Monthly Archives: May 2013

139th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Canada

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  We can now turn our attention to the first of the North American meetings for this year.

Beginning tomorrow, Friday 31 May, the 139th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Canada will convene at the Newnham Campus of Seneca College in Toronto. The meeting will conclude on Monday 3 June. It has the theme “That all may be one” and is being jointly hosted by the Eastern Han-Ca and Oak Ridge Presbyteries. The former is a Korean language presbytery.

If you are interested in following along with this meeting here is information you might find useful. (And be aware that most of the official links are programmed to automatically download to your computer.)

  • First, if you want all the official info I mention below together, along with a whole lot more, there are the consolidated Reports (331 pages in length) and General Information documents (92 pages in length)
  • There is both an agenda for the meeting and a daily schedule available
  • The reports can be accessed from the reports section of the Assembly web page. There is also a nice 16 page document, the 2013 Report Summaries
  • UPDATE: YES! There is live streaming.  At one time the Assembly meeting was live streamed but that did not happen last year and not yet finding mention of it I fear it will not be streamed this year. I will update here if I find out otherwise.
  • News about the Assembly will probably appear one the News and Events page
  • For the polity documents go to the Acts and Proceedings archive and the Book of Forms. There are some addition Resources available from the GAO web page. There is also the Practice and Procedure document for the General Assembly meeting.
  • If you are interested in the Assembly’s carbon footprint there is a special report on that
  • The PCC traditionally a great job of tweeting the Assembly at @PCConnect. For the meeting the hashtag is #ga139
  • I am not sure which of the Canadian Presbyterians I follow on Twitter will be at GA so I will update here when I find attendees that are helpful to follow.
  • Finally, the PCC also runs a Flickr photostream during GA

Looking at the business I found an overture (No. 1) that any polity wonk would love. There is a request to change the terminology “minister and session” to “minister and ruling elders on the session.” I don’t have to tell you that this is a great suggestion that fixes a two-fold problem: 1) the minister is a person and the session is a governing body (or whatever terminology you prefer for your courts of the church). 2) The minister is a member of the session with the ruling elders. Good catch.

For those who follow the form and function of the governing bodies, there is also an overture (No. 3) that asks that a special task force be established to restructure the duties of a synod so that those who chose to may go out of business.

And so, our best wishes and prayers to the whole Presbyterian Church in Canada and prayers for your 139th General Assembly this week.

Presbyterian News Headlines For The Week Ending May 25, 2013

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One primary intersection of major breaking news and the Presbyterian world this past week, with all due respect to the Scottish General Assemblies, was the tornado in Oklahoma. A few of the items related to that:

Oklahoma Tornado — May 2013, Index of Response – from Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
Massive Tornado Hits Moore OK – from PCA Mission to North America
In the Aftermath of the Oklahoma Tornadoes, the Support of Volunteers is Key – from FEMA including PDA in the list of resources

Regarding last week’s General Assemblies, I am going to let the dust settle another day or two and deal with each of them in their own articles.

From Ireland we have two deadly car crashes that involved Presbyterian clergy and their families

Free Presbyterian minister dies in car accident – from the Belfast Newsletter
Wife of Presbyterian minister dies in road crash – from the Belfast Newsletter, includes comments from the Presbyterian Church in Ireland GA Moderator

Last week I mentioned a developing situation in Ghana with sexual misconduct charges brought against a minister. Among the continuing coverage this week is

Church Members Deny Sodomi Allegation Against Pastor – from SpyGhana

And finally, an interesting headline related to church dismissals in the PC(USA)

Opposing Groups Emerge In Presbyterian Church Discernment Process – from KUHF news

2013 General Assembly Of The Presbyterian Church Of South Australia

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Coming up on Monday 27 May 2013 the Presbyterian Church of South Australia will convene their Assembly. More on that in a minute, but first a few notes on the history and polity of that church.

