* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
                                     MORE LIGHT UPDATE 
                                  September-October 2001 
                                    Volume 22, Number 1 
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
                                        HIGHLIGHTS 
              
             General Assembly: It's About Freedom. Reflections. Analysis. The  
             Moderator's Pastoral Letter. The Overture Advocates'  
             Presentations. Responsible Scripture Interpretation. The  
             Moderator in the Press. On the Road. MLP Conference. A More Light  
             Minister. Events. 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
                                       FULL CONTENTS 
              
             CHANGES 
             OUR COVER: A drawing of Central Presbyterian Church, Owensboro, KY. 
             On the Road with Michael Adee 
             National MLP Conference, by Michael Kirby 
             EVENTS 
             FEATURES 
                  Taking the Inclusive Christ-Like Love of General Assembly 
                                  to Our 173 Presbyteries 
                       It's About Freedom! by Eunice Blanchard Poethig 
                       Reflections on General Assembly, by Sylvia Thorson-Smith 
                       An Openly Gay Commissioner's Analysis, by Don Stroud 
                       Another Openly Gay Commission's Addendum, by Cleve Evans 
                       General Assembly Moderator's Pastoral Letter 
                       Progressive Advocates Present Position, from TAMFS.org 
                       The Overture Advocates' Presentation 
                       Free the Church to Fulfill Its Mission, by Susan Andrews 
                       Core Presbyterian Values, by Douglas Nave & Nancy Ramsay 
                       A More Excellent Way, by Jay McKell 
                       We Need Middle Ground, by Tim Hart-Andersen 
                       Presbyterian Bible professors Call for Responsible Interpretation 
                            of Scripture 
                       Jack Rogers in the News: Presbyterians Push Church to  
                            Embrace Gays, By Deb Price 
                  European Churches Take an Open Attitude toward Gay/Lesbian  
                       Ordination, by Luca Negro [ELECTRONIC UPDATE ONLY] 
                  Calvin on Freedom of Conscience, by Sarah Melcher  
                       [ELECTRONIC UPDATE ONLY] 
                  A Pastor Declares More Light, by Dave Condren [ELECTRONIC  
                       UPDATE ONLY] 
                  How Can the Church Change Its Standards?, by Jim Green  
                       [ELECTRONIC UPDATE ONLY] 
             BOOKS [ALL IN ELECTRONIC UPDATE ONLY] 
                  *Longtime Companions* Reviewed by Dave Tornblom      
                  *Losing Matt Shepard* Reviewed by Craig Machado. 
                  More on Leviticus! Milgrom's *Leviticus 17-22* Reviewed by Tom Hanks 
             MLP OFFICERS 
                  MLP Board of Directors 
                  MLP National Liaisons 
             MLP PRESBYTERY LIAISONS 
             MLP CHAPTERS 
             MASTHEAD (Publication Information) 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
                              *We limit not the truth of God 
                              To our poor reach of mind, 
                              By notions of our day and sect, 
                              Crude, partial and confined. 
              
                              No, let a new and better hope 
                              Within our hearts be stirred: 
                              for God hath yet more light and truth 
                              To break forth from the Word.* 
              
              -- Pastor John Robinson, sending the Pilgrims to the New World,    
             1620; paraphrased by the hymnwriter George Rawson, 1807-1889. 
              
                                       SEXUAL ETHICS 
              
                   "More Light Presbyterians (MLP) envisions that  
                   Christian sexual ethics marked by covenantal  
                   fidelity shall be the standard for all  
                   Presbyterians, irrespective of sexual orientation."  
                   -- MLP Board, September 1999. 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
                        For all ministers, elders, deacons, members 
                      and friends of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 
              
                                 More Light Presbyterians           
                              4737 County Road 101, PMB# 246 
                                 Minnetonka, MN 55345-2634 
              
                                     MORE LIGHT UPDATE 
                                 James D. Anderson, Editor 
                                        P.O. Box 38 
                               New Brunswick, NJ  08903-0038 
                  732-249-1016, 732-932-7500 ex 8210 (Rutgers University) 
                           FAX 732-932-6916 (Rutgers University) 
                             Internet: JDA@mariner.rutgers.edu 
                                (or JDA@scils.rutgers.edu) 
                                  Email Discussion List: 
                          MoreLightPresbyterians@yahoogroups.com 
                                 (To join, send email to: 
                     MoreLightPresbyterians-Subscribe@yahoogroups.com; 
                                 to leave, send email to: 
                    MoreLightPresbyterians-Unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com). 
              
                             MLP home page: www.mlp.org 
              
                  Masthead, with Publication Information at end of file. 
              
                 Note:  * is used to indicate italicized or boldface text. 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
             CHANGES 
              
             Board member Tony De La Rosa has a new address: 3016 Waverly  
             Drive, #109, Los Angeles, CA  90039-4115, 323-664-2787 (home),  
             tonydlr@ix.netcom.com 
              
             New contact info. for Donna Riley, board member and MLP's  
             communications secretary and webspinner: 155 Prospect St.,  
             Northampton, MA 01060, 413-584-7935, dmriley@alumni.princeton.edu 
              
             Denver Presbytery liaison Laurene Lafontaine has new address,  
             etc: Laurene Lafontaine, 1247 Utica Street, Denver, CO 80204,  
             Phone - 720-932-8772., Email - lafden@qwest.net 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
             OUR COVER 
              
             This month's cover features a a drawing of Central Presbyterian  
             Church in Owensboro, KY.  This congregation has been passing  
             through a difficult time recently.  They need and deserve all our  
             prayers and support. 
              
             Other photos have been contributed by Michael Adee, Marilyn Nash,  
             Meg & Steve Morrision, and Jack Hartwein-Sanchez, our official  
             MLU G.A. photographer! 
              
             *Send us your photos -- especially photos of More Light  
             Churches!*  (We need physical photos, not digital!) 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
             OUR NATIONAL FIELD ORGANIZER 
              
                                        On the Road 
                                     with Michael Adee 
                               MLP National Field Organizer 
              
                  "It is Never Too Late to Be What You Might Have Been." 
              
             "It is never too late to be what you might have been," said  
             George Eliot.  In 1978, our Church had the chance to be the  
             Church, a true place of hospitality embracing all and affirming  
             the gifts and calls to ministry of all of God's children.  Our  
             Church chose not to honor the fact that all of us are created in  
             God's image back in 1978 and institutionalized homophobia and  
             heterosexism. These anti-gay laws and attitudes compromised our  
             witness to the world of God's radically inclusive love.  This has  
             been a scandal to the Gospel and a barrier to evangelism, church  
             growth and ministries of justice.  Over these decades, we have  
             lost many gifted LGBT persons and their families. 
              
             Twenty-three years later in Louisville, the recent 213th General  
             Assembly approved a constitutional amendment that will restore  
             integrity to our *Book of Order*.  By a significant margin of 60%,  
             this General Assembly chose to be the Church, to remove these  
             anti-gay laws, to dismantle the prejudice and discrimination  
             against LGBT people and our families, and to affirm the fact that  
             God calls LGBT people to ministry as well as heterosexual  
             persons. 
              
             "It is never to late to be what you might have been"! This is  
             true not only for us as individuals, but also as congregations  
             and as the Church. During the Fall of 2001 and the Winter and  
             Spring of 2002, every presbytery will be considering and voting  
             on this constitutional amendment on ordination that brings  
             freedom to the Spirit of God at work in the lives of all of God's  
             children.  It removes the barriers to the calls and service of  
             LGBT people as deacons, elders, and clergy in our Church. 
              
             Some said that it was a miracle.  Others said it was time.  Many  
             said that they sensed that God was at work in the midst of the  
             Assembly.  In the months to come each presbytery will have the  
             opportunity "to be what you might have been," as Eliot said.  It  
             is not too late, now is the time. 
              
             The legislative work and the educational outreach at General  
             Assembly dominated the scene.  Other highlights included a sold  
             out, standing room only "Celebration of More Light" Dinner co- 
             sponsored by MLP, That All May Freely Serve, and The Shower of  
             Stoles Project, with a record-setting over 400 people.  **Jimmy  
             Creech** was the keynote speaker, **Katie Morrison** was  
             introduced as the second national field organizer, and **Tricia  
             Dykers-Koenig** was given the 2001 David Sindt Award.  **Central  
             Presbyterian Church, Louisville; Central Presbyterian Church,  
             Owensboro**; and the **More Light Chapter of Louisville  
             Presbyterian Theological Seminary** were honored as well. 
              
             Sunday morning's rally brought over 250 people together outside  
             the Assembly Hall to join in worship within the theme  
             "Celebrating Our Faith, Awaiting Our Welcome," which was put  
             together by MLP and our Progressive Partners. **Mieke Vandersall,  
             Patrick Evans, Robin White, Bear Ride and Susan Craig** provided  
             leadership for this service. 
              
             Sunday afternoon's worship service, co-sponsored by MLP, That All  
             May Freely Serve, and The Shower of Stoles Project was hosted by  
             **Central Presbyterian Church, Louisville**.  A completely packed  
             church came together for a "more light" worship service led by  
             **Ann Deibert**, pastor; **Johanna Bos**, preacher; and **Jeff  
             Sodowsky**, liturgical dancer, who led the more than 300 persons  
             through a door singing and dancing to the South African hymn "We  
             Are Marching in the Light of God." 
              
             Prior to G.A., I traveled to **University Presbyterian Church,  
             Tuscaloosa, Alabama** to celebrate their becoming a More Light  
             church.  Pastor **Sandy Winter** and the church's More Light  
             Committee put together a wonderful weekend of programs that  
             included a special display of **The Shower of Stoles Project**  
             and a joint meeting of the Presbyterian campus ministry and the  
             LGBT Student Group.  I asked people to share what this meant in  
             their lives and in the life of their church.  One by one, the  
             stories were told all across that fellowship hall, punctuated with  
             laughter and tears.  All of us knew that we were indeed on holy  
             ground. 
              
             **Third Presbyterian Church, Rochester, New York**, hosted a regional  
             conference, "Becoming the Welcoming Church" that was co-sponsored  
             by MLP and TAMFS. **Betty Iwan, Ralph Carter, Mary Rees, Sawrie  
             Becker and Peter McNally** provided outstanding leadership in its  
             creation.  **John Wilkinson and Rod Frohman**, pastors, along with  
             **Kathleen Buckley, Hal Porter, Peter McNally, Don Stroud** and I  
             provided the program.  Because of the success of this conference,  
             **Westminster Presbyterian Church, Buffalo** has offered to host the  
             next one. 
              
             **Ralph Carter** and I drove to Buffalo, where we had a wonderful "more  
             light" day with **Tom Yorty, pastor, Sawrie Becker and Peter  
             McNally, MLP leaders**, at Westminster Presbyterian Church.  I  
             preached at two services, offered an adult Christian education  
             class, and then Ralph and I met with the More Light Committee for  
             a working lunch.  This is an extraordinary church, committed to  
             working on racism and issues of economic justice as well as  
             equality for LGBT people and our families.  After my second  
             sermon of the morning, an older man shook my hand and said, "I am  
             94 years old, an old fuddy-duddy, and I am with you all the way." 
              
             **Sixth Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh**, is celebrating its 150  
             anniversary as a church and 4th year as a More Light Church.  
             **Martha Juillerat, Director, The Shower of Stoles Project**, and  
             I joined them for a "More Light Weekend."   Organized by **Maggie  
             Ritchey, John McCall**, pastor, and **Rob Boston**, MLP Chapter  
             leader, an educational event focused on pastoral care for LGBT  
             people and our families brought nearly 75 people together from  
             over a dozen congregations.   Martha's display and stories from  
             the **Shower of Stoles Project** caught everyone's attention and  
             all of our hearts. **Sally Gladwell** and **Jason Thomas**, long- 
             time More Light leaders, my hosts for the weekend provided  
             impeccable hospitality. 
              
             From Tuscaloosa to Rochester, Buffalo to Pittsburgh, and  
             Louisville, this Gospel work of love, justice and inclusion  
             continues to grow and build.  I am thrilled and grateful that  
             **Katie Morrison** has been called and will serve as our second  
             national field organizer and my colleague in ministry.  She is a  
             gifted, capable woman who brings much insight, experience, skill,  
             and humor to MLP and this work.  So, with all of us dreaming,  
             praying and working together we can help our Church "be what it  
             might have been."   It is not too late, surely now is the time. - 
             - With hope and grace, Michael  
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
                                  National MLP Conference 
                          Brims with Activity, Inspiration, Hope 
              
                                   Katie Morrison Named 
                             2nd National MLP Field Organizer 
              
                                     by Michael Kirby 
              
             (Reprinted with thanks from the wonderful newsletter of the MLP  
             Houston, TX chapter.  We're all sorry we missed Michael's great  
             sermons -- see the last paragraph! -- JDA) 
              
             Greetings, friends, from a wayward seminarian. I just got back  
             from the 2001 MLP National Conference. What a wonderful,  
             inspiring and exhausting experience! 
              
             Never let it be said that MLP views its conference as a calm and  
             peaceful retreat. In less than 48 hours, most participants did AT  
             LEAST the following: worshipped together three times,  
             participated in approximately 20 workshops in six different  
             interest "tracks," installed Katie Morrison as the second full- 
             time National Field Organizer, celebrated two years of service by  
             Michael Adee as the first National Field Organizer, had a  
             banquet, attended a book signing at Barnes & Noble and  
             participated in the annual MLP business meeting. Oh yeah, we also  
             had four other meals together and did a little sleeping. Whew! 
              
             The good folks of St. Andrew's Pres. in Austin did a fantastic job  
             organizing and hosting the conference, and the staffs of the  
             Castilian and the Texas Union were very helpful. 
              
             Highlights for me included three amazing sermons: Friday night,   
             Columbia Theological Seminary's Anna Carter Florence brought a  
             prophetic word of hope; Saturday morning, Katie Morrison shared  
             with us her gift of preaching (one of the many gifts that  
             motivated the search committee to tap her for the new Field  
             Organizer spot); and Sunday morning, St. Andrew's' own Jim Rigby  
             was wonderfully, defiantly, inspiring. 
              
             Music was also a high point of this year's conference. Mt.  
             Auburn's Jane Carter, coincidentally Anna Carter Florence's  
             cousin, shared her incredible musical gifts in the worship  
             services. Curran Reichert, who wowed us at the TAMFS conference  
             in Decatur (and who happens to be Katie's partner), was back  
             again as well. 
              
             The workshops covered the gamut of issues in the ministry and  
             work of MLP, from sexual ethics to GA planning to planting new  
             MLP chapters to transgender concerns, and it was easy to tell  
             that a lot of work and prayer went into their preparation. 
              
             In short, we worshipped, we prayed, we ate, we sang, we rejoiced,  
             we planned and we hoped. It doesn't get much better than that.  
             Mark your calendars for next Memorial Day weekend -- in cooler  
             (hopefully) North Carolina! 
              
             By the way, (WARNING: SHAMELESS PLUG) if you happen to be in  
             Atlanta this summer on a Sunday, come on over to North Decatur  
             Presbyterian Church (where the TAMFS conference was held). That's  
             where I'm doing my summer internship, and I'll be preaching four  
             times in July and August.  Hugs to all, -- Michael Kirby 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
             EVENTS 
              
             September 7-9, 2001, Friday-Sunday. Sisterly Conversations:  
             Current Concerns Among Lesbians of Faith. Virginia Ramey  
             Mollenkott, Sue Fulton, Penny Gnesin, Mollie McMurray. 7 p.m.  
             Fri. dinner through Sun. lunch. $215 ($115 registration deposit).  
             Kirkridge Retreat and Study Center, 2495 Fox Gap Rd., Bangor, PA  
             18013-6028, 610-588-1793, fax 610-588-8510, www.kirkridge.org.  
             Financial assistance available. 
              
             October 26-28, 2001, Friday-Sunday. Agape 2001: Free-falling  
             Spirits, annual gathering of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and  
             transgender young people, ages 18-30. Grace Fala, Neill Johnson.  
             7 p.m. Fri. dinner through Sun. lunch. Subsidized by the New  
             Generation Fund. $85 ($45 registration deposit). Kirkridge  
             Retreat and Study Center, 2495 Fox Gap Rd., Bangor, PA 18013- 
             6028, 610-588-1793, fax 610-588-8510, www.kirkridge.org.  
             Financial assistance available. 
              
             November 1-3, 2001, Thursday-Saturday. Covenant Network  
             Conference: Christ Transforming Culture -- Why the Church Matters  
             in the 21st Century. Peter Gomes, Cynthia Campbell, Letty  
             Russell, Jack Stotts. Pasadena Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA.  
             $125 registration; $100 if received prior to Sept. 14;  
             Seminarians free; Scholarships available. Covenant Network  
             Administrative Office, 2515 Fillmore St., San Francisco, CA  
             94115, 415-351-2196, fax -2198, www.covenantnetwork.org. 
              
             January 10-13, Thursday-Sunday. Men Touching Men Touching God:  
             Retreat for Gay and Bisexual Men. Chris Glaser, John Ballew and  
             Dana Rose. 6:30 p.m. Thurs. dinner through Sun. lunch. $310 ($150  
             registration deposit). Kirkridge Retreat and Study Center, 2495  
             Fox Gap Rd., Bangor, PA 18013-6028, 610-588-1793, fax 610-588- 
             8510, www.kirkridge.org. Financial assistance available. 
              
             April 11-14, 2002, Thursday-Sunday. The Voices of Sophia National  
             Gathering, Louisville, Kentucky.  For more information or to  
             become a member, please visit the VOS website at  
             www.voicesofsophia.org. 
              
             May 24-26, 2002, Friday-Sunday.  More Light Presbyterians  
             Conference, Chapel Hill area, NC. 
              
             2003. WOW: Witness Our Welcome conference.  For more info., go to  
             www.wow2k.org. 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
             FEATURES 
              
                 Taking the Inclusive Christ-Like Love of General Assembly 
                                  to Our 173 Presbyteries 
              
                                    It's About Freedom! 
              
                   A Summary of the General Assembly Meeting Just Ended 
              
                       by Eunice Blanchard Poethig, MLP Board Member 
                  for www.TAMFS.org, via the TAMFS website, with thanks. 
              
             Freedom! That is gift the 213th General Assembly is offering the  
             church. For over twenty-five years our church has been embroiled  
             in conflict over whether practicing gay and lesbian persons can  
             be ordained, and who should make that determination. Over the  
             years, the noose of restrictions has tightened around the necks  
             of sessions, presbyteries, pastors, and both gay and straight  
             members. We now have a way out. Thank you, 213th GA! 
              
             Those who were present at the 1978-79 Assemblies have often  
             testified to the meaning of the action approved in those  
             assemblies. 
              
             (The General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church in the  
             USA -- the northern church -- acted in 1978. The next year, the  
             General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the US -- the  
             southern church -- adopted similar wording. The two denominations  
             merged in 1983.) 
              
             The action that forbade the ordination of self-acclaimed lesbian  
             or gay persons was interpreted to be advisory only. In addition,  
             the 1978-79 study contained a long list of recommendations that  
             called upon the church to work for the civil rights of gay and  
             lesbian persons. Noting that there was no place for homophobia in  
             the church, the study called for materials to address the issue.  
             And, since the action of the church affected the families and  
             friends of gay and lesbian persons, the report called on the  
             church to provide support for families. Seminaries were advised  
             to keep their doors open to gay and lesbian students, and  
             congregations were to welcome homosexual persons as members. 
              
             The first official test of the 1978-79 action was the "Blasdell"  
             judicial case: The Session of Union Presbyterian Church of  
             Blasdell, New York, et al, Complainants, vs. The Presbytery of  
             Western New York, Respondent. 
              
             It was this case in which the Permanent Judicial Commission (PJC)  
             made "Definitive Guidance" a part of our lexicon. Westminster  
             Presbyterian Church of Buffalo had declared itself a More Light  
             congregation. Twelve congregations joined in a complaint against  
             the Presbytery of Western New York for failing to require  
             Westminster to come into compliance with the constitution.  
             Westminster said it would extend leadership opportunities to all  
             its members. 
              
             The General Assembly PJC (GA PJC) ruled that it was not  
             sufficient for the presbytery to note the irregularity of  
             Westminster Church, rather it had to require the congregation  
             come into compliance with the constitution. 
              
             The issue at hand was whether the "Definitive Guidance" of the  
             General Assembly was sufficient to, in effect, amend the  
             constitution. The ruling of the GA PJC, which supported the  
             complainants, rested upon the argument that the definitive  
             guidance of the General Assembly did have the power to define the  
             requirements for ordination of congregational officers on the  
             basis that the act of one governing body is the act of the whole  
             church. 
              
             The ambiguity that remained over the power of definitive guidance  
             was finally resolved by absorbing it into the power of the GA to  
             make an "Authoritative Interpretation." What began as guidance  
             ended up as law. The law has become more restrictively applied,  
             reducing the freedom of pastors, congregations, and presbyteries  
             to deal pastorally and creatively with particular people and  
             situations. The apogee came in 1991 with the "Janie Spahr Case."  
             In that case, the Downtown Church in Rochester was not permitted  
             to install the Rev. Jane Spahr as pastor in spite of the fact  
             that she had been ordained before the 1978 ruling and that she  
             was a clergy member in good standing in the Presbytery of  
             Redwoods. 
              
             In 1995 and again in 2000, General Assemblies tried to restrict  
             the power of pastors and sessions to bless same-sex unions. In  
             these cases, presbyteries resisted and did not confirm these  
             proposed amendments to the constitution of the church. 
              
             What has been the result of the growing restrictiveness of the  
             denomination with regard to the ministry of practicing lesbian  
             and gay persons? The result has been increasing conflict. As  
             advocates for the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and  
             transgender (LGBT) persons in the church have become more active  
             (through organizations like More Light Presbyterians, That All  
             May Freely Serve, The Shower of Stoles, and related organizations  
             such as the Covenant Network, the Voices of Sophia, the  
             Witherspoon Society, and Semper Reformanda), attacks by the  
             conservative Presbyterian Coalition have increased. If we cannot  
             remove G-6.0106b and the authoritative interpretations of the  
             General Assembly, the conflict will intensify. 
              
             The effect of the judicial action in the Presbytery of Western  
             New York is a case in point. From September 1983, when the  
             presbytery first dealt with the action of Westminster until  
             November 1985, when the ruling against the presbytery by the GA  
             PJC was read to the presbytery, the presbytery was engulfed in  
             conflict, recriminations, name-calling, and attack. In January  
             1986, I began as Executive Presbyter in the Presbytery of Western  
             New York. I found a presbytery wounded, exhausted, and divided.  
             Though the complaining churches had won the judicial action, they  
             knew they had risked their place among their colleagues. We held  
             educational events, visited congregations and pastors again and  
             again. Annually, the Stated Clerk established that Westminster  
             was in compliance with the constitution. But the price of  
             judicial action was high. To the presbytery's credit they did not  
             repeat taking the judicial route and learned to live together.  
             Today, though it does not seem that the differences have  
             disappeared, the community of the presbytery is intact and  
             healthy. 
              
             The Conflict Intensity Chart, which I have often found helpful in  
             analyzing conflict, describes five levels of conflict. The  
             actions of this General Assembly have the possibility of lowering  
             the level of conflict. Over the past few decades we have  
             experienced all five levels: 
              
                  1. Problem to Solve 
              
                  2. Disagreement 
              
                  3. Contest 
              
                  4. Fight/Flight 
              
                  5. Intractable 
              
             At the Intractable level the goal is the destruction of the  
             offending parties or persons. Information is skewed, and the  
             opposing persons are seen as harmful to society and the church.  
             In level 4, factions are solidified and the talk is of  
             "principles" not "issues." The goal is to eliminate the others. I  
             believe the 213th General Assembly has demonstrated a way to  
             reduce the level of conflict and get us back to levels where we  
             can talk to each other and learn to live together once again. 
              
             What of the future? If the course of action on the place of LGBT  
             folk in the church is changed, and the restrictions that are  
             unbearable are removed, we have a chance at becoming the one  
             community rooted and grounded in love as the theme of this  
             General Assembly says we want to be. The removal G-6.0106b from  
             the *Book of Order* and the nullification of the authoritative  
             interpretations since 1978 would give us freedom. 
              
