Denomination promotes ‘ReImagining God’
By John H. Adams, The Layman Online, March 7, 2000
Despite a declaration by the 1994 General Assembly that “ReImagining God” ideologies were beyond the bounds of the Christian faith, the Presbyterian Church (USA) is listing “ReImagining” resources on the denomination’s web site.
The “ReImagining” material – including transcripts of eight speeches at the 1993 event – is part of the PCUSA’s “Unity in the Midst of Diversity” information. The speeches are listed under resources provided by Church & Society, a magazine published by the National Ministries Division.
After coverage by The Presbyterian Layman, the 1993 ReImagining event created an uproar at the 206th General Assembly when it met in Wichita in 1994. The assembly received 51 overtures calling for the PCUSA to dissociate from the ReImagining movement because of its goddess-worship themes, denial of the atonement and contradictions of Christian doctrines.
The PCUSA was one of the principal financial supporters of the ReImagining conference and a number of PCUSA staff leaders attended the event.
The 1994 General Assembly commissioners tried to overcome the church crisis with a statement expressing regret “that many in the Presbyterian family were offended, dismayed, hurt and angered when they read what happened at the conference … It is our opinion that members of the PCUSA were offended, dismayed, hurt and angered because they believe that the PCUSA no longer adheres to its traditional theological moorings or is afraid to say that it does.”
The commissioners used the statement to reaffirm Presbyterian confessional standards and declare, “Let there be no doubt that theology matters, that our Reformed tradition is precious to us, and that we intend to hand it down to the next generation: our children and grandchildren.”
Despite the 1994 commissioners’ declaration, ReImagining ideologies continue to find advocates in denominational agencies, including Church & Society. Much of the material published by the National Network of Presbyterian College Women included echoes of goddess worship and other ReImagining themes. The 1999 General Assembly voted to place the Network on probation and ban further publication of its principal document, Young Women Speak.
In 1998, several staff leaders in the Women’s Ministry Program area attended the fifth anniversary of the ReImagining God Conference.
The controversy over the 1993 ReImagining event had a major impact on the denomination. Unrestricted giving to the denomination fell dramatically. The denomination lost more than 38,000 members that year – nearly twice the losses of the past two years.
The following link is to the PCUSA’s “other resources page” that recommends resources for consideration of unity in diversity. The ReImagining resources are listed under Church & Society.
The following link leads to an order form to purchase “8 of the addresses given at the ReImagining Conference held in 1993 to celebrate the midpoint of the Ecumenical Decade, with background articles on the conference and the Ecumenical Decade.”