I have not covered the Assemblies in Australia before, especially the state Assemblies. But after some gentle prodding I have added them to my list. Part of it was my own lack of knowledge of the structure of the church there and not realizing the significance of the state meetings. Yes, there is a national Presbyterian Church of Australia which has General Assemblies every three years, the next one coming up this September. But one of the things that allows the Assembly to meet that infrequently is the high degree of autonomy accorded to the six state churches. Each state church is separately incorporated in its state and many have long histories there. The state churches came first and federated nationally in 1901. In 1977 two-thirds of the Presbyterian Church of Australia congregations joined in the formation of the Uniting Church and the congregations that remained formed the foundation for the current continuing church. (This was one of the 70:30 partition examples I talked about in another post a while back.)

So on the national level decisions are made about doctrine, practice regarding worship, minister transfers from other denominations, world missions and some unified ministries. The state Assemblies handle the local specifics, create and manage presbyteries and ministerial preparation and calls.

The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Tasmania met last week and I have not yet seen any reports or highlights from that meeting.

This meeting is a different matter…

It gives me great pleasure to congratulate The Rev. Gary Ware on his selection as Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of South Australia for the upcoming year. Rev. Ware is the pastor at Mount Gambier Presbyterian Church and one of the more prominent, prolific and entertaining Presbyterian bloggers in Australia. For reflections on the Assembly keep an eye on his blog – mgpcpastor’s blog – as well as his Twitter handle @gjware. (With the caveat that as Moderator your time for other things during the meeting is limited.)

The Assembly convenes on Monday 27 May 2013 and will adjourn when they have concluded the business. This was a much more common practice in the Presbyterian world but with the modern need for reservations and taking time off from work most assemblies now have tighter dockets and planed adjournment dates and times. This Assembly will probably adjourn the next day if I understand correctly.

After the Assembly check the PCSA News for a report on the Assembly.

For the Presby Geeks and Polity Wonks you can check the PCSA Rules and Regulations as well as the Presbyterian Church of Australia Code Book.

I will update if further sources of information appear.

So our best wishes and prayers to Gary and the whole Presbyterian Church of South Australia for their Assembly this week.

UPDATE: It finished up earlier today, Tuesday, as anticipated. During the meeting Gary posted both a lunch shot as well as word the meeting had concluded.

UPDATE 2 (30-May): Gary posted his review and reflection on the Assembly.

Presbyterian News Headlines For The Week Ending May 18, 2013

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No, I did not get this out on Monday. Between two GA’s live streaming and a nice session with some folks from Los Ranchos Presbytery yesterday I have been a bit preoccupied. But now with a lull in the action let me get caught up on what happened a week ago.

News leading up to the Church of Scotland General Assembly:

Next Church of Scotland moderator mistaken for thief – from The Scotsman (the Moderator’s ring was in a stolen suitcase a little earlier this spring and when the Rev. Lorna Hood walked into a jewelers to get the backup ring resized the local police were called)

Church of Scotland revises controversial Israel report – from the BBC (the revised report was released ahead of the GA)

In Ghana news of child abuse allegations against a pastor in the Presbyterian Church

Gay scandal rocks Presby Church; Pastor to be investigated – from Vibe Ghana

Gay case has marred our reputation – Presby Church – from GhanaWeb

And in other news…

French Reformed and Lutheran Christians unite in one church – from Ecumenical News

Church Of Scotland 2013 General Assembly — “Affirm the Church’s historic and current doctrine and practice… nonetheless permit…”

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“Affirm the Church’s historic and current doctrine and practice in
relation to human sexuality nonetheless permit those Kirk sessions who
wish to depart from that doctrine and practice to do so.”

Yesterday was a long day for the commissioners of General Assembly 2013 of the Church of Scotland as they heard and debated the report of the Theological Commission on Same-sex Relationships and the Ministry. I had to chuckle as the Moderator made a comment about keeping remarks brief or they would be there until midnight as it brought back memories of late nights at PC(USA) GA’s.

The final outcome of the debate was an action that tried to find a middle way. It was reportedly worked out over lunch in the middle of the debate and moved by the immediate past Moderator the Very Reverend Albert Bogle.

The full actions of the Assembly on this report are now available from the Kirk web site but the closely watched portion now says:

3. (i). Affirm the Church’s historic and current doctrine and practice in relation to human sexuality nonetheless permit those Kirk sessions who wish to depart from that doctrine and practice to do so.

