Presbyterian News reports on NNPCW The Presbyterian Layman On August 25, the Presbyterian News Service published its first account of the National Network of Presbyterian College Women since its coverage of the General Assembly. Although it has had the information in its possession since it was released by The Presbyterian Layman on July 8, the denomination’s official news agency made no reference to the Network’s use of a web site as a gateway to pornography or its printed and Internet resources promoting the ReImagining God movement and homosexual activity. Instead, the PNS article on the Network, titled “NNPCW Celebrates its Life in the Church through Annual Leadership Event,” focused on the comments of women who attended the conference. The article mentioned, without attribution, “critics” who had called the network “an extremist group of radical feminist theologians, demons, man-haters and lesbians.” The article did not say who had used that language. Strong language was used by Moderator Douglas Oldenburg (“appalled”), Vice Moderator James Mead (“unthinkable”) and National Ministries Division Director, Curtis Kearns (“somewhat reckless in nature”) after they received from The Layman printouts of the Network’s web pages and linkages. Oldenburg and Mead, who will serve on a committee to evaluate the Network, were not quoted in the PNS story. Instead, PNS limited its quotes to those made by NNPCW members or supporters. One comment, according to PNS: “As I look around at [Network gatherings] I feel so good, like I just know we’re going to do great things,” said Mashadi Matabane, a senior at Spelman College. The PNS story said critics used an “outdated information packet titled ‘Young Women Speak’” as a basis for identifying the Network with Reimagining God and homosexual activism. But later, the PNS reporter said, without attribution, “The resource was written in 1992 and revised in 1994. It was scheduled to be updated prior to the Assembly, but was not, primarily because of overloaded Presbyterian Center staff”– in other words, while “outdated,” “Young Women Speak” remains current literature for the Network. Furthermore, the writer quoted Kristen York Girling, the network’s liaison to the General Assembly Council, as defending “Young Women Speak.” Girling, he said, stated, “Holding up [“Young Women Speak”] as this evil piece was, I don’t think, appropriate.” The full account by the Presbyterian News Service is available on the Internet at www.pcusa.org. |
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