial discrimination, and at the same time, to unite the body of Christ, struck a chord with the commissioners. The presbyteries will be voting to ratify its inclusion into The Book of Confessions.
Paul was a promoter of the family – the two most traditional outlines of family life being attributed to the Pauline collection of epistles, as are his prohibitions of sexual hedonism. Then again, he did make room for some “minority” expressions, from the gift of celibacy, to the freedom for abandoned spouses to remarry; and then there’s that complicated passage (I Cor. 7:25ff.) where he addresses men “and their virgins.” In such cases, Paul minimizes the complications in order to maximize each person’s ability to serve the Lord. So it was at the GA: the commissioners chose to send to the presbyteries for study both the majority and minority reports of the Special Committee on Civil Marriage and Christian Union; hence all will consider both the traditional model of marriage for the majority of us, and the more complicated options for sexual minorities. They did send to the presbyteries a proposed amendment that would eliminate the fidelity-chastity ordination requirement while still holding high the bar for the examination of ordination candidates.
The great church planter did not depend on Robert’s Rules of Order to develop local congregations, but Paul would recognize the innovative approach of creating a commission to empower middle governing bodies to reorganize for effectiveness.
Most of all, the man who became all things to all people that he might by whatever means win some for Christ surely was cheering all the way as the commissioners renewed the vision to “Grow the Church Deep and Wide,” giving impetus and resources to proclaiming the good news of Jesus and his love.
Can we claim St. Paul as the sponsor and endorser of all actions taken in his twin’s city? It would be too presumptuous to draw such a conclusion. But we can assure that his voice was echoing through the halls, and that many were following his guidance. We all would do well to aspire to do the same.
—JHH
