General Assembly Wednesday June 25, 2008

The big news this morning was that the committee on Church Orders and Ministry recommended to the assembly that they remove G-6.0106b which many call the Fidelity and Chastity amendment. What does this mean? Well, it means that the ordination requirement to live in “fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and woman or chastity in singleness” will be once again debated on the floor of the General Assembly. The GA will have the opportunity to forward this amendment to the Presbyteries for their vote. The GA may choose not to send it to the Presbyteries. It has not reached the floor yet.

This same amendment was sent to the Presbyteries in 1997 and 2000 and defeated by the Presbyteries both times. One friend here made the statement that GA has been hijacked by this amendment. There will be lots of debate time used and we will not cover any new ground that has not been covered in the past. I believe that our time could be spent in other areas. My biggest fear is that this amendment will further divide us (the PCUSA) in a time that we should be looking to what unites us so that we can accomplish what God wants from our church.

On Marriage
In further news the Assembly Committee on Church Polity rejected a proposal that would have changed the PCUSA’s constitutional definition of marriage from being between a man and woman to being between two people.

Sexuality Curriculum
On the floor of GA this afternoon there was lengthy debate about a proposed creation of a Sexual Education Curriculum. The overture to create the curriculum came from our neighbor to the North, Grace Presbytery. Grace Presbytery sent this to GA because they believe that there is a need for Sexual Education based on Presbyterian values. The motion passed so the Presbyterian Publishing house will be directed to develop a resource for churches to use to teach sexual education, based on reformed principles and Presbyterian values.

RECOMMENDATION
The Presbytery of Grace overtures the 218th General Assembly (2008) to direct the General Assembly Council to produce adolescent human development resources based upon Scripture and the Reformed theological tradition. These resources would explore all facets of adolescent development including human sexuality.

ASSEMBLY ACTION
On this Item, the General Assembly, acted as follows:
Approve with Comment
We choose to plant the seed of peace. We set aside our individual desires to “win” and to further our own agendas and put our faith in God, and send this overture on without trying to advocate one position or another, trusting not only God, but our fellow Presbyterians to do what is right not only for our children but for our denomination. We send this overture on in the hope that the next step of the process will cultivate the seed we have planted, faithfully stepping out in mutual trust.
Electronic Vote - Plenary Affirmative: 509
Negative: 188
Abstaining: 5

At the Austin Seminary Luncheon