(ii) Instruct the Legal Questions Committee to bring an Overture to the General Assembly of 2014 which the following principles of 3. (i) above:

Principles of the Overture:

  1. Would not require the Church to abandon its traditional position.
  2. But would allow individual congregations – by decisions of their Kirk Sessions – to depart from the Church’s traditional position.
  3. Would allow ministers and deacons (current and prospective) who are in civil partnerships to be selected for training and to be trained. Would also allow them to be ordained/inducted into a charge the Kirk Session of which had decided to depart from the Church’s traditional position.
  4. Would cover inducted ministers and ministers and deacons working in other roles in congregations.
  5. Would not enable one congregation to depart from traditional position where others in a linking do not wish to do so.
  6. Would enable a Kirk Session to change its mind. But a minister or deacon who had been appointed to a congregation whose Kirk Session had decided to depart from the traditional position would not be prejudiced by a change of mind by the Kirk Session.
  7. Would preserve liberty of opinion and responsible expression. Would not permit harassing or bullying.
  8. Preserves right of members of presbyteries – whatever views – to engage or not in ordinations/inductions.

(iii) Instruct the Theological Forum to explore the relevant ecclesiological issues informing the principles of the “mixed economy” as set out in the Report of the Theological Commission and report to the General Assembly of 2014.

(iv) Instruct all Courts, Councils and Committees of the Church not to make decisions in accordance with section 3.(i) above until the position in relation to the proposed Overture has been finally determined by a future General Assembly.

What this means is that the Church of Scotland has effectively adopted the local option in determining suitability for ordination and service in a particular church and for recognizing and blessing same-sex civil partnerships. [Note: I use the term “local option” throughout this post but that is not an official term being used elsewhere in this discussion. It is a convenient term for me as this discussion and action parallels similar situations where the term is used.]

As I mentioned above, this particular motion — which was amended on the floor — was developed during the day of debate. As such one of its deficiencies is that it could not contain any changes to Kirk policies that are sweeping enough to have to be sent down to the presbyteries under the Barrier Act. Hence, the Overture based on the principles listed in the motion must be brought to next year’s Assembly and would not go into effect until 2015 if the presbyteries concur. This also leaves the action of this Assembly vulnerable to modification by next year’s Assembly when it will have to give approval to that Overture.

This motion was promoted as the middle ground to try to keep the Kirk together, a compromise where each side had to give a little in order to get something. And it had well-known members of the Kirk from across the theological spectrum speaking for it.

During the debate it was clear that this motion was a work in progress and that was bothersome to a number of the commissioners who spoke. There were points that the Principal Clerk had to try to interpret what the implications of the language would be. And it is clear going forward that the legal minds on the Legal Questions Committee will have a lot to do with what is ultimately brought back to the Assembly next year.

The debate was reasoned and well conducted with just a few points of frustration and raised voices. As with any debate of this complexity, with the multiple options and amendments flying, there were several points where commissioners were confused about what was happening. But overall the Moderator, The Right Rev Lorna Hood, did a very good job of keeping order and the process moving.

At the end of the day the commissioners had three options before them — this one and the two from the Theological Commission report I discussed in the preview. The other possible option, what was referred to as 2C, of which notice was given, was withdrawn on the floor. What was ultimately the prevailing motion was introduced as 2D.

After the arguments in favor of each of the three options a vote was taken on all three with 2A – the original revisionist option – receiving 270 votes, 2B – the original traditionalist option – receiving 163 votes and 2D getting 191 votes. With 2B voted off the island eliminated the final vote was 282 for 2A and 340 for 2D. (My thoughts on the voting shifts may come at another time.)

If the traffic on Twitter and the mainstream headlines are an indication this is being seen as a win for the revisionist side. (And I should add that several speakers expressed their disapproval of the revisionist/traditionalist labels the report used.) Many tweets repeat the BBC headline “Church of Scotland General Assembly votes to allow gay ministers.” Traditionalist are saying things like “How can you vote to affirm standards while allowing exceptions to them” as well as indications of individuals seriously considering leaving the church. And there are responses from members of the Free Church of Scotland as well. It is however interesting that the other issue in the report, that of same-sex civil unions, has seemed to get no play in the press or social media.

