How it is that the new AI of G-6.0108 does not allow ordination of non-celibate gays and lesbians?
The initial reactions to the Authoritative Interpretation of G-6.0108 approved by the General Assembly in San Jose were dramatic.
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Reflections on ordination standards after San Jose
The 218th General Assembly, meeting this past June in San Jose, issued two Authoritative Interpretations (“AIs”) and proposed an amendment to the Constitution that have important effects on the church’s ordination standards and our life together.
Meeting “the enemy” in the FOG
We Presbyterians have long prided ourselves on our church government. We have rejected rule by powerful individuals (bishops) set apart to make the important decisions that affect the many.
Try “Viral Marketing”
The Internet age gives you a tool of immense reach and power: “viral marketing.”
An open letter to my liberal-progressive friends
As editor of a magazine that speaks to the whole church, I feel compelled to speak to friends of various convictions — while allowing all others to overhear the conversation. Last week I began with the group that has most nurtured my faith: conservative-evangelicals. This week, I write to those who have broadened my vision: liberal-progressives. Next week, I’ll address those who have grounded my churchmanship, centrist-ecclesiasts.
Peacemaking Conference: Sowing mustard seeds
Mustard seeds are small and easily overlooked, but inside is the potential for growth and fruitful productivity. Jesus called them a picture of the Kingdom of God. “Sowing Mustard Seeds: Working for God’s Justice — Confronting Poverty” was the theme of the Presbyterian Peacemaking Conference July 15-19 in Orange, Calif.
Gradye Parsons undergoes successful heart surgery
CLEVELAND — Gradye Parsons, stated clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), underwent successful open-heart surgery on Aug. 7 at the Cleveland Clinic here.
Boycott bishop wants Lambeth Conference to continue
NAIROBI — Anglican Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi of Kenya, who boycotted the 2008 Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops from around the world, has said the Archbishop of Canterbury should continue to convene the once-every-10-years gathering but underlined his view that homosexuality needs to be seen as sinful.
Schirch offers peacemakers multidimensional view of security
ORANGE, CALIF. — God has a strategy for building U.S. security and it’s all about development and diplomacy with the rest of the world, according to Lisa Schirch, a professor of peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) in Harrisonburg, Va.
Church-backed border worker who left water in desert faces federal prison
LOUISVILLE — A volunteer with a faith-based humanitarian aid group in Arizona that receives support from Presbyterians is facing jail time or a fine after leaving 25 water jugs in the desert for undocumented border-crossers.
Protestant pastors to help carry Olympic torch in Beijing
LOUISVILLE — Five Protestant pastors are among the 21,880 persons who will carry the Olympic torch through the streets of Beijing to mark the beginning of the summer Olympic Games later this week; opening ceremonies are planned August 8.
Solzhenitsyn represented “freedom and dignity,” says church
MOSCOW — (ENI) Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the Nobel Prize-winning author who survived the Soviet gulag of labor camps under dictator Josef Stalin, will go down in history as a "model of inner freedom and human dignity," a top official of the Russian Orthodox Church has said.
Anglican leader says wide ‘consensus’ exists to heal divisions
CANTERBURY — (ENI) Leaders of the Anglican Communion have left for home from the Lambeth Conference having heard Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams say there is "wide support" for measures to resolve a dispute over homosexuality that had threatened to tear apart the 77-million-strong grouping.
Palestinians lament losing Jerusalem residency rights
JERUSALEM — When Mona Nasir Tucktuck married her high-school sweetheart three years ago, she never imagined it would lead to the loss of her residency rights in her native city of Jerusalem.
Philanthropist John Templeton dies at 95
John Templeton, the American-born investor and philanthropist who devoted his later life to funding the scientific study of religion, died July 8 at Doctors Hospital in Nassau, Bahamas. He was 95.
Transparency Matters
Like all buzz words, transparency can be overused. I understand why a colleague said recently, “I am so tired of the word ‘transparency.’”
Ulrich Mauser, seminary professor, funeral July 9
Ulrich W. Mauser, 81, the retired Otto A. Piper Professor of Biblical Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, of Trafford, Pa., died July 5.
Where are we now?
Many will ponder the mood of the 218th General Assembly. There were no obvious clues that this would later be described as a radical assembly. Commissioners were as “Presbyterian” — i.e. as conservative, elderly and grey, like me — as usual. The atmosphere was exceptionally calm. A well organized COLA (Committee On Local Arrangements), superb facilities, and pleasant weather made this the most comfortable assembly I have attended in years.
A commissioner’s reflection on the Theme of the 218th GA
This year’s General Assembly was returned again and again over the course of the week to its scriptural theme drawn from Micah 6:8: “To do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God.” I admit that I don’t know the processes whereby themes are chosen, but I can think of no better theme for a denomination as fractured as ours — stress fractures rather than clean breaks, but fractures nonetheless.
Where are we now — divided or broken?
Our brokenness is a spiritual reality. The ideological and theological divisions among good people of faith in the church are a reflection of this brokenness. Can we as brothers and sisters in Christ overcome the divides within our neighborhoods and our faith communities? Is there any common ground? Do we have the courage to engage in the conversations that might lead us to change our positions on controversial issues?
Actions of the 218th GA related to G-6.0106b & G-6.0108
Recent actions by the 218th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) regarding G-6.0106b and G-6.0108 in the Book of Order (Advisory Opinion #22) are raising questions in sessions and presbyteries about the effect of those actions on the work of these ordaining bodies. This is a synopsis of some of those actions and their effects.
“What was he thinking?”
“If you want to completely shatter the denomination, then vote for this substitute motion. But if you want to give (the issue) the time it needs for us to learn from each other, listen to each other, then, please God, vote no.” Truly these words of a former moderator of our General Assembly, Marj Carpenter, were as influential as they were powerful in the opening moments of our denomination’s discussion of Item No. 408, regarding the definition of marriage. Influential enough that I voted against my own motion.
Why Recommendation 5 is faithful
As part of the General Assembly’s deliberations on the John Knox Overture, we presented the following reflections, at the invitation of the Church Orders Committee, explaining why we, as former members of the Theological Task Force, continue to believe that the procedures outlined in Recommendation 5 are faithful expressions of our calling as a Reformed church body. We share them here with readers of The Presbyterian Outlook.
An open letter to my conservative-evangelical friends
As editor of a magazine that speaks to the whole church, I feel compelled to speak to friends of various convictions — while allowing all others to overhear the conversation. This week I begin with the group that has most nurtured my faith: conservative-evangelicals. Next week, I’ll write to those who have broadened my vision: liberal-progressives. Then I’ll address those who have grounded my churchmanship, centrist-ecclesiasts.
Shall the “Fundamentalists” win?
Almost three quarters of a century ago, more than 1,000 Presbyterian ministers got so angry at the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church that they signed a document called the “Auburn Affirmation” and circulated it throughout the church. The main issue at hand was the question, “Can the General Assembly amend the Constitution without the vote of the presbyteries?” Several times over the decades before, the GA had passed statements of summaries of doctrine that they wanted to be required of every candidate for ordination. These are summed up in what were called the “Fundamentals.”