Press conference discusses ordination standard vote
By Robert P. Mills, The Layman Online, June 16, 2001
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Befitting the passage of a three-part action by the Louisville General Assembly to delete G-6.0106b from the Book of Order, issue a new authoritative interpretation of the constitution, and amend G-6.0106a to allow for local option, a three-part press conference was held minutes after the vote.
For the first part of the press conference, questions were directed to those who had opposed the assembly’s action, including: Nancy Maffett, elder commissioner from Pueblo Presbytery who ran unsuccessfully for moderator; Russ Ritchel, Jr. minister commissioner from Salem Presbytery; Matt Robbins, Youth Advisory Delegate from Stockton Presbytery; Jerry Andrews, minister commissioner from Chicago Presbytery, who chaired the assembly’s Theological Issues and Institutions committee; and Joe Rightmyer, executive director of Presbyterians for Renewal.
Evangelical reaction
The first question was, What is your reaction to today’s vote?
Ritchel answered first. “Certainly we’re disappointed. This is an agonizing decision for our church. As a pastor I have members of my congregation who are gays and lesbians. I have other members of my congregation, by far the majority, who will feel that in this decision we’re abandoning Scripture as an authority in our denomination.
Maffett said “There is a great weariness in the church. There have been many battles for many years. I fear this is going to be very damaging to our body and its unity. I also believe it reflects the confusion of culture with our understanding of ourselves before a loving God.”
Rightmyer shared, “I woke up this morning with a sadness in my heart. In the theology debate yesterday regarding Christology and whether or not we would make a clear affirmation of Jesus Christ as Lord I heard statements of unbelief. What has crept into the life of the Presbyterian Church is not just difference of opinion but unbelief, the failure to understand and receive and appreciate the rich mercy of God. The generous grace of God has been turned into licentiousness. There is a lack of understanding of how God has acted in our behalf in the person of his own son. Christianity [has been] turned into another religion that’s all about how we get to God instead of reaffirming how God has come to us.”
Rightmyer continued, “The symptoms of that are coming to bear in our discussions about human sexuality. Discussions of the meaning of life have been separated from the very source of life. There is no other source of life than Jesus Christ. We Presbyterians are losing our witness to him. And consequently those who think they are finding life apart from him are being deceived. Our witness is dissipating before our very eyes.”
‘Handcuffed together by our property’
The next question concerned the possibility of a split in the denomination if the proposed amendments are ratified.
With the evening’s most vivid illustration, Ritchel again answered first. “There already is a split in the Presbyterian Church. To a certain extent we as Presbyterians are like two or three people handcuffed together. We are handcuffed together by our property.”
Maffett responded, “I’m concerned that unfair aspersions have been cast on those of us who take this position theologically. The doors of our church have never been closed to people in a homosexual lifestyle. In these debates, we are accused of closing that door. I fear that the great tragedy here is that people are going to consider this church too much trouble nationally, and all its 11,000 plus congregations not worth getting into. They won’t even bother. We talk about the numbers we are losing. We have no way of measuring the numbers that never walk in.”
Rightmyer said that his first conversations after the vote were with “pastors who with tears in there eyes” wondered if their congregations would still be there when they get home. “There will be a vote in the presbyteries. But how many folks will stay around and vote is a legitimate question.”
Presbytery efforts
The next questioner asked if the press conference participants would make an effort to stop the proposed amendments from being ratified.
Rightmyer replied, “This certainly will be fought and debated in the presbyteries. There will be extensive debate. It’s not a settled matter, that’s for sure. There are many of us who are committed to faithfulness within this denomination for the long haul. I hope pastors will go home and find lots of their members ready and willing to work.
Asked whether the amendments would be approved or be defeated, Maffet said, “The first time the vote to put this language in was making specific what had been our position for 2000 years. The first time was voted in by 60 percent of the presbyteries. When it was challenged, the vote was reaffirmed by an even larger margin. I believe there is a very good possibility the current language will be sustained.”
John Bolt of the Presbyterian Outlook then asked the panelists, “Is it your sense that the Assembly is definitely not speaking the word of God? In Presbyterian polity we believe the Spirit is at work when the body gets together, and the body has spoken.”
Jerry Andrews answered, “The body has not spoken. The body is the church. We’re very clear in our polity. Until the presbyteries have voted, the body has not yet spoken.”
Maffett replied, “We have trouble understanding the ways each other use words. We tend in our culture to say ‘If this is what I want to the word to mean this is what it means.’ But in fact, my understanding, my personal experience of the word of God is given to me. It is not something that I decide if I agree with. Part of what we’re challenged with here is that we’re not submitting to something outside ourselves.”
Amendment supporters
Following this portion of the press conference, a number of amendment supporters, representing several pro-gay activist organizations, including “three commissioners who worked on the assembly floor,” filled the front of the room. Bill Moss, co-moderator of More Light Presbyterians, began with a prepared statement emphasizing polity and downplaying homosexuality.
