Covenant Network plans conference at Davidson By John H. Adams The Layman Online Friday, December 17, 2004 Soon after the trustees of Davidson College decide whether to open board membership to non-Christians, the liberal arts undergraduate school near Charlotte will be the site of a conference led by "progressive" Christians who dispute much of the traditional Presbyterian Reformed theology. In February, the trustees are scheduled to vote on proposed changes in the school's bylaws and Statement of Purpose. In April, the Covenant Network of Presbyterians will hold a two-day conference at the college. The Covenant Network is an independent organization in the Presbyterian Church (USA) that is seeking repeal of the denomination's constitutional standard that prohibits the ordination of practicing homosexuals despite the fact that Presbyterians have voted three times against removing the barrier. In 2001, the most recent vote, more than 73 percent of the presbyteries voted against changing the standard. The Covenant Network's conference will be held April 1-2, 2005. One of the principal speakers will be 213th General Assembly (2001) Moderator Jack B. Rogers, a former seminary professor who condemned the Confessing Church Movement within the PCUSA and attacked evangelical groups. The targets of his attacks included the Presbyterian Lay Committee, whom he labeled "militant fundamentalists." Rogers supports the ordination of practicing homosexuals as well as same-gender "weddings," both of which are in defiance of the PCUSA Constitution. Other speakers will be the Rev. Joanna Adams of Atlanta, a former Covenant Network co-moderator, and the Rev. Kimberly Ritcher, pastor of Grace Covenant Church in Asheville, N.C., currently a co-moderator of the organization. According to an announcement on the Covenant Network Web site, Rogers, Adams and Richter will address four issues: Interpretation of Scripture – Is there a Presbyterian way to interpret Scripture? Christology – What does it mean to say that Jesus Christ is the Way? Homosexuality – What is the place of gay/lesbian persons in the PC(USA)? Declining membership – Is there a cost to church growth and are we willing to pay it? In each of those areas, the Covenant Network has resources and responses that counter the traditional Presbyterian and Reformed views. Historically, Davidson College was anchored in that tradition. Membership in the PCUSA and its predecessor denominations has been in a freefall since 1967, when the Confession of 1967 was included in the Book of Confessions. The 1967 statement – which described Scripture as "… nevertheless the words of men" – gave the emerging, self-described "progressive" movement of the denomination affirmation for its view that much of Scripture was a human response to the culture of its times, subject to reinterpretion with "more light" from science and a changing culture. The denomination's membership has decreased from 4.2 million in 1967 to 2.4 million at the end of 2003 – a loss of 43.8 percent. After Rogers' term as moderator, the 2003 loss was 41,812 – the highest exodus in 12 years. While the Covenant Network Conference will be held at Davidson, the college is not the sponsor. The Charlotte Presbytery's "Covenant Network group" is identified as the host.

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