DALLAS – Where do homosexuals fit in the Christian church?
In what ways are gays and lesbians part of the great narrative of the gospel drama?
What does it mean for a gay or lesbian who’s in a committed, monogamous relationship to be created in the image of God, like everyone else; to be in need of reconciliation, like everyone else; and to be redeemed in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit?
DALLAS — About to start discussing one of its most difficult topics, the Theological Task Force on the Peace, Unity and Purity of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has voted to go into closed session.
The task force voted 16-1, with two abstentions, to close a portion of its meeting regarding homosexuality and ordination — a session described on the agenda as “Exploring God’s presence in our encounters with homosexuality.”
Some might consider Donegal Presbytery in Pennsylvania to be exactly the sort of place where financial revolt could be launched. It’s in the heart of conservative Presbyterianism, where a lot of folks think the denomination has gone way off track and where the last thing they want is to give more money to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to spend on whatever the national church chooses.
But the numbers show something different.
The Committee on the Office of the General Assembly will conduct an investigation involving concerns that the process used in the stated clerk’s election on July 2 might not have been fair.
And that investigation is likely to lead to a bigger conversation in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) about whether more specific rules should be adopted for electing a stated clerk — now there basically are no rules governing campaigning for that office — and about whether the behind-the-scenes efforts to influence commissioners at General Assembly are acceptable or sometimes go too far.
RICHMOND, Va. — For people with profound disagreements, they were mighty polite.
Next year, for the first time in forever, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) will not meet. It’ll be a year off, and it’ll be a year following an Assembly that didn’t do anything wild and crazy, did not threaten schism, intentionally didn’t rock the boat.
RICHMOND, Va. — The 216th General Assembly "did the math" Saturday morning and approved mission and per capita budgets for the coming two years based on the actions of the Assembly during the week concluded.
The Assembly approved a 2005 mission budget with revenues of $114,891,603 and expenditures of $114,387,431. The mission budget for 2006 was set at $115,048,841.
RICHMOND, Va. — A weary General Assembly took on issues of the world during its last morning of work — tired, but still concerned about how the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) relates to people around the globe.
TAIWAN: The PC(USA) expressed solidarity with the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan and with the Taiwanese people, and the assembly asked for continued monitoring of the relationship of Taiwan with mainline China, describing that as "an emerging issue fraught with danger."
RICHMOND, Va. — Responding to an investigation of sexual abuse in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is recommending a series of changes in the church’s Constitution that would govern sexual abuse in other cases as well.
While many of the victims in the Congo were children at a boarding school for the children of missionaries, several speakers referred to other examples of sexual abuse they indicated were not uncommon in Presbyterian churches — for example, a pastor becoming sexually involved with an adult in the congregation or with someone the pastor was counseling.
Prayer doesn’t grab the headlines but the 216th General Assembly was underlined by prayer all week. Prayer preceded votes, was sung after breaks, and offered during daily Assembly worship. Each day’s printed schedule began with devotional guides for morning and evening prayer.
RICHMOND, Va. — It was close — agonizingly close for all concerned.
By four votes Friday the 216th General Assembly declined to supersede authoritative statements that have been used since the late 1970s to help prohibit sexually active homosexuals from being ordained as church officers.
Clifton Kirkpatrick, 58, won reelection Friday to a third term as stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church, in a broad affirmation of the denomination's current leadership.
Kirkpatrick received 349 votes, or 65 percent of votes cast, on the first ballot, easily defeating three opponents from the evangelical side of the church who called for tougher enforcement of constitutional standards.
RICHMOND, Va. — The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has described the U.S. invasion of Iraq as "unwise, immoral and illegal" and has condemned "in the strongest possible terms" the torture and abuse of prisoners by the U.S. military there.
A Presbyterian pastor from Iraq, Younan Shiba of the Assyrian Evangelical Presbyterian Church, was asked by a 216th General Assembly commissioner Friday if the Iraqi people were better off before or after the U.S. invasion, and he responded plainly, speaking through a translator: "We were better off before."