A few of the blog responses that appeared shortly after the decision include one by Chris Hoskins on his blog Endure Fort who reflects on his trying to figure out what he thinks of the compromise. More decided is John McLuckie in his blog JustLuckie who critiques how Scripture was used in the traditionalist argument. And an Anglican priest who followed the debate discussed first the debate and then a second post on Where Does the Church of Scotland Stand? UPDATE: I would add to the responses a long and thoughtful Open Letter to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland 2013 from Louis Kinsey.

In addition there are official reports from the Kirk and it’s official publication Life and Work.

But what is the bottom line here? Yes, the General Assembly has adopted an action that provides a path for ordination and blessing of civil unions for those in same-sex partnerships. It has also adopted an action that affirms traditional doctrine. But it appears to me that while a compromise agreement has been achieved that may avoid a major departure right away, the real result is that any actual polity change has been pushed out another year to 2015. And despite what the media is focusing on this is regarding both ordinations/training and civil unions. As point 3(iv) indicates, the moratorium is still in place. Under this action the traditional doctrine has been affirmed so in the discussion in the civil arena about same-sex marriage in Scotland the Kirk remains opposed to the proposed action of the Scottish Parliament.

This has also opened up a discussion on what allowing individual sessions to set their own standards means. Has the Church of Scotland taken a step towards congregationalism or, as one quote said, a “federation of congregations”?

The questions about this action are numerous: Will the 2014 General Assembly somehow undo this? Will this compromise hold the Kirk together, at least for the moment?  Is this system even workable if it is implemented? Would the proposed resolution be agreed to by the presbyteries under the Barrier Act? Could the local option be extended to other issues of human sexuality or even other issues in general?

What we see in this whole debate and action are two important Presbyterian values embedded in this debate and compromise. The first is the importance of process and doing things decently and in order. While this is a frustration to many who would like to see quicker change, we gather as community to discern together where God is leading. The second is the tension in which we hold doctrine and individual conscience. We are constantly seeking the line where individual views can be held but in the context of the community must be subjugated to the discernment of the community of which we are a part.

We will see how this action affects the future of the Kirk. Stay tuned…

2013 General Assembly Of The Free Church Of Scotland

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As of this evening in Edinburgh we have two General Assemblies meeting as the 2013 General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland convened in St. Columba’s Free Church. They have held their opening worship service, with the retiring Moderator, The Rev. Dr. Iain D. Campbell preaching. They have installed their new Moderator, The Rev Angus Howat. Some preliminary business, such as greeting corresponding delegates and approval of committees. And they have recessed for the evening to convene again at 10 AM tomorrow morning.

Here is what will help you follow along for the next four days:

One of the business items that caught my attention were the budget issues discussed in the Board of Trustees report. They note a shortfall of £300,000 for 2012 but also show that the churches are being more faithful in supporting the church as actual remittances are now much closer to the remittance target. They want to rename two of the funds, the Central Projects Levy will be renamed the Mission Levy and the Additional Contributions shall become the Mission Support Fund. There is also a need to bring expenditures into line and several recommendations are made about spending priorities.

Another interesting development is in the College Board report. To expand the enrollment at the Free Church College the Assembly is being asked to approve moving forward with the planning of actions to facilitate this expansion as well as changing the name of the institution to Edinburgh Theological Seminary.

Finally, the Board of Ministry report contains this item in the proposed deliverance. I will let it speak for itself:

9. The General Assembly, in view of the ongoing uncertainty of the church scene in Scotland at present, waive the requirement of Act XXXV, 2005, that authority to grant admission to ministers of other denominations lies solely with the General Assembly and empowers the Commission of Assembly at its meetings before the General Assembly of 2014, to receive and dispose of any such applications seeking admission to the Free Church ministry duly submitted through Presbyteries and the Board of Ministry.

And so our best wishes to the General Assembly and its members and our prayers for your discernment and guidance of the Holy Spirit in your deliberations.

Church Of Scotland 2013 General Assembly — Special Commission On Same Sex Relationships

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General Assembly 2013 of the Church of Scotland convened yesterday and on the first day we got a bit of animated discussion about keeping the pension plan solvent and providing retired church workers an amount that is reasonable for a retirement income. I have heard that somewhere before but I have a bit more research to do if I am going to write on that.

