Framing the Shots
Address by CovNet Co-Moderator Randy Bush to our Commissioners' Convocation Dinner at the 221st General Assembly: "What photos are you going to take of this General Assembly? What pictures will capture the spirit of our denomination – that capture the challenges and hopes of the Presbyterian Church and the church of Jesus Christ today?"
Covenant Network Board celebrates GA action on marriage
A statement by the Board of Directors of the Covenant Network of Presbyterians: "The Covenant Network of Presbyterians rejoices in today’s historic actions by the 221st General Assembly allowing same-sex couples freedom to marry in the Presbyterian Church (USA) without risking discipline for the ministers officiating or the sessions hosting the wedding..."
“You will know them by their fruits.”
Address to the Covenant Network by Dr. Mark Achtemeier, 221st General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA): "There have been previous General Assemblies where I worked very hard to pass the constitutional ban on gay people serving in the ordained ministries of the PC(USA). I am co-author of the declaration of faith that the Presbyterian Coalition adopted to unite its members in their opposition to gay inclusion. I keynoted the National Celebration of Confessing Churches, which rallied conservative congregations to stand fast in the struggle to keep the constitutional ban in place.And yet here we are today. I remain fully committed to a high view of biblical authority. But I stand before you as a chastened disciple who now recognizes that the witness of scripture comes down overwhelmingly on the side of gay inclusion."
Authoritative Interpretation on Marriage - Overture Advocates' Presentation
Overture Advocates for three items requesting an Authoritative Interpretation on marriage - 26 overtures and concurrences, the most of any item on any subject before the 221st GA - combined their time to make one presentation to the Committee on Civil Union and Marriage Issues. Read it here.
Marriage Amendment Overture Advocate Presentation
Overture Advocates from the 17 presbyteries that proposed an amendment to W-4.9000, the marriage section in the Directory for Worship of the PCUSA Book of Order, made a presentation the morning of Monday, June 16, to the Committee on Civil Union and Marriage Issues of the 221st General Assembly. Read it here.
The Urgency of an Authoritative Interpretation on Marriage
By Tim Cahn: A new authoritative interpretation (“AI”) of the PCUSA Constitution is needed to ensure that teaching elders have discretion to officiate same-gender marriages in states where legal. Without a new AI, teaching elders who perform ecclesiastical marriage services for same-gender couples may continue to be vulnerable to disciplinary proceedings under the prevailing interpretations of the Book of Order. These disciplinary proceedings come at a high institutional and personal cost, including the hundreds of hours spent by many persons over several years to resolve these cases, the emotional toll on all parties concerned, and the often harsh public attention that such church trials can fix on the Church...
The Great Pentecost Struggle... Then, and Now
Ken Cuthbertson: 'It should not come as a surprise that the story of Peter and Cornelius means a lot to those of us who have struggled long and hard over the last forty years, seeking the full inclusion of LGBTQ Christians in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Many of us see the story of Cornelius, his family and friends, as paralleling our own. We know we aren’t kosher, but we love God, and feel called to be part of this ever-emerging thing called church. And, thankfully, there are friends and advocates who, like Peter, keep saying to the church: “If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?” (Acts 11: 17)'
A College Chaplain's Challenge
The Rev. Kristin Hutson will be an Overture Advocate at the 221st General Assembly on behalf of the overture from the Presbytery of East Iowa seeking authoritative interpretation of W-4.9000. "Please step into my shoes. Please trust me to be discerning. Please allow me to fulfill my ministerial duties and responsibilities as I have been called. Please give me the opportunity to fully serve the people of God in our jurisdiction where we have already felt called to recognize same gender loving, covenantal marriage."
GA: Civil and Religious Marriage
Covenant Network Board member Marci Glass, who has decided not to sign civil marriage licenses in her own ministry, reflects on Item 10-01, an overture from the Presbytery of Lehigh to be considered by the 221st General Assembly.
