Paper on Jewish-Christian
relations must be rewritten
By Edward Terry, The Layman, July 9, 2010
MINNEAPOLIS – Wanting more input from Middle East Christians, who weren’t at the table when the paper was drafted and debated, the 219th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church has referred “Christians and Jews: People of God” back to Louisville for more work.
By a vote of 529-135 on Thursday, the commissioners agreed with the Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations Committee and San Francisco Presbytery, which called for the rewrite. The amended overture now calls for the Office of Interfaith Relations and Theology and Worship to consult with the National Middle East Presbyterian Caucus, PCUSA partner churches and agencies in the Middle East, relevant PCUSA mission networks, the Advocacy Council on Racial Ethnic Concerns and the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy.
It also asks that correspondence among the National Middle East Middle East Presbyterian Caucus, Israel-Palestine Mission Network and the General Assembly Mission Council be sent to those working on the revised paper.
Nanette Sawyer of Chicago Presbytery pushed for adoption of the paper as it was written.
“There is good Biblically-based Christology in this document,” she said.
Belle Miller McMaster from Greater Atlanta Presbytery shared the prevailing opinion on the paper: That it had an absence of voices.
“Middle East Christians were not at the table to be involved in the process, nor PCUSA Middle Easterners, nor Christians who live in the Middle East,” she said.
The report on Jewish-Christian relations had been mandated by action of the 216th General Assembly in 2004.
Christian-Muslim relations paper OK
The GA then turned its attention to a paper focusing on Christian-Muslim relations, approving an amended Overture 08-04 commending the paper to the denomination for study and guidance by a 548-129-4 vote.
The amended language encourages Presbyterians to have shared community experiences with their Muslims neighbors, including but not limited to: sharing meals, having activities in churches and mosques together, and inviting a Muslim leader to offer instruction in a church and a Christian leader to offer instruction in a mosque. It also calls on Presbyterians to identify and speak out against “bigotry, prejudice, discrimination and violence” against Islam and Muslim peoples, especially in the United States.