MINNEAPOLIS — Some in the Covenant Network of Presbyterians are arguing that the time has come to interpret what the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) really means when it limits ordination of elders and ministers to those who practice fidelity if they are married or chastity if they are single. And their conclusion: it does not say what many people think it does.
MINNEAPOLIS — It's clearly not a time for legislation: the Covenant Network of Presbyterians has no plans to push now for another amendment to the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) to remove restrictions on ordaining gays and lesbians who don't promise to be chaste. Instead, the group is working to win over what co-moderator Eugene Bay of Philadelphia called "the great middle of the church" and to broaden its agenda
The Mid-Atlantic Synod has decided to set up an administrative review committee to review the actions of Baltimore Presbytery regarding Donald Stroud, a minister who has publicly said that he cannot comply with the section of the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) that does not permit the ordination of those who are single and sexually active.
MINNEAPOLIS -- Fahed Abu-Akel, moderator of the 214th General Assembly (2002) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), has released a letter to the General Assembly's commissioners announcing his opposition to calling the Assembly back into session for a special meeting to address what some in the church are calling a "constitutional crisis."
It’s true: the advertising folks would hate it. There’s absolutely no jingle in the phrase, "International Leader Development."
But the idea itself has plenty of pull. Think of Christians from many countries, some of them new converts, some religious minorities in a volatile political landscape, hungry for pastors who can teach them about the Bible and God.
LOUISVILLE — Mike Loudon's church in Lakeland, Fla., thinks of itself as "very evangelical," he said — but it loses people, folks who think his Presbyterian church isn't conservative enough, to Assemblies of God or Southern Baptist congregations. Sacramento, where Scott Anderson's from, has been named one of the most integrated cities in the country. There, he said, one of the fastest growing congregations is called the "spiritual life center," which promotes no clear dogma or doctrine at all.
LOUISVILLE — Whether the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is in a time of crisis — theological, constitutional or just plain lethargy, with some people ready to post explanations of their views onto the front doors of church institutions while others pull the blankets up to their ears in delicious slumber every Sunday morning, effectively unconscious to the Presbyterian church — is a matter of debate.
LOUISVILLE — John M. Mulder, 56, president of Louisiville Seminary for 21 years, has resigned due to health concerns.
Meeting in Louisville Saturday (Oct. 26), the seminary's board of trustees "determined his resignation is in the best interest of the seminary and is effective immediately," according to a seminary news release.
Dear 214th General Assembly Commissioners:
It has come to our attention that there is an effort being made to reconvene the 214th General Assembly for the purpose of dealing with what some consider to be a constitutional crisis in the PC(USA). It seemed appropriate for us, both having stood for the office of Moderator of this past Assembly, to remind our fellow commissioners of the theme of our Assembly.
In 1895, Henry Van Dyke, pastor of the Brick church, New York City, wrote The Story of the Other Wise Man, which is still in print and still a favorite at Christmastime. It is about a Persian, Artaban by name, who follows the Christ star. Because he stops on his pilgrimage to assist the needy, he misses meeting the three Magi in Bethlehem. He continues his quest after the Christ for 33 years, ministering to others with gifts originally meant for the Christ-child. Finally he comes to Golgotha. There he hears Christ's words: 'Inasmuch as thou hast done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, thou hast done it unto me' (Matthew 25:40).
In this story, translated into many languages, Van Dyke, another wise man, continues to touch our lives. In addition to being a pastor, Van Dyke was a popular writer, professor and diplomat, who deserves notice on Nov. 10, his 150th birthday.
GUATEMALA CITY — Rocked by 36 years of civil war which took at least 200,000 lives, this Central American nation continues to struggle with the haunting memories of that conflict and the poverty and crime which have followed.
It’s a precarious peace. Most of those who committed atrocities during the war have gone unpunished. Some who have pushed for justice have paid with their own lives.
News release from Presbyterians for Renewal
A few weeks ago, members of the Board of Presbyterians for Renewal learned that some General Assembly commissioners are urging their comrades to reconvene the 214th General Assembly to address what they term a "constitutional crisis." We have carefully analyzed the commissioners’ rationale and the possible outcomes of such a meeting, and we believe a called Assembly at this time would be inopportune and perhaps misunderstood.