The topic for the moment is the discussion that will begin in just a few hours. Monday at the Assembly is set aside for the consideration of the work of the Theological Commission on Same-sex Relationships and the Ministry. This group was created two years ago when that Assembly chose to move towards allowing those in same-sex relationships to become ministers in the church and to permit those in the church to preform same-sex marriages. One of the interesting, and in my opinion reasonable and good, moves that the Kirk has made is to consider all the issues related to same-sex relationships together and in a theological context.

To follow along with this debate you need to be aware of not just the Commission’s 94 page report, but the Supplement with the Legal Appendix Consequent Upon the Report of the Theological Commission on Same-Sex Relationships and the Ministry that begins on page 52. In addition, the Daily Papers covering tomorrow have notice of three motions (begins on page 28).

As I indicated above, the primary Report is an extensive document at 94 pages long. The Deliverance is sort-of straight forward with #1 to receive the report and #3 to dismiss the commission. In between the commission does not make a recommendation but offers a choice between two options – and I will return to that in a minute.

The report itself is structured around what it means to be “One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church” and develops that theme for the Church of Scotland in general. It then provides extensive discussions of what the report calls the revisionist and the traditionalist case for “Addressing issues of human sexuality.” I have not read through these sections in detail yet but from what I have read both provide very good development and background to each position.

The report is supposed to be neutral and so provides both of these discussions. In addition, even though a trajectory was chosen two years ago the Deliverance provides this Assembly an opportunity to revisit that decision and chose between two sets of recommendations based on approving the revisionist or traditionalist case.

If the revisionist option is approved an overture would be sent down to the presbyteries under the Barrier Act to approve the necessary changes to implement the new rules. In addition, liturgies would be approved for same-sex ceremonies. The ordination process for new ministers and deacons would remain on hold for another year to allow time for presbytery approval. Those ministers in same-sex relationships who are already in place would continue. And the block on discussing this outside of official business – i.e. talking to the media – would remain in place as well.

If the traditionalist option prevails in the Assembly it would reaffirm the present stance of the Kirk including the statements about homophobia being a sin, remind the members of the church of the particular burden of “homosexual Christians striving to maintain celibacy,” and “recognize that homosexual orientation in itself is not a barrier to leadership.” It would also have the Ministries Council and the Legal Questions Committee examine the implications of the decision.

As I mentioned above there are three motions of which notice has been given. The first asks that the Legal Appendix be revised to include the implications of approval and disapproval of the changes and that paper ballots be used by presbyteries in voting on the change. The third would provide another option that has stronger and simplified language of the revisionist option.

[UPDATE: My attention has been drawn to a correction to the article I discuss below. I have decided to let this stand but please see below this for the correction.]

There has been considerable concern that adoption of the revisionist option could precipitate a major departure of congregations from the Church of Scotland. The second motion from The Rev Prof David A S Fergusson is hoping to find a “third way.” Here are some excerpts from a Scotsman article that tries to explain what he hopes to accomplish:

Prof David Fergusson, principal of Edinburgh University’s divinity
school, New College, said that unless the Kirk’s General Assembly agreed
on a compromise it could take the Church a “generation to resolve”
differences between traditionalist and revisionist sides of the debate.

Insisting
that it was important that neither side should “enforce a victory” over
the other, the academic has tabled an amendment for the debate that
attempts to navigate a middle way between the two options put forward in
a Kirk committee report.

[…]

Fergusson said that this “mixed economy” approach would give
the Kirk space in which to discuss the issue further without causing a
major divide: “What I think we’re lacking so far is further reflection
on the nature of the Church as a community in which we can manage
disagreement while maintaining unity with one another, and I’d like to
see further work carried out, which would be crucial to consideration of
these matters.”

UPDATE: The Rev Prof Fergusson has issued a correction to the Scotsman article. He first wanted to make it clear that the “mixed economy” is not his idea but is in the Theological Commission’s report. His amendment simply asks to build on that approach and continue working on the nature of the church. He also points out that his motion does nothing to change the wording in the report that would allow churches but not presbyteries to opt out.