             It's all about freedom! 
              
             Laws which unjustly restrict freedom cause conflict. We pray for  
             freedom that we may establish peace. As the banner at an evening  
             worship offered by the Three Sisters (More Light Presbyterians,  
             Shower of  Stoles Project, and That All May Freely Serve)  
             proclaimed, we are "Celebrating our Faith. Awaiting our welcome." 
              
             Note: Eunice Poethig is a minister member of Western New York  
             presbytery and worships at Highland Presbyterian Church,  
             Louisville. She was Director, Congregational Ministries Division,  
             PCUSA, from 1994-98, and Executive Presbyter, Western New York  
             presbytery from 1986-93. 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
                              Reflections on General Assembly 
              
                                  by Sylvia Thorson-Smith 
              
                                 Via the Voices of Sophia 
                         and the MLP discussion lists, with thanks 
              
             It seems to be a tradition of sorts (don't let it ever be said  
             that Voices of Sophia scorns tradition!) that I write an article  
             on General Assembly, using "roses and thistles" as a kind of  
             thumbs up/thumbs down assessment of the actions and events as I  
             observed them.  Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles, I sit at  
             the computer and find I'm having a hard time identifying  
             "thistles" from this year's GA.  "Everything's coming up roses"  
             could be the headline, and so, I'm ordering floral bouquets all  
             around this year, with special rosebuds for: 
              
             * the 317 commissioners (60%) who prayed and listened and really  
             heard the cries for freedom, justice, and "a more excellent way"  
             and voted Friday to send to presbyteries a constitutional  
             amendment that would delete G-6.0106b from the *Book of Order* and  
             remove the 23-year-old authoritative interpretation that has  
             barred "self-affirming, practicing homosexuals" from ordination; 
              
             * Moderator Jack Rogers, whose gracious spirit prevailed in  
             finding a way out of no way while bearing faithful witness to the  
             conviction that one can be a confessing, confessional Christian  
             and change "how [he's] applied Scripture to the issues facing the  
             church" -- the "confessing moderator" led the Assembly in  
             "confessional moments" (reciting excerpts of the church's creeds  
             and confessions), and the "confessional Assembly" was inspired by  
             Christian voices of the past to speak a new, liberating word to  
             our own church and world; 
              
             * the "three Sisters" (interesting feminine metaphor) -- More  
             Light Presbyterians, That All May Freely Serve, and the Shower of  
             Stoles Project -- for their emerging model of partnership and for  
             their enduring patience, interminable good will, and unquenchable  
             hope in the inevitable prevalence of God's justice; 
              
             * the six "out" gay and lesbian commissioners who raised their  
             voices during Assembly "speakouts," reminding everyone that it's  
             a futile, empty effort to try to tame the Spirit and bar the door  
             to God's call and ordination; 
              
             * all of the sister and brother Voices of Sophia, particularly  
             Mieke Vandersall and Jean Snyder, who embodied our witness at the  
             Assembly with energy, passion, and commitment; 
              
             * Becca Barnes and the planning committee, Johanna Bos, Charlene  
             Heaton, and the Janie Spahr Singers for a superb 6th annual VOS  
             GA breakfast for nearly 400 people; 
              
             * Joan Martin, womanist ethicist and ordained Presbyterian  
             clergywoman, for a truth-telling, challenging, and inspiring  
             breakfast message and for a delightful book-signing time in the  
             Voices booth -- we were so happy to have you with us in  
             Louisville! 
              
             * Cindy Cushman for her beautifully well-chosen words about Mary  
             Kuhns and me at the breakfast and especially, for her articulate  
             retelling of the birthing of Voices of Sophia; 
              
             * the task force that prepared a comprehensive report adopted by  
             the Assembly entitled, "Mourning Into Dancing! A Policy  
             Statement on Domestic Violence"; 
              
             * the Advocacy Committee on Women's Concerns for preparation of a  
             report (also adopted by the Assembly) on the global AIDS epidemic; 
              
             * commissioners who refused, one more time, to be seduced by the  
             annual pro-life siren call for a new study on abortion, joining  
             over thirty years of Presbyterian biblical and theological  
             commitment to the agency of women to make ethical reproductive  
             decisions; 
              
             * the city of Louisville (with help from the forces of nature)  
             for providing endless days of sunshine which gladdened the soul  
             and warmed the body of this barely-thawed Iowan, emerging from  
             the coldest, longest, snowiest winter on record. 
              
             And so I end this article with arms full of roses and nary a  
             thistle -- well maybe, just one -- not for Presbyterians, but for  
             the U.S. government, which injected its death-dealing idea of  
             justice into an otherwise rose-filled week with the execution  
             Monday of Timothy McVeigh.  As his life was extinguished, Mike  
             and I stood with others at the federal courthouse in solidarity  
             against those who would do state-sponsored killing to demonstrate  
             that killing is wrong.  Roses for the Presbyterian witness on  
             Sunday night and to our church for its consistent stand against  
             the death penalty. 
              
             Till next year -- in Columbus.  Pray for God's Sophia and roses  
             in the presbyteries. 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
                           An Openly Gay Commissioner's Analysis 
              
                        by Don Stroud via the MLP discussion lists 
              
             To: All you faithful hard working faithful people whose close  
             team work helped move the 213th GA and the PCUSA with a  
             powerful new vision of the church. 
              
             From: Don Stroud, Minister Commissioner from Baltimore  
             Presbytery. 
              
             (As you might expect this email is rather long, but gives my  
             perspective on what we commissioner did last week. I end with  
             some large general ideas about the hard work that is before us to  
             get a majority of the presbyteries to join in working toward this  
             vision.) 
              
             Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ whose grace has rooted and  
             grounded us in love so that all barriers to acceptance are torn  
             down and we may become God's fully inclusive church. 
              
             Greetings from the 213th General Assembly (2001) from which I  
             have just recently returned. 
              
             Our Moderator Jack Rogers at the Saturday closing session of the  
             meeting of GA made the unambiguous point that we are only  
             adjourned and shall not be dissolved as a GA until the 214th GA  
             is called to order. 
              
             Jack Rogers told us to go out from Louisville as ambassadors to  
             tell the rest of the church the good news of what great and  
             powerful new things God has begun to do in and through the  
             PCUSA. We are to take to all the presbyteries the vision of a  
             church that is truly rooted and grounded in love that leaves no  
             one out and considers no one to be a second class member. 
              
             Let no one convince you, as some have already begun to try to do  
             by putting the worse possible "spin" on the GA, that we  
             commissioners were confused in our actions. We were deliberate,  
             steadfast, and consistent in hold fast to our new vision for the  
             church even as we negotiated a whole mine field of parliamentary  
             procedural roadblocks placed before as a means of diverting us  
             from our vision. 
              
             We avoiding all diversion and kept our eyes fixed resolutely on  
             the goal of our vision of a fully inclusive church. 
              
             We accomplished among other things three very significant actions  
             to begin to lead the PCUSA into a new day. 
              
              
                                      Our Confessions 
              
             (1) We resolutely affirmed our Reformed heritage as a  
             confessional church. We commended for study and renewed use the  
             *Book of Confessions* as an adequate guide for what we believe. 
              
             In doing so we refused several overtures that would have had us  
             adopt for the PCUSA subscriptionist statements about the  
             meaning of Jesus Christ. These hastily formulated statements were  
             drawn very narrowly with a fundamentalist focus so that they  
             could be used as a litmus test or loyalty oath for ministers,  
             elders, deacons, and especially our General Assembly Staff. These  
             statements to which some wanted officers and staff to subscribe  
             were intent on determining true Christian faith and practice. 
              
             In refusing to adopt such statements we commissioners, I believe,  
             were making a powerful affirmation for "freedom of conscience"  
             and the "right to a broad theological spectrum" within the  
             church. 
              
              
                           Overtures 01-043, 01-051, and 01-052 
              
             In response to these overtures, the 213th GA (2001) approved the  
             following resolution: 
              
                  The General Assembly offers its thanksgiving for the concern  
                  raised by the Presbyteries of Beaver Butler, San Diego, and  
                  San Joaquin regarding faith in Jesus Christ, to whom all  
                  power in heaven and earth has been given. We recognize a  
                  widespread concern for recovering the place of our  
                  confessions in all aspects of church life. The General  
                  Assembly answers Overtures 01-43, 01-51, and 01-52 by  
                  requesting the Office of Theology and Worship to prepare and  
                  widely publicize a list of available materials for study and  
                  worship that will help our congregations better understand  
                  the theological richness of the Lordship of Jesus Christ in  
                  the *Book of Confessions*, the *Book of Order*, and the  
                  Scriptures; the imperfections in our daily responses to  
                  God's calling; and ways in which congregational and  
                  individual witness can be strengthened. 
              
                  As a witness to what we believe, we affirm the following  
                  statement: 
              
                  "We confess the unique authority of Jesus Christ as Lord.  
                  Every other authority is finally subject to Christ. 
              
                  "Jesus Christ is also uniquely Savior. It is 'his life,  
                  death, resurrection, ascension and final return that  
                  restores creation, providing salvation for all those whom  
                  God has chosen to redeem' (Reformed Church in America, *The  
                  Crucified One is Lord*, p. 4). Although we do not know the  
                  limits of god's grace and pray for the salvation of those  
                  who may never come to know Christ, for us the assurance of  
                  salvation is found only in confessing Christ and trusting  
                  Him alone. We are humbled in our witness to Christ by our  
                  realization that our understanding of him and his way is  
                  limited and distorted by our sin. Still the transforming  
                  power of Christ in our lives compels us to make Christ known  
                  to others." 
              
              
                   Spiritual Discernment of Our Christian Identity 
              
             (2) We called for the appointment of a task force to lead the  
             PCUSA in spiritual discernment of our Christian identity for  
             the 21st Century and to lead us in a sustained dialogue about the  
             important issues that divide us. In taking this action we refused  
             to create a "Table of Dialogue" based on injustice and inequity. 
              
             We insisted that everyone must have a place at the table and have  
             freedom to join in the dialogue without fear of intimidation,  
             loss of careers, or loss of a place in individual faith  
             communities. This dialogue was set up to include lesbian, gay,  
             bisexual, and transgender members of the church. 
              
             We called for the appointment of a task force that does not have  
             the specter of G-6.0106b looming over it and making the process  
             of dialogue hopelessly flawed from the beginning. The work of the  
             task force is to take place concurrently with the constitutional  
             process of a call to delete G-6.0106b from the *Book of Order*.  
             The matter of G-6.0106b was specifically not allowed to be  
             referred to the task force. For a free open just and equal  
             dialogue to proceed, the work of the task force must be free of  
             the strictures of G-6.0106b. 
              
             In response to Overture 01-33 the 213th General Assembly approved  
             the following action: 
              
                  Because we are baptized and profess our faith in Jesus  
                  Christ as Lord and Savior, gather at the Lord's table, share  
                  in brokenness as well as reconciliation, share a heritage of  
                  listening for the way in which Scripture speaks as we  
                  struggle with hard issues, share a common although diverse  
                  reformed history and confessional heritage, the PCUSA shall  
                  enter into a season of theological clarification of our  
                  Presbyterian identity by: 
              
                  1. Directing the Moderators of the 213th, 212th, 211th  
                  General Assemblies (2001, 2000, 1999), in consultation with  
                  the General Assembly Nominating Committee, to appoint a  
                  theological task force as follows: 
              
                  a. The task force is to be composed of seventeen members of  
                  the PCUSA, with membership reflecting the theological and  
                  cultural diversity of the PCUSA. 
              
                  b. The task force is directed to lead the PCUSA in spiritual  
                  discernment of our Christian identity, in and for the 21st  
                  century, using a process which includes conferring with  
                  synods, presbyteries, and congregations seeking the peace,  
                  unity, and purity of the church. This discernment shall  
                  include but not be limited to issues of Christology,  
                  biblical authority and interpretation, ordination standards,  
                  and power. 
              
                  c. The task force is to develop a process and an instrument  
                  by which congregations and governing bodies throughout our  
                  church may reflect on and discuss the matters that unite and  
                  divide us, praying that the Holy Spirit will promote the  
                  peace, unity, and purity of the PCUSA. 
              
                  d. The task force is directed to make a progress report to  
                  each General Assembly, beginning with the 214th GA (2002)  
                  and conclude its work and making a final report to  
                  presbyteries and sessions not later than the 217th GA  
                  (2005). 
              
                  2. Calling the church to unite in a sustained period of  
                  prayer and reflection on Scripture and our confessions,  
                  seeking to promote the peace, unity, and purity and mission  
                  of the PCUSA. 
              
              
                    Deleting Discriminatory Restrictions on Ordination 
              
             (3) We Commissioners decided that the peace, unity, and purity of  
             the church can only be preserved by ridding our Constitution of  
             the prohibition placed on presbyteries and sessions to act, in  
             the freedom of their conscience and due deliberation and  
             discretion, to ordain whatsoever candidates fulfill their  
             criteria and are judged to be called by God to lead the people. 
              
             We therefore voted to send an amendment to the presbyteries for  
             their affirmative or negative vote on deleting G-6.0106b from the  
             *Book of Order*. 
              
             We also adopted an "Authoritative Interpretation" (to go into  
             effect once a majority of presbyteries vote to delete G-6.0106b)  
             declaring the 1978 "Definitive Guidance" and all judicial  
             decisions and "Authoritative Interpretations" deriving from the  
             1978 "Definitive Guidance" to have no further force or effect. 
              
             Overture 01-08 was approved with amendment, as the response to  
             Overtures 00-13, 00-40, 00-48, 01-3, 01-6, 01-12, 01-19, 01-22,  
             01-27, 01-28, 01-29, 01-32: 
              
                  1. Direct the Stated Clerk of the PCUSA to send the  
                  following proposed amendments to the presbyteries for their  
                  affirmative or negative votes: 
              
                  a. Shall G-6.0106b be stricken? b. Shall G-6.0106a be  
                  amended by adding a new sentence to the end of the paragraph  
                  to read as follows: "Their suitability to hold office is  
                  determined by the governing body where the examination for  
                  ordination or installation takes place, guided by scriptural  
                  and constitutional standards, under the authority and  
                  Lordship of Jesus Christ." 
              
                  2. Approve the following authoritative interpretation:  
                  "Interpretive statements concerning ordained service by  
                  homosexual persons by the 190th General Assembly (1978) of  
                  The United Presbyterian Church in the USA and the 119th  
                  General Assembly (1979) of the Presbyterian Church in the  
                  US, and all subsequent denominational affirmations thereof,  
                  shall be given no further force or effect; and Section G- 
                  6.0106a of the *Form of Government*, together with the other  
                  prerequisites for ordination expressly stated in our *Book  
                  of Order*, hereby are affirmed as the sole and exclusive  
                  standards for ordination by ordaining bodies acting on  
                  prayerful discernment of the leading of Almighty God,  
                  pending the approval of the related proposed amendments. 
              
                  3. Direct the Moderator of the 213th GA (2001) to write a  
                  pastoral letter to be sent to the presbyteries and churches  
                  explaining this action. [This letter is printed later in the  
                  *Update*.] 
              
             **WE HAVE A LOT OF HARD WORK AHEAD OF US BUT WE CAN DO IT AND WE  
             MUST be as resolute as the 213th GA in holding up before the  
             church this vision of a PCUSA rooted and grounded in Christ's  
             love that makes room for everyone.** 
              
             We must literally go out into all the presbyteries with this  
             vision of the church and convince the rest of the church that  
             this is Good News that shall transform our church to be a beacon  
             of light to all peoples. 
              
             To that end: 
              
             (1) We must continue the excellent and good work that led us to  
             such a marvelous thing happening at the 213th GA. We must  
             maintain our unity and redouble our efforts to work as  
             progressive partners to bring this vision of a fully inclusive  
             church to fruition. 
              
             When we join together and focus like a laser on what needs to be  
             done, we can move mountains. See what such faith in God working  
             through us has already done. As soon as possible, as I suspect  
             some convener is already planning to do so, the Progressive  
             Partners need to meet to begin to put a strategic plan together  
             to bring a majority of the presbyteries to affirm this vision of  
             the church. Get us all on board with the plan! 
              
             (2) I understand the powerfully effective tool -- The Overture  
             Advocates' Power Point Presentation -- is being made into a  
             video. We should begin to develop teams of people across  
             presbytery boundaries who are willing to go physically to all  
             necessary presbyteries to make them aware of this information. 
              
             (3) I would humbly suggest that if there are LGBT people  
             within presbyteries across the nation, even in conservative  
             presbyteries, and you have been waiting for an opportune time to  
             "come out" to your faith communities: This year of voting on a  
             vision of a fully inclusive church is such an opportune time. By  
             no means should anyone feel compelled to do so. But if you are  
             secure in your decision to do so think about it. There are six of  
             us who were openly gay and lesbian commissioners to the 213th GA.  
             I believe that we all experienced in some way the truth that  
             Presbyterians have a hard time being exclusive up close. Speaking  
             for myself, sharing my experiences as a gay Christian man in my  
             assigned committee of Bills and Overtures, testifying before the  
             Peace, Unity, and Purity Committee and the Mission and Budget  
             Committee as an openly gay minister commissioner, as well as  
             making the plenary aware that there were flesh and blood people  
             behind all these "issues," did make a powerful impression on  
             commissioners. It may not be the case that making some dramatic  
             statement at a presbytery meeting is what is needed (or it may  
             be), but it might be very effective in your personal close up  
             work on the presbytery committee or activity in which you may be  
             involved. Only you know the right timing and know the people  
             among whom you live and what is the right way to share with  
             others. **BUT WE KNOW THIS YEAR SHALL BE UNLIKE ANY OTHER AND MUCH  
             IS AT STAKE.** 
              
             So let us pray together for guidance in holding up before  
             everyone this beautiful vision of the church. Let us work under  
             the studied guidance of the "progressive partners" and those who  
             join in helping us to act in wise and deliberate ways to fulfill  
             our call to make this vision a reality. 
              
             But above all let us trust in God's grace in Christ to give us  
             faith to move the oppressive shadow of a mountain and let more  
             light shine into our hearts and minds as a denomination. 
              
             Thanks for reading! Don Stroud, Minister of Outreach and  
             Reconciliation, That All May Freely Serve: Baltimore. 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
                         Another Openly Gay Commission's Addendum 
              
                                      by Cleve Evans 
                               via the MLP discussion lists 
              
             Don Stroud gave a wonderful report, much better organized and  
             more inspiring than I ever could have. But as another one of the  
             six openly gay or lesbian commissioners to the 213th G.A. I  
             thought I would add a few of my own observations: 
              
             1. The "Confessing Church Movement" backfired on the "right wing"  
             of the church. This was clear during the moderatorial election  
             when Jack Rogers gave an extremely negative evaluation of the  
             movement. As he was speaking I remember thinking, "Oh, he may be  
             sounding too negative here and lose votes," but when he was  
             through there was spontaneous applause from many at the assembly,  
             including the very "centrist" minister commissioner from my  
             presbytery. The middle of the church has been very offended by  
             the Confessing movement's trying to compare itself to the Barmen  
             confession; it seems that the surest way to make moderates mad is  
             to imply that those with whom you disagree in the church are  
             comparable to Nazis. Let this be a lesson to us; we must be  
             gentle and polite during the next year in presenting our case,  
             trying never to say anything that would sound as if we are  
             impugning the faith of those with whom we disagree. 
              
             2. This Assembly went incredibly smoothly, and the common fear  
             that it would set some sort of record for rancor and bitterness  
             was massively disproved. For the first time anyone can remember,  
             *all* of the committees finished their work by dinner time on  
             Tuesday. As others have said, this was an assembly that *trusted  
             the process* of the church. Almost everything was passed by the  
             plenary as it came out of committee with only very minor  
             amendments, the only exception being the statement on Jesus  
             Christ's uniqueness as Savior, where the committee majority only  
             asked for the Office of Theology & Worship to prepare materials;  
             all of the statement beginning "As a witness to what we  
             believe...." was added by amendment. The Assembly preferred the  
             language of this amendment to the somewhat narrower and harsher  
             language found in the minority report that came out of committee.  
             (By the way, one of the individuals we should all be praying for  
             after this Assembly is the Rev. Malcolm Brownlee of Charlotte  
             presbytery, who moved this amendment. He is already being heavily  
             criticized by the Presbyterian Forum and other extreme  
             conservatives in our church for coming up with this more gracious  
             language.) 
              
             3. The official Assembly worship services seemed much more  
             meaningful to me as a commissioner than they ever had been  
             before. I really think that the sermons by the Rev. Robina  
             Winbush on Wednesday and Dr. Simon Park on Friday both helped a  
             great deal in deciding the outcome of this Assembly. Robina  
             Winbush's main point was how God calls us to do the *faithful*  
             thing, not the *comfortable* thing. By sending the proposed  
             repeal of G-6.0106b to the presbyteries, the commissioners followed  
             her advice by doing what they thought was faithful rather than  
             being scared by the those who claimed the church couldn't take  
             the stress and discomfort of another vote on this issue. Dr.  
             Park, a Korean-American missionary to the Congo, asked us on  
             Friday morning "Why can we not accept that God calls each of us  
             to serve him in a unique way?" and then reminded us of Moderator  
             Rogers' statement that "unity does not demand uniformity." It was  
             especially wonderful to hear this message from someone who was  
             both Korean-American and a missionary, two groups that the Lay  
             Committee often tells us would never accept full participation of  
             LGBT folk in the church. 
              
             4. Another facet of this Assembly was the rejection of "church  
             politics." I was on the committee that dealt with the "anti-  
             demonstration" rule, and it was clear from the debate within the  
             committee that the chief reason the majority voted to keep that  
             rule in place was their conviction that "demonstrations" made the  
             Assembly too much like a political convention. Part of the reason  
             the proposed repeal of G-6.0106b passed was the Covenant Network's  
             successful argument that leaving it in will in the long run lead  
             to more "political infighting" within the denomination than  
             removing it. So -- if anyone has any ideas on how we insure that  
             our arguments don't look too "political" in the upcoming  
             presbytery votes, please share! 
              
             5. I was profoundly grateful to get to be one of the six openly  
             gay commissioners this year, and not just because the Assembly  
             voted to delete "B." In some ways it was more lonely being a  
             commissioner; I didn't get to spend very much time with most of  
             the other MLP folk I usually see at GA's. But getting to speak on  
             the floor as an openly gay commissioner was extremely powerful  
             for me, and gave me a sense of pride in the church. And because  
             of this assembly I have a renewed sense of respect for the way  
             the PCUSA works, and a re-activated sense of hope that people of  
             differing views *can* learn how to love each other in this  
             church. This was an Assembly that very much seemed to live up to  
             its theme, "Rooted and Grounded in Love", in almost everything it  
             did. We really need to carry that message out into our churches  
             and presbyteries during the coming year. 
              
             Thanks for reading this! -- In Christian love, Cleve Evans, Elder  
             Commissioner, Missouri River Valley Presbytery, 213th General  
             Assembly. 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
                       General Assembly Moderator's Pastoral Letter 
              
             (Note from Presbyterian News Service: When the 213th General  
             Assembly sent out a proposed constitutional amendment that would  
             delete G-6.0106b from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) *Book of  
             Order*, it asked Moderator the Rev. Jack Rogers to write a letter  
             to the church interpreting its action. Here follows the complete  
             text of that letter. -- Jerry L. Van Marter) 
              
             July, 2002 
              
             Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, 
              
             The Apostle Paul urges that we rejoice with those who rejoice and  
             weep with those who weep. I find myself in that position as  
             Moderator. By a vote of 317-208, or 60%, the 213th General  
             Assembly sent a proposed constitutional amendment to the  
             presbyteries that -- if ratified by a majority of the 173  
             presbyteries -- would return us to the status prior to 1978 when  
             our struggle over gay and lesbian ordination began. I rejoice  
             with those who feel that what has seemed an unjust restriction  
             might be removed. I weep with those who feel that the church has  
             violated their understanding of its foundational belief and  
             morality. It is my hope as Moderator this year to listen well to  
             those on all sides and to seek ways to work toward bridging our  
             differences with integrity and love. 
              