An Overture Advocate's Hope
The Rev. Doris Cowan will represent the Presbytery of Baltimore in calling the 221st General Assembly to issue an authoritative interpretation to clarify that celebrating a marriage for a same-gender couple is a legitimate exercise of pastoral discretion. Read her witness.
The Bible's Yes to Same-Sex Marriage
The Covenant Network luncheon at the General Assembly on Monday, June 16 will feature Mark Achtemeier, whose new book -- The Bible's Yes to Same-Sex Marriage: An Evangelical's Change of Heart -- is being published this month. Join us in Detroit! Call the Covenant Network office for tickets.
Acts Then and Now
Jay McKell reflects on Pentecost, the Council of Jerusalem, and the 221st General Assembly: "God’s welcome is wide. Ancient and outdated barriers are cast aside and grace abounds."
A new video from Matthew Vines
Matthew Vines, author of the new book God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships, has a new video with a brief introduction to the passages often cited in the debate. View it here!Matthew will be in Detroit for the 221st General Assembly. Come meet him at the Covenant Network booth in the exhibit hall.
A Letter from a New Presbyterian
A Floridian new to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) wanted to share her story - and her enthusiasm for her new denomination - with commissioners and advisory delegates as the 221st General Assembly considers marriage: 'From all of my readings, I have concluded that if I had to sum up this denomination in one word, it would be “love”!'
Frequently Asked Questions About Marriage Issues at the 221st GA
The 221st General Assembly (2014) will consider seven overtures addressing the PCUSA's policies on marriage; with multiple concurrences, these overtures reflect almost 50 presbytery actions and demonstrate a great demand in the church for change. The most widely-supported actions are Items 10-02 seeking amendment of the Book of Order, and 10-03 requesting an authoritative interpretation to affirm pastoral discretion.Learn more in this Frequently Asked Questions resource.
Freedom of conscience - for everyone
Are the actions proposed to the 221st General Assembly regarding marriage a step toward requiring all teaching elders to perform marriages of same gender couples?No.
The Significance of an Authoritative Interpretation on Marriage
By Tricia Dykers Koenig: "It has been claimed that an authoritative interpretation of W-4.9000, the marriage section in the Directory for Worship, is an attempt to amend the Book of Order without votes from the presbyteries. On the contrary, an authoritative interpretation does not aim to amend what the Book of Order says about marriage – there are other overtures that would do that. An authoritative interpretation simply states that decisions made about pastoral care and worship that do not conform in every detail to the words of W-4.9000 do not necessarily constitute an offense subjecting a minister to discipline."
Marriage and the Book of Confessions
Would it be permissible for the PCUSA to interpret and/or amend the Book of Order section on marriage to reflect the reality of same-gender marriage, even though The Book of Confessions uses the language of “a man and a woman”?Based on the way the Confessions have functioned in the church – especially since 1967, when a collection of documents was substituted for the Westminster Confession – yes. The Book of Confessions is not a compilation of proof-texts from which to glean answers to questions not contemplated by the authors, and contains numerous examples of assertions that are no longer appropriate or necessary expressions of our faith. General Assemblies have taken actions in the past that are directly contradictory to the letter of the Confessions.
Why an Authoritative Interpretation Matters
Clergy confidentiality. The uses of church property. Voting by email or on a conference call by presbyteries or sessions. How candidates for ordination are to be examined. The meaning of marriage.They’re all more or less important pieces of church life and governance. They’re all matters where contemporary practice outpaced what was anticipated when the church’s constitutional documents were written. And they are all areas where General Assemblies have made statements—known as authoritative interpretations—about how the Book of Order is to be understood in light of new situations and changing realities.This summer, we at the Covenant Network are encouraging the 221st General Assembly to make decisions that will deepen and enhance the church’s understanding of marriage—clarifying that its blessings are available to all people, including couples of the same gender. One way we hope the assembly does this is through an authoritative interpretation—a binding ruling by the church’s highest council about what the constitution does and doesn’t say. There’s a fair amount of confusion in the church about what an AI is… but there doesn’t need to be.