Friday, May 21, 1999


A Presbyterian wake-up call
In 1997, the Syracuse General Assembly sent shock waves through a slumbering Presbyterian Church (USA). A few months earlier, following confirmation of a constitutional amendment specifying the behavior Presbyterians expect of their ordained leaders, some people assumed that the sexuality debate had been put to rest.

Little did they know what liberal forces were busily preparing for in Syracuse. In a series of blistering assaults, they elected a moderator sympathetic to their cause, launched personal attacks against fellow commissioners, captured a majority of the seats on the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission, and approved a proposed amendment to the constitution that – if ratified by the people – would have overturned the denomination’s ordination standards.

Syracuse forced Presbyterians to endure another year of turmoil. When the votes were counted, the denomination rejected what Syracuse had proposed by an almost 2-1 margin. But despite the laudable outcome, this additional year of argument had a debilitating impact, draining financial and emotional reserves away from the church’s mission. The price Presbyterians have paid for prolonging a debate on the subject of sex has been incalculable.

Deja Vu
Conditions leading into the Fort Worth General Assembly seem remarkably similar. Weary of internecine battles, our people have turned their attention to Scripture and the Great Commission. A major missions conference in Atlanta attracted thousands of Presbyterians who celebrated the Gospel and its claim on every nation. Rejuvenated by this focus on the great ends of the church, evangelicals have paid scant attention to ecclesiastical politics.

But the forces of cultural accommodation have been preparing for Fort Worth, just as they did for Syracuse:

• While posturing as the voice of moderation, leaders of the radical Covenant Network are promoting a strategy document that calls for regaining control of church structures by subverting constitutional standards, and, by the author’s own startling admission, lying if they believe that deception is necessary to achieve their goals.

• A General Assembly-mandated task force confirmed charges that resources and materials of the National Network of Presbyterian College Women (NNPCW) violate Scripture and our constitutional standards. But that same task force, under heavy political pressure, is recommending that the Fort Worth General Assembly solve the problem by continuing NNPCW under the same Women’s Ministries Program Area that created it and by doubling the organization’s income.

• The Women’s Ministries Program Area, including Presbyterian Woman and other activist groups in Louisville that endorse lesbian sexuality, selected for its “Women of Faith” award lesbian Jane Spahr, lesbian Letty Russell, and lesbian-rights-activist Jane Douglass. Despite a veto of Spahr’s award by National Ministries Director Curtis Kearns and his steering committee, followed by a statement from General Assembly Council Executive Director John Detterick that Kearns “did the right thing,” the council’s executive committee has decided to go ahead with the award. The ceremony will occur June 20 at the Fort Worth Assembly.

• Overtures are coming to Fort Worth that once again call for removing or crippling the denomination’s ordination standards. (See story)

• Additional overtures are calling for the termination of ministries to gays, lesbians and bisexuals, declaring that these sexual orientations cannot be changed, despite clear evidence to the contrary. (See story)

• Other overtures would muzzle ministers who refer to God as “Our Father,” forcing them to use radical feminist terms for the deity, possibly even requiring monitors to count and report how many times each term is used. Can you imagine placing a policeperson in your sanctuary counting your minister’s references to God? (See story)

• A General Assembly-sponsored “Unity in Diversity” conference promoted a theme suggesting that because truth is opinion, all truths are equal. (See stories, pp. 11,16, 14.) Several conference participants declared their intention to continue promoting such views, and Fort Worth will provide a forum for that purpose.

These preparations by the Covenant Network and its allies should put us all on alert. The votes on Amendment B and A tell us that the vast majority of Presbyterians stand firm on Scripture and our constitutional standards. But that was no less true in the days leading into Syracuse. What can you do? What can you do to keep Fort Worth from becoming another Syracuse? Readers of The Presbyterian Layman who would like to make a difference in the Fort Worth Assembly can take the following actions:

• Obtain the names of your presbytery’s commissioners from your presbytery office (your minister can help).

• Pray for your commissioners every day during the General Assembly, asking God to give them discerning minds and a faithful resolve to decide all issues in accordance with God’s Word.

• Pray for the Presbyterian Lay Committee and all members of the Presbyterian Renewal Leaders’ Network that we will be worthy witnesses to the Gospel and to the clear teachings of Scripture regarding matters that come before the Fort Worth Assembly.

• Connect with the Presbyterian Layman Online for daily reports on what is happening during the week-long General Assembly.

• Send an email message to commissioners during the General Assembly meeting. Instructions will be posted on our website a few days before the General Assembly. Our staff will display these messages on a television monitor in the General Assembly exhibit hall.
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