             I was asked by the Assembly to interpret its actions regarding G- 
             6.0106 of the *Book of Order*. The Assembly's action would return  
             to our traditional Presbyterian polity of allowing sessions and  
             presbyteries to determine who should be ordained. This does not  
             open the door to immorality or ignoring Scripture. Governing  
             bodies are to be guided by "scriptural and constitutional  
             standards, under the authority and Lordship of Jesus Christ." We  
             are asked to trust the elders and ministers in our governing  
             bodies to uphold the highest standards of morality for those  
             called to church office. The Assembly's action would neither  
             require nor prohibit the ordination of gay and lesbian persons.  
             Candidates for church office would be considered as individuals.  
             The actions of governing bodies would still be subject to  
             judicial review. 
              
             Commissioners voting against the change believed that there is a  
             clear word of Scripture that all homosexual practice is sin.  
             Those voting for change were equally sincere in believing that  
             Scripture, interpreted through the lens of Christ's life and  
             ministry, does not permit us to exclude a category of baptized  
             Presbyterians from full rights of membership. The Assembly  
             majority believed that we can not, by legislation, resolve the  
             differences among Presbyterians in their understandings of sexual  
             morality in Scripture and the confessions. We do not yet  
             understand each other well. It is unfair to impugn the motives of  
             opponents on matters of such moment. 
              
             I believe it is easier to understand the Assembly's action on G- 
             6.0106 when we look at all the Assembly did. One very hopeful  
             action, taken by a 91% vote of the Assembly, was the  
             establishment of a task force to seek the peace, unity and purity  
             of the church. I am asked, along with former Moderators Syngman  
             Rhee and Freda Gardner, to appoint a task force of seventeen  
             members reflecting the theological and cultural diversity of the  
             Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). who will lead the church in a time  
             of spiritual discernment regarding our future. The Task Force is  
             charged to confer widely with congregations and presbyteries and  
             invite all of us to unite in a sustained period of prayer and  
             reflection on Scripture and our confessions. This endeavor offers  
             an unparalleled opportunity for the whole church to be heard and  
             to have a role in moving the church faithfully into the new  
             millennium. 
              
             Our 213th General Assembly, daily, worshiped and responded to  
             biblical preaching. We confessed our faith in Jesus Christ as  
             Savior and Sovereign frequently and with clarity. In each of the  
             plenary sessions that I moderated, we took time from business to  
             stand and affirm our faith in Christ using words from one of our  
             confessions. The Assembly chose this way of affirming our common  
             commitment to Christ as Savior rather than creating new  
             legislation. 
              
             The Assembly dealt with over 750 items of business covering a  
             wide range of issues. We adopted a strategy to revitalize  
             ministry on college campuses, confronted the issue of domestic  
             violence, and acted on global matters, reflecting our commitment  
             to 165 partner churches in over 80 countries, where 346 of our  
             mission personnel are working. 
              
             Commissioners attended a workshop on anti-racism training before  
             the business of the Assembly began. For the first time in our  
             history, the General Assembly acknowledged the church's "common  
             complicity in the institution of slavery and its oppressive  
             inequities that linger to this day." The Assembly acted to extend  
             the PCUSA's emphasis on children by declaring the first decade  
             of the 21st century the "Decade of the Child." 
              
             The commissioners to this Assembly were serious, thoughtful, and  
             responsible. From day one they listened patiently to one another  
             and voted decisively. Many people indicated that the Holy Spirit  
             had been at work changing their minds on particular issues during  
             the Assembly. Considering all that was done, what this Assembly  
             accomplished validates the health and strength of the church  
             despite our differences. Reports of disbelief or disrepair are  
             not validated by a fair and comprehensive look at what this  
             Assembly actually said and did. 
              
             I ask that pastors and sessions communicate this pastoral letter  
             to members of their congregations and make available to them  
             information about the Assembly by commissioners and observers who  
             saw the whole picture. Further information is available on the  
             denominational website: www.pcusa.org 
              
             Personally, my wife, Sharon, and I were encouraged and sustained  
             by the countless numbers of people who said they were praying for  
             us and would continue to do so throughout the year. We long for  
             the church to move beyond contentious issues and to focus on  
             evangelism, family life, making good on our promise to increase  
             racial and ethnic diversity, and encouraging the full inclusion  
             of persons with disabilities. 
              
             I look forward to meeting with many of you in the coming year. I  
             believe we can move beyond our current deadlock over sexuality. I  
             ask you to help us all to move forward in the multiple ministries  
             to which God has called us. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,  
             the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you  
             all. -- Jack Rogers, Moderator of the 213th General Assembly,  
             Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
                          Progressive Advocates Present Position 
              
                        Via the www.TAMFS.org website, with thanks! 
              
             (The Three Sisters -- MLP, TAMFS, and the Shower of Stoles  
             Project -- and indeed all of the progressive partners, are  
             extremely grateful to the great general assembly reporting effort  
             that TAMFS took on under the leadership of Jim Tiefenthal.  We  
             have never had so much excellent on-the-spot reporting of what  
             was happening with our issues at General Assembly.  Thanks, Jim,  
             and thanks to your entire team!  The following is one of their  
             stories!  
              
             Following this overview, we will reprint the complete texts of  
             the presentations, keyed to the Powerpoint slides, which are  
             available on several websites. -- JDA) 
              
             Louisville KY, Monday, June 11, 2001 -- Advocates for  
             approximately 30 overtures appealed for change that would permit  
             gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people to hold ordained  
             office. During an hour-long presentation this afternoon to the  
             Ordination Standards (OS) committee of the General Assembly, five  
             advocates outlined their position. 
              
             This testimony came in the afternoon of the second day of GA  
             committee meetings. In order to present a more unified argument,  
             the advocates asked the OS committee leadership, and were  
             granted, permission to combine their time. Normally each advocate  
             designated by a presbytery is allowed five minutes in which to  
             speak. If the committee had followed this practice, more than two  
             hours of time would have been needed. 
              
             The Rev. Susan Andrews, National Capital Presbytery, introduced  
             the topic from a pastoral perspective. "We speak with one mind: a  
             message of hope." She portrayed her congregation as one focused  
             on evangelism. It is not a More Light church. There are only two  
             openly gay members, she said. 
              
             She said a colleague pastor "came out" as a gay man and  
             described the positive results from this. 
              
             "Change our constitution so that the law of Jesus might abound,"  
             she urged the committee. 
              
                             Historical and Legal Perspectives 
              
             Next, Doug Nave, an openly gay elder from Fifth Avenue  
             Presbyterian Church, New York City, and Nancy Ramsay, Theology  
             Professor at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary,  
             intertwined their testimony, speaking several paragraphs in turn.  
             They used material projected for the committee and distributed to  
             them in paper form. 
              
             These speakers outlined the history of freedom of conscience in  
             cases where there is a large minority opinion. 
              
             Nancy Ramsay said: 
              
                  * Freedom of conscience is vital for understanding scripture  
                  and obedience to Christ; 
              
                  * We have the duty to show mutual forbearance. When we do  
                  not forbear, we risk error in failing to reform according to  
                  new insights. We risk division in our fellowship; 
              
                  * Sexual practice is not of equal dignity with Christ. It  
                  does not rise to the level of essentials where we may be  
                  required to agree. 
              
             Doug Nave described his relationship with his father: 
              
                  "My  relationship with my father is very close. He believes  
                  that our denomination's position on gays and lesbians is  
                  about right. He must be very disappointed to have a gay son. 
              
                  "We don't talk much about that. We both love and respect  
                  each other enough not to focus our conversations in a way  
                  that would force one of us to go where our present  
                  convictions will not let us. That's not denial. That's not  
                  'don't ask, don't tell.' We still talk about it from time to  
                  time to share new insights or perhaps simply to acknowledge  
                  the importance that each of us places on it and to affirm  
                  our desire someday to share a common view. 
              
                  "In the meantime we share our lives together and put this to  
                  one side, honoring the love, trust, and respect we have for  
                  each other -- and seeing the wisdom in not inflicting  
                  serious damage on our relationship. 
              
                  "Does this sound like where we are with the denomination? 
              
                  "We need freedom of conscience to follow our conviction in  
                  something that ultimately is not important enough to split  
                  our family. Our constitution tells us that we have a duty to  
                  show each other trust and forbearance. Matters are  
                  sufficiently unclear that we know our disagreement can arise  
                  in sincere faith and good conscience." 
              
                  "Perhaps we should conclude with what Jesus Christ said  
                  about homosexuality," Nave summarized. "Nothing." 
              
             The Rev. Jay McKell, Heartland Presbytery (Kansas City), painted a  
             picture of "Where We Go From Here." 
              
             The Rev. Tim Hart-Andersen from Minneapolis MN said that the  
             Advisory Committee on the Constitution suggested that "a  
             comprehensive approach is the one we need." He said, "In  
             essentials unity. In non-essentials liberty. In all things  
             charity." 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
                           The Overture Advocates' Presentation 
              
             Perhaps the single most influential action that moved the General  
             Assembly to vote to remove all restrictions on the ordination of  
             LGBT Presbyterians was the unified presentation of twenty- 
             nine Overture Advocates from twenty-eight presbyteries, who  
             together prepared the following presentations, which were  
             delivered by five of their number.  Their presentation to the  
             Ordination Standards Committee was so powerful that later, they  
             made the presentation two more times for crowds of other  
             commissioners and observers. 
              
             Here we present the text of these presentations, keyed to the  
             Powerpoint slides that were used to illustrate them.  If you have  
             access to the world-wide web, you may view these slides as you  
             read these presentations.  They can be found on the following  
             websites: www.covenantnetwork.org; www.witherspoonsociety.org;  
             and www.tamfs.org. 
              
             But these presentations still read extremely well without the  
             slides!  Plans are afoot to publish these presentations  
             along with the slides as a booklet. The presentations will also  
             be available on videotape.  Check the www.covenantnetwork.org  
             website for information.  Anyone who wants the Powerpoint slides  
             or a Word document with slides and script integrated can get them directly  
             from Tricia Dykers-Koenig of the Covenant Network of  
             Presbyterians via email. Send your email request to: Tricia  
             Dykers Koenig . 
              
             MLP is very grateful to the presenters, and to all the overture  
             advocates, for preparing these powerful presentations, and for  
             letting MLP and the *More Light Update* help get them out to the  
             Church. The copyright of these presentations is held by the  
             overture advocates. They are reprinted here with permission. -- JDA 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
                             Free the Church to Fulfill Its Mission 
              
                     Opening Remarks to the Ordination Standards Committee 
              
                                         Susan Andrews 
                   Pastor of Bradley Hills Presbyterian Church, Bethesda, MD 
                       Overture Advocate from National Capital Presbytery 
              
             My name is Susan Andrews. I am a pastor from Bethesda Maryland,  
             and an Overture Advocate for National Capital Presbytery. I speak  
             on behalf of the 29 Overture Advocates representing 28  
             presbyteries who have sent 34 overtures requesting removal or  
             modification of G-6.0106b. [All stand]. In order to help you with  
             your work, all of us have collaborated in creating one  
             presentation. Thank you for allowing this somewhat unusual  
             approach. We want to speak, with one mind, a message of hope --  
             and suggest a way that you -- in your deliberations -- can move  
             through the difficult terrain that is before you. 
              
             After the poignant and powerful stories we all heard this  
             morning, the five of us who will speak for the next hour wish to  
             move from the personal to the corporate. We will be focusing not  
             on sexuality but on ecclesiology -- on the broader nature, purpose  
             and pastoral well being of the church. When we read the gospels,  
             we find that hospitality and inclusion are absolutely essential  
             ingredients of Jesus' pastoral care. In fact, as the Good  
             Shepherd, Jesus sets the standard for all the pastoral care that  
             takes place in all our congregations. Our Lord was a law abiding  
             Jew, but he sometimes found it necessary to break the law in  
             order to fulfill the law. He was a compassionate teacher who  
             obeyed God, but who also ate with tax collectors, touched lepers,  
             and healed on the sabbath. Through this kind of gracious and  
             flexible ministry, Jesus transformed the purity of law into the  
             purity of love -- embracing all of God's children in the fullness  
             of his pastor's heart. 
              
             In my experience, as a pastor, I believe that the provisions of  
             G-6.0106b handicap our ability to provide effective pastoral care  
             in three specific ways: 
              
             1. G-6.0106b compromises the integrity of baptism. The  
             proclamation of the Word that is sealed in baptism announces that  
             all men and women are created in the image of God, and are called  
             to all the ministries of the church. In this sense, baptism is  
             the initial "ordination" of all Christians for Christian  
             ministry. There is a problem, then, when we preach and act out  
             such a generous baptism -- and then turn around and exclude  
             certain categories of baptized people from the full expression of  
             ministry within the church. This is to ask us to compromise the  
             integrity of the gospel -- and to compromise the integrity of our  
             preaching. And it can be confusing and painful to people sitting  
             in the pews. 
              
             Consider Beth (not her real name), a youth elder, who last year  
             after she was ordained came to the realization that she is a  
             lesbian -- and in so doing set aside her growing conviction that  
             she was called to be a Minister of Word and Sacrament. And what  
             about David, who has served effectively as a parish pastor for  
             twenty years, but finds his closeted sexuality more and more  
             painful and a violation of his personal integrity? Yes, the  
             disconnect between our theology of baptism and our practices of  
             ordination is a threat to the honesty and the hospitality of the  
             gospel. 
              
             2. A second area of concern that affects the ministry and  
             pastoral care of the church is related to evangelism. The  
             congregation I serve is moderate in its make-up, we are not More  
             Light in fact there are only three openly gay people in our  
             congregation. And yet the Session has consistently gone on record  
             as opposing B and the restrictive language we now have in the  
             *Book of Order*. Why? Because compassion and hospitality are among  
             our core values. And there is strong agreement that to close our  
             ministries to anyone, to ghettoize certain categories of  
             Christians, to bind the conscience of some, and judge some  
             Christians as more worthy than others -- all of this is contrary  
             to the gospel we proclaim. The majority of people who join our  
             congregation are young families and middle-aged couples -- but at  
             least a third of them have come to us because they are  
             specifically looking for a church where hospitality and the  
             inclusion of all God's children is a priority. 
              
             A recent experience brought home once again the evangelism  
             opportunities we are missing in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).  
             I was asked to provide a Memorial Service for a 45 year old woman  
             who died of breast cancer. She was, at the time of her death, a  
             Senior Vice President for the MCI Corporation. She was also a  
             lesbian. The service was held in a nondenominational chapel, at  
             her request. Though she was a baptized Christian she had not felt  
             comfortable within a Christian church for years. The service was  
             attended by business colleagues, friends, and her partner of 10  
             years -- though most of the worshipers were not members of the  
             gay community. After the service, dozens of people spoke to me  
             with incredulity -- not believing that a pastor representing the  
             Christian church would be willing to bless and honor the life of  
             a lesbian. What a travesty it is that large numbers of un- 
             churched people believe that the Church of Jesus Christ only  
             judges and condemns a significant segment of the human  
             population! 
              
             3. The third concern related to the ministry and pastoral care of  
             the church has to do with polity and governance. So often when we  
             talk about the peace, unity, and purity of the church, we fall  
             into the trap of affirming peace and unity at the expense of  
             purity -- or affirming purity at the expense of peace and unity.  
             But such conflict is not necessary if we understand purity in a  
             biblical way. Purity, according to the example and teachings of  
             Jesus, is not based on a narrow Levitical code. Instead the  
             purity that Jesus models for us embraces a depth of compassion, a  
             breadth of mercy, and a crystalline quality of love. A spirit  
             that divides, condemns, and excludes is far from pure -- for it is  
             clouded by judgment and bitterness. When we deny and hide what  
             God has created -- be it gifts of ministry or a particular sexual  
             orientation we breed within the Body of Christ deception and  
             despair instead of the purity of integrity and honesty. 
              
             Within any healthy Christian body there needs to be a consensus  
             about the essentials of the faith. And, then a respectful  
             tolerance and dialogue around issues of theology and behavior  
             that are non-essential. When asked to summarize the essentials of  
             our biblical faith, the Great theologian Karl Barth boiled it all  
             down to three words: "Jesus loves me." 
              
             Just over a year ago my colleague in ministry, the Associate  
             Pastor of the congregation I serve, acknowledged for the first  
             time to himself -- and to me -- that he is a gay man. And, because  
             he is a person of integrity, he decided that he could not  
             continue to minister effectively without revealing his whole self  
             to those we serve. After careful consultation with our Personnel  
             Committee and the Session, Scott mailed a letter to all the  
             members of the congregation with a unanimous letter of pastoral  
             support from the Session. 
              
             You might be wondering what happened as a result of this self- 
             revelation. We lost no members of the congregation. But we have  
             received the gifts of a whole and revitalized minister, who has  
             doubled our youth program, grown in his power as a preacher, and  
             pastored our congregation with a new and deep joy. And Scott has  
             received the love of a congregation acting our the Good News --  
             that Jesus loves him, Jesus loves you, and Jesus loves all the  
             children of the world. 
              
             The thirty Overture Advocates gathered here today urge you to  
             change the constitution so that the love of Jesus Christ might  
             abound. 
              
             [Note: One overture advocate made a separate presentation.  Thus  
             there were 30 overture advocates, 29 of whom participated in the  
             joint presentation. -- JDA] 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
                                 Core Presbyterian Values: 
                       Freedom of Conscience and Mutual Forbearance 
                                 in Non-Essential Matters 
              
                 Presentation and Narrative Accompanying Powerpoint Slides 
              
             by Douglas Nave, Trustee of Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in  
             New York, Overture Advocate from New York City Presbytery, and  
             Nancy Ramsay, Professor of Pastoral Theology at Louisville  
             Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Overture Advocate from Mid- 
             Kentucky Presbytery. 
              
             (Numbers indicate Powerpoint slides.  Slide no. 1 is simply an  
             opening screen saying "General Assembly, Committee on Ordination  
             Standards, June, 2001." See preface to Overture Advocates'  
             presentations for availability of slides.) 
              
             2. [Doug] My name is Doug Nave. I'm the Advocate for Overture 01- 
             08 from New York City. 
              
             [Nancy] I am Nancy Ramsay, a Professor of Pastoral Theology at  
             Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and Advocate for  
             the Overture from Mid-Kentucky concurring with Overture 00-13. We  
             are speaking here today on behalf of the thirty overture  
             advocates who stood a moment ago and who are listed on the final  
             page of your handout. 
              
             3. [Doug] We have decided to make this part of the presentation in  
             PowerPoint, because we want to go over a great deal of material  
             that is complex and challenging. In the time available, we'll be  
             able to cover only the "high points"; but we hope that you might  
             review the handouts again later, in a quiet moment on your own.  
             There is much here that we believe is central to resolution of  
             our current difficulties. 
              
             This part of our presentation is organized into four parts: 
              
             * First, a brief review of our history and current policy, to  
             provide a context for our discussions. 
              
             * Then, a discussion of freedom of conscience and our duty to  
             show one another mutual forbearance. 
              
             * We then turn to a discussion of different understandings of  
             Scripture and the confessions -- not to establish which  
             interpretations are correct, but simply to show that faithful  
             Presbyterians who hold steadfastly to the authority of Scripture  
             can have different understandings of texts that are important to  
             our discussions. 
              
             * And, finally, we discuss the promise of reform. 
              
             4. [Nancy] Let's begin by reviewing briefly where we have been as  
             a denomination. 
              
             5. For 25 years, we have been discussing whether non-celibate gay  
             and lesbian people can render ordained service in the church. 
              
             * We began in 1976, when several presbyteries requested  
             "definitive guidance" about how they might proceed in working  
             with two gay men who were training for the ministry. 
              
             * After several years of study, the General Assembly of the  
             UPCUSA issued what it called a "policy statement and  
             recommendations" that "self-affirming, practicing homosexuals"  
             cannot be ordained. The Presbyterian Church in the US -- the  
             "Southern" church -- followed with a similar statement in 1979.  
             That began almost twenty years of divisive debate about whether  
             these statements were binding on local sessions and presbyteries. 
              
             * In 1993, General Assembly tried to end the debate, by declaring  
             these policy statements "authoritative interpretations" of our  
             general ordination standards. But our debate went on. 
              
             6. [Doug] Between 1993 and 1996, our denomination engaged in a  
             three-year study. That culminated in a deeply divided General  
             Assembly sending Amendment B to the presbyteries, to see if it  
             should be added to the *Book of Order*. Amendment B stated that  
             "chastity in singleness" would be a condition to ordained service  
             -- a requirement that could reach all single people -- but it was  
             well understood that the proposal was specifically directed at  
             gay and lesbian people. 
              
             7. Amendment B passed by a very narrow margin, receiving support  
             from only 57% of the presbyteries. 
              
             When one counts the votes of individual presbyters, only 51%  
             favored the amendment, and 49% opposed it. 
              
             [Nancy] With such deep division, it is small wonder that debate  
             has continued. 
              
             Many groups have passed statements of dissent, some openly  
             defying the amendment. 
              
             Other groups have brought a slew of judicial actions to enforce  
             the amendment, and to extend its reach. 
              
             8. We've seen countless overtures since 1976. This matter has  
             been before the General Assembly in 20 of the last 25 years.  
             There were six overtures on this matter in 1976 -- three in favor  
             of ordained service by gay and lesbian persons, and three  
             opposed. This year, General Assembly has before it 35 overtures  
             in favor of repealing or modifying our ordination rules, and one  
             overture in favor of strengthening them. 
              
             9. [Doug] And we've seen endless litigation. This slide lists  
             only the 13 actions that went all the way to General Assembly's  
             Permanent Judicial Commission (PJC); there have been many more  
             cases in the PJCs below. Indeed, a new case was filed just a few  
             months ago, against a minister who is a Commissioner to this  
             General Assembly. That case seeks disciplinary action against the  
             minister, which may include permanent exclusion from ordained  
             ministry. The case was brought because she maintained pastoral  
             confidence, and did not disclose that one of her congregation's  
             candidates for deacon was a lesbian living in a 13-year  
             relationship. Those charges are pending. 
              
             10. [Nancy] This year's Assembly has 36 overtures addressing this  
             issue. We are so divided now --25 years after we started -- that  
             we hear repeated calls from some in our own church to sunder this  
             denomination in two. 
              
             11. [Doug] Why can't we put this issue behind us? I personally  
             think the answer has very little to do with sex. I think back to  
             a time when I was perhaps ten years old, and took a walk with my  
             father on the beach. My father is a Presbyterian minister, now  
             retired, so religion was a common subject of discussion in our  
             household. I spent perhaps a year torturing my parents with the  
             question, "Where did God come from?" It finally became clear to  
             me that there simply was no good answer to that question. So I  
             turned to a different question -- "Where did Presbyterians come  
             from?" -- and, more importantly, "What makes Presbyterians  
             special from other Christians?" 
              
             My father's answer was so immediate and clear, and carried such  
             conviction, that I can hear it to this day. He said, "There's two  
             things that make Presbyterians special. One is, we believe that  
             God alone is Lord of the conscience. And two is our polity: We do  
             everything decently and in order." My father declared those  
             simple truths so forcefully that, as we walked along the beach, I  
             felt like the surf was thundering its approval. 
              
             That's what the rest of this presentation is about. You see, my  
             father is a fairly conservative soul, and we have many  
             disagreements about what it means to be right -- but we are in  
             profound agreement about what it means to be Presbyterian. 
              
             I believe we're not divided by homosexuality nearly so much as  
             we're divided by a failure to respect our own polity. We have  
             tried to govern through power, through closely divided votes.  
             What we've forgotten is that power doesn't give our actions  
             authority. Almost half of our denomination believes that our  
             ordination standards are wrong -- and we won't have  
             denominational peace and unity until we honor that viewpoint  
             every bit as much as we honor the views of those who agree with  
             our present rules. 
              
             12.The following slides will give some examples from our  
             Scriptures, and church Constitution, of what it means to be  
             Presbyterian. 
              