That appears to be the lay of the land. Let us see how the Assembly discerns the way forward in the midst of it. Prayers for the Assembly as the commissioners approach this task very shortly.

2013 General Assembly Of The Church Of Scotland

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  Coming up this Saturday the first large General Assembly of the 2013 season begins as the 2013 General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is convened in the Assembly Hall in Edinburgh.

The Assembly will begin at 10 AM local time on Saturday 18 May and adjourn a bit after 3 PM on Friday 24 May. The afternoon of Pentecost Sunday, 19 May, the Kirk will once again have their large public Heart and Soul festival in Prince Street Gardens (Event Guide). This year it is titled A Celebration of Celtic Christianity.

To follow along with the GA here is what you need to know

  • The Starting Point for almost everything is the General Assembly 2013 page
  • The Order of Proceedings is available as a PDF and the Daily Papers are starting to be posted. You can also find minutes and the text of speeches on that page.
  • Reports are available individually on the General Assembly 2013 page or all together in the Blue Book and Supplement
  • The Assembly will be webcast, as usual, linked to the media page
  • In addition, the media page will have the Daily Updates podcast and Assembly News Items
  • There is an official Facebook page for the Church of Scotland
  • On Twitter the official feed is @churchscotland and the Assembly hashtag is #ga2013 although I am also seeing some use of #ga13
  • Keep an eye on two other Church of Scotland Twitter accounts – the official magazine Life and Work (@cofslifeandwork), the Church of Scotland Youth (@cosy_nya) and maybe CofS World Mission (@cosworldmission)
  • A couple of other folks that I follow who will be there include Peter Nimmo (@peternimmo1) of Old High St. Stephens Inverness and Neal Pressa (@nealpresa) the Moderator of the 220th General Assembly of the PC(USA) who will be that church’s official representative to the Assembly.
  • I will add additional tweeps when the Assembly gets under way

If you want to have the polity documents at the ready you start at the Church Law web page and from there can get the Acts, Regulations, Standing Orders. Unfortunately, their publication An introduction to Practice and Procedure in the Church of Scotland is being revised so no version is available at this time.

This is already a high-profile year for the Assembly and it has not even convened yet. Two years in the making, the report of the Theological Commission on same-sex relationships and the Ministry has been widely anticipated and is docketed as the only business for Monday after the opening worship with communion.
While the Assembly in 2011 chose the trajectory towards, as this year’s report is calling it, the revisionist option, the Commission’s deliverance does include the opportunity for the Assembly to once again chose to reaffirm their earlier vote or consider taking the traditionalist option. For the polity wonks, or those interested in what process is next, the Supplementary Reports contains a section on how the selected trajectory would be implemented. There are three notices of intent to move amendments to the deliverance published in the first set of Daily Papers.

The second item of business which has gotten intense coverage in some quarters is the Church and Society Council’s special report The Inheritance of Abraham? A report on the ‘promised land.’ I wrote about this yesterday — how the first report had stirred up a bit of controversy in Jewish media and the report was pulled for revision after a meeting between representatives of both sides. This morning the revised version has been posted. The Council is docketed to report on Thursday, part way through the day.

On Tuesday, 21 May, there will be a special commemoration of David Livingstone for this the bicentennial year of his birth. Some of his great-grandchildren will be special guests of the Assembly that day.

I will update this info as necessary and comment in other posts as the week progresses. Prayers for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as the General Assembly meets.

Church of Scotland 2013 General Assembly — Church And Society Report On Israel

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UPDATE: The revised report is out – a few comments below.

I have been watching with interest the unfolding drama around the Church and Society Council’s business that will be before the 2013 General Assembly of the Church of Scotland next week. More specifically, in the midst of recommendations concerning climate change, education and oversight and franchise related to the Scottish independence vote, what has garnered international attention is a special report on Israel and the “promised land.” (Those are not my scare quotes but the style used for the report title.)

While my close attention may seem reasonable considering the extensive debate now going on about this report, what interests me more is the parallel to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 220th General Assembly last year. In both cases, the focus for those inside the church seemed to be on business related to human sexuality. But the business related to Israel and Palestine — in the case of the PC(USA) it was divestment from companies who “profit from non-peaceful pursuits” — caught the spotlight outside the church.

