July/August, 1999

Peculiar honors Let’s be clear about who gave what to whom The who The Women of Faith Awards – showcased during the 1999 General Assembly – were not an act of the 1999 General Assembly. They came from a small group of ReImagining God enthusiasts who have nested in the offices of the General Assembly Council. In a hair-splitting, 41-40 vote, the Council sponsored this group’s award during the General Assembly meeting. The what This peculiar honor was crafted to spotlight “Women of Faith.” Discerning readers will notice instantly that something is missing here. No one questions that the recipients are persons of faith. After all, everyone is a person of faith. Some people have faith in Allah, some in Buddha, some in the inevitability of progress, some in the superiority of their race, and some in Jesus Christ, God Incarnate, who came to take away the sins of the world. Simply recognizing someone as a person of faith does little more than acknowledge their existence. We all live by faith in something … or someone. What’s missing here is a point of reference. Without it, this award, bestowed by the General Assembly Council, has no meaning. To whom? The common factor among this year’s award recipients is narcissism, exhibited most particularly in the lesbian lifestyle. Two of the award winners practice it. The other extols it as a theologically laudatory mode of existence. ReImagining enthusiasts do not believe with Scripture that a transcendent God created us. Instead, they create their own gods, mere products of human imagination. Award recipient Jane Spahr stated the case precisely when she suggested in the title of a video describing her work, “Maybe We’re Talking About a Different God.” Dishonoring the faith Had the Women of Faith Awards been presented by Voices of Sophia, Witherspoon Society or the Covenant Network – all independent organizations – we would have had little to say other than that they were wrong. But this award came from an official agency of our denomination. The General Assembly Council exists to implement the policies of the General Assembly and uphold the constitution of the PCUSA. It abdicated this responsibility and dishonored Presbyterian faith and ethics by sponsoring a sideshow in Fort Worth.

Home · News · PLC Publications · The Presbyterian Layman Online Reviews · Archives· History of the Lay Committee · Feedback · Links