             13. [Nancy] We have in our Constitution a section called the  
             Historic Principles of Church Order, dating back to 1788. They  
             state that: 
              
                  "God alone is Lord of the conscience, and has left it free  
                  from the doctrines and commandments of men which are in  
                  anything contrary to his Word, or beside it, in matters of  
                  faith or worship (G-1.0301)." 
              
             14. [Doug] Those words come directly out of the great Westminster  
             Confession of 1647. But the principle -- respect for conscience--  
             is much older. God has promised, "I will put my law within them,  
             and I will write it on their hearts" (Jer. 31: 33b)-- a promise  
             reiterated in both the Old and New Testaments. Paul, likewise,  
             states in 2 Corinthians 1:12 that "Indeed, this is our boast, the  
             testimony of our conscience." 
              
             [Nancy] In Romans 14, Paul addresses persons in the early Church  
             who were debating whether Jewish food requirements were still  
             binding. And Paul calls this a matter of conscience on which  
             Christians should show forbearance toward each other: 
              
                  "Let all be fully convinced in their own minds.... Those  
                  who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to  
                  God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord,  
                  and give thanks to God....  The faith that you have, have  
                  as your own conviction before God" (Rom. 14: 5-6, 22). 
              
             15. Paul repeatedly emphasizes, throughout his epistles, the  
             central role played by conscience in discerning, and then  
             testifying to, the truth. 
              
             16. [Doug] John Calvin tells us that conscience -- in the Latin,  
             "con science" -- means knowledge with God, not independent  
             knowledge or simply ideas shared with other men and women. He  
             warns us repeatedly about the dangers of compromising our  
             conscience. He writes that: 
              
             Christ is obscured, or rather extinguished to us, unless our  
             consciences maintain their liberty. 
              
             And our General Assembly, when we re-united the northern and  
             southern churches, said in 1983 that: 
              
             The right of private judgment ... is a right for freedom of  
             obedience to Christ, and it is the duty of Christians to insist  
             upon this right. 
              
             Our first loyalty belongs to Christ, not to other men and women. 
              
             [Nancy] I've been a seminary professor for eighteen years. Over  
             that time, I've taught perhaps 2,000 students. Again and again,  
             my colleagues in other Presbyterian seminaries and I sit with  
             talented women and men, and agonize with them about this dilemma  
             of conscience. Baptized, confirmed by Presbyterian congregations  
             like yours and mine, and then invited to consider ministry as  
             their gifts are recognized, these seminarians find themselves  
             called by God to ministry, well equipped for that ministry, but  
             no longer welcomed if they live authentically as gay and lesbian  
             men and women. They want to be obedient to Christ's call but  
             cannot do so in the church they call home. 
              
             No home should ask a child to choose between authenticity and  
             inclusion, but that is what this church family does. So as a  
             matter of conscience, these gifted men and women are true to  
             themselves and their call, but in other denominations and  
             contexts for ministry where they are welcomed. We lose these  
             gifted religious leaders at a time when we endure an increasingly  
             severe shortage of pastors. 
              
             17. It is important to note that freedom of conscience is not  
             unbounded. It is indeed bounded, by the Bible. Conscience is an  
             obligation to interpret Scripture, not license to ignore it. Our  
             confessions emphasize that we cannot merely accept what others  
             say about the Bible, but that we must study and know the Word  
             ourselves. 
              
             18. And we recognize that there are some things so fundamental to  
             the Christian faith that we must all subscribe to them. Since  
             1758, we Presbyterians have defined our boundaries as things that  
             are "essential" to Reformed faith and polity. 
              
             [Doug] The difficult question, of course, is what can be deemed  
             so "essential" that everyone has to agree to it? Some examples  
             are shown here on this slide. We believe in a sovereign God --  
             Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- who rules over all creation, and  
             who now redeems people through grace when they profess faith in  
             Jesus Christ. We believe in covenant life together in  
             stewardship. We believe that we must always be aware of our  
             fallenness, and our tendency toward idolatry and tyranny over  
             others. 
              
             19. [Nancy] So what's not "essential"? We have not drawn any  
             "bright lines." However, the last time we faced a  
             liberal/conservative divide, we Presbyterians decided that it is  
             not "essential" to believe in the literal truth or inerrancy of  
             Scripture. We regard as "essential" that salvation comes by grace  
             only through faith in Jesus Christ. But we allow disagreement  
             over whether Christ really was born of a virgin or had the  
             literal power to do miracles. Freedom of conscience is that  
             important. 
              
             In the words of our 1983 General Assembly, "the right of private  
             judgment is a necessary one," and "it includes the right to be  
             wrong." 
              
             20. [Doug] We said at the start of this talk that we don't want to  
             debate the merits of our beliefs about homosexuality, and we mean  
             that. But we do want to note something interesting -- and very  
             important: When we consider the "essentials," sexual practice  
             doesn't even make the list. We Presbyterians have reformed our  
             understanding in numerous areas: 
              
             * We have freed women from subordination and silence in church. 
              
             * We have amended the Westminster Confession in recognition that  
             sometimes divorce and remarriage may be permitted. 
              
             * We now believe that people of different races may marry. 
              
             * And we have recognized explicitly, since 1978, that a  
             homosexual orientation alone is not sinful. 
              
             So sexual practice is not an area where we have ever defined  
             "essentials." 
              
             21. There is a reason Scripture speaks so much about conscience,  
             and why our Reformed tradition places such an emphasis on it.  
             That's because there are times when we will disagree. And not  
             about little things -- if our disagreements were trivial, we  
             would simply forget about them and move on. We place great  
             emphasis on freedom of conscience because we recognize that  
             sincere Christians of good conscience can have deeply felt  
             differences about very important things. 
              
             [Nancy] And the Scripture and Confessions tell us how to approach  
             these differences. Our *Book of Order* says that: 
              
             There are truths and forms with respect to which men [and women]  
             of good characters and principles may differ. And in all these we  
             think it the duty both of private Christians and societies [that  
             is, churches] to exercise mutual forbearance toward each other  
             (G-1.0305). 
              
             [Doug] My father was well-loved in the church he pastored for 32  
             years. When he retired, the leading newspaper in the state ran a  
             half-page story about him. And he said something in that  
             interview that struck a deep chord with me, and impressed the  
             editor enough to emblazon it in big bold letters in the middle of  
             the article. My father said that, "We need to respect one  
             another....  We need to remember that when we walk over someone  
             else's convictions, we tread on holy ground." This is a hard task  
             -- but an absolutely fundamental requirement that has been with  
             us as long as we have been the Presbyterian church -- that we  
             honor each other's conscience. 
              
             22. [Nancy] The New Testament appeals to us many times to maintain  
             peace and unity, not to allow our differences to divide us. Paul  
             says, "I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our  
             Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there  
             be no divisions among you" (1 Cor. 1:10). The plea runs through  
             virtually every letter in the New Testament: "Be at peace among  
             yourselves" (1 Thess. 5:13). 
              
             23. [Doug] Our Confessions also recognize that we can't simply  
             rely on the power of assemblies. Synods and councils may err, and  
             we therefore must be always open to reform. Our *Book of Order*  
             states it in the plainest possible terms: 
              
                  "No Church governing body ought to pretend to make laws to  
                  bind the conscience in virtue of their own authority" (G- 
                  1.0307). 
              
             It's a principle that runs through all of our confessions since  
             the 1500s. 
              
             [Nancy] Our Confessions also remind us why assemblies cannot bind  
             the conscience in matters where there may be good faith  
             disagreement. It is because we are a "church reformed, always  
             reforming, according to the Word of God and the call of the  
             Spirit" (G-2.0200). We must remain open to the possibility that  
             God may speak a new word, or that we may discern an old word more  
             clearly, so that we may become better equipped for the ministry  
             of reconciliation. 
              
             24. [Doug] In 1983, we saw the merger of the Northern and Southern  
             Presbyterian churches -- churches that initially divided in the  
             Civil War era and that still reflected some general differences  
             of view. Our General Assembly adopted a report then on how we  
             might live faithfully together. Its words bear re-hearing today. 
              
             First, the General Assembly reminds us that individual conscience  
             must be respected because it offers new insights to the church.  
             The General Assembly stated that: 
              
                  "Controversy, and the tension inevitably produced by  
                  diversity, may be the area where -- in the struggling and  
                  grappling with ideas -- the Spirit is most likely to speak  
                  to the church.... The church protects its own minority  
                  point of view as if it were protecting its future,  
                  recognizing that the dissenter may well represent the will  
                  of God." 
              
             Those are strong words. 
              
             25. [Nancy] And the Assembly's words about our duty of mutual  
             forbearance are equally strong: 
              
                  "Schism is generally the result of an improper understanding  
                  or use of Presbyterian polity ... when a governing body  
                  assumes the simple majority to be sufficient for taking  
                  action binding the conscience of a large minority. Respect  
                  for diversity is a central requirement for the peace and  
                  unity of the church." 
              
             26. You know, in all this back-and-forth about "essentials" and  
             freedom of conscience, some have gotten tired of grappling with  
             each other, and have suggested that "freedom of conscience" means  
             "freedom to leave." But the Gospel tells us something different.  
             The unity of the church testifies before the world to the  
             reconciling power of Jesus Christ. 
              
             [Doug] And we can hear the hurt, and outrage, and scandal in the  
             Apostle Paul's question to the quarreling church, "Has Christ  
             been divided?" (1 Cor. 1:13). Division solves nothing. 
              
             27. [Nancy] To summarize, we need to remember three key points: 
              
                  * First, that freedom of conscience is vital -- for  
                  understanding Scripture, and for obedience to Christ. 
              
                  * Second, that we have the duty to show each other mutual  
                  forbearance in matters of conscience. Where we do not  
                  forbear, we risk error in failing to reform according to new  
                  insights, and we risk division in our fellowship. 
              
                  * And, finally, that sexual practice is not of equal dignity  
                  with Christ. It does not rise to the level of "essentials"  
                  where we may be required to agree. 
              
             28. [Doug] We would like to shift gears now, and talk a bit about  
             whether there is room for conscience -- whether Scripture is so  
             clear about homosexuality that we all must believe the same,  
             self-evident truths. 
              
             29. [Nancy] Our Confessions tell us, quite candidly, that  
             Scripture is not self-evidently clear, about many things. This is  
             nothing new -- we said it in 1647, in the Westminster Confession  
             of Faith. And we said it even before then, in 1561, in the Second  
             Helvetic Confession. This is not "modernism," or "accommodating  
             culture" -- it is a hard fact of faith. 
              
             30. [Doug] We want in just a few brief minutes to run through the  
             texts that keep coming up in our debates, to suggest some of the  
             ways faithful Presbyterians have understood these texts. Our  
             point, again, is not to argue "who's right" and "who's wrong" --  
             far from it; we believe our denomination would commit grave error  
             if it took a formal position on either side of this debate right  
             now. But we do want to go into it enough to show that faithful  
             Presbyterians -- reasonable people of strong faith and good  
             conscience, people who hold steadfastly to the authority of  
             Scripture -- are not of one mind. And that there is room for  
             freedom of conscience. 
              
             Professor Gene March, who spoke before this Committee this  
             morning, introduced a statement signed by 33 of the Bible  
             professors at our Presbyterian seminaries. They represent over  
             half of all our full-time Biblical faculty, and they make it  
             clear that Scripture must be read carefully to be understood, and  
             that they disagree with our current policy. 
              
             31. [Nancy] We start with Genesis 19, the story of Sodom and  
             Gomorrah, where the men of the town tried to rape two angels and  
             God then destroyed the city. The most obvious reading of this  
             story is not that it condemns homosexuality, but that it condemns  
             violence and rape. 
              
             [Doug] Other faithful Presbyterians believe that the story is  
             about arrogance and inhospitality -- the sins most often  
             attributed to the people of Sodom elsewhere in the Scriptures. 
              
             [Nancy] There are other readings as well. The point, again, is  
             not to decide here which of these readings is correct. It is  
             simply to point out that faithful Presbyterians, who hold  
             steadfastly to the authority of Scripture, may interpret the  
             story of Sodom as something quite different than a condemnation  
             of homosexual conduct. 
              
             32. [Doug] Then we come to Leviticus, which says that it is an  
             "abomination" for a male to sleep with another man, and that the  
             perpetrators shall be put to death. One reading of these two  
             verses is to say that they condemn all homosexual conduct,  
             forever. But there are other, faithful interpretations: 
              
             [Nancy] Some believe that the writer is condemning the widespread  
             temple prostitution and idolatry that beleaguered the Israelites  
             -- indeed, a number of texts in 1 and 2 Kings talk about the  
             repeated expulsions of male temple prostitutes from the land. 
              
             [Doug] Still other interpreters understand these texts to be part  
             of a complex "purity" Code that was done away with in the New  
             Testament. We don't observe those rules today -- we wear blended  
             fabrics, engage in agricultural engineering, consume pork and  
             shellfish, and the like. Many people wonder why we should pull  
             these two verses about homosexuality out of all of the others and  
             continue to assert their validity. 
              
             Who's right? For present purposes, that simply isn't the right  
             question. The point is that faithful Presbyterians, of good  
             conscience, may hold different understandings of these two  
             verses. 
              
             And that's all we have in the Old Testament. Two slides from the  
             New Testament, and we're done. 
              
             33. [Nancy] Some believe that the apostle Paul condemns  
             homosexuality in Romans 1, where he talks about people exchanging  
             the natural for the unnatural. 
              
             [Doug] Again, however, understandings differ. Many believe that  
             Paul is describing life outside of Eden, the result of original  
             sin. Scripture tells us that the Fall affected many aspects of  
             human life -- that women now labor to give birth, that people  
             must work hard to make a living, even that we wear clothes. We  
             still view these things, ultimately, as good -- even though they  
             were not part of God's original design. Likewise, some believe  
             that Paul may be talking in Romans about another result of the  
             Fall -- the reorientation of affections -- as something that was  
             not part of original Creation, but is not necessarily sinful. 
              
             [Nancy] Others believe that Paul is talking here about  
             heterosexual men having sex with other men -- about abandon and  
             excess. He uses this an analogy to humankind's substitution of  
             idols in place of its natural affection for God. However, under  
             that reading, it would be equally "unnatural" for a gay or  
             lesbian person to have sexual relations with a partner of the  
             opposite sex -- Paul simply isn't talking about sexual ethics  
             here. 
              
             [Doug] And it appears clear that Paul is not stating a judgment  
             against homosexual relations when he says that they are  
             "unnatural." In fact, Paul says in the same letter -- Romans  
             11:24 -- that God acts unnaturally, in grafting the Gentiles onto  
             the Jewish root. Since it is impossible for God to act immorally,  
             many readers conclude that Paul must use the word "unnatural" in  
             a different sense, to connote the unexpected or unconventional. 
              
             34. [Nancy] And finally, there are 1 Corinthians 6 and 1 Timothy  
             1. These two letters each use the same Greek words -- malakoi and  
             arsenokoitai -- to describe wrongdoers. These two words are quite  
             unusual, and no one is quite sure what they mean. Some  
             translators have suggested that they refer to homosexuals.  
             However, these are not the words that were commonly used for  
             homosexuality when these letters were written. Many translators  
             therefore interpret these words as referring to people engaged in  
             child abuse or prostitution. 
              
             And even if they refer to some same-sex conduct, various  
             translators believe that they refer simply to sexual activity  
             between men and adolescent boys, and the sexual use of slaves  
             common in Paul's day -- rather than the kind of faithful and  
             loving relationships we are debating in the Presbyterian church  
             now. 
              
             So where does that leave us? Again, with some uncertainty about  
             homosexuality -- but with absolute clarity that faithful  
             Presbyterians can hold steadfastly to the authority of Scripture  
             and still believe that the Scripture does not condemn all  
             homosexual conduct. 
              
             35. [Doug] Some believe that all of this parsing of phrases is a  
             waste of time -- that it has been clear down through the  
             centuries that homosexuality is wrong. But we know that many of  
             our traditional understandings have been unjust and in need of  
             reform: 
              
             * We have recognized only in the last forty years or so that it  
             was wrong for men to dominate women, that women have the  
             authority, and insight, and call, to render service as ministers  
             in the church. We believe that is self-evident today: but many  
             other branches of Christianity still do not. 
              
             * We believe that slavery is wrong, and racial segregation is  
             wrong, and our traditional ban on interracial marriages is wrong.  
             But only as recently as thirty or forty years ago Christians were  
             defending the rules of segregation with a fervor borne of  
             certainty in Scripture. 
              
             * And both the northern and the southern churches amended the  
             Westminster Confession, in recognition that blanket condemnation  
             of remarriage after divorce is not appropriate. 
              
             In short, our traditional understandings of Scripture may be --  
             have been -- reformed. And many faithful Presbyterians, true to  
             the authority of the Bible, are reconsidering their understanding  
             of what Scripture has to say about homosexuality. 
              
             36. [Nancy] We want to go very quickly through the next slides,  
             but we hope that you will look at them more closely when you have  
             a moment later on your own. These show some of the ways that  
             faithful Presbyterians, who hold steadfastly to the authority of  
             Scripture, have seen in Scripture reason to change our  
             traditional views: 
              
             [Doug] We've mentioned already the translation problems with the  
             verses at issue. 
              
             37. [Nancy] We also must read with understanding of the context of  
             a passage. This leads us to think again about what passages like  
             those in Leviticus and Romans might truly be addressing. 
              
             38. [Doug] Many read about how the Gospel of Jesus Christ does  
             away with old distinctions between groups -- like those between  
             Jews and Gentiles. This provides some reason to re-examine  
             traditional distinctions between heterosexual and homosexual  
             groups, who have been divided by the same kinds of thinking about  
             the law and "purity." 
              
             39. [Nancy] Many read the exclusionary texts of the Old Testament  
             -- that someone who is lame or has a physical deformity cannot be  
             a priest, or that someone born out of wedlock cannot enter the  
             congregation. Then they read the Gospel -- that there is no  
             distinction between people, that we are all the same in the grace  
             of Jesus Christ. 
              
             40. And those faithful Presbyterians conclude that gay and  
             lesbian persons who profess faith in Jesus Christ may participate  
             fully in the life of the church. 
              
             41. [Doug] Many faithful Presbyterians reflect on how Scripture  
             has been used to exclude or oppress people in the past, and they  
             conclude that we are doing the same thing now, wrongfully  
             excluding gay and lesbian people. 
              
             42. [Nancy] More generally, many reflect on the example of Christ,  
             who built fellowship with people on the margins even though this  
             scandalized the religious community. They reflect on the example  
             of the Apostles, who built a church with Gentiles, foreigners,  
             women, slaves, and others considered unworthy. And those faithful  
             Presbyterians believe we must follow those examples. 
              
             43. [Doug] And many believe that whatever else Scripture says, the  
             Gospel places our priorities on evangelism -- that we err if we  
             obscure Christ's welcome in judging others on non-essentials. 
              
             44. [Nancy] The next two slides suggest some of the ways in which  
             faithful Presbyterians can conclude that our Confessions, like  
             Scripture, are open to different understandings, and that they do  
             not condemn all homosexual conduct. We do not agree that all  
             homosexual conduct, however loving and faithful, is mere  
             perversion or lust. 
              
             45.And we do not agree on whether "chastity" means the same thing  
             as "celibacy." So we do not agree on "what the Confessions call  
             sin." 
              
             46. [Doug] And however we interpret the Confessions, we are  
             absolutely clear that the Confessions are always subordinate to  
             the Scripture. Where Scripture speaks, or leaves a matter to  
             individual discernment, the Confessions must do likewise. 
              
             47. [Nancy] We come back to where we began, with the statement of  
             thirty-three Biblical faculty in our Presbyterian seminaries.  
             These are learned people, and deeply committed Christians. They  
             have concluded that: 
              
                  "It is the gospel of Jesus that invites gay and lesbian  
                  brothers and sisters to full communion in the church; it is  
                  the Spirit of Jesus that calls and equips Christians for  
                  ministry; and it is the justice of Jesus that calls us to  
                  ensure that those who are invited, called, and equipped are  
                  free to fulfill their ministries among us with the full  
                  recognition and support of the church." [The full statement  
                  of our PCUSA biblical faculty is printed later in this  
                  *Update*. -- JDA] 
              
             48. [Doug] And we look again at the significant minority -- 49% of  
             all presbyters -- who voted against Amendment B after 25 years of  
             debate. Surely half of our denomination cannot be wrong about  
             something so important that we can consider it an "essential" of  
             our faith. 
              
             49. [Nancy] So we come to the conclusion that there is room -- and  
             a crying need -- for us to respect freedom of conscience. 
              
             * Our Scriptures and Confessions are not self-evidently clear,  
             admitting only one interpretation in this matter. 
              
             * We have often found it necessary to reform traditional  
             understandings that we realized were unjust or exclusionary. 
              
             * And we recognize that, like the Church down through the  
             centuries, we must always been open to new learning, reason, and  
             experience. 
              
             [Doug] You know, my father and I are about as close as a father  
             and son can be. That doesn't mean we agree on everything. I  
             believe my father is still of the view that our church's position  
             on homosexuality generally is about right. He must be very  
             disappointed to have a gay son. But we don't talk much about  
             that, and I think there's a very simple reason: We both love and  
             respect each other enough not to focus on conversations that  
             would force one us to go where our present convictions will not  
             let us. 
              
             That's not denial, not "don't ask, don't tell." We still do talk  
             about it from time to time, to share new insights, or perhaps  
             simply to acknowledge the importance that each of us places on it  
             and to affirm our desire someday to share a common view. In the  
             meantime, we share our lives together and put this to one side --  
             honoring the love, trust, and respect we have for each other, and  
             seeing the wisdom in not inflicting serious and unnecessary  
             damage to our relationship. 
              
             Does any of this sound like where we are as a denomination? We  
             need freedom of conscience to follow our convictions in something  
             that ultimately is not important enough to split our family. Our  
             constitution tells us that we have a duty to show each other  
             trust and forbearance. Matters are sufficiently unclear that we  
             know our disagreement can arise in sincere faith, and out of a  
             good conscience. 
              
             50. We leave you with a clear Biblical truth that we believe  
             shows our own way forward. Perhaps we should simply say what  
             Jesus said about homosexuality: 
              
             Nothing. 
              
             [The presentation continues with narrative by Jay McKell.] 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
                                   A More Excellent Way 
              
                 Presentation and Narrative Accompanying Powerpoint Slides 
              
                by Jay McKell, Pastor, Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, 
              Overland Park, KS, Overture Advocate from Heartland Presbytery 
              
             (Numbers indicate Powerpoint slides.  See preface to Overture  
             Advocates' presentations for availability of slides.) 
              
             50. So where do we go from here? 
              
             When I was a child the happiest week of my summer was spent on my  
             grandparents' farm near Natchez, Mississippi. Benny would be  
             waiting for me and within moments of my arrival we were off to  
             play. He knew how to saddle and bridle the horses, where the  
             trails through the woods went, where the fish were biting in the  
             pond and where the snakes were not biting in the creek. Benny was  
             my best friend. When it came time for lunch we would head up to  
             the house and I would go into the dining room to join my family  
             while Benny went into the kitchen where his grandmother was.  
             There they waited while we ate. Afterwards the left-overs were  
             returned to the kitchen for the two of them. 
              
             For years I never thought a thing about what my actions said and  
             did to Benny. Then I saw through a glass dimly. But now I know  
             segregation -- in whatever form it takes -- is wrong.  
             Unfortunately, old prejudices die slowly. Forgive me, Benny, and  
             Tammy, Mac, Martha, Henry, Tera, and Kimberly. 
              
             51. My name is Jay McKell. My church is Grace Covenant -- a 900  
             member congregation in Overland Park, Kansas. Literally I speak  
             on behalf of the Heartland. 
              
             52. Our *Book of Order* says that the Assembly is to do those  
             things that are necessary to the peace, purity, unity, and  
             progress of the church under the will of Jesus Christ. That gives  
             you good guidance as to how you might address the ordination  
             issue. 
              
