Task force has no comment on four pertinent overtures
By John H. Adams, The Layman Online, March 4, 2002
DALLAS – Four overtures to the 2002 General Assembly dealing with stormy issues in the Presbyterian Church (USA) were in the packets of the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity when it met in Dallas on Feb. 28-March 2, but the members of the panel shunned them during the public portion of their meeting.
Instead, most of the meeting – the second for the task force since it was authorized by the 2001 General Assembly – was spent on shore rather than heading into the teeth of the denomination’s storm.
Overtures address issues
The four overtures go to the heart of some of the key issues the task force was mandated to examine:
- The Presbytery of Northeast Georgia wants the General Assembly to “clarify the issues raised by the Confessing Church Movement concerning the Lordship of Christ.”
- The Presbytery of the Foothills seeks a moratorium on discussions regarding human sexuality and ordination standards.
- The Presbytery of Northern New England asked for a “period of grace” to refrain from “bringing judicial action … on all matters that are before the task force” until after the conclusion of the 2002 General Assembly.
- The Presbytery of St. Andrew proposes that the General Assembly consider no overtures on issues involving human sexuality until the task force has submitted its report to the 2005 General Assembly.
General Assembly mandate
The 2001 General Assembly instructed the task force to report on Christology, Biblical authority and interpretation, ordination standards and power. So far, little of the work of the task force has dealt with any of those areas, and members seem skittish about diving into the controversies. They have been more attentive to dealing with each other civilly, trying to define more briefly what their assignment is and setting up some of the mechanics for the future.
They did write – committee-style, with numerous amendments to the original version – a brief mission statement, which says:
“The task force, led the Holy Spirit, will seek to discover a basis for peace, unity and purity that advances the traditions of Christian and Reformed theology and Presbyterian government and responds to current issues that divide the church. The task force will use a process of consultation and discernment that can lead the whole church to a renewed sense of identity and mission.”
Author of statement
Dr. Barbara Wheeler, president of Auburn Theological Seminary, wrote and proposed the initial version of the mission statement. The final version was cobbled together by committee members.
One of the late insertions was the word “Christian” – but there was no discussion about what theological implications that might bring. The Reformed tradition is a distinctly Christian formulation of beliefs and doctrines that sometimes conflict with those of other traditions – such as Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Baptist, fundamentalists and groups that hold beliefs such as salvation by works.
Meanwhile, the four overtures included in the task force’s packet reflected a timely opportunity for the commission to weigh in quickly on some of the issues. But, because it will not meet again until August – after the 2002 General Assembly sits in June – the commission will have no chance to publicly address the overtures.
Confessing Church tenets
The Northeast Georgia overture wants the General Assembly to ask the task force to assess the three tenets of the Confessing Church Movement – the Lordship of Christ, the authority of the Bible and God’s call to holiness – in light of Scripture, The Book of Confessions and the Book of Order.
“The Confessing Church Movement has lifted up three of the divisive issues by stating plainly what the individual churches proclaim based on Scripture and The Book of Confessions,” the overture says. “This movement is gaining momentum throughout our denomination and demanding clarity” on the three Confessing Church tenets.
The task force “has the best opportunity to make clear the content of Scripture and The Book of Confessions,” the overture adds.
‘A season of dialogue’
The Foothills overture noted that what the General Assembly called for – deleting the “fidelity/chastity” ordination standard from the Book of Order and retracting all previous denominational position papers describing homosexual conduct as sinful – the presbyteries rejected by nearly 3 to 1.
Thus, the overture said, “The repeated challenges to the 1978 ‘authoritative interpretation’ and to the ‘fidelity and chastity’ language … have distracted the chuch from its mission. … Our denomination desperately needs a season of dialogue, reconciliation and healing from the wounds that have been inflicted during these debates.”
Protection against court action
The Presbytery of Northern New England, which is a hotbed for gay activists, wants the General Assembly to raise a shield to protect protect churches that violate the constitution from remedial and disciplinary action in church courts.
The presbytery’s overture says, “In the past, when major constitutional changes on divisive issues, such as the requirement that both women and men be included on church sessions and the implied trust relating to ownership of church property, were implemented, a long period of time for adjustment was provided prior to any actions to enforce the provisions.”
Currently, there are a number of court cases and presbytery initiatives in similar matters – but most have been instigated against evangelical churches.
Moratorium until 2005
The St. Andrew overture, in calling for a moratorium on issues of human sexuality until 2005, said, “It is clear … that in order for a victor to emerge with the ‘spoils of war,’ someone else must be reckoned as ‘the defeated.’ Such a method tears at the body of Christ, threatens to irreparably divide us and distracts us from doing the work of the church. And it lacks the imagination that the gospel requires.”