 Committee rejects overture seeking to add evangelical advisers to theological task force By Craig M. Kibler The Layman Online Tuesday, May 27, 2003
The overture (03-3) from the Presbytery of Mississippi was rejected on a vote of 51-1-2 on May 26 by the Committee on Catholicity and Ecumenical Relations. The proposal argued that the "213th General Assembly (2001) authorized the formation of a task force to consider the ongoing division and controversies within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and to report to the 217th General Assembly (2005) on means to promote the peace, unity, and purity of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)." "In seeking to promote the unity of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the task force must take care to preserve and to strengthen relations with other Presbyterian and Reformed bodies, an obligation set forth in the Book of Order (G-15.0102). This obligation is especially incumbent upon the task force in light of the public attention drawn to the work of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) as the largest Presbyterian and Reformed body in the United States." The Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (USA) says the denomination "will seek to initiate, maintain and strengthen its relations to, and engage in mission with, other Presbyterian and Reformed bodies and with other Christian churches, alliances, councils, and consortia." That's the declaration of G-15.0102 in the Book of Order, a commitment that the denomination applies selectively by generally steering clear of alliances with Presbyterian and Reformed bodies that maintain an evangelical perspective. The overture specifically singled out five denominations: the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, the Christian Reformed Church, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in America, the Presbyterian Church in America and the Reformed Church in America. All are more theologically evangelical than the PCUSA, although the Reformed Church in America is considered to be in both the mainline and evangelical camps. It is the only evangelical Reformed denomination in the U.S. that applied for dual membership in the liberal National Council of Churches and the National Association of Evangelicals. By inviting observers-advisers from the evangelical denominations to the task force's meetings, the denomination would live up to its "obligation set forth in the Book of Order," the overture said. "This obligation is especially incumbent upon the task force in light of the public attention drawn to the work of the Presbyterian Church (USA) as the largest Presbyterian and Reformed body in the United States." Morris Taylor, the overture advocate from the Presbytery of Mississippi, argued that the overture was "valid" and would be "helpful to the task force." He said the "issues before the task force are complex in nature and need the broadest input as possible." That input, Taylor said, "will give insight" to the members of the task force as they go about their work. Taylor also said that inviting observers-advisers from the evangelical denominations would demonstrate an "openness to hear other Reformed denominations" on these issues, as well as "strengthen the ecumenism" among all of them. But Gary Demarest, a retired California pastor who is co-moderator of the task force, disagreed. Emphasizing that he was speaking only for himself and not the task force, he explained that the members of the task force spent "three days studying the confessions, three days studying Christology" and so on. Inviting observers-advisers to join the work of the task force "at this late date," he said, would result in "mind-boggling" disruption to the work of the task force. "We still have the option, the freedom, to bring in consultants" and other advisers without this overture, Demarest said. The task force was chartered by the 213th General Assembly (2001) and asked to conduct a multi-year assessment of some of the most divisive issues in the PCUSA, including whether Jesus is Lord of all, Biblical authority and interpretation, the constitutional "fidelity/chastity" ordination requirement and how power is divvied up in the denomination. During the 18 months the task force has been in business, the closest thing to having an adviser was when Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick addressed its members to promote his proposal for an abbreviated constitution that diminishes denomination-wide standards. Despite the fact that Presbyterians in the pews are overwhelmingly opposed to the ordination of practicing homosexuals and adulterers, the 20 members of the task force are about equally divided on the ordination issue, which many believe will be the thorniest issue. Based on their current position, all of the five denominations listed in the overture would oppose ordaining practicing homosexuals. |
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