             53. We know, all too painfully, that our present ordination  
             policies are disrupting the peace and unity of our church. We  
             have been debating this matter for 25 long years, yet we have  
             reached no resolution as to "who is right." Some believe that  
             continued debate is so disruptive as to split our church. 
              
             54. Some have suggested that we cannot compromise current  
             ordination standards because our present practice upholds the  
             purity of the church. Others believe those same standards  
             constitute a tragic error and violate God's grace. What I and  
             other Overture Advocates know is that the purity of our life  
             together is soiled by evasion and disguise. Likewise our church's  
             moral authority is compromised because of our failure to put into  
             practice the hospitality of Christ, who never turned anyone away,  
             even if they did not conform to a particular social or religious  
             norm. 
              
             55. Our present impasse has greatly frustrated the progress of  
             our church's mission in the world. We are consumed by internal  
             squabbling about who among us are "better Christians." God  
             forgive us, for we are at risk of becoming ministers of  
             repudiation, rather than ministers of reconciliation, for daily  
             driving away faithful and inquiring people who are alienated by  
             our controversies or uncertain of their welcome in our midst. 
              
             Our progress should serve the Six Great Ends of the Church, yet  
             because of our focus on this debate I wonder how many of us can  
             even remember these ends. 
              
             56. We, the Overture Advocates before you -- and we sense the  
             majority in our church -- believe it is time to return our  
             decisions about ordination to local churches and presbyteries,  
             trusting in their mutual discernment of God's call. 
              
             In doing so, we will witness to what the Apostle Paul calls "a  
             more excellent way": 
              
                  * Respecting the freedom of conscience of faithful  
                  Presbyterians; 
              
                  * Reaffirming the rights of your session and your presbytery  
                  to determine ordination in their jurisdictions; 
              
                  * Restoring our trust in one another; and 
              
                  * Returning to faithful service in outreach and ministry as  
                  expressed in the Six Great Ends of the Church. 
              
             57. If this Assembly takes this action, we will return to the  
             high standards for ordained service that have governed our  
             selection of elders, deacons, and pastors, literally, for  
             centuries. 
              
             58. If this Assembly takes this action, local governing bodies  
             will apply those standards to persons whom they know. Now  
             certainly some will object, suggesting that "ordination is to the  
             whole church," fearing that presbyteries or sessions will be  
             forced to receive leaders whom they believe are not qualified to  
             serve. This is not correct. In fact, our Presbyterian system  
             provides that ordination is to the whole church, but that  
             installation is to the local office. Therefore, congregations and  
             presbyteries will be able to decide who is and who is not called  
             to labor in their midst. 
              
             59. If this Assembly takes these actions, we will restore trust  
             to our community of faith. We will put an end to lawsuits  
             dividing us and to fears that challenge a pastor's ability to  
             counsel parishioners in confidence. 
              
             Of course, some argue that becoming more inclusive of diversity  
             will destroy our church. But a God known in three Persons, a  
             Bible with two creation stories and four gospels, each providing  
             us with a different picture of Jesus' life and ministry, and a  
             Spirit blowing where it wills, along with our varied collection  
             of creeds, curriculums, liturgical and devotional practices --  
             all these convince me that all -- Jews and Gentiles, slaves and  
             free, male and female -- find ourselves welcomed into the kingdom  
             and called upon to serve it. Again and again scripture calls us  
             to follow the course of reconciliation, trusting that God's  
             Spirit -- not our restrictions -- will preserve and strengthen  
             the church. In fact, we see numerous congregations like my own  
             doing that and growing precisely because they boldly practice  
             hospitality to all people. 
              
             60. Additionally, taking this action will promote Christian unity  
             in the ecumenical sense. While some make the front page with an  
             argument that more inclusive ordination standards will make it  
             impossible to work with other denominations, we believe that  
             demonstrating our ability to trust God's Spirit working through  
             our diversity will give our ecumenical partners confidence that  
             they can work constructively with us as well. 
              
             61. And finally, if this Assembly takes this action, we will  
             embrace God's gift of grace -- together. We will end this harmful  
             debate and go forward in faithful fellowship, trust, and service. 
              
             Now I know some will argue that changing our ordination standards  
             this year will simply provide grounds for others to come back to  
             next year's Assembly to reverse this action yet again. To the  
             contrary, what we ask of you and of this Assembly is a  
             recognition that freedom of conscience honors our Creator,  
             enriches our church, and enhances our mission. What we want is  
             for the convictions of all God's people to be honored equally.  
             That's all. Currently they are not. 
              
             Should you commissioners support this proposal, you will have  
             spoken the word of God's grace, thereby bringing peace, purity,  
             unity and progress before us as they should be. 
              
             Now granted, this debate may be renewed in future years, but only  
             if some among us refuse to grant to others the freedom of  
             conscience they insist on having themselves. 
              
             62. So, again I ask you, where do we go from here? As we heard in  
             worship Monday morning, it is time to get back to the basics, for  
             surely we have not forgotten who God is. Let us return to a more  
             excellent way, the way of love -- God's love -- perfect love, or  
             as the King James Bible puts it, charity that casts out fear. 
              
             "In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things,  
             charity." 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
                                     We Need Middle Ground 
              
                   Closing Presentation to the Ordination Standards Committee 
              
                               by Tim Hart-Andersen, Pastor, 
                       Westminster Presbyterian Church, Minneapolis, 
               Overture Advocate from the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area 
              
             My name is Tim Hart-Andersen, Overture Advocate from the Twin  
             Cities and a pastor in downtown Minneapolis. The session of the  
             church I serve wrote one of the overtures sent to the Assembly by  
             our presbytery. We wrote it not because we are of one mind on  
             homosexuality and Christian faith, but because we need middle  
             ground in our local church. 
              
             We need middle ground in our denomination. 
              
             Our hope is not that the church will now suddenly agree on one or  
             another perspective on homosexuality or biblical interpretation;  
             or that one side or another will now be declared the winner. Our  
             hope is that we will again reaffirm the historic freedom of  
             conscience on non-essentials that Presbyterians have embraced for  
             centuries, since the Adopting Act of 1729. 
              
             Some have recently suggested we need a third way in the church;  
             maybe that really just means the old way. 
              
             G-6.0106b has not helped us; if anything it has resulted in more  
             contention in our church, precisely because it leaves us with  
             winners and losers. Amendment B was an experiment that failed the  
             church, because with "B" we strayed from our tradition by  
             adopting mandatory language about a non-essential matter, a  
             matter about which we disagree in almost equal numbers. 
              
             Sooner or later, as we have seen in the presentation, that gets  
             us into trouble. And we are in trouble in the church today. 
              
             This committee has before it a host of options for how to help  
             the church through this turmoil. The Overture Advocates here  
             today represent those various approaches. Each of us expected to  
             be arguing for our particular proposed resolution. But, frankly,  
             the advice and counsel of the Advisory Committee on the  
             Constitution led us to conclude the assembly must act in a  
             comprehensive fashion. 
              
             The church can return to its historic commitment to freedom of  
             conscience if the assembly does two things, two things that this  
             committee can propose and which we advocate: 
              
             1) issue a new authoritative interpretation on this matter, and 
              
             2) send an amendment to the presbyteries to delete G-6.0106b. 
              
             One overture, 01-08 from NYC, would accomplish these two steps.  
             Here's how the Advisory Committee on the Constitution put it:  
             "This overture correctly identifies the need to act on both G- 
             6.0106b and previous interpretations if the assembly wishes to  
             change the position of the denomination on these matters." 
              
             Much has been said in recent days and weeks about the need to  
             move beyond a denominational focus on win-lose campaigns of  
             attrition. We agree. The church finds itself at the present time  
             in the position of having narrowly adopted a divisive  
             interpretation on a non-essential matter, that of ordaining  
             openly gay or lesbian Presbyterians. Until that contentious  
             paragraph is removed, we can expect it to continue to provoke  
             controversy in the church, year after year. Like a thorn that  
             irritates until removed, we can expect Amendment B to disrupt our  
             life, GA after GA, presbytery meeting after presbytery, until  
             it's gone. 
              
             This assembly can be remembered as the time when we stood down  
             from the hard lines we have drawn, and embraced what might,  
             indeed, be a more excellent way. 
              
             The array of overtures before you offers several ways to move us  
             into a win-win position as a church. We do not need to micro- 
             manage and regulate our presbyteries and sessions in their  
             ordination decisions. We agree with the Stated Clerk, who said to  
             the assembly on Saturday, "The regulatory approach is not  
             working." 
              
             We can take action at this assembly that puts the church in a  
             position that neither requires nor prohibits the ordination of  
             openly homosexual Presbyterians. 
              
             We can return to the standard that served us well in the church  
             for many, many years, known now as G-6.0106a, namely: "Their  
             manner of life should be a demonstration of the Christian gospel  
             in the church and in the world." This standard puts the question  
             of the manifestation of the gospel of Jesus Christ at the heart  
             of our determination of the fitness of individuals for office.  
             Surely that standard is sufficient. 
              
             Some have said that the removal of G-6.0106b would create  
             difficulties for the church because it could result in a  
             situation where a person serving in ordained office in one  
             governing body would not being considered fit for office in  
             another. That is exactly the point, and always has been. Such a  
             determination is up to the examining governing body. 
              
             We need to protect the historic freedom of sessions and  
             presbyteries on these non-essential matters. That means -- with  
             or without G-6.0106b -- that even though I am already an ordained  
             minister, I cannot serve in your presbytery until you examine me  
             and approve my call. We are ordained into the whole church, but  
             elected and installed to particular ministries, upon the vote of  
             local congregations and governing bodies. 
              
             Middle ground is what we need at this point in the church, after  
             25 years of closely fought struggle over human sexuality, where  
             sometimes one perspective prevails, sometimes another. To borrow  
             from our new moderator, our church has resembled a bird cage,  
             where we worry about keeping the door shut, rather than a bird  
             bath, where the life-giving waters are open to all. 
              
             This committee can propose a way for us to break the pattern of  
             back and forth, win or lose, a pattern of which we have all had  
             enough whatever our point of view. Let us follow the historic  
             Presbyterian tradition when we disagree on non-essential matters:  
             we agree to disagree. 
              
             On Saturday, Cliff Kirkpatrick and John Detterick offered four  
             principles for our work at this assembly. This committee can be  
             guided by those principles as you respond to these overtures: 
              
                  1. Take action rooted and grounded in love: The middle  
                  ground we propose would let those closest to the persons  
                  being ordained -- these are individuals in our churches whom  
                  we love and whose gifts for Christian service we have  
                  observed first hand -- let those closest to the candidates  
                  decide if they are fit to hold office in the church. 
              
                  2. Acknowledge our differences and seek mutual  
                  understanding: The middle ground we propose would affirm the  
                  freedom of conscience of different Presbyterians on these  
                  matters, and allow them to exercise it. 
              
                  3. Probe deeply our Presbyterian beliefs under the Lordship  
                  of Jesus Christ: The middle ground we propose would reach  
                  back into our confessional tradition and recover our  
                  historic commitment to following the call of Christ in our  
                  ordination decisions. 
              
                  4. Encourage an openness to the Holy Spirit: The middle  
                  ground we propose would not lock into our constitution one  
                  perspective or another, but would leave plenty of room for  
                  the Spirit to move among us. 
              
             As I close, I would like to ask all the Overture Advocates  
             representing the 29 presbyteries from across the church, which  
             include over 1,700 congregations with over 465,000 members,  
             please to rise. 
              
             All of us, overture advocates, commissioners, observers, staff,  
             all of us in one way or another, approach this decision, this  
             assembly, with a certain amount of fear in our hearts. Some of us  
             will argue that this is not the year to act. But others of us  
             also bring great hope that now is the time, this is the year, to  
             let go of the fear that grips us, and trust that Jesus Christ  
             will lead us into the future. 
              
                                 "For such a time as this." 
              
             My local congregation needs your help. The whole church needs  
             your help. We need middle ground, upon which we can walk  
             together. Ground that will allow us to build our ministries of  
             compassion in the community, ministries of healing and hope,  
             ministries that bear the good news of Jesus Christ to a world in  
             need. 
              
             We urge your support for middle ground, as you respond to these  
             overtures before you. 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
                               Presbyterian Bible professors 
                     Call for Responsible Interpretation of Scripture 
              
                 Via the www.witherspoonsociety.org website, with thanks! 
              
             (A large group of professors has issued a letter, accompanied by a  
             statement, in an effort to offer some help to the coming  
             discussions at General Assembly.) 
              
                                        The letter 
              
             June, 2001 
              
             Dear Commissioner: 
              
             We, the undersigned, earnestly request that you will read the  
             attached statement and consider it carefully. We are all  
             professors of either Old Testament or New Testament. We represent  
             over half of the faculty in Bible in our Presbyterian seminaries  
             at the present. 
              
             We hope that the attached statement, "The Whole Bible for the  
             Whole Human Family," will assist you as you wrestle with some of  
             the issues of this Assembly. We are greatly concerned that the  
             Bible be heard, interpreted appropriately, and continue to guide  
             us all in our quest for understanding, reconciliation, and  
             justice. -- Brian K. Blount; Johanna W. H. Bos; James A.  
             Brashler; Robert Brawley; Carson E. Brisson, Jr.; William P.  
             Brown; Walter Brueggemann; John T. Carroll; Marvin Chaney; Robert  
             B. Coote; Charles B. Cousar; Linda Day ; Lewis R. Donelson; Susan  
             R. Garrett; Beverly Roberts Gaventa; Frances Taylor Gench;  
             Theodore Hiebert; Elizabeth Johnson; Jacqueline E. Lapsley; W.  
             Eugene March; Patrick D. Miller; Cyris Hee-Suk Moon; Kathleen M.  
             O'Connor; Dennis T. Olson; Eung Chun Park; Katharine Doob  
             Sakenfeld; Stanley P. Saunders; Choon-Leong Seow; Sibley Towner;  
             Patricia Kathleen Tull; Paul W. Walaskay; Antionette Clark Wire;  
             Christine Roy Yoder. 
              
                                       The statement 
              
                        The Whole Bible for the Whole Human Family 
              
              Members of the Biblical Faculty of the Presbyterian Seminaries  
                             Speak to the Issue of Ordination 
              
             As members of the church universal and as professors of Scripture  
             in our Presbyterian seminaries, we affirm that the Bible is an  
             indispensable means of God's communication, especially in a time  
             when the church is urgently seeking to clarify its message and  
             mission in the world. The question of whether gay or lesbian  
             Christians should be ordained to the offices of deacon, elder,  
             and minister of the Word and Sacrament arises at such a time. 
              
             We observe that this debate often revolves around six passages  
             that refer to same-sex relationships. We would first of all  
             caution the church against wresting these passages out of context  
             and pressing them into service in our debate. On careful reading,  
             these passages seem to be advocating values such as hospitality  
             to strangers, ritual purity, or the sinfulness of all human  
             beings before God. Before we can hear their meaning for our time,  
             we must first understand their meaning in their own time. 
              
             Secondly, we would caution the church against any hasty  
             conclusion that these passages present instructions for us on  
             what we know as homosexuality today. In important sections of the  
             Bible -- the Ten Commandments, the prophets, the teaching of  
             Jesus -- this issue does not arise. Indeed the concept of  
             homosexuality as now understood may not appear at all in the  
             Bible. It is likely that the biblical authors never contemplated  
             the phenomenon that we have been able to name and describe for  
             only a little over a hundred years, a sexual orientation which is  
             integral to the identity of a small minority of the human family. 
              
             Thirdly, we caution the church against an interpretation of the  
             Bible that leads the church into pronouncing judgment upon a  
             specific behavior of a whole category of persons in the human  
             community. As the 1985 General Assembly observed in its  
             Guidelines for the Interpretation of Scripture in Times of  
             Controversy, "Let all interpretations be in accord with the rule  
             of love, the twofold commandment to love God and to love our  
             neighbor." 
              
             We would encourage the church at this time to interpret  
             particular passages of the Bible in the light of the whole Bible,  
             and in the recognition that Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, is the  
             living Word of God. It is the gospel of Jesus that invites gay  
             and lesbian brothers and sisters to full communion in the church;  
             it is the Spirit of Jesus that calls and equips Christians for  
             ministry; and it is the justice of Jesus that calls us to insure  
             that those who are invited, called, and equipped are free to  
             fulfill their ministries among us with the full recognition and  
             support of the church. 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
             IN THE PRESS 
              
                                  Jack Rogers in the News 
              
                         Presbyterians Push Church to Embrace Gays 
              
                           By Deb Price / (c) *The Detroit News* 
                          Reprinted with permission, and thanks! 
              
             Decades ago, theologian Jack Rogers helped the Presbyterian  
             Church (U.S.A.) embrace the ordination of women. Yet just eight  
             years ago, no one would have been more surprised than he to learn  
             that one day he'd help navigate his denomination through the  
             stormy seas of anti-gay prejudice and toward ordination of openly  
             gay ministers. 
              
             He'd have been shocked because he knew little about homosexuality  
             and, looking back, says he probably would have opposed gay church  
             leaders. But eight years ago, Rogers started on a journey that  
             led him to see the Presbyterian ban on gay clergy as just as  
             wrong as its earlier support of slavery, racial segregation and  
             banning women from the pulpit. 
              
             A theology professor, Roger was asked by a beloved pastor to  
             develop a study program on homosexuality and the church after the  
             pastor had to tell his congregation that the gay man they'd  
             elected deacon could not be ordained because of national church  
             policy. Rogers dove into a year-long research project. 
              
             "All the things that are said about gays and lesbians to  
             disqualify them, I can show you exact quotes where (church  
             leaders) said the exact same things about blacks and women,"  
             Rogers reports. 
              
             "For example, people say gays and lesbians are willfully  
             rebelling against their God-given nature. (Church leaders) said  
             the same things about blacks who didn't want to be slaves and  
             women who didn't want to be silent. I believe if we read the  
             Bible in the same way we learned to read it in order to accept  
             the equality of other races and women, we will be forced to the  
             conclusion that gay and lesbian people are also to be accepted as  
             equal." 
              
             At the recent Presbyterian General Assembly, Rogers was  
             overwhelmingly elected to the top position of "moderator." The  
             gathering also voted, 317-208, to end the prohibition on  
             non-celibate gay clergy, elders and deacons that has deeply  
             divided the denomination since 1978. But to take effect, that  
             wonderful breakthrough must be ratified within the next year by a  
             majority of the 173 regional divisions known as presbyteries.  
             Winning will be an uphill battle. 
              
             So Rogers, a 67-year-old husband and grandfather, will spend part  
             of his year as moderator educating fellow believers. "What I want  
             them to realize is that to remove the ban on ordaining  
             homosexuals is not abandoning the Bible but reading the Bible in  
             a different way," he says. He'll address the few biblical verses  
             that condemn homosexuality. 
              
             "Leviticus also says adulterers should be stoned," Rogers says  
             with a laugh. "Now folks, if we are going to take it literally,  
             we're going to have to take it literally. What everybody does is  
             read the Bible selectively. Nobody takes it completely literally.  
             Nobody is stoning adulterers in their congregations." 
              
             He'll talk of his own experience of reading the Bible through  
             "the eyes of Jesus' life and ministry to get to the basic message  
             of acceptance and liberation," rather than by being distracted by  
             cultural oddities. 
              
             Martha Juillerat will join Rogers and other heterosexual allies  
             as one of many gay Presbyterians visiting churches to answer  
             questions in the coming year. She started the Stole Project after  
             giving up her ordination as a Presbyterian minister when she came  
             out. More than 800 stoles -- decorative shawls like those first  
             worn by early Christians as a symbol of service -- have been sent  
             in support of her work to persuade the church to embrace its gay  
             members. One handmade stole was sent by a lesbian couple after a  
             Presbyterian pastor refused to baptize their infant. 
              
             "The more people understand we are gifted, faithful Christians,  
             the better chance we have for the presbyteries to understand that  
             they are voting on people's lives so we can serve like everybody  
             else," Juillerat said. 
              
             Jesus calmed stormy seas and taught his disciples to "Love your  
             neighbor as yourself." What a blessing that so many Presbyterians  
             are pushing their church to live up to that powerful commandment. 
              
             (Deb Price's column is published on Mondays. She can be contacted  
             at (202) 662-7370 or dprice@detnews.com. Write letters to  
             letters@detnews.com.) 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
                          European Churches Take an Open Attitude 
                               toward Gay/Lesbian Ordination 
              
                         Issue is not as divisive as in the PCUSA 
              
                       by Luca Negro, for Presbyterian News Service 
              
                 Via the www.witherspoonsociety.org website, with thanks! 
              
             (A special visiting reporter with Presbyterian News Service  
             writes on the very different attitudes in European churches  
             toward gay ordination. While conservatives have pointed to  
             relations with former "mission churches" -- especially in Korea  
             and parts of Latin America -- as a reason to resist changes in  
             the church's attitude toward LGBT members, this report suggests  
             that other sister churches have much more open attitudes and  
             policies. -- Doug King, The Witherspoon Society.) 
              
             Louisville, KY, July 2, 2001 -- Gay ordination is a hot issue for  
             Protestant churches in Europe, but it is not nearly as divisive  
             and polarizing there as in the United States. 
              
             The debate arrived on the old continent years after it ignited in  
             the States, giving society and churches more time to deal with  
             it. The European churches have responded thoughtfully and  
             pragmatically, projecting an attitude of openness and of respect  
             for others' Biblical understandings and theological principles. 
              
             So the geography of gay ordination in Western Europe is like a  
             leopard skin, with islands of "gay" color scattered here and  
             there in the sea of the dominant culture. 
              
             The prospects of an openly gay candidate for ordination vary  
             widely from country to country. 
              
                                      The Netherlands 
              
             Laurens Hogebrink, a Dutch Reformed pastor, manages the Europe  
             and North America office of the Uniting Churches in the  
             Netherlands (UCN), a merger of the Lutheran church and the two  
             main Reformed Churches in the country. With more than 2.7 million  
             members, it is the largest Dutch Protestant church. 
              
             Hogebrink attended the recent General Assembly of the  
             Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) here as an Ecumenical Advisory  
             Delegate and witnessed first-hand the gay-ordination debate  
             before the Assembly Committee on Ordination Standards. "I must  
             confess that I was not expecting to take part in this  
             discussion," said Hogebrink, who is not gay. "So, instead of  
             talking about global issues, which are my expertise, I  
             surprisingly found myself talking all the time on gay ordination.  
             I was impressed by the strongly emotional impact of the debate,  
             but at the same time by the true effort of the concerned parties  
             to listen to each other." 
              
             "For many years, we do ordain homosexuals," Hogebrink explained.  
             "There's nothing in our *Book of Order* to single out a particular  
             category as being more sinful than another. Of course, we expect  
             the lifestyle of our ministers to be compatible with the Gospel,  
             but we are aware that we are all sinners." 
              
             He said the UCN doesn't regard homosexuality as a sin, nor  
             distinguish between sexual orientation and practice. 
              
             "This is our national policy," Hogebrink said, "but at the local  
             level the congregations may have different points of view. In our  
             church order system, it's left to local congregations to take  
             into account the personal lifestyles of their ministers, elders  
             and deacons." 
              
             Hogebrink said women's ordination has created a similar  
             situation. While the majority nationwide favors it, a good  
             percentage of congregations do not accept women as pastors. 
              
             "In this case, and also in case they don't want a homosexual  
             pastor, we believe we cannot force them," Hogebrink said. 
              
             The national policy of equal rights of all church members,  
             including the possibility of ordination, was clearly expressed in  
             1979 by the Synod of the "Re-reformed Churches" (Gereformeerde  
             Kerken, one of the partners in the UCN). Together with  
             controversies about doctrinal matters, this decision, according  
             to Hogebrink, "has caused some troubles to the ecumenical  
             relations of the "Re-reformed Churches," particularly with other  
             Reformed denominations and organizations, such as the  
             (international) Reformed Ecumenical Council, and, in the USA,  
             with the Christian Reformed Church in Northern America." 
              
             Hogebrink said his own church, the Reformed Church (Hervormde  
             Kerk), has not felt ecumenical repercussions because of its  
             policy on homosexuality. 
              
