Theological Task Force approves ‘plan for moving ahead’ with its work

The task force still is struggling, however, to determine what’s the best way to confront some of the complex issues before it — wondering whether it’s wise, for example, to expect it will “resolve” some of the longstanding controversies in the church. The plan it has set out calls for discussion at each of its next four meetings about specific areas of theology and of Presbyterian polity, governance and history. Then the August 2004 meeting will be dedicated to the difficult question of “How to address the theological controversies?” and the passionate and painful dispute over whether the PC(USA) should ordain gays and lesbians who are sexually active.

The task force also is looking for ways to communicate with the wider church, both to let people know what it is doing, and to hear their views. The General Assembly gave the task force the job of leading the PC(USA) “in spiritual discernment of our Christian identity” and of developing “a process and an instrument by which congregations and governing bodies throughout our church may reflect on and discuss the matter that unite and divide us.” But how to do that — for a task force that faces constraints both in time and money — is proving as slippery as trying to snatch a naked toddler from a swimming pool.

The task force has been given a little extra time — because of the switch to biennial assemblies, it will be reporting to the General Assembly in 2006 rather than 2005 — but it intends to have its draft report ready by Sept. 2005, to give people across the denomination time to study it before the Assembly meets.

There also was conversation at this meeting, held July 31 to Aug. 3 in Chicago, about getting a clearer idea of what members of the group most want the task force to do. In creating the 20-member task force last year, the General Assembly did give some instructions, telling it to lead the denomination in a process of discernment that “shall include but not be limited to issues of Christology, biblical authority and interpretation, ordination standards and power.”

That’s a huge territory. These are people with jobs and families and responsibilities, who don’t have unlimited time to give to the task force. Some of them feel uncomfortable about doing their work in the public glare of the media, worrying they’ll feel constrained in their ability to “float ideas,” as one person put it, with the entire church watching over their shoulders.

“This is going to be a messy, risky process, no question about it, and we cannot predict the outcome,” said Scott Anderson, who leads the California Council of Churches.

But close to the end of this meeting, Frances Taylor Gench, a professor of New Testament at Union-PSCE in Virginia, led the group on a study of the account in the 14th chapter of Matthew of Jesus walking on the water — and of how his approach was seen by the frightened disciples whose boat was being “beaten by the waves.”

Some spoke of the PC(USA) being like the boat, tossed about, deep in the storm. Gench said the church in Matthew’s time was “terribly conflicted” over internal disputes, that Matthew speaks of “false teachers” and “love growing cold.” They talked of Peter’s attempt to walk out towards Jesus — how Peter almost sank because his fear overcame his faith, how often Christians want to have faith but struggle to believe, but how when Peter began to go down Jesus was there “immediately,” according to the text — and how when Jesus climbed into the boat and was close to his disciples, “the wind ceased.”

In the last lines of the gospel of Matthew, Gench pointed out, Jesus said: “I am with you always.”

As they prayed for God’s guidance, to feel the leading of the Holy Spirit, the task force members also talked about what they think most needs to be included in the task force’s work — what they see at the heart of the work.

For example, Lonnie Oliver, a pastor from Georgia, said he hopes the group will be clear about questions of identity and purpose — “on what it means to be Christian and what it means to be Presbyterian.” Oliver said he wants the task force to help people discern “what God is up to,” so that “the end result is obedience to God’s mission, to what God is doing.”

Mike Loudon, a pastor from Florida, talked about the concept of “paying the rent” that if a pastor first takes care of the basics, of paying the rent and preaching on Sundays, for example, then the church will gain the freedom to try some other things. But pay the rent first, he said — take care of the essentials. And in his view, Loudon said, “paying the rent” means the task force needs to say something about whether to ordain homosexuals and about divisions in the PC(USA) over the authority and interpretation of the Bible.

Others said they want the task force to talk about the faith that unites Presbyterians, not just the controversies on which they disagree. Jack Haberer, a pastor from Texas, pointed out that at the General Assembly in June, 97 percent of the commissioners voted to affirm “Hope in the Lord Jesus Christ,” a theological statement expressing the Reformed view of salvation through Jesus Christ — a sign that “90 percent of the faith is held by 90 percent of us” and which “dispels the notion that we have so little in common and that we’re just two churches under one roof,” Haberer said.

Gary Demarest, a pastor from California, wants to explore where the church is going, “what does a disciple of Jesus Christ really look like in 21st century America” and “what does this community of disciples of Jesus Christ look like as we live it out?”

And Barbara Wheeler, president of Auburn Seminary in New York, said she, like many others, came to the PC(USA) from another denomination, and discovered in her adopted church “a religious tradition of incredible richness and depth and strength.” Wheeler said she does not want to be part of a denomination that does not include gays and lesbians in leadership or which makes conservative evangelicals feel the church has no place for them. She wants the task force to present “a luminous portrayal of the good of what we’ve got” in the PC(USA) and to “convince the church how lucky we are to have each other.”

Several task force members said they’re concerned that the plan they’re considering is too ambitious — Wheeler called it “Herculean with its demands” — and could be too expensive, especially if they start bringing in consultants or trying to produce resources to distribute across the denomination.

People on this task force do seem to feel they’re made progress in building trust and a sense of relationship despite their differences of opinion — at least so far. But communicating that to the rest of the church — especially when the task force hasn’t decided what positions to take on some of the most controversial issues it confronts — is sort of like trying to communicate the spiritual high of a revival to someone who hasn’t been there, said Joe Coalter, a professor who directs library and information technology services at Louisville Seminary.

The task force tossed up ideas of ways to communicate with the rest of the church — from producing multi-media “toolboxes” that Presbyterians could use in their own discussions or asking to create “mirror” or parallel task forces in at least some presbyteries. They debated the merits of getting feedback quickly to the dangers of trying to provide resources to the church before the task force has had its own chance for more extensive theological debate.

The task force finally decided to keep working on those ideas — probably hiring a consultant to help with the details — while keeping four goals in mind:

• To reintroduce the PC(USA) to important parts of its heritage;

• To reintroduce the church to a range of compelling views, each of which falls under the Reformed banner;

• To make those resources “accessible and engaging” so people can use them and become part of the conversation;