Assembly approves celebration of the Confession of 1967 By Paula R. Kincaid The Layman Online Thursday, June 20, 2002 214th General Assembly Columbus, Ohio June 15-22, 2002 COLUMBUS, Ohio – The 214th General Assembly has approved a celebration of the Confession of 1967, which included authorizing an inclusive language version of the confession for liturgical use. One request of the original overture from the Presbytery of Hudson River, for study and liturgical resources to encourage reflection on the Confession of 1967, was referred to the Office of Theology and Worship as new guidance in fulfilling related referrals from previous general assemblies. The inclusive language version for contemporary liturgical use will be placed as an appendix in The Book of Confessions or in the Book of Common Worship. Other points approved by the assembly included: Encouraging congregations, presbyteries and synods to develop appropriate programs to consider the mission of the church, the nature of its witness and the nature of Christian vocation in light of the Confession of 1967 and the need for reconciliation with justice. Encouraging congregations to reflect upon and reaffirm the Confession of 1967, identifying new concerns for witness or emphasis, and communicating their insights and proposals to their presbyteries and to the Office of the General Assembly for appropriate referral. Commending the committees that developed the Confession of 1967, the concept of The Book of Confessions and the comprehensive ordination questions, and to honor those surviving members of the drafting committee and of the review committee that made changes in the version first presented in 1965. Requesting that Presbyterian seminaries sponsor conferences or consultations on the nature of the guidance provided by the Confession of 1967 and other confessions of the church, including their influence on the public voice, identity and unity of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and on the spiritual formation of ministers of Word and Sacrament. The overture resonated with the view that C-67, as many call it, is the most revered and worthy of the 11 creeds in The Book of Confessions, notwithstanding the fact that the Westminster Confession, with its Larger and Shorter Catechisms, was the sole confessional standard for Presbyterians in America for more than 200 years. The creed written by the Westminster Divines still is the confession of the Presbyterian Church in America and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, fast-growing evangelical denominations that formed out of disagreements within the largest Southern and Northern Presbyterian bodies in the 1970s and 1980s. Theologically, C-67, which was born in the national turmoils of Vietnam and the civil rights movements, is limited. Instead of the traditional confessional emphasis on the nature of God, the person and work of Christ, the witness of the Holy Spirit and the authority of Scripture, C-67 was stitched together around a single theme: reconciliation. That is acknowledged in the preface: "Modestly titled, the Confession of 1967 is built around a single passage of Scripture: "'In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself. …'" The three sections of C-67 are titled "God's Work of Reconciliation," "The Ministry of Reconciliation" and "The Fulfillment of Reconciliation."

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