             "We had a difficult time within our own church, when in the late  
             1980s a local congregation refused to give communion to a gay  
             couple," he said. "Our Synod then rejected disciplinary measures  
             by local congregations because of homosexual orientation or  
             practice. After a wide debate, the Synod reconfirmed in 1995 that  
             heterosexuals and homosexuals have fully equal rights as church  
             members. Today the issue is much less controversial, except when  
             it comes to the blessing of homosexual couples. But the fact that  
             recently one of the three co-moderators of the UCN Synod happened  
             to be a self-affirming homosexual has hardly been seen as  
             something special." The Dutch Lutheran Synod affirmed already in  
             1972 that homosexuals could be ordained. 
              
             Hogebrink said his participation in the PCUSA Assembly "has  
             convinced me that the real issue is not homosexuality. It's how  
             you read and understand the Bible. The theological question is  
             the same that emerged with the issues of slavery and of the place  
             of women in church and society. It's at the same time an  
             ecclesiological and a theological question. It's a challenge to  
             check how open and inclusive we are, and how, really, we do  
             believe in justification through faith only." 
              
                                          Germany 
              
             The German Evangelical Church (EKD) is an alliance of the  
             regional churches known as Landeskirchen, which may be Lutheran,  
             Reformed or United. About 38 percent of Germany's 83 million  
             citizens are Protestant. The EKD position on homosexuality is  
             detailed in a lengthy document approved in 1996, titled "Living  
             with Tensions." A whole chapter is devoted to the issue of gay  
             ordination. It says that as a general rule it isn't wise to  
             ordain homosexual pastors, but it is permissible in some  
             individual cases, provided that certain criteria are fulfilled. 
              
             "As a matter of fact," explained Kerstin Soederblom, a woman  
             pastor in Frankfurt, "several regional churches are much more  
             liberal. The 1996 document is already an old text, and opinions  
             are rapidly changing. Some regional churches, particularly in the  
             East and the South of the country, still hold a conservative  
             position, but the majority of the 'Landeskirchen' do admit  
             homosexual pastors, provided that they do not promote or too  
             openly proclaim their homosexuality. 
              
             "For example, in the city of Frankfurt about 25 percent of the  
             pastors are gay or lesbian persons," Soederblom continued. "This  
             is no coincidence: It's easier to be homosexual and a pastor in a  
             city than in the countryside. There are no obstacles for an  
             affirming homosexual to be ordained, but the local congregation  
             has the right to say no." 
              
             In her case, Soederblom said, the majority of the Session was in  
             her favor, but some members had doubts. So they created a three- 
             month trial period -- a departure from normal practice. "After  
             that period I was fully hired," she said. "I was also allowed to  
             live in the manse with my partner." 
              
             "Knowing that I am an affirming lesbian, influenced by feminist  
             theology," she continued, "probably someone feared that I would  
             turn the church into a gay/lesbian center. But this did not  
             happen: We are a Christian church, inclusive and welcoming. Of  
             course many people who in the past had distanced themselves from  
             the church are now coming, knowing that the pastor would respect  
             them as they are." 
              
             Asked how church members have responded, Soederblom replied,  
             "They like us. They often invite us as a couple for dinner. I  
             think we give a good picture that it's possible to live in a  
             committed and loving relationship as a homosexual couple." 
              
             Soederblom said homosexual pastors in Germany are in a precarious  
             situation. "I'm happy here, but I wonder what will happen if for  
             some reason something goes wrong," she said. "As a matter of  
             fact, we do not have the same legal rights as heterosexual  
             ministers. We have to be twice as good as them to prove that we  
             are qualified pastors. Therefore we must still work to clarify  
             our position in the church." 
              
             Some church leaders also would like to make church legislation  
             crystal-clear. 
              
             At the recent "Kirchentag" (a mass rally of 100,000 German  
             Protestant, held in June), the president of the Synod of the  
             Evangelical Church of Kurhessen-Waldeck, Ute Heinemann, said the  
             criterion for homosexual applicants for ordination should not be  
             their sexual orientation, but their ability to faithfully serve  
             the church. Heinemann also spoke in favor of blessing ceremonies  
             for homosexual couples. 
              
             Church people fear that the issue could stir up old tensions. 
              
             Germany's Parliament has just passed a bill that would extend to  
             homosexual couples [the right] to officially register their  
             partnerships. The EKD council, while not opposing the  
             legislation, has made clear that it wants to maintain the  
             distinction between homosexual partnerships and marriage. Now the  
             churches are facing another quandary: what to do if a gay or  
             lesbian church employee, or even a pastor, registers his or her  
             homosexual relationship. The churches are pondering the issue and  
             expect to make official statements by the end of the summer. 
              
                                          Austria 
              
             One church that has a clear-cut position about the issue in  
             Europe is the Austrian Protestant Church (APC), which represents  
             five percent of the population in the predominantly Catholic  
             country. 
              
             Peter Proeglhoef, an ordained pastor since 1990, lives in  
             Salzburg with his male partner, also a pastor. In 1992, he  
             recalled, "a conservative group presented an overture to our  
             Synod, asking to ban the ordination of homosexual persons. 
              
             "The Synod then asked its theological committee to engage in an  
             extensive study, which resulted in 1994 in a declaration  
             affirming that there are no fundamental theological arguments  
             against homosexuality." 
              
             The document was sent to all congregations, and in 1996 the Synod  
             voted overwhelmingly in favor of a three-point policy: 
              
             * Homosexual believers are brothers and sisters, and should not  
             be discriminated against in our congregations. 
              
             * The State should give legal recognition to homosexual couples. 
              
             * The criterion for the admission to ministry is not sexual  
             orientation, but responsible sexual behavior. 
              
             "This decision," Proeglhoef said, "opened the way to my partner's  
             ordination." 
              
             Of course, not everybody in the Church was pleased with this  
             decision, Proeglhoef said, "but the Church leaders clearly and  
             openly supported me. They welcomed my partner -- who was then a  
             candidate to ministry in Germany -- to serve in our church." 
              
             Some Catholic bishops criticized the Synod's decision. The bishop  
             of Salzburg, for instance, declared that the APC was "getting  
             away" from the ecumenical fellowship. But no church in the  
             country reacted officially. Later, the Old Catholic Church in  
             Austria had its turn at the homosexual-ordination debate, and  
             decided to open the way to gay clergy. 
              
             Proeglhoef served as pastor of a small Protestant congregation in  
             Salzburg for 13 years, and now works in the office of the  
             Salzburg Protestant Church district as a school inspector. His  
             partner is a pastor. They have been together for 10 years, and  
             last year they moved into the manse. 
              
             "This was not a problem for the congregation," Proeglhoef said.  
             "The Session asked us to sign an agreement that regulates various  
             aspects of our living in a flat belonging to the church. The same  
             rules (that apply to) married heterosexual couples. That's all." 
              
                                           Italy 
              
             Less than one percent of Italians are Protestant. But Protestant  
             churches have been in the forefront of defending the rights of  
             minorities. So, in the late 1970s -- when homosexuality was  
             essentially taboo in Italy -- the Waldensian Center of Agape,  
             in Northern Italy, opened its doors to gay believers, and since  
             then has sponsored an annual conference on faith and  
             homosexuality. 
              
             The Waldensian Church has become so popular in Italy's gay  
             community that the national gay and lesbian organizations  
             officially invite their members to sign up for the Waldensian  
             Church when they pay taxes. (Italian law allows taxpayers to  
             allocate a small percentage of taxes, 0.008 percent, to churches  
             of their choice). 
              
             The majority of gay and lesbian Christians who attend the Agape  
             conferences are Roman Catholic. But in 1998, members of the  
             Waldensian, Baptist and Methodist Churches -- clergy and lay  
             people, men and women, straight and gay or lesbian -- founded the  
             Italian Protestant Network on Faith and Homosexuality. 
              
             "It was not enough to be perceived as a 'liberal' church, said  
             Giorgio Rainelli, the national coordinator of the Network. "The  
             fact is that our churches do not have an official and clear  
             position on homosexuality, and we felt the need to deepen our  
             understanding of inclusiveness, to work out our theological  
             awareness and to be more effective in pastoral care for sexual  
             minorities." 
              
             As a result of the network's efforts, last year's General  
             Assembly of the Baptist, Methodist and Waldensian churches agreed  
             to set up a theological commission on homosexuality, which will  
             produce materials for congregational study and report to the next  
             joint Assembly in 2005. 
              
             "The ordination of homosexual ministers has never been a real  
             issue in our churches," said Rainelli, a gay man who is actively  
             engaged in his congregation as Sunday School director. "We have a  
             certain number of gay and lesbian pastors, and their case has  
             been dealt with by keeping a low profile. The church leaders are  
             clearly supportive of their ministry, but usually recommend being  
             as discreet as possible. What they mostly fear are the possible  
             repercussions on ecumenical relations, not only with Catholics  
             but also with other Evangelical Churches, like the Pentecostals." 
              
             Rainelli, who lives in partnership with a male pastor, said:  
             "Almost everyone in the Church knows that we are committed to  
             each other. They accept us as a couple -- at least unofficially.  
             But to be honest, after so many years, I am getting tired of  
             caution. Late this year, we will celebrate our twentieth  
             anniversary, and my desire is to tell everybody how happy we are,  
             and how blessed has been our relationship -- even without an  
             'official' church blessing." 
              
             "The time has probably come to be more bold," he added, "which  
             doesn't mean to be needlessly provocative, but to dare openly  
             proclaim the wonders of God's inclusive love." 
              
              (Luca Negro is the communications officer for the Federation of  
             Protestant Churches in Italy. He has spent the last month in  
             Louisville as part of the Mission to the U.S.A. program of the  
             Worldwide Ministries Division, assigned to the Presbyterian News  
             Service.) 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
             MLP'er Lawrence Reh comments: 
              
             The Presbyterian News Service release that surveys the positions  
             of "reformed" churches in Europe, an historic ecclesiastical  
             stream that includes the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), with respect  
             to LGBT issues, is an extraordinary story.  (And worthy of a note  
             of appreciation to Jerry Van Marter, who heads up Presbyterian  
             News Service: JerryV@ctr.pcusa.org.)  
               
             I personally wish the author had devoted a little more space to  
             explaining that while the "debate" about the place of LGBT people  
             in the pews and pulpits of European reformed churches "arrived  
             ... after it ignited in the United States," the fact is that  
             until the last few years, there has been almost NO debate, and  
             the major reason is that LGBT members and pastors have simply  
             been integrated into the life of the church with little  
             controversy, because homosexuality has a much higher degree of  
             tolerance in Europe (as does most sexual expression). 
              
             Europeans are much less likely to see sexual orientation as a  
             litmus test for sinfulness, and a disqualifying condition with  
             respect to leadership, ordination, and sacraments, because they  
             are much less likely to see it as a willful perversion, but  
             rather as an expression of the variety of God's creation. 
              
             It seems to me that this story puts the lie to much of the  
             argument that progressive movement toward full acceptance and  
             equality of LGBT people in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) would  
             necessarily threaten relations with all of our church partners in  
             other parts of the world. -- Lawrence 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
                              Calvin on Freedom of Conscience 
              
                                     by Sarah Melcher 
              
                 Via the www.witherspoonsociety.org website, with thanks! 
              
             (The author is Assistant Professor of Hebrew Scriptures at Xavier  
             University in Cincinnati. She is an ordained minister in the  
             PCUSA and a graduate of Louisville Presbyterian Theological  
             Seminary (M.Div.) and of Emory University (Ph.D.). -- Doug King,  
             Witherspoon Society.   
              
             Sarah is also Jim Anderson's beloved cousin! Here she applies the  
             wisdom of John Calvin -- Jean Calvin in French! -- to Amendment O  
             and same-sex unions, but of course the same principles apply to  
             Amendment B -- G-6.0106b -- as well!  -- JDA) 
              
             On the issue of using amendments to the Constitution of the  
             Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in order to settle issues of morality,  
             I refer my colleagues to Jean Calvin's discussion in Book IV,  
             chapter X, in the *Institutes of the Christian Religion*. In this  
             lengthy discussion on the freedom of the individual's conscience  
             before God, Calvin cautions the Church against heaping up laws to  
             bind the consciences of human beings. By promulgating one law  
             after another to bind the morality of our fellow Christians,  
             "thus the Kingdom of Christ (as I have just suggested) is  
             invaded; thus the freedom given by him to the consciences of  
             believers is utterly oppressed and cast down." 
              
             Elsewhere in the same chapter (X), Calvin states, "Now let us  
             return to human laws. If they were passed to lay scruples upon  
             us, as if the observance of these laws were necessary of itself,  
             we say that something unlawful is laid upon conscience. For our  
             consciences do not have to do with men [sic] but with God alone." 
              
             The clear intent of Amendment O is to so constrain the behaviors  
             of fellow Presbyterians, so that they reflect the moral judgment  
             made by a supposed majority. By virtue of a simple majority vote,  
             Amendment O allows no church to make moral decisions about how  
             its church property shall be used. The important theological  
             process that should take place in decision-making, where  
             individual churches weigh their current circumstances in  
             conversation with Scripture and the traditions of the  
             Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), while seeking the guidance of the  
             Holy Spirit, is utterly circumvented by Amendment O. 
              
             By voting in favor of Amendment O, we are saying that we do not  
             trust individual churches to make moral decisions in the matter  
             of homosexual relationships. 
              
             In my opinion, Amendment O represents an encroachment upon  
             pastoral prerogatives, as well as an encroachment upon the  
             freedom of the individual's conscience before God. Let us find  
             some other means to settle our disputes about moral behavior,  
             than to constrain the choices of others through the imposition of  
             the will of a simple majority. 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
             MINISTERS 
              
                               A Pastor Declares More Light 
              
                                Congregation faces turmoil 
                          as pastor speaks out for ordaining gays 
              
                         By Dave Condren, News Religion Reporter, 
             *The Buffalo News*, 6/30/01 Reprinted with permission and thanks! 
              
             (Up to now, we've had More Light congregations, More Light  
             chapters, More Light liaisons, and even a More Light synod, but  
             now, perhaps for the first time, we have been blessed by a pastor  
             declaring he is a More Light Minister! -- JDA) 
              
             A Cheektowaga pastor has become the first Presbyterian minister  
             in the United States to formally go on record, contrary to the  
             consensus of his congregation, in favor of the ordination of gays  
             and lesbians [by formally declaring that he is a More Light  
             minister]. 
              
             The Rev. Philip Siddons, pastor of Maryvale Drive Presbyterian  
             Church, declared to his congregation during a one-hour and 15- 
             minute presentation Sunday that he is a "More Light" minister. 
              
             The stance puts him at odds with church law on ordination and  
             with about two-thirds of the members of his congregation. 
              
             The term "More Light," based on [John Robinson's sermon to the  
             Pilgrims upon their departure for the New World], means  
             supporting the election, ordination and installation as a church  
             officer of any individual, regardless of sexual orientation. Such  
             ordinations currently are prohibited by the *Book of Order*, the  
             constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), but that rule may  
             be changed within the next year. 
              
             Ordinarily, the "More Light" stand, often seen as an act of  
             defiance, is taken by an entire congregation or the church  
             Session, its governing body. But only 120 churches nationwide  
             have declared themselves to be "More Light." 
              
             "This is the first minister I've heard of" who has taken the  
             position without the support of his congregation, observed Jerry  
             Van Marter, news director for the Presbyterian News Service in  
             Louisville, KY. 
              
             But the denomination's General Assembly, its national ruling  
             body, voted earlier this month to abolish the ban on the  
             ordination of homosexuals. To become church law, the change must  
             be ratified by a majority of the church's 173 presbyteries over  
             the next year. 
              
             Siddons, who has been pastor of the Maryvale Drive church for  
             four years, said he made the statement "as a continuing education  
             work" to stimulate discussion of homosexuality within the  
             congregation. 
              
             "I feel that, as a leader, I have an obligation to state my own  
             personal understanding on this issue," said the minister, who  
             also teaches Scripture classes at the University at Buffalo. 
              
             "My studies of the Scriptures and the cultures in which they were  
             written and my study of society's current research on sexual  
             orientation (have) led me to agree with those who have taken this  
             'More Light' position," he said. 
              
             Siddons, who is heterosexual, acknowledged that "the elders of  
             the Session which employs me are fiercely against those who are  
             lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered persons." 
              
             Despite the controversial nature of his declaration, the Rev.  
             David W. McKee, general presbyter of the Presbytery of Western  
             New York, said he views Siddons' remarks as nothing more than "a  
             personal statement by a pastor." 
              
             The Rev. D. Dean Weaver, pastor of Knox Presbyterian Church in  
             Kenmore, vehemently disagrees. 
              
             "It is not a personal remark. It is a professional remark. He is  
             a member of the Presbytery of Western New York, and, as such, he  
             is obliged to uphold the constitutional standards of the church,"  
             he said. 
              
             "He can think what he wants as long as he doesn't try to push his  
             thoughts down our throats," said Larry Burroughs, one of several  
             church members who objected to their pastor's statement. 
              
             Burroughs, who serves as church treasurer, pointed out that  
             Siddons was aware when he was hired as pastor that "we are a very  
             conservative congregation." 
              
             "He looks at (the homosexuality issue) one way, and we look at it  
             another way. How this is going to end up, I don't know,"  
             Burroughs said. 
              
             On the other hand, Joan McKinley, who has been a member of  
             Maryvale Presbyterian for about 30 years, supports Siddons. 
              
             "The main point in all of his sermons is relationships. His take  
             on this issue is that everyone is God's people and that God loves  
             us all," she said. 
              
             McKinley agrees with Burroughs that the 200-member congregation  
             is "extremely conservative" and estimated that "probably less  
             than one-third" agree with Siddons' statement or his decision to  
             make it. 
              
             "The congregation is very unwilling to change. I think there will  
             be a lot of meetings and a lot of conversations," she said. 
              
             Regardless of how many church members disagree with Siddons,  
             McKee said, they are powerless to get rid of him. 
              
             "The Session does not hire and fire pastors and certainly not  
             over theological disagreements," McKee said, explaining that  
             Siddons was hired by the Presbytery at the request of the  
             congregation. 
              
             Weaver contends that Siddons could be removed as a pastor if  
             someone lodged a complaint about him with the denomination's  
             Permanent Judicial Commission, the church court. 
              
             "By publicly proclaiming that he is advocating a position that is  
             contrary to the constitution, it puts him in a position of  
             disobedience to the church's standards and makes him liable for  
             judicial action," he said. 
              
             McKee, however, compares the situation to the early days of the  
             civil rights movement, when pastors of all-white churches in the  
             South proposed opening their doors to blacks over the objections  
             of their congregations. 
              
             "I'm hoping it will start a dialogue within the Maryvale  
             congregation," said McKee. 
              
             The Rev. Thomas H. Yorty, pastor of Buffalo's Westminster Church,  
             said Siddons' public stand "will undoubtedly strain his pastoral  
             relationship with members of that congregation." 
              
             "My hope is that it does not disqualify or negate his  
             relationship with them," said Yorty, whose church is the only  
             "More Light" congregation in the Presbytery of Western New York. 
              
             Yorty said he considers Siddons "a very creative, thoughtful,  
             innovative person" who is "passionate about the great issues of  
             the day." 
              
             "I think he is trying to demonstrate a path that other clergy  
             could take if they wanted to," he said. 
              
             "Will this start a movement? I sort of doubt it because it is not  
             easy to be a prophet," Yorty added. 
              
             Burroughs, the church treasurer, wonders if his pastor's  
             statement might start a movement out the door of the Maryvale  
             Drive church. 
              
             "If attendance drops off dramatically, it will show that people  
             are unhappy. The Session would have to come to grips with it," he  
             said. 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
             COMMENTARY 
              
                         How Can the Church Change Its Standards? 
              
                               by Jim Green, Psychotherapist 
              
             Recently the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s General Assembly  
             voted to allow the ordination of homosexuals to the ministry.  
             Responding to this, a number of Presbyterians have said to me,  
             "How can the Church change what has been taught for hundreds of  
             years? If homosexuality was a reason to consider a person  
             disqualified for ministry in the long history of our Church, how  
             do we have the authority to change what was always our belief?" 
              
             I have responded to those sincere questions by reminding my  
             friends that the institutional Church is not to be confused with  
             God. I have noticed that people with a strong denominational  
             identity often do feel their Church is God's representative on  
             Earth. Churches, however, are human institutions. They often do  
             great good. On occasion their humanity shows, and they make  
             mistakes and harm is done. Recently the Pope apologized for the  
             violation of human rights, the torture, and the murder of the  
             Inquisition. If it could be criticized for being an apology much  
             delayed, I still commend the Pope for the apology. It is healthy  
             for Churches to admit their human failings. 
              
             Ask thoughtful ministers of any Christian denomination, and they  
             will be able to cite examples of the harm done to individuals and  
             groups by their own denomination. The Church can err. 
              
             Jesus said the Holy Spirit would be with the Church to guide it.  
             The implication is that the Church has to develop as history  
             evolves. Sometimes Christians disagree about how the Spirit is  
             guiding the Church, and thus we have many different  
             denominations. It is hard to make the case that the institutional  
             Church does not make mistakes. 
              
             A vivid example of evolving Church teaching is the issue of  
             slavery. A literal reading of the Bible reveals that God told the  
             Israelites to enslave their neighbors. So how could one argue  
             that God told the Israelites to do something immoral?  
             Furthermore, 1800 years of Christian tradition supported the view  
             that enslaving others is acceptable. Yet, the issue of whether  
             slavery was moral or not tore apart Churches from 1800 until  
             1865. Finally, the Churches saw that the greater scriptural  
             message of love overrides arguments in favor of slavery and now  
             all denominations teach that to enslave another human being is a  
             sin. Most theologians would say the Holy Spirit guided this  
             movement which caused the development of a new, deeper  
             understanding of the issue of slavery. Christians evolved. 
              
             I believe the Holy Spirit is guiding the Churches to a new  
             understanding of the issue of homosexuality. Leading theologians  
             have addressed the issue with prayer, study, thought, and by  
             looking at the real lives of homosexuals. Many have concluded  
             that they have been lead to a new understanding. They support  
             changing the traditional teaching of the Church on homosexuality.  
             They recognize the immense suffering homosexuals have endured  
             over two thousands years of Christianity, and they see the  
             injustice of it. It is a fact that homosexuals have lived lives  
             of silent agony, afraid to tell anyone of their deepest capacity  
             to love, for countless generations. Homosexuals have been  
             tortured, imprisoned, and executed with the approval of the  
             Churches, for no other crime than having a same-sex orientation. 
              
             As a psychotherapist, I see patients every day who are suffering  
             from depression and anxiety as a result of the conflict they feel  
             between their Church's condemnation of homosexuality and their  
             natural inclination to fall in love with someone of the same  
             gender. Many are unaware that a significant number of  
             denominations, congregations, and church leaders now hold a gay- 
             affirming theology. For these patients, cultivating a deeper  
             understanding of their relationship with God leads to a healing  
             of depression and anxiety. 
              
             Many Christians resent the fact that they even have to hear about  
             or deal with the homosexual issue. They feel it has nothing to do  
             with them. Yet today the homosexual issue is at the core of  
             Church life, and I believe it is there for a good reason. In  
             fact, the issue impacts every Christian. Homosexuals are our  
             family members, friends, neighbors, and fellow Christians. The  
             overriding scriptural message of love has a place in this  
             discussion. I trust that the Holy Spirit will continue to lead  
             Churches toward what Jesus called a "Thirst for Justice." 
              
