Task force in ‘harmony’ without debating issues
By John H. Adams, The Layman Online, October 28, 2002
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity held its fourth meeting Oct. 24-26 but, again, shed little light on what it’s trying to accomplish other than the conviviality of its members.
Each of the meetings has focused on the group’s harmonic convergence, which seems to be occurring, although it hasn’t been tested by any substantive discussion or debate of the controversies in the Presbyterian Church (USA).
“I think something is happening here of great significance to me personally, and I just want to witness to that. We don’t need a vote that we believe in the Nicene Creed by 18-2,” Gary Demarest, co-chair of the task force, said of the group’s harmony.
Focus on Christology, Nicene Creed
The task force spent most of the meeting focusing on Christology and the Nicene Creed – including more than four hours of teaching by its newest member, Mark Achtemeier. That focus was as a prelude to its assignment to propose unifying ways for the denomination to address the person and work of Christ, the controversy over ordination standards, power struggles and other issues.
Achtemeier, who teaches systematic theology at Dubuque Theological Seminary in Iowa, replaced his ailing mother, Elizabeth “Betty” Achtemeir, on the panel. His mother, professor emeritus of Bible at Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Va., died while he was in Louisville, the headquarters city of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
The issue of what has been accomplished during the task force’s four meetings – two in Dallas, one in Chicago and one in Louisville, all at the expense of the denomination – was raised but not reconciled.
Demarest suggested that the moderators and the task force’s communications team prepare a news release “to make some kind of a statement out of this meeting, but I still don’t know how to get my mind around that. I would summarize where we have been, what we’ve experienced, focusing on the road to peace, unity and purity. It seems to me we have come to some consensus, but there’s no way of testing that.”
Consensus or silence?
The consensus sometimes seems hazy. Members occasionally make statements that would seem to require the formal assent of the rest of the task force, but the response is often silence.
For example, the Rev. Victoria “Vicky” Curtiss of Ames, Iowa, expressed her objection to Actenmeier’s repeated reference to “Father” as the first person of the Trinity in his presentation covering the Trinitarian theology of the Nicene Creed.
After Achtemeier left the meeting early because of the death of his mother, Curtiss suggested that he “would” modify that language to make it more inclusive in preparing a written version of his presentation that might be made available to Presbyterians through the task force’s Web site.
Later, the Rev. Sarah Grace Sanderson-Doughty of Lowville, N.Y., led a worship service in which a written communal prayer addressed “Mother/Father” God.
No member of the task force expressed disagreement with Curtiss or Sanderson-Doughty – at least not publicly.
Inclusive Trinitarian language opposed
In a study on inclusive language, the denomination’s Office of Theology and Worship concluded that inclusive language for the trinity – traditionally the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – was not acceptable, but it was acceptable and encouraged for non-Trinitarian practices.
One chink in the consensus by silence came in a brief complaint by the Rev. John B. “Mike” Loudon of Lakeland, Fla., who has been the task force’s most outspoken advocate of an evangelical perspective.
“This whole thing is driving me crazy,” Loudon said. “I have trouble with this; we don’t take a vote.”
He made a proposal that may have died for lack of a vote. Noting that the task force had committed much of its time to build relationships among its members and attempting to forge consensus, he suggested that it arrange a test of two presbyteries.
Test proposed for opposing presbyteries
“Let’s take our study materials and get together with Northern New England and Shenango,” he said. “Why not pull together the dissidents?”
Northern New England is the hotbed of the movement in which pastors and elders are openly defying the constitution by ordaining – or stating their intent to ordain – self-affirming practicing homosexuals and conducting “weddings” of homosexual couples contrary to church law.
Shenango is a conservative presbytery in Pennsylvania that sent an overture to the 214th General Assembly calling for it to enforce the constitution since Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick declared that was not his duty.
Loudon’s proposal drew a couple of comments. Jean S. “Jenny” Stoner, co-chair of the task force, said the group wasn’t ready for that. Scott Anderson of Sacramento said it was a good idea.
As usual, no vote was taken, so it was unclear what, if any, consensus was reached.
Task force preparing its own news release
The task force continued to express uneasiness about having reporters from the Presbyterian News Service, The Presbyterian Outlook and The Layman cover their meetings. And they debated at length what shape their press release – their official spin on their deliberations – would take.
They did seem to reach consensus on making available to Presbyterians some of the resource material they have used. But there were some editorial suggestions – such as not referring to God the “Father” – that were left hanging. Other changes were discussed for a demographic study presented by Dr. Barbara Everitt Bryant, former director of the U.S. Census, and a background paper titled “One Mapping of the American Religious Context” presented by Dr. Milton J. Coalter, librarian at Louisville Theological Seminary.
“I think some people who are aware that we are working and want to be in solidarity with us one way or another would be happy to have the raw materials of what we’re doing,” said Barbara Wheeler, president of Auburn Theological Seminary in New York City.
But she, too, wanted the raw materials modified – including, perhaps, having Achtemeier’s presentations recorded on video. She said Presbyterians are unlikely to read lengthy documents. “The quality of ideas does not sell something or make people want it,” she said. “Packaging makes a difference.”