Kirkpatrick says task force report ‘offers great hope’ for the PCUSA
The Layman Online, September 19, 2005
Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick, in stark contrast to the widespread criticism of the report of the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity of the Church, is saying that it “offers great hope for the Presbyterian Church (USA).”
Kirkpatrick, in a statement, also echoes the plea for unity in the report’s first recommendation, “to avoid division into separate denominations,” by saying that the task force “affirms a common conviction that God intends us to remain together as a denomination.”
His assessment is at odds with the criticism of the report from across the theological spectrum within the denomination. Some of that criticism states:
- That its recommendations “will, in effect, introduce ‘local option.'”
- That, if the recommendations are approved, “it will have the effect of amending the Constitution of the PCUSA without the consent of the presbyteries.”
- The rejection of a recommendation that asks the 217th General Assembly to take no further actions on ordination issues “because it once again extends years of delay in exercising fairness and respect toward our brothers and sisters in Christ.”
- The final recommendations “do not address all of our hopes for the church – in particular, for its gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender members ….”
- The report is “a local option Trojan Horse,” a wormy apple, a false conclusion, a “sacrifice on the altar of real authority.”
- The report is a “call to continue prejudice and discrimination” in the Presbyterian Church (USA).
- The report “will not promote the peace, unity and purity of the church. Although some parts may be commendable, taken as a whole, the document lacks the theological integrity and ethical congruity that is essential to fulfill its mandate. History will not be kind to such a report, no matter how many per-capita funds are spent to promote it, for this task force was commissioned with an opportunity to serve the church and, sadly, its moment has passed.”
Kirkpatrick compares the work of the task force to the Council of Jerusalem. “There,” he says, “a church was deeply divided over which practices were essential for the Christian life and which should be left to freedom of conscience. A group of ‘apostles and elders’ was convened, apparently those who had strong convictions on different sides of the issues. They were to discern the mind of Christ for the church. Through study, prayer, and vigorous debate they came to a common mind and heart about the things that make for the church’s peace, unity, and purity.”
“I believe a similar process has been happening through the work of the Theological Task Force,” Kirkpatrick says. “Like the Council of Jerusalem, the task force serves as a model for all of us, in our respective congregations and presbyteries, of how we can discern together the mind of Christ across our differences and divisions. I hope our church will receive their report as well as the New Testament church received the voice of the Council of Jerusalem.”