Two commissioners apologize for 'misstatements' during GA By John H. Adams The Layman Online Thursday, November 18, 2004 Moderator Rick Ufford-Chase has acknowledged that two commissioners to the 216th General Assembly made "misstatements" about the 1978/1991 Authoritative Interpretation when they tried to convince commissioners to repeal it. During the debate on the Authoritative Interpretation, which declares that the ordination of practicing homosexuals does not reflect the will of God, several speakers attributed to the document statements it did not make. The effort to repeal the Authoritative Interpretation failed by a slim, four-vote margin. In a letter sent to Presbyweb, but not to The Layman Online, Ufford-Chase said Commissioners Leigh Morris and Scott Schaefer "have been in contact with me to express their regret for making their misstatements." Schaefer, who formerly worked for Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick in the Office of the General Assembly and is now employed by San Francisco Theological Seminary, played a key role in nearly bringing the Authoritative Interpretation down. Morris is an elder from the Presbytery of Wabash Valley in Indiana. Schaefer was chairman of the committee that called on the full General Assembly to repeal the Authoritative Interpretation. According to the July 2004 Layman ("Report on homosexuality distorted by opponents," page 14), Schaefer wrongly said that the Authoritative Interpretation declared "homosexual persons to be maladjusted, incompetent, unreliable, irreligious and promiscuous." But that statement was not in the Authoritative Interpretation. It was included in a 1978 denominational report titled "The Church and Homosexuality" – but in an entirely different context. It was quoted as a citation from a book titled Wayward Puritans – not as an example of what Presbyterians think about ordination practices, but as a stereotypical social view. Furthermore, the 1978 report was rejected by the denomination. Both the language of the Authoritative Interpretation and "The Church and Homosexuality" expressed the view that the wrongly-attributed comment Schaefer used – and Morris, as well – was irresponsible. In fact, the next sentence in "The Church and Homosexuality," as The Layman noted for its readers, was: In American history, there have been countless homosexual judges, schoolteachers, ministers, doctors, government officials, office workers, laborers and farmers who have performed their duties with distinction. In his letter to Presbyweb, Ufford-Chase included a written apology from Schaefer, but not from Morris. Schaefer wrote: Recently, I learned that during the Church Orders and Ministry Committee report regarding 05-07, I made a misstatement relating to my report recommending approval of 05-07. I incorrectly cited the 1978 GA decision as the source of the following remarks I made: "Society expects homosexual persons to be maladjusted, incompetent, unreliable, irreligious, and promiscuous," and "Most Americans continue to view homosexuals with great disapproval, repugnance and fear." I now know these comments came from the Report of the Task Force to Study Homosexuality, which the 1978 General Assembly responded to. I sincerely apologize for these misstatements. Had I known of their correct source, I would have not included them in my report. Schaefer was also involved in another controversial effort in the 216th General Assembly. He was a team "captain" in a commissioners' effort to secure the re-election of Kirkpatrick. Documents outlining the scope of that effort – including the monopoly of microphones to ensure Kirkpatrick-friendly questions – have been turned over to an investigating panel. After the election and installation of Kirkpatrick to a third four-year term, the General Assembly voted 436-77 to have the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly "investigate the integrity, openness, and fairness of our electoral process." "I hope those who were hurt or frustrated by these commissioners' comments during the assembly will accept their apology," Ufford-Chase said. "I believe it is important for us to give the gracious benefit of the doubt to one another in moments such as these."

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