 Publishing unit gets another reprieve to revise sexuality curriculum By Paula R. Kincaid The Layman Online Friday, June 21, 2002
The 214th General Assembly voted to give a "two-year deferment to Congregational Ministries Publishing in order that it might make available a 'library of resources' in addition to the current General Assembly action to 'review and revise' the 'God's Gift of Sexuality' curriculum. These resources may be comprised of, e.g., study aids; annotated bibliographies; specialized areas of concern related to human sexuality, such as incest, child abuse, and rape (see referral: Alternate Resolution to 27.007); biblical and constitutional references (see Alternate Resolution to Overture 99-46); a revised "A Guide to the PCUSA" (see 2000 referral 25.085); suggested resources indexed by topic; optional lesson plan formats, etc., with the intent of providing congregations tools to create their own sexuality learning events." The assembly also approved a comment that says, "The Christian Education and Publications Committee's understanding is that the review and revision process will occur as part of customary, timely practices of the Congregational Ministries Division's Curriculum publishing program area," thereby letting the division review and revise themselves. The Rev. Lesley Davies, moderator of the Committee on Christian Education and Publications, which brought the recommendation before the assembly, said there was a "considerable amount of debate on this issue. … There was agreement among those in the room that there is no one resource or written curriculum that would please everyone. … It's better to have something available to serve congregations and young people than to have nothing at all." Minority report defeated The assembly defeated a minority report that called on the Congregational Ministries Division to "discontinue distribution of the sexuality curriculum "God's Gift of Sexuality" and cease any further revision of that curriculum, and to prepare all future resources of any kind on the subject of sexual behavior in conformity with the directives given by the 210th and 211th General Assemblies (1998) and (1999)." The written rationale of the minority report read, "The curriculum does not meet Biblical or constitutional standards as directed by previous General Assemblies and fails to bear consistent witness to sexual purity and abstinence throughout the entire curriculum. Overwhelmingly, testimony in open hearings from people who had watched this issue for the last four years repeatedly emphasized the inability of the Congregational Ministries Division to follow the directives of the General Assembly to rewrite the curriculum." After the minority report was presented, Youth Advisory Delegate Ginny Garrard of Flint Presbytery, speaking for the report, said the Congregational Ministries Division had been asked to stop distribution of the material by the 1999, 2000 and 2001 assemblies, "and it has not been done. … If we expect youth to be strong enough to stand up, then the church, too, should take a strong stance." The Rev. Scott Nesbitt of East Iowa Presbytery, who spoke against the minority report, said, "We need a curriculum out there that has a faith perspective, and talks about sex without shame." "Students and children are bombarded by a society that says it's okay to have sex," said the Rev. Neal Nybo of San Diego Presbytery. "Let our church be at least one voice that encourages our students to follow Biblical standards to abstain from sex until after marriage. This is not a political strategy. It is a plea from parents to help raise our children with Biblical standards." Elder Amy Florence of the Indian Nations Presbytery quoted from Matthew 18:6, "but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea," then told the assembly, "Let's not cause our little ones to sin. Let's take the stand Jesus wants us to take." The Rev. Laura Fleetwood of Arkansas Presbytery said she had been teaching sexuality for about 20 years. She said the curriculum "lets youth know it is okay to talk about the sexual concerns they have and to talk about it at the home. …Children and youth are learning about sexuality whether we want them to or not … very few are learning it in the context of the church or in the context of the home. It is Biblically-based and theologically sound." Don Campbell, director of the Congregational Ministries Division, said, "We have been striving to answer the question of how we can best meet the needs of the church, and how do we avoid battles on sexuality issues." He said it would not be the best way to serve the church by simply reviewing and revising the material. He said the division was going to "listen and take this very carefully as we move forward. … What we are trying to do is serve the great breadth of this church." It began in 1999 At the 211th General Assembly (1999) in Fort Worth, the assembly -- by a vote of 330-201-4 ordered that within two years the sexual education curriculum be brought into conformity with denominational standards and Biblical doctrine. Specifically, revisions of those portions of the curriculum dealing with the issue of sex outside of marriage must call for abstinence. A one-year reprieve was given to the division at a subsequent assembly. The overture cites several examples of non-conformity:
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