Even before the Assembly last summer in the media and social media the divestment proposal was being debated.  At the PC(USA) Assembly itself there were individuals lobbying inside the convention center (but not on the floor of the Assembly or in the committee room). And by the narrowest of margins, 333 to 331, the Assembly chose not to divest. The Assembly did approve a boycott of products made by Israeli companies in facilities in the occupied territories.

For the Church of Scotland the lightning rod was not divestment, or the specific recommendations of the Council per se, but the special report The Inheritance of Abraham? A Report On The ‘Promised Land.’ As you might guess from the question mark and the quotes around use of the term promised land, the report concluded that the modern nation of Israel does not having a scriptural basis for its existence. The response was swift and loud with coverage in the mainstream media (e.g. BBC, Herald Scotland), Jewish media (e.g. Haaretz, Algemeiner ) and internationally (e.g. Jerusalem Post, AP via ABC News, The Daily Beast). It has also caught the attention of bloggers outside the immeadeat circle including His Grace at the Cranmer blog.

There are also voices in the media speaking out in sympathy with the report including a Scotsman article about a prominent minister critical of Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians.

In response to the commotion a meeting was held between Church of Scotland representatives and members of the Jewish Community in Scotland. The report was removed from the web site and a statement about the meeting posted in its place. The report is being revised with a new introduction and it is planned to be ready for the Assembly next week.  In the statement the Church of Scotland reiterates four points:

  • There is no change in the Church of Scotland’s long held position of the right of Israel to exist.
  • The Church condemns all violence and acts of terrorism, where ever they happen in the world.
  • The concern of the Church about the injustices faced by the
    Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territories remain firm,
    but that concern should not be misunderstood as questioning the right of
    the State of Israel to exist.
  • That the Church condemns all things that create a culture of anti Semitism.

To put a fine point on this, the distinction that they seem to be making is not the right of Israel to exist, but the lack of biblical support for the modern state of Israel.

While the report is gone from the official site it is available from another source. It begins with an introduction briefly outlining the recent history of the issue in the Church of Scotland and then lays out the topic of the paper:

There has been a widespread assumption by many Christians as well as many Jewish people that the Bible
supports an essentially Jewish state of Israel. This raises an
increasing number of difficulties and current Israeli policies regarding
the Palestinians have sharpened this questioning.

This assumption of biblical support is based on views of promises about land in the Hebrew Bible. These
views are disputed. The guidance in the Bible, notably the
interpretation in the New Testament, provides more help in responding
to questions about land and covenant. It also provides insight
(discussed later in the report) into how Christians might understand
the occupation of Palestinian land by the state of Israel, threats to
Middle East peace and security, human rights, and racial intolerance,
especially in the forms of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.

It continues…

In general terms there have been three
main ways of understanding the promises about land in the Bible:

  1. A territorial guarantee
  2. A land held in trust
  3. A land with a universal mission.

The report then discusses each of these different understandings and begins the summary by saying:

Promises about the land of Israel were never intended to be taken literally,
or as applying to a defined geographical
territory. They are a way of speaking about how to live under God so
that justice and peace reign,
the weak and poor are protected, the stranger is included, and all
have a share in the community and a
contribution to make to it. The promised
land in
the Bible is not a place, so much as a metaphor of how things
ought to be among the people of God. This ‘promised land’ can be
found — or
built — anywhere.

Jesus’
vision of the kingdom is not for one limited area of territory, it is
a way of anticipating how things can be
if people are obedient to God. Metaphor and symbol are often used by
the Biblical writers. Words such as
‘widow’, ‘stranger’, ‘orphan’, ‘wilderness,’
‘neighbour,’ ‘Egypt,’ ‘exodus’ and ‘exile’ have
symbolic reference…

Now, I have to take pause at that first line where it says the promises were “never intended to be taken literally.” [emphasis mine] I do see the point of the piece in a modern context and do accept that the ultimate goal of being a “light unto the nations” (Isaiah 49:6) is that the Kingdom may encompass all of the earth. But the book of Joshua has a lot about specific physical geography as those in the second generation at the end of the exodus take position of the land that God has given them. A similar argument could be made about the return from the exile. Considering all of the history that revolves around that I personally have a hard time taking that part symbolically as the report suggests. The question really seems to be how the promises of the Old Covenant get transformed in the New Covenant?

