 Overture saying church is called to present the claims of Jesus Christ narrowly approved By Craig M. Kibler The Layman Online Wednesday, May 28, 2003
Much of the time was spent dealing with substitute motions, amendments, debate and clarifications on the overture from the Presbytery of San Diego during a May 28 meeting of the Committee on Theological Issues and Institutions. The committee, in approving the overture on a vote of 24-19-3, added a comment. The comment, approved on a vote of 24-19-3, reads as follows: "The 215th General Assembly reaffirms Hope In The Lord Jesus Christ and sends Overture 3-20 to the presbyteries and congregations as urging and encouragement to study Hope In The Lord Jesus Christ, leading to the proclamation of our Lord Jesus Christ." Before the vote, some commissioners sought to delete words such as "sin," "only" and "whole world," for example, while recasting the thrust of the overture with less specific language and a referral to either the Book of Order or Hope In The Lord Jesus Christ. On a proposal to delete "only" and "whole world," Tom Sweets, a minister commissioner from the Presbytery of Cincinnati, said that the proposal "takes away our mission to the world." Tom Boyd, the overture advocate from the Presbytery of San Diego, said that the overture came with "the approval of both the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly and the General Assembly Council." In its comment, the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly wrote that, "The church is called to present the claims of Jesus Christ in the fullness of the historic church witness in the Nicene Creed and The Book of Confessions. We encourage the commissioners and advisory delegates to consider Hope in the Lord Jesus Christ, which was approved by the 214th General Assembly (2002), when they discuss and debate issues of Christology." For its part, the General Assembly Council said that the overture "calls upon the church to present the claims of Jesus Christ, leading persons to repent of sin, to accept Jesus as the only Savior and Lord of the whole world, and to pursue a new life as his disciple." Boyd, who said there were no speakers against the overture during the open hearings, said it was designed to "counter the view that Jesus Christ was merely a teacher and not the Savior of mankind." In response to a question, he said the overture would work in consort with Hope In The Lord Jesus Christ. The mission of the church, he said, "cannot be furthered effectively without common core beliefs." Boyd said the overture "challenges and encourages our congregations to spread the Good News everywhere. This is not a new challenge, but a renewed commitment." When asked why the overture was necessary, Boyd said: "There's no error in repeating the truth of the gospel. There may be errors in not repeating it." Steve Grace, of the Committee on the General Assembly and an elder from Michigan, agreed, saying that the overture "is calling us back to our common tradition and the common Reformed doctrine that we have." While supporting the overture and Hope In The Lord Jesus Christ, Grace said it "continues" the work of the Common Faith, Common Mission project, under which Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick recommended the first four chapters of the Book of Order for reflection and study by Presbyterians. The rationale stated that Kirkpatrick "has noted that these four chapters are foundational for our life together. We enthusiastically concur. The first four chapters in the Book of Order include the essential calling of the Church as reflected in this overture. All Presbyterians would benefit from a clear statement of the church's purpose, and our affirmation will be a witness to others in the body of Christ." |
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