“The church has returned to its historic principles allowing local churches and presbyteries to make decisions about ordination. This is the middle ground the church needed to move forward.”
In calling “middle ground” the pro-gay activist’s goals of deleting G-6.0106b and allowing local option, Moss echoed language used throughout the assembly by opponents of the fidelity and chastity ordination standard.
‘A homophobic culture’
The first question came from a representative of That All May Freely Serve, whose director is “lesbian evangelist” Jane Spahr. He asked for a comment about “the kowtowing to culture,” mentioned by “the group that was here before.”
Michael Adee, identified by a press release handed out at the conference as “the More Light Presbyterians National Field Organizer and an openly gay elder at First Presbyterian Church, Santa Fe, N.M., answered, “This action by this assembly is saying we’re not going to buy into a homophobic culture. So actually what we’re saying is that we’re now going to reverse any kind of prejudice because we’ve lived faithfully into the gospel. We are informed by culture, as well as Scripture and the confessions, because so many organizations affirm gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people within their corporations and are working to reverse discrimination, which is exactly what the assembly did today.”
Passing the amendments
Asked about the prospects for the amendments passing the presbyteries, Tony De La Rusa, described as “lead strategist” and “an openly gay elder at Calvary Presbyterian Church in South Pasadena, Calif.,” said, “I think we have our work cut out for us. But I think the chances are good of us ultimately prevailing.”
Another member of the panel noted that last year’s work in defeating Amendment O, thereby authorizing Presbyterian ministers to conduct same-sex union ceremonies, “gave us a chance to go out and get organized.”
Rogers election a key indicator
Asked if amendment supporters came to Louisville expecting victory or if there was a moment when it looked like the numbers were there, Mark Palermo answered, “I think the election of the moderator is always one sign of the way the assembly is going to go. I think the election of Jack Rogers on the first ballot indicated to me that this assembly was going to be different.”
The final speaker in this section of the press conference was Katie Morrison, who said, “I am an out lesbian, a candidate certified ready to receive a call, seminary graduate, I’ve passed the ordination exams. I’ve been out since day one in this process knowing where my church was.”
She continued, “This vote was extremely significant for those who have been in this holding place, this waiting place. We’ve been working in the church anyway. I’ve been serving as a lay leader. I’ve been serving as a youth minister the last year and a half, working with junior high and high school students, teaching them the words that were taught to me, the church is a safe place.”
Morrison concluded, “What irony, that I would teach our gospel, the radical welcome of Jesus Christ, while knowing the painful reality that I did not have full access to the church. This is a breath of hope for those of us who are fighting so hard to serve the church, to respond faithfully to our call, to continue the conversation, but at table as equals.”
Moderatorial reflections
The last part of the press conference featured moderator Jack Rogers, who began a lengthy reflection by saying ” The scriptures tell us to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. I’m rejoicing and weeping at the same time today. …There can be good and devout people who have very different perceptions of reality.”
“As I looked out at that assembly all week long, I believe that those commissioners represent the broad center of the Presbyterian Church. This is my 30th General Assembly. And I’ve seen assemblies — 1978 in San Diego, 1993 in Orlando — when I think most commissioners came preset to be ideologically committed to one position or the other. All the evidence I could glean is that this year’s commissioners were garden variety Presbyterians. These were regular folks out of our churches. They didn’t seem to come here deeply precommitted to one position or the other.”
The commissioners Rogers described as “precommitted” voted in favor of the denomination’s historic ordination standards. This year’s “garden variety” commissioners voted in opposition to positions held by the vast majority of Presbyterians as reported by Presbyterian Panel surveys.
Taking a veiled jab at the Confessing Church Movement, Rogers went on to observe “One thing that touched me a little bit was that some of the folks are so pessimistic about the church. They said this assembly has been unwilling to affirm Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve done it every day in worship, we’ve done it in every plenary session of the assembly because I’ve introduced pieces of our confessions that were stronger statements than any of the statements proposed.”
He continued, “The issue is not that we’re not willing to say Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior. The issue for some people is they didn’t want to pick out some pieces and use them legislatively. You can believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and only savior, and not want that to become a piece of legislation but rather keep it in the context of affirmation and worship.
Schism?
Asked if he feared a formal schism Rogers replied, “If you had asked me that a few months ago I would have had a ready answer. I don’t now because of this assembly. I’m not going to speculate about schism. I just don’t know what might happen out in the presbyteries this year. The people you saw today are not schismatic people. Those are loyal Presbyterians. They really want to stay in this church.
“An assembly has a life of its own. You have an experience here of learning and growing. It’s hard to communicate this intensive week’s experience when you go home. They’re going to have a hard time understanding that process. I don’t want to say the Spirit can’t work in the presbyteries.”