Sexuality overture modified; passed by committee By Paul Jensen The Layman Online Wednesday, June 23, 1999 FORT WORTH – The Christian Education Committee of the 211th General Assembly concluded its meetings today, having spent much of its deliberations on Overture 99-46 from the Presbytery of the Donegal, which called for all PCUSA teaching materials on human sexuality to be in conformity with Scripture and Presbyterian theology. The overture debate drew a packed house, requiring many to sit on the floor, and prompted a dramatic demonstration by a woman pastor opposed to the denomination's current curriculum. In urging the commissioners to adopt the resolution, the overture advocate, the Rev. James Andrew Curtis, spoke passionately about many deviations in current material, including recognition of sex outside of marriage as something that should not be condemned. A watered-down version of the overture passed by a vote of 28-16-1. 'Duty to correct mistakes' "It is our ethical duty to correct these mistakes," Curtis said, "and I am painfully aware of the cost." The Office of General Assembly had estimated the cost of discarding the present materials at more than $250,000. However, no one from staff was able to explain just how this number was derived. In any event, Curtis said, publications must be withdrawn, because they tell our young people that, while abstinence is preferred, if teenagers choose to engage in sexual relations, they should use contraception. Curtis said the workbooks are filled with misleading statements about sexual responsibility. Instead, he said, all Presbyterian materials dealing with sex education must stress abstinence and purity. Allowed 15 minutes to make his comments, Curtis was given much less time overall than were staff members from the Congregational Ministries Division. The public debate and committee discussion of the issue lasted several hours. 'Resource person' limited in time When one committee member asked that Kathy Banaszak, a resource person accompanying Curtis, be allowed to speak at length, the committee rejected the request 20-19. Banaszak was limited to two minutes – the same time allotted to each of the 32 individuals who signed up to address the committee. The Rev. Woody Barry, one of the authors of the current curriculum, defended the materials. He distributed a handout of quotations from the materials that were in accord with some denominational policies. He did concede, however, that some of those documents had been out of print for 20 years. He was challenged by many speakers for taking quotations out of context and neglecting to give full quotations. The Rev. Bart Kelso of Boston, after some debate, was also permitted to pass out a five-page page list of Scriptural quotations that he said should be used to measure the sex education materials. Katherine Goyette, a youth advisory delegate from California, decried the use by the curriculum advocates of language that she said was not faithful to our confessions and defied Scripture. Young women oppose material During the hour-plus open hearing, some of the most compelling testimony came from teenage girls who are at General Assembly as youth advisory delegates. Each said they have come to believe that abstinence until marriage is not only God's command, but His blessing. Each of these young women decried the current materials as "deplorable." "Don't give up on me … don't give up on our youth" were common refrains. However, their voices were not the only ones heard. Former General Assembly Moderator Patricia Brown spoke in opposition, arguing that the overture should be defeated because the materials are excellent, and precisely what many, if not all, young people need in today's world. "I traveled in 40 states during my year as moderator," Brown said. "The young women you just heard testifying were lucky to have a choice. Others are living in situations that make sexuality a position of compromise." Ultimately, an amendment was offered to the overture that reversed its meaning, and in vague language, called upon the Congregational Ministries Division to continue to use the present materials, but to someday to revise and rewrite the materials in accordance with "biblical, confessional and Reformed traditions." Speaker begins to undress! One speaker, the Rev. Suzanne Citron from the Presbytery of the Grand Canyon, captivated the committee when, in opposing the amendment, began to slowly undress! Stopping before she crossed the bounds of modesty, she said that no justification existed for using these materials in the first place, that they were wholly inappropriate for our youth. Supporters of the amendment pointed to the reality of out-of-wedlock births, and suggested that keeping these materials in essentially their present form would help teach the use of contraception to kids "that are going to have sex anyway, no matter what we say." The amendment passed by a vote of 26-17-1. In response to this, the Rev. Russ Stevenson made a proposal to further amend the overture to require the inclusion on any re-write team of someone trained in abstinence education. In support of this modification, Goyette said that the proposal is in keeping with one of the great ends of our church, to "proclaim the Gospel for the salvation of mankind." The amendment then failed by a vote of 24-20. The final vote was then taken on the modified overture, which was passed by a vote of 28-16-1. In response to the final language, several commissioners told The Layman Online that they planned to propose a minority report that would seek to reinstate a clear sense that the current curriculum supported a secular world view that was in direct contrast to Scripture and the repeated stance of our denomination on human sexuality. Sexuality curriculum must conform – June 24, 1999, The Layman Online GA asked to bring sexuality curriculum into conformance with Bible, constitution – May 25, 1999, The Layman Online |
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