The Committee on the Office of the General Assembly (COGA) is telling commissioners to the 214th General Assembly (2002) that the PC(USA) is not in a constitutional crisis and there is no need to recall the Assembly, which met last June in Columbus, Ohio, into special session.
LOUISVILLE — With a change to biennial assemblies on the horizon for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) — the 2002 General Assembly voted for the denomination to start holding its annual policy-setting meeting every other year, beginning in 2006 — some new ground rules have to take effect.
And the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly is recommending that, when the change takes effect:
ORLANDO — One of the best lines to come out of the Presbyterian Coalition's national gathering Oct. 3-5 came from Jerry Andrews, a pastor from Chicago, saying that as a Coalition leader "I have preened and postured and posed for you" and "almost perfected the art of whining," but now "the days of whine and poses are over."
LOUISVILLE — The women who told investigators that they had been sexually abused by a Presbyterian missionary while their parents were missionaries in the Congo — and whose revelations have led the leaders of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to say publicly that they will try to strengthen denominational policies to prevent such abuse from happening in the future — were "being asked to open a wound in front of strangers" and should be "embraced and recognized as the heroes that they are," a lawyer who led the PC(USA)'s independent committee of inquiry said Tuesday.
LOUISVILLE — An independent committee investigating allegations of physical and sexual abuse involving the children of missionaries in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has determined there is "overwhelming" evidence that one charismatic, well-respected Presbyterian missionary sexually abused at least 22 girls and women over nearly a 40-year period, both in Africa and in the United States, from 1946 through 1985.
LOUISVILLE — The General Assembly Council of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) approved a statement Saturday, Sept. 28, regarding Iraq — calling for prayer and asking national leaders "to speak in ways that encourage peace, rather than war."
It also narrowly turned down a proposal from the News Advisory Council to clarify the role of the Presbyterian News Service — a proposal that some cautioned could give denominational leaders more leeway to try to "spin" the coverage the news service provides.
LOUISVILLE — Still committed to the idea of publishing its own curriculum, written specifically for Presbyterians, the Congregational Ministries Division of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is preparing to roll out its new product, called "We Believe," in January.
LOUISVILLE — The General Assembly Council's Mission Support Services Committee received an update Thursday on the financial picture of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for the year so far — and there is some cause for concern.
Receipts are down about 7 percent for the year through August, although it's too soon to tell if that picture will hold, said Joey Bailey, the PC(USA) deputy for mission support services.
LOUISVILLE — A committee investigating sexual abuse that Presbyterian missionaries allegedly committed against children in Africa from 1945 to 1978 has reported back — and leaders of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) plan to send a letter of apology to those who endured the abuse and to set up a work group to consider what steps to take next.
LOUISVILLE — The General Assembly Council of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is considering whether to make a statement about the possibility of U.S. military action against Iraq.
The council is considering whether to make an interim statement — a formal statement the council can make on important issues between meetings of the General Assembly — or to issue a pastoral letter, to summarize General Assembly policy statements regarding Iraq, or not to say anything at all.
The idea seemed pretty straightforward: take 10 "listening" teams, each with one Muslim and one Christian from another country, and send them around the United States for about two weeks, talking with as many Presbyterians along the way as they could jam into the schedule. Hope that what comes out is a better understanding of relations between Muslims and Christians, and perhaps a desire by Presbyterians in the pews to know more about the Islamic world.
The General Assembly Council will be asked at its Sept. 25-29 meeting in Louisville to review the role of the Presbyterian News Service, and to consider how the denomination’s news service should approach the reporting of controversial stories.
The discussion has been provoked, in part, because there are differing opinions about what the news service should do — how much editorial freedom it should have, or how much it should reflect official church policy — and how well it’s been doing its job.
When some folks think Presbyterian, they think "frozen chosen," a collection of mostly well-to-do, well-buttoned-up, well-intentioned white people. But the General Assembly’s recent decision to go ahead with the Mission Initiative — a five-year campaign to raise $40 million from big donors for international mission work and new church development in the United States — is a sign that the vision can extend well beyond that, and that the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) can, if it’s willing, nurture a more diverse, more creative, more open-ended definition of the church of the future.
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