A step to the left, a step to the right. The General Assembly gave ground to each side in debate Thursday night on issues concerning families, Christian marriage and same-sex relationships.
• To the right: The Assembly approved the laboriously rewritten "Transforming Families" report, which was rejected last year for being too open to gay and lesbian relationships.
The 216th General Assembly on Thursday approved a resolution calling for a comprehensive legalization program for U.S. immigrants and directed the Office of the General Assembly to employ an attorney to advise presbyteries and churches whose members have immigration problems.
The resolution also calls for the General Assembly Council to better coordinate ministry work related to racial ethnic and immigrant church growth and evangelism, and to establish an annual Immigration Sunday.
The debate over advisory delegates and their role in the General Assembly occupied a large share of Thursday afternoon’s report from the Assembly Committee on General Assembly Procedures.
In the end, the commissioners to the 216th Assembly failed to pass a standing rule change that would have added 16 youth advisory delegates (YADs) to the 217th General Assembly which is meeting in 2006. The proposal, from Greater Atlanta Presbytery, was in response to the fact that while the number of commissioners to the first every-other-year Assembly has been increased, the number of YADs was not.
RICHMOND, Va. — Presbyterians in Iraq are grateful for the prayers of world, grateful for the efforts American churches made to prevent war there, for their "witness as peacemakers," and thankful for the humanitarian aid they have received, says ounan Shiba, pastor of two Presbyterian churches in Baghdad.
The 216th General Assembly Wednesday evening confirmed the re-election Presbyterian Church (USA) Foundation president Robert Leech.
Leech was elected by foundation trustees to a second four-year term at their spring meeting.
RICHMOND — The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has refused to stop funding new Messianic congregations, even though some Presbyterians described such congregations as deeply offensive to Jews and said they would hurt Presbyterian efforts to provide a Christian witness in a religiously pluralistic world.
But others argued that funding for Messianic congregations should continue as part of the Presbyterian commitment to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ around the globe.
The 216th General Assembly approved Wednesday afternoon a commissioners’ resolution asking the church to consider a 21st century social creed in light of current societal needs and the upcoming 100th anniversary of the 1908 Social Creed of the Churches.
A review of the Presbyterian Church (USA) Investment and Loan Program (PILP) praised its sense of mission and consistently stronger financial performance, but said the program should make more loans to racially diverse congregations.
PILP lends money to help congregations build, renovate or purchase buildings, refinance bank loans and help improve accessibility, technology and energy use. Its funds come from investments made through PILP by Presbyterians, churches and other entities.
RICHMOND, Va. — The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) backed away — just barely — from revising a policy statement on late-term abortions to say that "late-term abortions should be considered only if the physical life or mental health of the mother is at serious risk and no alternative means of delivering the baby alive is available."
The 216th General Assembly voted Wednesday night to ask the Board of Pensions to explore the feasibility of offering domestic partner benefits to employees of the denomination — but stopped short of saying such benefits should be offered.
The action "is neutral, carrying neither approval nor disapproval," said John McFayden, vice chairman of the Committee on Pensions, Foundation and the Presbyterian Investment & Loan Program.
With prolonged discussion of over two and one-half hours, the Assembly Committee on Theological Issues and Institutions wrestled with Commissioner’s Resolution 08-16 to commit the "church to develop an online commentary to the Bible that would be accessible for free to anyone seeking to learn more about the Bible in order to hear the word of God more clearly and to obey more faithfully."
RICHMOND, Va. — After the vote Tuesday, a rabbi described himself as "bitterly disappointed that the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) seems to be turning back the clock 40 years."
Some General Assembly commissioners said that to tell the gospel of Jesus Christ to Pakistanis or Sudanese immigrants, but to refuse to tell it to Jews, would be racist or anti-Semitic.
RICHMOND — The Assembly Committee on Mission Coordination and Budgets approved a sweeping plan to promote and manage diversity in the church on Tuesday — but with several changes that softened the impact of the initial report.
The 216th General Assembly will consider the plan, called "Creating a Climate for Change Within the Presbyterian Church USA," later this week.
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