Washington Office little noticed by Presbyterians or politicians
By John H. Adams, The Layman Online, April 13, 2000
What a few Presbyterians may consider to be one of the most controversial offices in the Presbyterian Church (USA) is also one of the least known and not very effective, according to a poll of Presyterians.
“In short, the Washington Office of the PCUSA is off the radar screen,” says Jack Marcum of PCUSA’s Research Services. Marcum wrote an assessment of data acquired through a Presbyterian Panel poll of the denomination.
While operating without much scrutiny from Presbyterians, the Washington Office spends a lot of money (2000 budget of $567,000) trying to convince the President and Congress to accept the Presbyterian-correct view on issues.
Booster club for Democrats
Sometimes, the Washington Office bends the Presbyterian view so that all the mainline church allies, as well the National Council of Churches, are in lockstep unity with each other and the Democratic Party.
For instance, the Washington Office recently dispatched a news release prepared by the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, a pro-abortion group. The news release villified pro-life advocates. That the Washington Office sides only with the pro-abortion advocates runs contrary to the General Assembly’s 1992 policy which states in part: “The strong Christian presumption is that since all life is precious to God, we are to preserve and protect it. … [A]fter human life has begun, it is to be cherished and protected as a precious gift of God.”
The Washington Office news release accused pro-life advocates of “deceptive rhetoric” and “politically motivated terms such as ‘unborn life’ … ‘partial birth abortion,’ ‘informed consent'” and other verbal offenses.
Public policy guidance
The Washington Office is supposed to base its efforts on General Assembly guidance on public policy. But a 1999 study by Presbyterian Action for Faith and Freedom shows that of the 53 advocacy messages the office directed toward Congress over a 14-month period, only 34 made any reference to such guidance. And in just 21 cases did the Assembly’s action actually mandate the specific stance taken by the Washington Office.
Only three of the advocacy messages made any reference to Biblical teachings.
The same study showed that of the 53 advocacy messages, 37 dealt with highly partisan issues, issues “where the vast majority of Democrats are arrayed against the vast majority of Republicans.” In every one of those 37 issues, the position advocated by the Washington Office corresponded to the Democratic position, this despite the fact that in a 1996 survey by the Pew Research Center more 60 percent of PCUSA members identified themselves as Republicans.
Presbyterian Action also reported, “The Washington Office is not effective on Capitol Hill. Its problem is that politicians can count votes, and they know that the office doesn’t represent Presbyterian voters. When we talk with congressional aides, both Democrats and Republicans, say they pay little attention to denominational lobbying offices like our own.”
Effectiveness evaluated
If Washington is paying little attention to the Washington Office, Presbyterians are paying even less. The Research Services study asked elders and pastors to evaluate the effectiveness of the Washington Office. Only 5 percent of the elders deemed it effective and only 17 percent of the pastors. Only 2 percent of members and 5 percent of elders reported having any contact with the Washington Office.
Last year, the Washington Office did get some attention from the 1999 General Assembly. Its request for more money, including an extra helping from One Great Hour of Sharing, was defeated by voice vote.