The breakfast speaker this morning was Brian McLaren, who
always does a good job of pointing the church toward its future. For us that
means embracing an identity centered less on conflict, distinction and
superiority and more on the common passion of a global Christian community. He also gave a helpful framework for understanding how movements and institutions serve one another.
Then it was on to the first committee meeting of the day,
where we opened by establishing some agreed upon principles of a committee covenant:
one speaker at a time, fully listening before jumping to respond, agreement not
to use divisive or hostile language in characterizing another point of view. In
short, principles that would kill political talk radio and cable news ratings.
Then came the open hearing portion of the day, where
individuals wishing to speak for or against overtures coming before the
committee have 90 seconds to speak their piece. We heard from gay men who had
been blessed by the change in ordination standards that allowed them to serve
and share their gifts. We heard from a pastor who, while acknowledging his same-gender
attraction does not act upon it because he believes that scripture is clear in
stating that if he were to do so, his eternal soul would be in peril. We heard from Mark
Achtemeier- an evangelical who has had a profound and notable change of heart
regarding his view of homosexuality. We hear from a pastor, who once offered my
mom great comfort when she was unsure of my direction as a young man, that said
that because it can’t be proven or demonstrated that God created homosexual
persons that they don’t exist- a strange assertion given the testimony of
others that we heard from. One speaker made the following assertion, “we do not
come to know Jesus outside of the witness of the bible.” The problem with that
statement is that yesterday, in Sioux City’s Mid-City park, members of our
church reached out to a woman in a wheelchair who was coming through the park.
They invited her to join them for lunch, they helped her get home and even
carried her up stairs to get her to her apartment. Did they read the bible to
her? I don’t think so. But their love and action showed this woman the love of
Jesus. I believe she came to know something about him in what they did.
Following the open hearings we heard presentations from
overture advocates and concurring Presbyteries. These had slightly longer to speak(2
minutes). After awhile it all starts to run together. The same arguments, the
scriptural citations with no opportunity on our side to question the
presenters.
What’s interesting is that some of the same people who were
decrying ‘local option’ as they saw it counseled by the Task Force on Peace,
Unity, and Purity are now advocating for that freedom in restricting who they
ordain.
I spent lunch walking to Noodles and Co. and concluding,
with some surprise, that there are a ton of people who still smoke! Now
granted, I have a head cold that is wanting to move into my chest so I may be
particularly sensitive, but I couldn’t walk down a single block without
encountering the noxious odor of cigarette smoke. Contrast this with the fact
that I counter three separate General Nutrition Centers within blocks of one
another. Although to be fair, there wasn’t near the foot traffic into those
stores as there was lit up and spewing carbon monoxide while waiting for the
bus.
We returned to our first two votes. One on a recommendation
to change the terms teaching and ruling elder back to Minister of Word and
Sacrament and Elder. I’m quickly learning who is enchanted with their own
opinions and feel compelled to share their every thought. It was an interesting
discussion and in all fairness I spoke against the change. I’m reminded of a
recent change in our worship service. Since my arrival we had been singing the
same sending song. It was a good song. Everyone knew the lyrics. They knew the
lyrics so well they may have long since ceased to take those words to heart. So
I asked our music staff if they knew of any other songs that might be
appropriate. Well, you can guess what happened. We changed something, and as
soon as we did there was a contingent of people in the congregation who wanted
to change it back. It’s our nature to revert to the familiar and distrust what
is new (or in the case of the terminology that is really quite old, what is new
to us). Thankfully, the overture to go back was defeated and the committee
recommended disapproval of the overture to the GA.
The second action was quickly dispatched, a question was
raised about a change at the last Assembly. The Advisory Council on the
Constitution offered and answered. The committee recommended the approval of that
answer.
We were then supposed to move on to small group discussion
about some of the overtures when a change in the agenda was proposed. What I
observe is that there are some people who want to control everything and think
they know better than those who spent considerable time putting the agenda
together and attending to the flow of business. Always an armchair quarterback or
two in the group.
We moved on to a really productive and respectful small group
discussion of the overtures that we’d be taking up in the evening and next
morning. The group, although varied in its thinking, universally acknowledged
that it was the kind of conversation we wished we taking place in the larger
church, especially with those who are talking about leaving. At one point I
believe we uncovered one of the fundamental differences that exists. A
gentlemen by the name of Bill spoke of the Authority of Scripture in the
process of discerning candidate qualifications. There are three identical overtures
put forward by three different Presbyteries naming the reality that there are
different interpretations of scripture. He challenged that notion, saying that
scripture was pretty clear. I offered my own Barthian take that when it came to
Authority that Jesus Christ is the One Word of God we have to hear and obey.
What that means is that I approach scripture through that Christological lens.
Equally, I advanced an idea that my understanding of the bible is Nicene. That
is, it is the authoritative witness to what God is speaking through the
discernment of the church by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is both inspired
of God, and the product of human hands. He countered that he considered it the
inerrant product of God (which sounds a little Docetic to my ears). Docetism is
the early heresy of the church that Jesus, while fully God, was only ‘putting
on humanity’ and not fully human. In the interest of peace, I kept that opinion
to myself.
The dinner break saw me make a bee-line to the CVS for some
Ny-Quil. Then back to my hotel room for a phone call to my family. They are
clearly having a great time. In an effort to feed this cold, I tracked town the
Primanti Bros. in Market Square for a Pitts-burgher. This is a Pittsburgh
institution- although, in all honesty, the original location is in the Strip District.
It’s a meal between two thick slices of white bread: meat, cheese, coleslaw,
and fries. To eat it right, you’ve got to douse it with the hot sauce sitting
on the table. I never had one when I lived here 23 years ago. Now I have. I don’t
need to have another. But it was alright, and much needed calories, outside, on
a pleasantly warm summer evening. The only thing better would have been an ice
cold beer. However, I thought that might be counter-productive to my current
physical state. I returned to the evening’s business with a fully belly.
Unfortunately my energy was rapidly diminishing.
No matter, we dived right in. A motion to approve the three
concurrent overtures was made and seconded, quickly followed by a substitute motion
to reinstate fidelity and chastity language to the ordination standard. Much parliamentary
gymnastics ensued. In the end we took over two hours to sort out and defeat the
substitute motion (which cannot be reconsidered) and then subsequently recommend the concurrent statements
with an amended amendment and a comment. Phew! I have a date with Ny-Quil. G’night.
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