             (Jim Green, M.Div, DAPA, LPC, is a psychotherapist in private  
             practice in Charlotte. He wrote this editorial for the *Charlotte  
             Observer*. It is printed here with our thanks, and the author's  
             permission.) 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
             BOOKS 
              
             *Longtime Companions: Autobiographies of Gay Male Fidelity*,  
             edited by Alfred Lees and Ronald Nelson (New York: Haworth Press,  
             c1999. 225 p.). Reviewed by Dave Tornblom      
                        
             Longtime Companions is a anthology describing gay male  
             relationships of couples who have been together for as long as  
             53 years.  Some of the contributions are very short and precise  
             while others are lengthy and detailed.  But all of them are the  
             fundamentalists' worst nightmare, because they exhibit all the  
             feelings and rewards that the fundamentalist like to think are  
             reserved for marriage between a man and a woman.  The editors,  
             Lees and Nelson, contribute their own story and are to be  
             commended for gathering the other stories about love, church,  
             commitment, self-sacrifice, growth, nurturing, role modeling,  
             child rearing, and bonding.  The readers will indeed be blessed  
             and see themselves in a better light for giving time to this  
             publication. 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
             *Losing Matt Shepard: Life and Politics in the Aftermath of Anti- 
             Gay Murder*, by Beth Loffreda (Columbia University Press; 2000.  
             189 p.)  Reviewed by Craig Machado. 
              
             Beth Loffreda, a new member of the English department at the  
             University of Wyoming in Laramie, suddenly found herself in the  
             maelstrom of events surrounding the murder of gay college student  
             Matthew Shepard. Even though she had never met Shepard, as  
             faculty advisor to the LGBT group on campus, she soon got to know  
             a lot of people who knew Matt and were not only grief-stricken at  
             what had happened but scared and angry as well. They feared for  
             their own lives and were convinced that hate crimes bias laws  
             were needed, despite the popular folklore about Wyoming being a  
             quietly tolerant place to live. 
              
             Matt Shepard soon became an icon in the press: pictures of the  
             fence to which he was tied and beaten to death appeared in all  
             the national news magazines along with photos of the aggrieved,  
             tearful parents, Dennis and Judy Shepard; Congress and the  
             Whitehouse weighed in about the tragedy (but the former could not  
             pass a hate crimes bill including sexual orientation); gay and  
             lesbian rights organizations expressed outrage and sent staffers  
             to Laramie; Fred Phelps and his rag-tag band of gay haters  
             arrived for the trials of Henderson and McKinney to remind the  
             nation that queers deserve what they get; guest celebrities such  
             as Elton John and Peter, Paul and Mary flew in for "quickie"  
             fundraisers. In short, the murder became a flash point in  
             American culture, exposing once again the volatile cross currents  
             of sexual orientation, social class, intolerance, media hype,  
             religious bigotry and elected officials blandly intoning "all  
             crime is hate crime." 
              
             Ms. Loffreda does an admirable job of taking the reader back  
             through the events surrounding Shepard's murder; the book is not,  
             thankfully, an academic treatise, but rather a series of  
             thoughtful reflections based on the author's extensive interviews  
             with various people from Laramie including Matt's friends and  
             fellow students, local LGBT activists, the police who  
             investigated the crime and community members who tried to get the  
             Laramie city council to pass a meaningful hate crimes bill.  
              
             Rob Debree, in particular, the chief investigating officer for  
             the case, is portrayed as a kind, reflective man, someone who  
             freely admitted to his own homophobia and unexamined prejudices.  
             As the grim details of Matt's death pile up, DeBree awakens not  
             only to the horror of what was done to Matt, but also to the  
             reality of everyday discrimination LGBT people face. His  
             conversion into a staunch supporter of hate crimes legislation  
             (he would travel to Washington to testify for anti-bias laws) is  
             a poignant reminder in a small and very personal way (why  
             "personing" the LGBT issue can be so effective and humanizing) of  
             what happens to ordinary citizens who open their hearts and  
             minds-especially when tragedy forces an unexpected examination of  
             conscience. 
              
             In the end, one of the most valuable lessons that Loffreda gleams  
             from the Shepard tragedy as the city of Laramie tries multiple  
             times to pass a hate crimes bill (a watered down version  
             eventually passed) is that "you get political power by acting  
             like you have it." The real work, when the trials are done, the  
             cameras packed up, the protesters and sympathizers dispersed,  
             must now begin: how to change people's thinking on LGBT issues by  
             believing that you already have the power to do so and acting on  
             it every day. 
              
             The parallel between the citizens of Laramie and folks working  
             for change in the Presbyterian church (and other denominations)  
             couldn't be clearer. You stay and fight, you challenge, you build  
             supportive organizations, you move forward, acting on a vision of  
             justice and inclusiveness, knowing it will never be easy: 
              
             "If Matt bequeathed Laramie anything, he bequeathed us the  
             passion and necessity and freedom of dissent.  And as the town  
             continues to remember and forget, to speak the languages of  
             tolerance and admonition both, we should all of us hold that  
             inheritance close." 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
                                     More on Leviticus 
              
             Milgrom, Jacob. *Leviticus 17-22: A New Translation with  
             Introduction and Commentary*. The Anchor Bible, volume 3A. New  
             York: Doubleday, 2000. Reviewed by Tom Hanks 
              
             Not often do top scholars provide us with the good ready-made  
             sound-bites we need for debates with our fundamentalist friends,  
             but such is the case with orthodox Jewish rabbi Jacob Milgrom's  
             long awaited second volume on Leviticus that covers the chapter  
             with the infamous "clobber texts" commonly cited against  
             "homosexuals" (18:22 and 20:13).  When Milgrom's final volume is  
             published, he will have given us some 3000 pages on Leviticus,  
             which is probably more than most of us will want to edify  
             ourselves with on that particular book.  Many have been content  
             to point out the inconsistencies of fundamentalists who cite the  
             book as their authority for condemning "homosexuals" but simply  
             ignore the 90%+ of the book's other teachings that neither Jews  
             nor Christians consider binding today.   
              
             However, sandwiched in between the clobber-text chapters is  
             Leviticus 19:18, which Jesus, James and Paul cited as the most  
             important commandment: "love your neighbor as yourself" (see Mk  
             12:28-31; Lk 10:25-28; Mat 22:39; 25:31-46; James 2:8; Gal 5:14;  
             Rom 13:8-10; cf. Lev 19:34; Mat 5:43; Deut 6:5).  Then Leviticus  
             25, with its instructions regarding the Jubilee Year (inscribed  
             on the American Liberty Bell), contains what is commonly viewed  
             as the most radical social-economic legislation in the Bible --  
             provisions for liberation of slaves, debt cancellation,  
             ecological concerns, and a radical redistribution of the land far  
             more advanced in justice ideals that anything put into practice  
             in the world so far -- in addition to Sharon Ringe's classical  
             study, *Jesus, Liberation, and the Biblical Jubilee* (Philadelphia:  
             Fortress, 1985), see now Ross and Gloria Kinslers' *The Biblical  
             Jubilee and the Struggle for Life* (Maryknoll: Orbis, 1999).  So  
             although most Christians today unashamedly prefer pork to  
             Leviticus, a commentary of the depth of Milgrom's at least makes  
             us inquire whether the book that proved so important to Jesus,  
             James and Paul is not worth at least a brief second look. 
              
             I would recommend reading at least Milgrom's insightful and  
             fascinating pages on the clobber texts in full (pp. 1565-70;  
             1748-50; 1784-90), but since 3000-page multi-volume commentaries  
             on Leviticus are not easily available to many, I will summarize  
             and briefly critique the rabbi's important conclusions.          
              
                                          Summary 
              
             1. Most significant -- and extremely important for correcting the  
             misinterpretation of the New Testament clobber texts as well --  
             Milgrom confirms Saul Olyan's conclusion that the only act  
             prohibited in Lev 18:22 and 20:13 is male-male anal sex: "as one  
             lies with a woman, *miskebe issa*, literally "as the lyings down  
             of a woman" (cf. miskab sakar, Num 31:17, 18, 35, referring  
             to vaginal penetration. i.e., defloration; hence, in this case it  
             must indicate anal penetration; Olyan 1994:183-85).  It is a  
             technical term (cf. 20:13)" (Milgrom, p. 1569).  
              
             As I have often pointed out, this prohibition -- and the New  
             Testament texts that echo it -- were given in historical contexts  
             where condoms were not available:  Hence, in effect, all the so- 
             called "clobber texts" in the Bible say not a word against  
             "homosexuals" nor homoerotic conduct generally, but simply taught  
             our fundamental modern principle of "safer sex": avoid anal sex  
             (except with condom).  Fundamentalist Jews and Christians may  
             believe that the Holy Spirit verbally inspired the clobber texts  
             to inerrantly teach safer sex -- something they usually do not want  
             to permit in public schools, since its more fun to have pregnant  
             teenagers and single moms to preach against -- but with Milgrom's  
             interpretation, the only thing that might legitimately be  
             clobbered with the clobber texts is disregard for the  
             fundamentals of safer sex.   
              
             2.  To explain the rationale behind the Levitical prohibitions of  
             male-male anal sex, Milgrom concludes that they "specifically  
             address the fear of a stagnant birth rate" (p. 1785).   And he  
             raises the logical question: "However, particularly now, when the  
             paramount issue is not birth increase but birth control; when  
             populations explosions, especially in underdeveloped countries,  
             is a major cause of the famines and wars that ravage the earth,  
             does this biblical criterion (for ancient Israel!) carry  
             universal validity?" (pp. 1785-86).  After citing the commands to "be  
             fruitful and multiply and fill the earth" (Gen 1:28; 9:1), he  
             answers: "But the truth is that we have not only filled the  
             earth, we have over-filled it" (p. 1787).   
              
             3.  Milgrom sees some validity for the ancient priestly concerns  
             to procreate in the case of Jews today, since a third of them  
             were killed in the holocaust and in America more are lost through  
             negative birth rates and intermarriage.  However, "To Jewish  
             homosexuals I offer an unoriginal solution.  As a compensation  
             for your loss of seed, adopt children" (Milgrom, 1787).   
              
             Christian fundamentalists, who commonly visit Leviticus only long  
             enough to pick up a couple of clobber texts, will not at first be  
             happy to learn that this orthodox rabbi, the world's leading  
             expert on Leviticus, concludes (1) that only male-male anal sex  
             (without condoms) was prohibited, (2) that the reason for such  
             prohibitions was the need to maximize population growth (either  
             after the Exodus or the Exile, depending on the dating of the  
             texts), (3) that such a rationale makes no sense in the modern  
             world, (4) and that we should therefore now encourage Jewish gay  
             males to compensate by adopting children.  But Falwellian  
             fundamentalists can hardly accuse the scholar who has provided  
             this commentary on Leviticus of unprecedented detail, of not  
             "taking the Bible seriously."  It will be fascinating to see if  
             Milgrom's massive work encourages fundamentalists to take  
             Leviticus more seriously -- how will they seek to apply the book's  
             Jubilee provisions (celebrated by our pious founding fathers with  
             the inscription on the Liberty Bell), for instance, to land  
             distribution in Texas?  Will we simply be treated to another  
             example of the prejudice masked by "selective literalism" and  
             incoherent argument, which has characterized fundamentalists  
             throughout the history of Judaism, Christianity and Islam?   The  
             Holy Spirit has surprised us with Milgrom's historic  
             contribution, representing a major reversal of centuries of  
             religious prejudice -- should we not hope and pray she will do it  
             again? 
              
                                         Critique 
              
             1.  Although Milgrom clearly and explicitly affirms his  
             acceptance of Saul Olyan's conclusion that Leviticus condemns  
             only male-male anal sex, frequently he lapses into inaccurate,  
             anachronistic references to "homosexuality" in the Hebrew texts.   
             Thus, he recognizes that the sin of Sodom (Genesis 18) is  
             specifically the attempted gang rape of angel visitors.  However,  
             repeatedly he refers both to the sin of Sodom, as well as the  
             actual gang rape and murder of the Levite's concubine at Gibeah  
             (Judges 19) as involving "homosexuality" (pp. 1788-1799)!  Modern  
             readers without access to the original Hebrew can only be  
             confused by such anachronistic importations of a modern  
             scientific term denoting the sexual orientation of persons,  
             including lesbians, when the texts involved show no interest or  
             knowledge of the sexual orientation of the persons involved, but  
             rather describe violent acts by males, whom today would be viewed  
             as mainly bisexual, but perhaps  including hetero- and  
             homosexual.   Such anachronistic importations of modern  
             scientific terms are especially dangerous for fundamentalist  
             readers, who (instead of taking seriously the original historical  
             context) are ever tempted to imagine that the Holy Spirit was  
             inerrantly inspiring the biblical writers to know more about  
             modern science that "secular scientists" do.  Had Milgrom  
             familiarized himself with Mark Jordan's recent works, he would  
             have realized that in the Bible Sodom is a place, not a sin, and  
             that the "sin" of "sodomy" was an invention of late medieval  
             monks -- who then left both western ecclesiastical and political law  
             perpetually confused by their refusal to define this horrific  
             "unspeakable sin."   
              
             2. Personally, I agree with the Milgrom's explanation that the  
             best rationale for the Leviticus prohibitions against male-male  
             anal sex is the concern to maximize population growth (already  
             recognized by "Ramban," Moses Maimonides, 1138-1204 C.E.).  Such  
             a rationale fits the immediately adjoining prohibitions against  
             sex with women during her "menstrual uncleanness" (18:19), child  
             sacrifice (18:21), and sex with animals (18:23).  When we  
             recognize that the entire book of Leviticus comes from the same  
             priestly source of the Pentateuch that also gives us the first  
             creation narrative of Genesis, with its command to "be fruitful  
             and multiply" (1:28), the legitimate concern of exilic priests to  
             maximize population growth is easily appreciated.  Modern readers  
             can quickly see that such prohibitions would be especially  
             important in historical contexts in which the population was  
             small (after the Exodus or in Exile), but may not in every case  
             be wise guidelines in the modern world characterized by  
             population explosion.  However, as Milgrom recognizes (p. 1566),  
             alternative rationales commonly are suggested by modern scholars:  
             the association of  the practices with idolatry (Lev 18:1-2, 21,  
             24-30; 20:1-8, 22-27; see John Boswell, 1980); the blurring of  
             rigid patriarchal gender boundaries (Mary Douglas 1966;  
             Bernadette Brooten 1996); the wasting of precious male semen; or  
             the mixing of  male semen with other defiling substances (blood,  
             feces).   
              
             In our contemporary debates it is important to keep the focus on  
             the quite limited nature of the acts prohibited in Leviticus:  
             male-male anal sex.  Rationales for such laws may be multiple and  
             may change over history.  We do not need to await for the  
             achieving of scholarly consensus regarding the cause(s) of   
             heterosexuality or right-handedness, any more than we do for  
             understanding why some people are homo/bisexual, left-handed or  
             bi-dexterous.  We may learn to tolerate persons engaged in  
             consensual adult behavior that does no obvious harm (Romans 13:8- 
             10) and let the scientists continue their investigations and  
             debates.  If it is incoherent and unjust to withhold or deny basic  
             human rights to persons who are heterosexual and right-handed  
             until scientists can clearly agree on the cause(s) of these  
             characteristics, the same applies to persons who are differently  
             endowed.       
              
             3. However perceptive exegetically, several of Milgrom's attempts  
             to ward off fundamentalist brandishing of Leviticus 18:22 and  
             20:13 as clobber texts may appear irrelevant or weird to  
             Christian readers.   
              
             3.1. Contextually, of course, Milgrom is correct to observe that  
             Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 are directed only to Jewish males in  
             the Holy Land and for infractions of these laws threatens them  
             with expulsion from the land (18:24-30; 20:22-24): "these  
             regulations were binding only in Israel (and its resident aliens,  
             18:26), but not in other countries" (p. 1750).  Hence "it is  
             incorrect to apply this prohibition on a universal scale" (p. 1786),  
             so "over ninety-nine percent of the gays, namely non-Jews, are  
             not addressed" (p. 1787).  The ban is "limited to male Jews and  
             inhabitants of the holy land" (p. 1790).  Such an argument may work  
             wonders with Jewish fundamentalists, but not with Christians, who  
             must deal also with New Testament texts.    
              
             3.2. Milgrom's student David Steward has pointed out (p. 1569) that  
             the "lyings with a woman" always in the Hebrew Bible is used  
             "only for illicit heterosexual unions" (p. 1786).  He agrees with  
             Steward that this implies that the prohibition of male-male anal  
             sex "does not cover all male-male liaisons, but only those within  
             the limited circle of the family,"  but such anal sex acts "with  
             unrelated males are neither prohibited nor penalized" (p. 1786).   
             While this observation is a helpful reminder that the main  
             emphasis in both Leviticus 18 and 20 is on prohibitions of what  
             we would designate as "incest" (see 1 Cor 5), the rabbinic logic  
             involved probably will not carry much conviction with modern  
             Christian readers.  Milgrom, however, finds much coherence in the  
             combined emphasis in Leviticus 18 and 20 to avoid incestuous  
             unions producing illegitimate offspring, and to maximize  
             legitimate births in stable patriarchal households by avoiding  
             non-procreative sex.   
              
             4. Milgrom makes considerable effort to come to terms with the  
             differences between Leviticus 18:22, which penalizes only the  
             male who anally penetrates another male (often rape), and  
             Leviticus 20:13, which condemns both males to death.  Although he  
             successfully avoids making such a law normative for modern  
             societies, he fails to come to grips with Bernadette Brooten's  
             point (1996) about the horrendous injustice of condemning victims  
             of anal rape and child abuse to death along with their violators,  
             and the cruelty of ancient notions of contamination as "unclean"   
             those who suffered this kind of sexual abuse.     
              
             5. Repeatedly Milgrom makes clear that Leviticus only prohibits  
             male-male anal sex, and that the Hebrew Bible has not a word to  
             say against lesbian sex.  However, not having read James Miller's  
             studies, Milgrom (p. 1750) fails to recognize that in Romans 1  
             the issue also is only anal sex, that Romans 1:26 refers only to  
             women who offer themselves for anal sex with males (to avoid  
             procreation), and that the link between Romans 1:26 and 1:27 is  
             anal sex (26, females with males; 27 males with males), not our  
             modern scientific construct of "homosexuality." 
                
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
             MORE FROM GENERAL ASSEMBLY 
              
                             Press conference offers reactions 
                            from two sides to ordination action 
              
                                       by Jane Hines 
                                 Presbyterian News Service 
              
             Louisville, KY, June 15, 2001. -- Following the vote by the 213th  
             General Assembly to send to presbyteries a recommendation to  
             remove G-60106B from the *Book of Order*, a press conference was  
             held to get reactions from representatives of groups involved in  
             the ordination debate. 
              
             First to speak were representatives of Presbyterians for Renewal  
             and the Presbyterian Coalition, both of which have opposed  
             ordination of gays and lesbians. 
              
             Nancy Maffett, elder commissioner from Colorado Springs, said,  
             "There is a great weariness in the church. I feel this will be  
             damaging to the Body and 
             its unity." 
              
             Matt Robbins from California, co-moderator of the Youth Advisory  
             Delegates at this Assembly, said, "I am disappointed with the  
             vote but I am pleased with the way YADs discussed it. I think  
             there was too much pressure to make everyone happy. I think the  
             decision was brought through our culture. It's hard enough to be  
             a young person trying to be faithful to Jesus. We need the church  
             to stand up and say there is truth in the Bible." 
              
             Joe Rightmyer, executive director of Presbyterians for Renewal,  
             said, "I am saddened by statements of unbelief in yesterday's  
             debate on salvation through Jesus Christ. It was not just a  
             difference of opinion. The question is not how we get to God but  
             to reaffirm how God comes to us." 
              
             Jerry Andrews, representing the Presbyterian Coalition, said the  
             vote was not unexpected. "There will be a better reflection of  
             reality in the presbytery votes," he added. 
              
             Russ Ritchel, Jr., a minister from Salem Presbytery in North  
             Carolina, said in response to a question about a possible split  
             in the denomination as a result of the vote, "There already is a  
             split in the church. It's like we're in a British comedy where we  
             are all handcuffed together. We are handcuffed together by our  
             property. How can we expect others to take us seriously when we  
             have not figured out a way to live together and affirm one  
             another?" 
              
             Rightmyer said he had talked to pastors with tears in their eyes  
             who say they don't know if they can keep their congregations  
             together. "How many will still be around to vote in the  
             presbyteries?" he asked. 
              
             During the second part of the press conference, representatives  
             of More Light Presbyterians, That All May Freely Serve and The  
             Shower of Stoles Project offered a different perspective. They  
             began with a statement by Bill Moss, co-moderator of More Light  
             Presbyterians and an openly gay elder at Old First Presbyterian  
             Church in San Francisco. It said: 
              
             "We join together in giving thanks to God for this action of the  
             General Assembly that paves the way for the ordination of  
             lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Presbyterians. Today the  
             church has returned to its historic principles of allowing local  
             churches and presbyteries to make decisions about ordination. "  
             The statement expressed gratitude to "everyone who worked in  
             their local churches, presbyteries and synods...to everyone who  
             prayed for us, wrote letters, spoke in public, signed covenants  
             of dissent or otherwise offered a witness to the working of the  
             Spirit." 
              
             In a media release, Martha Juillerat, director of the Shower of  
             Stoles project, said the decision impacts more lives than the  
             Assembly commissioners imagine. The Shower of Stoles Project is a  
             collection of over 800 stoles donated by lesbian, gay, bisexual  
             and transgender individuals called to serve in ordained  
             positions. About half of the stoles are from Presbyterians. "The  
             stoles bear powerful silent witness to the host of impassioned,  
             qualified, and faithful people knocking at the church's door, or  
             waiting silenced within the church for the day they can serve  
             openly," she said. 
              
             The group expressed opinions in the press conference about  
             divisions in the church and who has caused them. They said they  
             expect to go back to churches that are "overjoyed" at the  
             decision rather than dismayed. 
              
             Responding to a question about which group has the word of God,  
             Don Stroud, commissioner from Baltimore Presbytery, said, "No one  
             can box up and contain the Word of God. A legislative process can  
             never put God in a box." 
              
             213th General Assembly Moderator Jack Rogers spoke at the press  
             conference after the two groups had shared their views with  
             reporters. "The scriptures say 'Rejoice with those who rejoice  
             and weep with those who weep.' I am rejoicing that this group now  
             has hope and weep with those who sincerely believe the church has  
             done a wrong thing," he said. 
              
             "I have friends in both groups," he said. "What you've seen with  
             these two panels is what I've been experiencing as moderator. As  
             I have looked out at the commissioners I have come to believe  
             they represent the broad center of the Presbyterian Church. I  
             have seen other Assemblies when most commissioners came pre-set  
             for one position or another. These are regular folks who didn't  
             seem to come here pre-committed. Some said they'd changed their  
             minds since they came here." 
              
             "I don't doubt the sincerity of any of them," Rogers said. "Some  
             believe they are reading the Bible right and think the others  
             aren't." 
              
             "This Assembly has affirmed Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour  
             every day. The thing that hurts deep in my soul is that almost  
             everybody feels like a victim in this situation. I hope in the  
             year to come we can address that. There are good people on all  
             sides looking at this differently. I am hopeful that the Task  
             Force, listening widely, can begin to address this," Rogers said. 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
             Comments from MLP'ers 
              
             (Culled from MLP email lists, but Anonymous here, because I  
             didn't have time to get permission for attribution! -- JDA) 
              
             I just listened to the webcast from Louisville, and have tears  
             streaming down my face.  It passed by  
             60%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
              
             God bless the many wonderful ally commissioners and advocates who  
             have worked and witnessed so hard to pass an overture repealing  
             G-6.0106b !!!!! 
              
             Could it really be that the liberation of GLBT people in our  
             church is upon us? 
              
             Thanks to the GA office for providing the webcast so we home- 
             stayers can sit on the edge of our seats as it happens (and  
             scream with joy). So cool! 
              
             With great thanksgiving, 
              
             Hopefully, I will have something to say about this later, but  
             right now I can't stop alternating crying and grinning. Michael 
              
             Yes, it did happen. Many tears and much rejoicing... 
              
             There was an audible breath in the hall after the vote. The winds  
             of the Spirit are blowing through the church, may it never be the  
             same! 
              
             But now we need to get back to work! 173 presbyteries!!! Yipes! 
              
