Ecumenical statement affirmed in early votes by presbyteries
By John H. Adams, The Layman Online, January 21, 2000
During the early voting in a national ballot, presbyteries are favoring an ecumenical statement titled “Visible Marks of Churches Uniting in Christ.”
The vote posted on the web site of the Presbyterian Church (USA) as of January 20 was 11 presbyteries in favor of the statement, four opposed and one tie. The PCUSA has 173 presbyteries. A majority, 87 presbyteries, is required to decide the outcome of the ballot.
The ecumenical statement would create a new group, Churches Uniting in Christ, that could eventually have powers that might clash with the authority of the General Assembly and individual congregations in the Presbyterian Church (USA).
The 1999 General Assembly submitted “The Statement for Ecumenical Consensus” to the presbyteries for ratification. The General Assembly’s proposal includes a disclaimer: “This proposed ecumenical statement requires no new structures and makes no proposed changes to the Presbyterian Church (USA) polity regarding church officers or ministry.”
However, if adopted by the Presbyterian Church (USA) and eight other Protestant bodies, the statement could lead to incorporation of many proposals that are at odds with current Presbyterian polity and the denomination’s constitution.
The ecumenical statement defines overcoming racism as the group’s core purpose. It includes a virulent attack on white racism and proposes, among other things, that the ecumenical body develop some means of requiring white congregations to pay compensatory damages to black congregations because of the effects of racism.
The statement clashes with at least one part of the Presbyterian constitution. It calls for opposing “all marginalization and exclusion in the church and society, based on such things as race, age, gender, forms of disability, sexual orientation and class.” The Presbyterian Church welcomes people in all of those categories into membership but does not permit the ordination of self-affirming, practicing homosexuals.
The statement suggests that Churches Uniting would not merely be a cooperative ministry, but a union. “From the moment of inauguration, the life of these churches will be visibly intertwined as never before … their relationship, with God’s help, will not be one of friendly coexistence and consultation, but of binding community. …”
And it calls for extending ecumenical involvement to include “conversation with representatives of Judaism and Islam and other living faiths, as well as cooperation with all persons and movements of good will and human affirmation.”
The statement recommends that representatives of other Churches Uniting denominations be involved in the work of Presbyterian congregations. Such involvement would include attending session meetings and significant events and helping Presbyterian congregations develop their missions.