The Last Word

The 217^th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has come and gone and I want to share some thoughts concerning this long anticipated event in our church.

I was overwhelmed by the hospitality and organization of the Committee on Local Arrangements (COLA). I have never been more proud of my presbytery of membership, the Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley. They, along with members of several of our other presbyteries in the synod, out did themselves in making the 8 days in Birmingham as pleasant and comfortable as possible. At times the red and blue shirts of our volunteer hosts seemed to almost out number all those thousands of others who traveled to Birmingham for the General Assembly of our church.

I'm tempted to start naming names, but I know that there would be no place to stop once I started. Besides, it was obvious to me that you offered your service, not to be recognized, but to serve God and your church. I don't think many realize just how big and complicated the task of hosting our General Assembly is. Nor do we consider how long you have been working to make those 8 days go so smoothly. I thank God for you and your dedication.

Now, what about the deliberations and decisions of the 217^th General Assembly? If you haven't heard, several very energized issues were considered by this Assembly. While I'm still waiting to see how we live and minister together in the aftermath, I'm concerned by some of the early responses that have surfaced in the month and a half since we adjourned. I think that, as is often the case, time will help us sort through our immediate reactions. My hope is that, when the dust settles, we will find that God still calls us to each other, even in our disagreements.

I guess the Peace, Unity and Purity (PUP) report is the place to start. Many were quick to decide that we acted to change our ordination standards as a result of one of the recommendations contained in the report. I've talked with many from all sides of the issue and for the life of me I'm not sure that anything changed. We kept the Constitution as it was before the meeting, we reaffirmed a commitment to the standards contained in the Constitution, and we clearly warned Sessions and Presbyteries that their decisions were reviewable by the broader church. In many ways it feels to me that we strengthened the church's current ordination standards. Unfortunately, I believe that we will only know the real results through the judicial processes that are sure to follow.

Another issue that generated a good bit of controversy was a paper on the Trinity. Again, I think there has been a great deal of misunderstanding as to what we decided. The Assembly did receive a paper suggesting that there might be other acceptable Trinitarian images than "Father, Son and Holy Spirit". However, the Assembly only received the paper without approving it and reaffirmed the language of "Father, Son and Holy Spirit" as the only language acceptable for baptism.

I was surprised by the amount of anger that surfaced, especially since we didn't approve anything beyond "Father, Son and Holy Spirit". I have always been taught that God knows my heart, regardless of the limitations of language and knowledge with which I struggle. My sense is that God could care less what labels I use as long as I call and call often. God knows if I'm seeking to honor and understand and God knows if I'm seeking to be disrespectful. I think God was pleased that we were discussing something other than ourselves for a change.

The only decision that seemed to really change something was the Assembly's action regarding the 216^th (2004) General Assembly's approval to consider divesting from select companies perceived to be contributing to the suffering of innocent people in the Middle East. By a vote of 483 in favor, 28 opposed and 1 abstention, the Assembly set as church policy that "financial investments of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), as they pertain to Israel, Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank, be invested in only peaceful pursuits." Obviously, the vote indicates that we are not as divided on this issue as we once thought.

Finally, I am even more convinced than ever that God is calling us to remain together. I believe we need each other and would be weakened in our discernment if we divided. Besides, God has declared that all who believe are one in Christ. It doesn't matter how hard we run from each other, we remain one in Christ.

The Peace of Christ be with you.