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."
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.
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.
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.
Praying for Love in Oregon
The Rev. Dr. Barbara J. Campbell, Pastor of St. Mark Presbyterian Church in Portland, Oregon, spoke at a Prayer Breakfast sponsored by Oregon United for Marriage on April 23, 2014.On May 19, couples of the same gender began to marry in Oregon, following a U.S. federal district court ruling that the state's constitutional amendment banning such marriages violated the Equal Protection Clause of the federal constitution.Read Barbara's remarks...
Marriage matters... to pastors and parishioners
Baron Mullis: "I want to tell you about the couple whose wedding I’m not officiating this week."
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.
Reading the Bible in the Same-Sex Marriage Debate
Dr. Terence Diggory: "I offer here my current reading of Genesis 2 and Mark 10 in an effort to keep the conversation going with people who will disagree with me as well as with those who will agree. So far, my reading has not altered my belief that same-sex marriage is consistent with God’s intention for marriage. But my reading has considerably expanded my understanding of God’s redemptive inclusiveness, beyond the confines of sexuality, and of the ways that intention can be traced throughout the Bible. The Bible itself, we should remember, took shape as a conversation that believers today have a responsibility to keep going."
Conference Keynotes Will Challenge, Reform, Inspire
The 2013 Covenant Conference will take place at Fourth Presbyterian Church, Chicago, October 31 to November 2. In a series of compelling keynote addresses, three of the leading voices of the Presbyterian Church (USA) will bring words of enlightenment and challenge to this year’s Covenant Conference. Don't miss Macky Alston, Amy Plantinga Pauw, and Stacy Johnson. Registration is open now. Read more...
"Crossing Over"
A Sermon on 2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14, by the Rev. Brian D. Ellison, The First Presbyterian Church in the City of New York, Sunday, June 30, 2013: "You see, the dividing line—the Jordan River we all must cross—is not running on this Pride Sunday between LGBTQ on one side and straight on the other. Or between one group with problems and another. And it certainly isn’t between sinner and saint, for all would surely be on the same bank of the river then. The crossing over we are called to do—all of us—is from in here together to out there together. The Jordan of our lives is the threshold that so persistently separates us from Fifth Avenue and from the world. It is a line of demarcation between celebration and action, between faithful gratitude and trusting obedience. We carry with us all that happens in here, but then we cross over into the out there."
Covenant Network Celebrates Supreme Court Decisions
The Covenant Network celebrates—together with justice-minded Presbyterians across America—today’s decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court. We rejoice in today’s rulings striking down the Defense of Marriage Act and ensuring that same-gender couples in California are now able to enjoy the legal rights and privileges of marriage. With state and federal benefits now available to couples in a total of 13 states (and the District of Columbia), the country has taken a significant step toward marriage equality. We also eagerly await guarantees that teaching elders and congregations can, without fear of discipline, provide the same pastoral care to same-gender and opposite-gender couples by extending the opportunity to have their marriages celebrated and recognized in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).