Scriptural authority targeted The Presbyterian Layman Volume 34, Number 1 Posted January 24, 2001 The Presbytery of Southern Kansas has approved an overture asking the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) to focus on two issues that are at the heart of the ongoing debate over sexual standards in the denomination. The Kansas overture raises two issues: 1) “What do Presbyterians affirm when we talk about ‘the authority of Scripture’ in the Reformed tradition.” 2) “What does it mean to live and order our lives in obedience to Christ’s will as it is set forth in Scripture?” The overture from the session of Westwood Presbyterian Church in Wichita, which the presbytery approved 62-19, does not set forth a detailed plan for considering – or resolving – those issues. It asks the General Assembly to “embark on a time of churchwide spiritual discernment.” The overture cites the PCUSA Constitution, section G-1.0100c, which says “the Presbyterian Church (USA) is obedient to Scripture as Christ’s will.” However, the overture adds, there appears to be “an underlying division about the definition of Biblical authority and the interpretation of Scripture with regard to the theological division in the PCUSA.” A similar overture was defeated by the 2000 Assembly. That overture cited a “theological impasse” in a number of categories – including Biblical authority. It was submitted by the Beaver-Butler Presbytery in Pennsylvania.

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