 Paper on families wins support from committee By Paula R. Kincaid The Layman Online Wednesday, June 30, 2004
The National Issues Committee of the General Assembly approved the paper on Monday with some minor amendments. The paper will be presented to the full assembly later in the week. One of the first questions from committee members was what could they change in the lengthy paper, particularly if parts of the rationale could be deleted. Committee Moderator James H.Y. Kim informed the committee that only the recommendations of the paper, or the first 14 pages, could be amended or changed by the assembly. The rationale of the paper was not up for deletion. Committee staff person Vernon Broyles further explained: "The bold print, [pages 1-14] if adopted, will become the policy of the General Assembly. That is what you are acting on and that is why you only act on the bold. The rest has no standing as far as GA policy. It is additional material to help people understand these issues." The committee member who asked question referred to the open hearings the committee held earlier in the morning, where Donna Riley of the More Light Presbyterians special-interest group, spoke against the family report. "Last year I spoke against the family report because it excluded the families in our [homosexual] community. This year I despair of this report because it twists the knife in the wound," she said. She urged the committee to disapprove the report for the "peace, unity and purity of the church," and, if not the whole report, to strike sections 3-a and section 8 of the rationale. Section 3-a, which is part of the paper's recommendations, states: "That all church members and their families seek to embody Biblical and confessional teachings about God's intentions for families (1) by practicing family-strengthening virtues and habits in their own lives; (2) by extending the bonds of kinship beyond their own marital-biological families; and (3) by undertaking at least one family-extending relationship, such as being mentors, adoptive grandparents, foster parents, big brothers/sisters, and other programs." Section 8 is part of the rationale and is subtitled "Same-sex families." It references the 1978 policy statement "The Church and Homosexuality," which "called upon the church to treat homosexual persons with 'the profound respect and pastoral tenderness due all people of God.'" It found fear, hatred and contempt of such persons inconsistent with Christian faith and called the church to 'welcome homosexual inquirers to its congregations.' At the same time, the statement declared, 'Homosexuality is not God's will for humanity.' Rather, it stated that 'homosexuality is a contradiction of God's wise and beautiful plan for human sexual relationships revealed in Scripture and affirmed in God's ongoing will for our life in the Spirit of Christ.'" Section 8 continues: "The 2000 census found that same-sex families constitute about 1.6 percent of U.S. families … From the studies that have been conducted over the past 20-years, no significant differences have been found between children reared by homosexual parents and children reared by a traditional set of heterosexual parents. A recent review of the existing studies has concluded that some slight differences exist in attitudes and behaviors. Children of same-sex families were less likely to hold to traditional gender stereotypes regarding behavior and roles. They were emotionally close to their parents, regardless of biological relationship, and also tended to be more expressive of their feelings. … Despite lack of agreement among Presbyterians regarding same-sex families, children of such couples need the same advocacy, protection, and respect that we encourage for all other children." Kim told the committee it would deliberate and vote on the paper by taking it in three sections. To approve or not approve the theological pages, then the vision pages, then the recommendations on pages 11-13. After those sections had been amended and approved, the committee would take a final vote on the whole paper. Rev. John Bates of North Central Iowa made the motion to accept the introduction and theological section of the paper. Elder Ann Dierking of Prospect Hill Presbytery asked about interpreting the theological section of the paper. "Just as in our churches we are open to interpretation of Scripture, are we open to interpretation of this? … Am I voting to accept their interpretation or am I accepting it and then I can interpret it my way?" "The motion is to approve the theological context," said Kim. Many amendments were proposed, and a few minor word changes were made. The committee vote on forwarding the Transforming Families paper to the full General Assembly was 60-0 with no abstentions. |
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