Sabbatical January 1, 1998 The Presbyterian News Service and The Presbyterian Outlook have opined that “A Call to Sabbatical” influenced the 210th General Assembly not to attempt another change in the denomination’s ordination standards. Reported as news, this is clearly a matter of speculation, and neither publication offered evidence to support it. The proposed sabbatical,…
No laughing matter January 1, 1998 We expected the words. After hearing speakers at the first ReImagining conference deny God’s transcendence and disparage Jesus’ death on the cross, we were prepared at the 1998 ReImagining Revival to hear Rita Nakashima Brock identify a lesbian activist as “the light of the world,” Beverly Harrison characterize evangelicals…
Who we are January 1, 1998 In each issue of the Presbyterian Layman we publish columns (p. 7) by the Moderator of the General Assembly, the Stated Clerk, and the Chairman of the General Assembly Council in order that they might speak directly to more than 575,000 Presbyterian readers. For the second time, the current…
Trusting the whole people of God January 1, 1998 Presbyterian polity insists on parity between clergy and lay leaders. Our Reformed forbears understood that no human being and no institution is free of hubris. Thus they distributed the power to rule among interlocking governing bodies, preventing any individual, or any group of individuals, from exercising…
Commissioners and conscience December 1, 1997 How is it that the same presbyteries that approved Amendment B elected as their commissioners to the Syracuse Assembly individuals who proposed Amendment A? One obvious answer is that presbyteries are far more discerning and disciplined when voting on Constitutional amendments than when electing General Assembly commissioners. While procedures…
Integrity (re)defined December 1, 1997 Amendment A wordsmiths have undertaken an ambitious enterprise. Redefining “integrity” away from any meaningful connection with its roots, they offer Presbyterians sound without substance. As one Syracuse commissioner put it when asked what “fidelity and integrity in all relationships of life” could possibly mean, “I don’t know. I just like…
An unconstitutional Constitution? December 1, 1997 A growing movement among local church sessions to redirect their per capita contributions has understandably increased anxiety levels in the office of the stated clerk. But a response from lower-level officials – and the stated clerk’s refusal to correct or modify his subordinates’ opinions – is a cause for…
For the record December 1, 1997 As a service to the Presbyterian Church (USA), The Presbyterian Layman is pleased to publish in each issue an unedited guest column by the moderator of the General Assembly, the stated clerk of the General Assembly, and the chairman of the General Assembly Council. The moderator has taken that…
Pocketbook protests October 1, 1997 The Stated Clerk of the General Assembly has money worries. For good reason. The Presbyterian Layman is receiving notices from church sessions across the country that they are cutting off per capita contributions to Louisville. The General Assembly portion of per capita contributions, $4.77 per church member on the active…
Covenants October 1, 1997 It comes as no surprise to see a press release titled “Covenant Network Formed to Support Passage of Amendment A.” It comes as no surprise to see former GA moderators Robert Bohl and John Buchanan listed as the group’s co-moderators. And, unfortunately, the content of their press piece comes as no…