A brief analysis of "A Call to Sabbatical" By Robert P. Mills The Presbyterian Layman "A Call to Sabbatical in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)" is now being widely circulated throughout the denomination. In the words of one observer, the document is "multi-interpretable." While this is true, and is itself a matter of significant concern, the origin and implications of much of the language are quite specific. Following is a brief analysis of some of the document's most troubling assertions. Analysis lead us to a new vision This language assumes that the current vision, G-6-0106b, must be replaced by "a new vision," which is of course the goal of PLGC, the Covenant Network, and others. Coming as it does in the document's first paragraph, this phrase establishes the slant of what is to come. a sabbatical season The concept begs exploration. How are Presbyterians to justify taking a sabbatical from a portion of their Constitution? If this sabbatical notion becomes widespread, who will determine which Presbyterians are to be granted sabbatical leave from which portions of the Constitution? Since Presbyterians seem not to share a common vision on per capita, may presbyteries take a sabbatical from paying their per capita assessments? May sessions and presbyteries declare sabbaticals from ordaining women? May pastors take sabbaticals from regulations regarding sexual misconduct? This language has nothing to offer those who support G-6.0106b, but a great deal to encourage those who oppose it. provoke or initiate judicial confrontation Assume a session or presbytery ordains a self-affirming practicing homosexual. When confronted with the language of "A Call to Sabbatical" and told "You have hereby provoked a judicial confrontation," those conducting the ordination could (and likely would) respond, "No we did not. We merely exercised our freedom of conscience." They could then dismiss the claim as an attack on their motivation and integrity. However, since the initiator of a judicial proceeding is clearly the one who brings charges, the individual or governing body initiating a judicial action would have no such defense. This language is an extraordinary gift to those seeking to eliminate or eviscerate G-6.0106b. a time to listen to God together This statement requires the assumption that God has not been heard, for if he had been heard the present decision could not have been reached. The past 20 years of effort by pro-homosexual-ordination activists have been anchored in an insistence upon "dialogue." Since the PCUSA has not adopted their position, their conclusion, uncritically assumed in "A Call to Sabbatical," is that Presbyterians have not listened to God. Only if G-6.0106b is repealed will its opponents grant that God's voice has been heard. This language could be taken from any PLGC/Covenant Network publication. the deep sense of alienation The overwhelming majority of Presbyterians who support the current Constitution do not feel alienated. This phrase, perhaps more than any other, demonstrates the one-sided nature of this document. honor and respect our Constitution The absence of the word "obey" speaks volumes. resist the inclination … to amend the constitution … This approach is doubly flawed. First, it ignores the fact that several proposals from the PLGC/Covenant Network perspective (in the form of overtures from Milwaukee, Winnebago, National Capital, etc.) are already before the Charlotte GA. "A Call to Sabbatical" allows these overtures while excluding any that might emerge from the Coalition's perspective. Second and far more serious, in recent years, Winnebago has insisted that its overtures are utterly unrelated to the question of ordination and human sexuality, but simply address matters of polity. Following this line of reasoning, innumerable attempts to amend or delete G-6.0106b could be offered, all claiming to hold to the spirit of "A Call to Sabbatical." Again, it would be the critics of such overtures who would be deemed divisive. Conclusion One can understand the sentiments that led participants to sign "A Call to Sabbatical." But sentiment must ultimately yield to a thoughtful appraisal based on Presbyterian polity and recent PCUSA history. Seen in that light, the language of this document is so deeply flawed, and its presumptions so flagrantly one-sided, that it cannot be seen as a model that could lead the PCUSA toward wholeness and healing. Rather, the policies and procedures suggested in this document would only harden and deepen existing divisions. Therefore, "A Call to Sabbatical" is best seen as nothing more than the personal opinions of its half-dozen signers at the time that they signed it. |
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