July/August, 1999

The record and the rhetoric The Fort Worth General Assembly faced a barrage of proposals from the far left that could have jeopardized the peace, purity and unity of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Some made it through committee, but almost all of them were rejected when they came to the floor for a vote. Commissioners denied Milwaukee Presbytery’s attempt to undermine our denomination’s ordination standards. They defeated a proposed study that could have opened the door to medical and pension benefits for unmarried couples, denied a financial transfusion to the PCUSA’s partisan Washington lobby, and refused to coerce our ministers into using trendy feminist language about God. After an impassioned plea delivered from the Convention Center balcony by former Moderator Douglas Oldenburg, they allowed the controversial National Network of Presbyterian College Women another year to bring their teachings into conformity with Scripture. But they also insisted that this group’s work undergo continuous evaluation, something that Presbyterians will want to review with care. A political event The annual General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) – like the conventions of many national organizations – is a political event. This highest legislative body of the denomination enacts overtures, resolutions and recommendations that determine policy. Concurrent with this legislative activity, special-interest caucuses do a great deal of showcasing while the Assembly is in session. With one notable exception – the Women’s Ministry Program Area – these caucuses are not related to or subsidized by the denomination. Thus the Witherspoon Society imports Bill Clinton’s pastor to tell us that the president is “a moral man.” Voices of Sophia dance around their tables, listening for the voice of a goddess, while their speaker rails at males. The Covenant Network’s speaker, Peter Gomes, describes a write-your-own “scripture” that sounds more oracular than biblical. And the “More Light” Network trumpets Mike Brown’s line in the sand: “We’re here, we’re queer ... deal with it!” For the record Evangelicals who read accounts of what is said and done at these events are often dismayed. Assuming that because they happened during the General Assembly these events represent actions of the General Assembly, some Presbyterians give up on the denomination. Evangelicals who host such tendencies should pay more attention to the record than the rhetoric. What policies and programs did the Assembly actually enact? The votes are encouraging. We must pay close attention to viewpoints that are showcased during an Assembly because they often represent destructive forces that are at work in our denomination. They define battleground issues that must be engaged by Christian apologists. But we should not lose sight of the fact that the Witherspoon Society, Voices of Sophia, Covenant Network and More Light Presbyterians are fringe groups. They represent neither the denomination nor the biblical faith that we cherish.

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