Speakers oppose, back overture to ban press from task force debates By Craig M. Kibler The Layman Online Tuesday, May 27, 2003 215th General Assembly Denver, Colo. May 24-31, 2003 General Assembly news index DENVER – The comments were fast and furious May 26 as speakers, both pro and con, discussed an overture that would allow the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity force to ban the press from its theological debates. The overture, from the Presbytery of San Gabriel, would add a sentence to the open-meeting policy of the Manual of the General Assembly: "8. The General Assembly Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity, and Purity of the PC(USA) shall be exempt from this open meeting policy in order to go into closed session for discussion of theological issues." A vote on the issue was scheduled for Tuesday. The presbytery's rationale says the change "would allow members [of the task force] to be free with each other to consider possible new approaches to difficult and complicated matters." Meeting without reporters present "is essential for wrestling with the major and vital issues facing the church," the rationale adds. "Premature spreading as fact those matters that are still undecided would only hamper the results the whole church is expecting from this special group. When conclusions have been reached, they should be widely reported, of course, for full discussion, consideration, and review." Some support measure Some speakers during the meeting of the Committee on Theological Issues and Institutions on May 26 agreed with that. Paul Hooker, the executive/stated clerk of St. Augustine Presbytery in Florida, described his success in using closed meetings with sessions. The approach, he said, can be helpful in getting people to freely discuss issues as they work toward resolving problems in their churches. Gary Demarest, a retired California pastor and co-moderator of the task force, also spoke in favor of the overture. He said that the overture could provide "a space to play with ideas," and he believed that the task force could be more effective with that opportunity. At their first meeting in December 2001, members of the task force expressed discomfort that the press was monitoring their discussions. But Demarest defended the open-meetings requirement. "We're high visibility," he said. "I don't think that we want in any way to direct the media, exclude the media or control the media." Armed with their laptops, representatives of Presbyterian news media – including The Layman – have reported extensively on the deliberations of the task force. But the reports have had little to do with debate about the real issues facing the task force because, after one and one-half years of meetings, they haven't surfaced. Wary about press coverage, the 20 members of the task force have focused on their own harmony and shunned candid discussion of the hot-button issues they are supposed to debate. The 213th General Assembly called on the task force to address Christology, the authority and interpretation of Scripture, the denomination's ordination standards and how power is divided up in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Proposal criticized If the task force is permitted to meet behind closed doors, reporters will not be privy to the theological reasons members of the panel use to eventually decide how to address divisive issues in the church. The perspectives of the individual members could help Presbyterians assess whether the task force's final report represents views that are compatible with their own understanding of the Reformed faith. That was the tack taken by opponents of the overture. A pastor from California argued that the "denomination is struggling with issues of trust. This will be exacerbated" if the overture is approved, he said. A pastor from New York said that open meetings "test not just the free press or free speech, but the task force itself. How can the task force demand accountability of the church but not of itself?" The issue, he said, is about power. Closing the meetings to the press would give the task force a "disproportionate power" that would have "chilling effects." What is needed, he concluded, is "oversight" of the task force. Rebecca McElroy, the vice moderator of the 212th General Assembly and a director of the Presbyterian Lay Committee, said that "it would be good for all of us to see what they do as they work out the theological issues in public. This grants all of us exposure to their process, their pain. We'll all be blessed by that." Another speaker said that it was all about "trust. The best way to accomplish that is through an open, honest exchange of thoughts. It would be a dangerous precedent to make an exception to the open meetings law." In its rationale for the overture, the Presbytery of San Gabriel cites a property issue that became public knowledge, noting that the deal was squelched because of that. However, the General Assembly Manual already says that property issues – as well as personnel matters and litigation - may be considered privately. Two agencies of the denomination prepared written responses to the San Gabriel overture: The Advisory Committee for Racial Ethnic Concerns called on the General Assembly to vote against the overture. The committee drew its reason to oppose the overture from the language of the open-meetings policy, including: "The work of the church is strengthened when it is done in a spirit of openness and trust. Church members have a basic right to know about the work done and the decisions made by entities within the church. Church leaders have a basic responsibility to honor that right by conducting their business with a spirit of openness and vulnerability to public scrutiny. Therefore, open meetings shall be the norm for all such entities." The Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy called for a bureaucratic yes or no, saying that it "advises that Overture 03-26 be referred to the Office of the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly for a resolution." The committee added, "The Open Meeting Policy, approved by the 209th General Assembly (1997), designates the Office of the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly to resolve questions relating to the application and interpretation of the Open Meeting Policy."

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