             On a note related to the 60% vote, approximately 30 seconds  
             before the moderator asked the advisory delegates to register  
             their votes the heavens crashed with rolling thunder and the rain  
             poured down...cleaning the outside air and awaking all  
             commissioners for their duty.  It was surreal! John Rhodes 
              
             Dear folks who worked so hard to make this possible, 
              
             Bless you. Bless you. Bless you. This is so wonderful I  
             can hardly stand it! I feel like a party sitting here by  
             myself! I've been holding my breath (the better to pray with) for  
             so long, it's going to feel a little funny being able to  
             breathe for at least a little while.  My admiration for all  
             of you is boundless, and my prayers for continuing success  
             endless. 
              
             God is good! 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
                          The assembly gets off to a great start 
                    with the election of Jack Rogers as our moderator! 
              
                       Jack Rogers elected Moderator on first ballot 
              
                                       by Jane Hines 
                                 Presbyterian News Service 
              
             Louisville, KY, June 9, 2001. -- From a group of what Stated Clerk  
             Clifton Kirkpatrick called "four wonderful candidates," Jack  
             Rogers was elected Moderator of the 213th General Assembly of the  
             Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) . He received 286 votes on the first  
             ballot -- 55 percent -- out of 524 votes cast by commissioners.  
             Elder Nancy Maffett received 125 votes; Peaks Presbytery  
             Executive M. Anderson Sale received 67 votes and Elder Sandra  
             Hawley received 46 votes. 
              
             Rogers, termed a "bridge builder," came recently from the  
             Presbytery of San Gabriel in California and from a heritage in  
             the Presbyterian Church of North America. He came from being a  
             teacher in two diverse seminaries, Fuller and San Francisco, to  
             share his experience in "compromising and finding creative ways  
             to move forward through the genius of the Presbyterian way" with  
             Presbyterians in the 21st century. 
              
             In her nominating speech for Rogers, Janet Arbesman, minister  
             commissioner from Grand Canyon Presbytery, called him a world  
             renowned scholar. 
              
             The new Moderator has attended 29 Presbyterian General  
             Assemblies. He said that he comes to the Assembly every year  
             because this is the only place he experiences the church in its  
             great diversity. As Moderator he wants to demonstrate and give to  
             others the same opportunities he has had to know the transforming  
             Gospel. He told commissioners that he wants to emphasize in this  
             denomination the importance of marriage and family life. He wants  
             to lead the church through the pain of what he called the current  
             "Presbyterian Civil War." "No one has all the truth," he said. He  
             believes that we can affirm that we are united in Christ and  
             learn to trust each other. 
              
             "Unity does not mean uniformity," he said. "There is room in this  
             body of Christ for all of us and in this Assembly we can find  
             that to be true." 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
                               Assembly Rejects Proposal for 
                               Sexual Orientation Resources 
              
                                      By Alexa Smith 
                                 Presbyterian News Service 
              
             Louisville, June 13 - Citing inconclusive evidence on the  
             effectiveness of 'transformational' therapies to change an  
             individual's sexual orientation, the 213th General Assembly opted  
             not to offer such resources to individuals struggling with their  
             sexual identity and other sexual practices. 
              
             The report came to the floor tonight from the Assembly Committee  
             on Christian Education and Publication. Seventy-five percent of  
             the commissioners took the committee's recommendation and voted  
             to affirm statements by previous General Assemblies questioning  
             whether conversion therapies produce lasting reversals in sexual  
             orientation, while simultaneously affirming that "God is able to  
             do far more abundantly than we could ask or think," and that God  
             wills us all to be a part of the "New Creation that is possible  
             in Jesus Christ." 
              
             Commissioners did vote to create a resource on sexual addictions  
             -- an aid that Congregational Ministries Division staffer the  
             Rev. Ed Craxton told the Assembly will cost approximately $12,000  
             to produce. 
              
             The overture to create transformational resources (01-41) came  
             from the Presbytery of San Joaquin (California).  But arguments  
             like the one leveled by Hudson River (New York) Presbytery Elder  
             Georgia Hooper-Peek, a psychologist, was the majority voice,  
             cautioning that many homosexuals who undergo such therapy "risk  
             accepting an additional burden of shame" that may create or  
             deepen psychological problems. 
              
             In other actions, commissioners approved Overture 01-18 from the  
             Presbytery of Baltimore, that adds the deadlines for General  
             Assembly business to the denomination's annual planning calendar. 
              
             Two commissioners' resolutions -- one supporting the Boy Scouts  
             of America and the other questioning whether the organization  
             excludes gays -- were referred back to the General Assembly  
             Council (GAC).  Although the GAC has renewed a covenant agreement  
             with the National Association of Presbyterian Scouters, an  
             independent group, a dialogue is already under way on these  
             matters. 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
                                 MORE LIGHT PRESBYTERIANS 
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                                       MLP OFFICERS 
               
             Officers are also MLP Board Members.  The dates following each  
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                                  MLP Board of Directors 
              
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             2002 NOMINATING COMMITTEE: Gene Huff, Ralph Carter, Bear  
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                                   MLP National Liaisons 
              
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             CHAPTERS & LIAISONS: Michael J. Adee, M.Div., Ph.D., 369  
             Montezuma Ave., PMB #447, Santa Fe, NM 87501-2626, 505-820-7082,  
             fax 505-820-2540, MichaelAdee@aol.com 
              
             CHAPTER CONSULTANT: Gene Huff, 658  25th Ave., San Francisco, CA  
             94121, 415-668-1145, genehuff@pacbell.net 
              
             SEMINARY & CAMPUS GROUPS: Johanna Bos, Louisville Presbyterian  
             Theological Seminary, 1044 Alta Visa Rd., Louisville, KY 40205- 
             1798, jbos@lpts.edu 
              
             STRATEGY: Bear Ride, 1680 N. Holliston Ave., Pasadena, CA 91104,  
             626-398-9936, bears@usc.edu; Tony De La Rosa, 3016 Waverly Drive,  
             #109, Los Angeles, CA  90039-4115, 323-664-2787 (home),  
             tonydlr@ix.netcom.com 
              
             JUDICIAL ISSUES: Bear Ride, 1680 N. Holliston Ave., Pasadena, CA  
             91104, 626-398-9936, bears@usc.edu; Tony De La Rosa, 3016 Waverly  
             Drive, #109, Los Angeles, CA  90039-4115, 323-664-2787 (home),  
             tonydlr@ix.netcom.com; Peter Oddleifson, c/o Harris, Beach and  
             Wilcox, 130 E. Main St., Rochester, NY 14604, 716-232-4440 w.,  
             716-232-1573 fax. 
              
             PRISON MINISTRIES: Jud van Gorder, 915 Walnut Ave., Santa Cruz,  
             CA 95060-3440, 831-423-3829. 
              
             SHOWER OF STOLES PROJECT: Martha G. Juillerat, Director, 57 Upton  
             Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55405, 612-377-8792, StoleProj@aol.com,  
             www.showerofstoles.com. 
              
             THAT ALL MAY FREELY SERVE: Jane Adams Spahr, P.O. Box 3707, San  
             Rafael, CA 94912-3707, 415-457-8004, 415-454-2564 fax,  
             JanieSpahr@tamfs.org, http://www.tamfs.org 
              
             BISEXUAL CONCERNS: The Rev. Kathleen Buckley, 2532 Rosendale Rd.,  
             Schenectady, NY 12309-1312, 518-382-5342; Skidmore College  
             chaplain 518-584-5000 ext 2271, email kbuckley@skidmore.edu;  
             Union College protestant chaplain, 518-388-6618,  
             buckleyk@gar.union.edu; The Rev. Susan Halcomb Craig, c/o United  
             University Church, 817 W. 34th St., Los Angeles, CA 90007, 213- 
             748-0209 ext. 12, fax 213-748-5531, scraig@usc.edu 
              
             TRANSGENDER CONCERNS: Erin K. Swenson, 1071 Delaware Ave. S.E.,  
             Atlanta, GA 30316-2469, 404-627-4825, ErinSwen@aol.com 
              
             YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULT CONCERNS: Brian Cave, ClemsonBC74@aol.com 
              
             LATIN AMERICA: The Rev. Tom Hanks, Lavalle 376-2D, 1047 Buenos  
             Aires, Argentina, thanks@thanks.wamani.apc.org 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
             MLP PRESBYTERY LIAISONS 
              
             Arkansas: Greg Adams, 314 Steven, Little Rock AR 72205, 501-224- 
             4724, sgadams@Aristotle.net 
              
             Cascades: Janet Stang, 1244 Looking Glass Way, Central Point, OR  
             97502, 541-664-9189, stangp@transport.com 
              
             Charlotte: John Barry Mays, 1020 Arosa Ave. #5, Charlotte NC  
             28203, 704-358-8042, amayesd@worldnet.att.net 
              
             Cincinnati: Hal Porter, 4160 Paddock Rd., Cincinnati OH 45229,  
             513-861-5996, hgporter@hotmail.com 
              
             Denver: Laurene Lafontaine, 1247 Utica Street, Denver, CO 80204,  
             720-932-8772, lafden@qwest.net 
              
             Des Moines: Mike Smith, 1211 West St., Grinnell IA 50112, 641- 
             236-7955, michael.d.smith@pcusa.org 
              
             Detroit: John Lovegren & Dan Isenschmid, 269 McKinley Ave. Grosse  
             Pointe Farms MI 48236, 313-885-9047, pointetox@CompuServe.com 
              
             East Iowa: Robin and Rick Chambers, 907 Fifth Ave., Iowa City IA  
             52240, 319-354 2765, RChamb2912@aol.com 
              
             Heartland: Jeff Light, 4433 Campbell, Kansas City MO 64110, 816- 
             561-0555, jefflight@aol.com 
              
             Indian Nations: John McNeese, P. O. Box 54606, Oklahoma City OK  
             73120, 405-848-2819, John3317@home.com 
              
             Los Ranchos: Carolyn Ekstrand, 85 Tarocco, Irvine CA 92618, 949- 
             719-7286, burmese_cats@yahoo.com 
              
             Mid-Kentucky: Michael Purintun, 522 Belgravia Ct. Apt. 2,  
             Louisville KY 40208, 502-637-4734, michaelp@ctr.pcusa.org 
              
             Milwaukee: John Gregg, 3443 E. Waterford Ave., St. Francis WI  
             53235, 414-486-9939, jgregg@wi.rr.com 
              
             Missouri River Valley: Cleve Evans,3810 S. 13th St., #22, Omaha  
             NE 68107, 402-733-1360, cevans@scholars@bellevue.edu 
              
             National Capital: Jeanne MacKenzie, 725 3rd St. SW, Washington,  
             DC, 202-554-8281, jmackenzie@execware.com 
              
             New Hope: Jim Foster, 500 Meadow Run Dr., Chapel Hill NC 27514,  
             919-933-0498, j-efoster@mindspring.com 
              
             Newton: Laura Collins, 1 Wapalanne Rd., Branchville NJ 07826,  
             revlic@juno.com 
              
             New Brunswick: Jim Anderson, P. O. Box 38, New Brunswick NJ  
             08903, 732-249-1016, Jda@scils.rutgers.edu 
              
             New Castle: Patrick Evans, 91 E. Main St., #402, Newark, DE  
             19711, 302-266-9878, pevans@UDel.edu 
              
             New Covenant: Sara Jean Jackson, 4383 Fiesta Lane, Houston TX  
             77004, 713-748-4025, sjackson@netropolis.net 
              
             North Puget Sound: George Fuller, 5261 Dunbar St. Vancouver BC  
             V6N 1W1, Canada, 604-261-33417, loisf@interchange.ubc.ca 
              
             Northern Kansas: Tammy Rider, 3002 SW Randolph, Apt.A. Topeka KS  
             66611, 785-266-6695, TRider7140@aol.com 
              
             Northern New England: Ken Wolvington, 118 Shore Road, Burlington  
             VT 05401, 802-862-6605, kenwolv@prodigy.net 
              
             Pacific: Lisa Bove, 570 N. Irving Blvd. Los Angeles CA 90004,  
             323-465-5745, lbove@chla.usc.edu 
              
             San Gabriel: Charles R. Houdek, 1420 Santo Domingo Ave., Duarte  
             CA 91010, 626-303-5531, crh68@webtv.net 
              
             San Francisco: Gene Huff, 658 25th Ave. San Francisco CA 94121,  
             415-668-1145, genehuff@pacbell.net 
              
             San Jose: Marcia Ludwig, 6247 Shady Grove Dr., Cupertino CA  
             95014, 408-255-8467, church@fpcsj.org; Derrick Kikuchi, 29 Mar  
             Vista Ct., Daly City CA 94014-1414, 415-586-1416,  
             derrick@wkmn.com 
              
             Seattle:  Lindsay Thompson, 200 W. Mercer St. Suite 207, Seattle  
             WA 98119, 206-285-4130, tradelaw@thompson-law.com 
              
             Shenandoah: John E. Harris, 572 Atwood Drive, Gerrardstown WV  
             25420, 304-229-9227, john.harris1@ecunet.org 
              
             Southern Louisiana: Ellen Morgan, 2285 Cedardale, Baton Rouge LA  
             70808, 504-344-3930 
              
             Southern New England: Jack Hartwein-Sanchez, 149 Bramble Way,  
             Tiverton RI 02878, 401-624-6698, jackmlp@earthlink.net 
              
             Utica: Judith A. Westerhoff, 33 Mulberry St., Utica NY 13323,  
             315-853-6272, Br0adcloth@aol.com (first "o" is the number zero) 
              
             Western Kentucky: Michael Erwin, 426 St. Ann St., Owensboro KY  
             42303, 270-683-6836, pastor@centralpchurch.org 
              
             Winnebago: Dick Winslow, 111 E. Water St. #100, Appleton WI  
             54911, 414-731-0892, rwinslow@athenet.net 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
                                       MLP Chapters 
              
             MLP chapters provide an opportunity for local lesbian, gay,  
             bisexual and transgender Presbyterians and their straight allies  
             to come together regularly to carry out a variety of functions  
             and tasks which are seen to be important and appropriate for a  
             particular area.  Some are large; others are small.  Most meet  
             monthly, some less often but are always on call for taking on  
             strategic tasks.  All are able to provide strong personal support  
             to their members for the individual journeys they travel at this  
             point in their lives and in the life of the Presbyterian Church.   
             Chapters themselves decide what specific tasks and roles they  
             wish to take on, based on the stated mission of MLP.  
              
             For information about organizing a chapter, please refer to our  
             brief statement called "Tips for Organizing a MLP Chapter."  It is  
             found on our web page (http://www.mlp.org) or can be secured  
             along with other advice from our national field organizer Michael  
             Adee (369 Montezuma Ave., PMB #447, Santa Fe, NM 87501-2626, 505- 
             820-7082, fax 505-820-2540, MichaelAdee@aol.com).  Corrections  
             and other changes in the chapter information listings should be  
             sent to Michael. 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
                               Seminary and Campus Chapters 
              
             LIAISON: Johanna Bos, Louisville Presbyterian Theological  
             Seminary, 1044 Alta Visa Rd., Louisville, KY 40205-1798,  
             jbos@lpts.edu 
              
             CHICAGO THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY: Heyward / Boswell Society. Marilyn  
             Nash, 5757  South University Ave.,  Chicago, IL 60637,  
             mnash100@aol.com 
              
             COLUMBIA THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY: Imago Dei, Andrew Foster Connors,  
             404-377-2205, connors@mindspring.com; Katie Ricks, 404/377-9531,  
             AuntKatieR@hotmail.com, Columbia Theological Seminary, P.O. Box 520,  
             Decatur, GA  30031. 
              
             LOUISVILLE PRESBYTERIAN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY: Student Chapter.  
             Johanna Bos, 1044 Alta Vista Dr., Louisville, KY 40205, 502-8985- 
             3411, jbos@lpts.edu 
              
             McCORMICK THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY: Acts 10:15, McCormick Theological  
             Seminary, Tanya Denley, 1047 E. Hyde Park Blvd., Basement,  
             Chicago, IL 60615, tdenley@juno.com; James Hicks, 1519 W.  
             Rosemont Ave. #2W, Chicago, IL 60660, 773-338-5278,  
             booyim@21stcentury.net 
              
             PRINCETON: BGLASS, Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, and Straight  
             Seminarians, c/o Christine Gannon, SBN 430, Princeton Theological  
             Seminary, Box 5204, Princeton, NJ 08543, 609-497-9024,  
             CGannon104@aol.com. 
              
             SAN FRANCISCO THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY: SFTS More Light  
             Presbyterians.  Shelly Holle, 2 Kensington Rd., San Anselmo, CA  
             94960, 415-482-0283, SHolle@sfts.edu; Mary Davis, 563 St. Mary  
             Dr., Santa Rosa, CA 95409, 707-537-1133, mrydavis@aol.com; Pam  
             Lupfer, 25 Richmond Rd., #303, San Anselmo, CA 94960, 415-457- 
             7906, loopslair@aol.com; Tim Shipe, timothyshipe@hotmail. 
              
             UNION-PSCE: Whosoever More Light Chapter, Union-PSCE, c/o Jason  
             B. Crawford, 3401 Brook Road, Richmond, VA 23227,  
             whosoeverunion_psce@yahoo.com. 
              
             MACPROTESTANTS AT MACALESTER COLLEGE: Macprotestants, Lucy  
             Forster-Smith, Chaplain, 1600 
             Grand Ave., St. Paul, MN 55105, 651-696-6298 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
                              Presbytery & Regional Chapters 
              
                         Persons listed are moderators or contact 
                                 persons for each chapter. 
              
             BOSTON AND NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND: Ken Wolvington, 118 Shore Rd.,  
             Burlington, VT 05401-2658, 802-862-6605, ken.wolvington@pcusa.org 
              
             SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND: Jack Hartwein-Sanchez, 149 Bramble Way,  
             Tiverton, RI 02878, 401-624-6698. 
              
             GENESEE VALLEY: Kay Wroblewski, 74 Freemont Rd., Rochester, NY  
             14612, 716-663-6632; Ralph Carter, 111 Millburn St., Rochester,  
             NY 14607-2918, 716-271-7649, rcarter@rpa.net 
              
             PITTSBURGH: Robert J. Boston, Moderator, P. O. Box 15784,  
             Pittsburgh, PA  15244, 412-795-0828. 
              
             LAKE ERIE: Robin Cuneo, P.O. Box 201, Findley Lake, NY 14736, 716- 
             769-7394, cuneo@cecomet.net; Rev. Evon Lloyd McJunkin, 1721 W.  
             31st St., Erie, PA 16508, 814-864-1920, evon@erie.net; Rev. Kate  
             Irish Filer, 2816 Elmwood Ave., Erie, PA 16508, 814-676-4739,  
             KIF1@juno.com 
              
             DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: "Open Doors," Dana vanBever, 3500 Russell  
             Road, Alexandria, VA 22305, 703-683-2644, jdvangreen@aol.com;  
             Jeanne MacKenzie, 725 3rd St., SW, Washington, DC 202-554-8281,  
             jmackenzie@execware.com 
              
             EASTERN VIRGINIA: Carol Bayma, 4937 Olive Grove Ln. Virginia  
             Beach, VA 23455-5218, 757-497-6584, Carol and Alice@gateway.net 
              
             TRIANGLE (NORTH CAROLINA): James R. Foster, 500 Meadow Run Dr.,  
             Chapel Hill, NC 27514-8022, 919-933-0498, j-efoster@mindspring.com;  
             Jack Cover, Chairperson, 919-933-0498. 
              
             CHARLOTTE: John Barry Mayes, 1020 Arosa Ave. #5, Charlotte, NC  
             28203 704-358-8042; Gwen and Cullen Ferguson, Chapter  
             Coordinators, www.gaycharlotte.com/morelight, mlpcharlotte- 
             owner@yahoogroups.com, amayesd@worldnet.att.net 
              
             NORTHERN OHIO: George Smith, 13349 Spruce Run Dr., Apt. 103,  
             North Royalton, OH  44133, 440-230-1301,  
             GeoEMSmith@aol.com; Carole R. Minor, 339 St. Leger Ave. Akron, OH   
             44305. 
              
             DETROIT / SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN: John Lovegren & Dan Isenschmid,  
             269 McKinley Ave, Grosse Pointe Farms,MI, 48236, 313-885-9047,  
             pointetox@cs.com 
              
             LAKE MICHIGAN PRESBYTERY: Rev. Janet Duggins, Westminster  
             Presbyterian Church, 1515 Helen Avenue, Portage, MI 49002 
               
             MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN: Dick Myers, 549 West Manor Circle, Bayside,  
             WI 53217- 1735; 414-228-7466, dmyers@execpc.com; John N. Gregg,  
             3443 E. Waterford Ave., St. Francis, WI 53235, 414-486-9939,  
             JGregg@aero.net 
              
             CENTRAL ARKANSAS: Greg Adams, 314 Steven, Little Rock, AR 72205,  
             501-224-4724, sgadams@Aristotle.net 
              
             LOUISIANA: Ellen Morgan, 2285 Cedardale, Baton Rouge, LA 70808,  
             504-344-3930. 
              
             OKLAHOMA: John McNeese, 1300 Brighton Ave, Oklahoma City, OK  
             73120-1404, 405-848-7498, John3317@home.com 
              
             GREATER HOUSTON: Lynn Johnson, 1625 Harold, Houston, TX 77006,  
             713-523-5222, tilj1@aol.com; Sara Jean Jackson, 4383 Fiest Lane,  
             Houston, TX 77004, 713-748-4025, sjackson@netropolis.net; Pat and  
             Gail Rickey, 13114 Holston Hills, Houston, TX 77069, 281-440- 
             0353, RickeyMLP@aol.com 
              
             GRACE PRESBYTERY (Dallas / Fort Worth, TX): Jean Martin, 1220  
             Brookside Dr., Hurst,TX 76053, 817-282-7449. 
              
             GRAND CANYON: Kimberly Murman, 303 E. Patrician Drive, Tempe, AZ  
             85282, 480-967-2767 kmurman@worldnet.att.net ; Rosemarie Wallace,  
             710 West Los Lagos Vista, Mesa AZ 85210, forster@asu.edu 
              
             NORTHERN NEW MEXICO (Santa Fe Presbytery): Jeanne and David  
             McGown, 2751 Via Caballero Del Sur, Santa Fe, NM 87505, 505-471- 
             7371. 
               
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
                            MASTHEAD (Publication Information) 
              
             MORE LIGHT UPDATE, Volume 22, Number 1, September-October 2001.   
             ISSN 0889-3985.  Published bimonthly by More Light Presbyterians  
             (for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns), an  
             organization of Ministers, Elders, Deacons, Members,  
             Congregations and other Governing Bodies of the Presbyterian  
             Church (U.S.A.).  Elder James D. Anderson, Editor, P.O. Box 38,  
             New Brunswick, NJ 08903-0038, 732-249-1016, 732-932-7500 ex 8210  
             (Rutgers University), fax 732-932-6916 (Rutgers University),  
             Internet: JDA@mariner.rutgers.edu (or JDA@scils.rutgers.edu),  
             DeWitt House 206, 185 College Ave., New Brunswick, NJ 08901.   
             Printer: Ken Barta, Brunswick Typographic Inc.  Electronic  
             version available via email. 
              
             Email Discussion List: MoreLightPresbyterians@yahoogroups.com (To  
             join, send email to: MoreLightPresbyterians- 
             Subscribe@yahoogroups.com; to leave, send email to:  
             MoreLightPresbyterians-Unubscribe@yahoogroups.com). 
              
             MLP home page: http://www.mlp.org 
              
             Send materials marked "For publication" to the editor.   
             PUBLICATION DEADLINES: 6 weeks prior to issue months.  Most  
             material appearing in MORE LIGHT UPDATE is placed in the public  
             domain.  With the exception of individual articles that carry  
             their own copyright notice, articles may be freely copied or  
             reprinted.  We ask only that MORE LIGHT UPDATE be credited and  
             its address be given for those who might wish to contact us.   
             Suggested annual membership contribution to MLP: $50.00.  Annual  
             subscription (included in membership) to MORE LIGHT UPDATE:  
             $18.00. 
              
             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
              
             corrected version 8-26-01.