The conclusion brings us back to the modern situation:

From this examination of the various views in the Bible about the relation of land to the people of God, it can be concluded that Christians should not be supporting any claims by Jewish or any other people, to an exclusive or even privileged divine right to possess particular territory. It is a misuse of the Bible to use it as a topographic guide to settle contemporary conflicts over land. In the Bible, God’s promises extend in hope to all land and people. Focussed as they are on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, these promises call for a commitment in every place to justice in a spirit of reconciliation.

The report then reminds readers of eight points previously agreed by General Assemblies. These points include the inequality of power in the region, that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal, that the human rights of all peoples should be respected, that negotiations need to resume and that the Church of Scotland must remain in dialogue with ecumenical partners and not do anything to promote illegal settlements.

For those who are familiar with the ecumenical statements regarding this area I would point out that the Kairos Palestine document is frequently quoted in this special report.

So, we wait to see a number of things. First, how the introduction is revised to reflect the discussions that were held last week. Second, how the Assembly receives the report — and keep in mind that it is nothing but a recommended report until and unless the Assembly adopts it as an official position of the Kirk. Finally, we will see what sort of reaction there is from the various groups within and outside the Kirk to whatever action the Assembly takes.

UPDATE 17 May 2013: The Church of Scotland has posted the revised version of the report. In addition to new opening Preface and Context sections notable revisions have been made through out the document to clarify the language. For example, the line I took issue with above, “Promises about the land of Israel were never intended to be taken literally, or as applying to a defined
geographical territory” has been revised to now read “To Christians in the 21st century, promises about the land of Israel shouldn’t be intended to be taken
literally, or as applying to a defined geographical territory.” This is typical of the changed tone of the paper as it has been re-framed as a document intended to reflect and speak to modern Christian thought.

Presbyterian News Headlines For The Week Ending May 11, 2013

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With the Church of Scotland 2013 General Assembly beginning on Saturday I hope to complete a few more posts about the Assembly and its business later this week. For the moment, the big news headline was a meeting last week between representatives of the Church of Scotland and various Jewish groups. From this there was a softening of the stand and a rewrite of the controversial report. Some of the headlines:

The Inheritance of Abraham? A report on the ‘promised land’ – Press release from the Church of Scotland

Church of Scotland Agrees to Amend Controversial Report on Israel – from The Altemeiner

Kirk and Jewish leaders hold talks in bid to mend relations – from The Herald

It also caught my attention that the news had spread beyond Scotland and the UK to some American news sources:

Church of Scotland Report Angers Jewish Community – picked up by ABC News from an AP report

Church of Scotland report angers Jewish community – picked up by the Miami Herald from the same AP story

The Church of Scotland’s Less Than Awesome Report on Israel – from The Daily Beast

And there are still some critics of Israel, like The Very Reverend Gilleasbuig Macmillan, who spoke out this week. (Polity note: Rev. Macmillan holds the position of Dean of the Thistle which is one of three positions in addition to being a former Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland that gets the title “The Very Reverend.”)

Leading Church of Scotland minister slams Israel’s treatment of Palestinians – from the Daily Record

In other news…

Presbytery of Chicago is forced to sell a camp due to financial needs, partly caused by an abuse case settlement.

Abuse case leads to dunes camp sale – from WOOD TV

Don’t Destroy ‘Thin Place’ – letter to the editor of the Commercial Record

Five years after the collapse of the Presbyterian Mutual Society in Ireland six of the directors have settled legal proceedings by agreeing not to act as corporate directors for up to six years (despite what that first headline says):

Collapsed Presbyterian Mutual Society chiefs will not become company directors again – from the Belfast Telegraph

Six Presbyterian Mutual Society directors agree to stand down – from the BBC News

Programming note: Because the Church of Scotland General Assembly will be in full swing next week it may impact my time to put together this headlines post. We will see.