Sexuality curriculum must conform
By Paul Rolf Jensen, The Layman Online, June 24, 1999
FORT WORTH – By a vote of 330-201-4, the General Assembly today ordered that the sexual education curriculum published by the denomination be brought within two years into conformity with denominational standards and biblical doctrine. Specifically, revisions of those portions of the curriculum dealing with the issue of sex outside of marriage must call for abstinence.
The Assembly rejected the Christian Education and Curriculum Publishing Committee’s report, in favor of a minority report signed by nine committee members. The minority report initially called for immediately stopping distribution of existing materials, which teach teen-agers that, while abstinence is preferred, if they choose to have premarital sex then they should use contraception. However, an amendment was offered modifiying that provision, which in the spirit of compromise, was itself supported by the commissioners who put forward the minority report.
The Rev. Bart Kelso, of Boston presented the minority report. Referring to the mixed messages presented by the present materials, he reminded the Assembly of Christ’s command to “let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no.'”
The flaws in the materials now in use for more than a decade, he said, were that they “offer far more of culture’s relative standards for sexual behavior than those of Scripture and of our confessions.”
He said that during the committee hearings many young people had given their personal testimonies. “What I found most compelling and most arresting in the testimony I heard was how much of it was presented by our youth themselves … only one of whom, to the best of my recollection, spoke against this overture. All the others appealed to us to see that we stand for clear biblical and confessional standards of sexual purity, for their sakes, and the sake of their friends.”
When another committee member, the Rev. Sidney Davis, offered an amendment to the minority report to state explicitly that the current materials may be used until revisions are made, that amendment was itself seconded by the Rev. Richard Kellett, one of the signatories of the minority report. Kelso also supported the amendment to his motion, saying “we are not asking that the present curriculum be withheld, but that it be revised before its next printing.”
This amendment passed easily, but not before several speakers joined Kelso in condemning the present curriculum for deviating from Presbyterian confessions. “In recent years, General Assemblies and congregations have increasingly supported the idea that abstinence and sexual purity be taught,”
Elder Nancy Cross pointed out that the world does a good job teaching about premarital sex, contraception and promiscuity, and that the present materials do as well, when instead they should call our youth to sexual purity.
“We hear about sex everywhere. These materials are too explicit,” complained Ellen Larson, a youth advisory delegate. “There are only five sentences in the entire present curriculum materials that deal with sex in the Christian way.”
Patricia BrownIn dissent, former General Assembly Moderator Patricia Brown questioned the motives of the youth witnesses. Brown said, “Let me speak a word of caution … The youngsters who appeared as witnesses … who signed up as a majority to appear as a voice for young people” did not truly represent the majority.
Responding to Brown was Katherine Goyette, a youth advisory delegate from California who served on the Christian Education Committee and spoke numerous times during the hearing from her personal experiences and conviction that the present curriculum materials were misguided. “These curriculum materials lack biblical integrity,” Goyette asserted. In an impassioned plea to the Assembly, she said, “We must teach the joy of sexual purity … Do not conform any more to the standards of the world.”
The committee moderator, elder Jann Treadwell, offered a defense of the committee report, saying that the emphasis of the committee discussion was that the curriculum does benefit many congregations and they would not want to have it not available.”
After the vote, the overture advocate, the Rev. James Andrew Curtis, expressed satisfaction with the outcome, as did many others who spoke to The Layman Online. They said their approval of the compromise allowed the present materials to continue in use while setting a timetable for their revision.
The General Assembly Council must review the curriculum for compliance before printing and report to the 213th General Assembly in 2001.
Sexuality overture modified; passed by committee
– June 23, 1999, The Layman Online
GA asked to bring sexuality curriculum into conformance with Bible, constitution
– May 25, 1999, The Layman Online