Category Archives: news

Decision in the Pittsburgh Presbytery Same-sex marriage PJC case: Dismissed on technicality

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The Permanent Judicial Commission of Pittsburgh Presbytery heard the disciplinary case of the Rev. Janet Edwards today.  This evening’s news stories report that in a unanimous decision the charges were dismissed because the investigating committee filed the charges four days after the one year deadline.  The vote by the commission came after 1 1/2 hours of deliberation.  The Rev. Edwards had been promoting the trial and sending out invitations to attend the trial and a celebration worship service afterwards.  The dismissial means that while Rev. Edwards is not guilty, the issue is still open.

You can see my original discussion of the case earlier in my blog.

Early news reports on the decision come from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the PC(USA) news service.

Ordination standards – with a twist

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The Layman Online is reporting that there will be a candidate coming to the stated meeting of John Knox Presbytery next week to be admitted to the candidacy process as an inquirer. The individual is a self-avowed practicing homosexual and understands that his present life style is in conflict with the ordination standards in the Book of Order, G-6.0106b.  The letter to the presbytery from the Committee on Preparation for Ministry, included in the Layman article, takes the polity view that the candidacy process is a time for the presbytery and candidate to investigate and discern the call and that the ordination standards in the Book of Order apply to the final ordination.  This is the same view that San Gabriel Presbytery took several years ago and Mission Presbytery took earlier this year, and that has so far been upheld by the Synod PJC.

The twist:
(Actually two of them.)

1)  The CPM letter also makes it clear that this request to be admitted to inquirer status will also include the new authoritative interpretation.  This is the first direct challenge to the ordination standards by a candidate for minister since the PUP report and it is clear that this candidate will declare “scruples” about whether the ordination standards are “essentials.”

2)  The big one!  The candidate in question is Mr. Scott D. Anderson, the same Scott Anderson who was the only openly homosexual member of the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity, and Purity.  Mr. Anderson was previously an ordained minister of word and sacrament in the PC(USA) but renounced jurisdiction in 1990 when he acknowledged his present life style.

Commentary:  So much of this commentary seems to write itself, especially since the CPM does make a point of the fact that Mr. Anderson will be challenging what is essential.  I want to leave it at the point that if “nothing has changed,” as we are constantly being told, why is a member of the PUP Task Force the first to challenge the ordination standards?

Rewriting the PC(USA) Form of Government

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One of the actions of the 217th General Assembly of the PC(USA) was the formation of a task force to rewrite the Form of Government section of the Book of Order.  This was attempted a few years back when Chapter 14, the longest section of the current Form of Government covering Ordination, Certification, and Commissioning, was rewritten, simplified and sent by the General Assembly to the presbyteries for approval.  It was rejected.  (Personal note: one item that bothered me was that the ordination questions for ministers were changed so that the first eight questions were not the same as for the other officers.  This is a feature that I always point out when I ask ordination questions.)

So, with that rejection behind them, the plan is to now completely rewrite and simplify the section.  The Task Force has now met twice and has started to release documents.  Maybe the most interesting change is that their draft proposal includes creating a fourth section of the Book of Order titled “The Foundations of Presbyterian Polity.”  Their draft for this brief section contains a simplified form of the current chapters I to IV.  A quick reading shows that most of the key phrases are there:  “Jesus Christ is the head of the church” (but this is no longer the opening words), The Great Ends of the Church, “God alone is Lord of the conscience”  and “the Church is further called to undertake its mission even at the risk of its own life.”  (Although this last phrase is now buried a bit and tougher to find.)

The Task Force has also released an outline of a new Form of Government as well as a draft of a new Chapter I.  The PCUSA news service has also issued a news item.

The Rev. Sheilagh Kesting named Moderator designate for the Church of Scotland

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Yesterday the selection committee of the Church of Scotland named from their three nominees the Rev. Sheilagh Kesting as the moterator designate for the next General Assembly to take office at the Assembly in May.  Rev. Kesting will become the first woman minister and the second woman to serve in that office.  After the announcement she said that ecumenical relations would be “the No 1 priority” for her.  She presently serves as the secretary for the Church of Scotland’s Committee on Ecumenical Relations.

The announcement is widely covered but here is the article from Scotsman.com.

Summary of three PC(USA) Decisions

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As I take my morning coffee break I bring you three items from other Presbyterian Blogs that I have not seen in news sources or Presbyterian documents yet:

1)  Toby Brown reports in his blog classicalpresbyterian that the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission has agreed to hear the case of George Stewart vs. Mission Presbytery that he has been involved in.  In addition the GAPJC has issued a stay of enforcement.  The case involves an inquirer in Mission Presbytery whose lifestyle is not in accord with G-6.0106b and whether they can be advanced to candidacy as the Presbytery voted.  The Synod PJC had a tie vote so the Presbytery action would have stood had the GAPJC not taken the case.  You can also read Toby’s original article about it and his post on the Synod PJC (non-)decision.

And two items from Tom Gray’s blog: tomgrayofthekirk
2)  The first is a comment to his blog that he posts about the decision of Western North Carolina Presbytery at their Presbytery meeting on October 19 to pass, by a wide margin, the document “Guidelines for Congregations Considering A Request to Presbytery to be Dismissed.”  The description of the meeting comes from a reader of his blog who was at the Presbytery meeting.  The Layman has posted a copy of the original proposal that went out in the commissioner packets as well as their own account of the Presbytery meeting.

3)  The second from Tom is an update that arguments in their property case have been heard in Oklahoma court and the judge has promised a decision at 4:30 pm on Thursday October 26.

PJC Decision: Colonial PC vs. Grace PC

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A much anticipated ruling by the General Assembly Permanent Judicial
Commission of the PC(USA) was released today.  In ruling on Session
of Colonial Presbyterian Church, Kansas City, Missouri v. Session of
Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, Overland Park, Kansas, the GAPJC overturned the rulings of the PJC’s of Heartland Presbytery and the Synod of Mid-America PJC’s.

The case originated from the Session of Colonial Presbyterian Church’s
claim that in examining individuals for ordination as deacons and
elders they did not properly inquire into whether their lifestyle was
in compliance with section G-6.0106b of the Book of Order as guided by
the GAPJC case of Wier v. Session, Second Presbyterian Church of Ft.
Lauderdale, FL.

The Presbytery PJC dismissed the complaint for “failure to state a
claim upon which a relief can be granted” and the Synod PJC
agreed.  They ruled that Colonial had not provided substantial
grounds for filing a complaint beyond the initial allegation.

The GAPJC found that for the purpose of going forward to trial a PJC must accept allegations as true.  Specifically:

There are sufficient allegations presented in this
Complaint, that, if assumed true, would state a claim upon which relief
could be granted. The assumption of truth of alleged facts is only for
the purpose of determining this preliminary jurisdictional question.
The ultimate determination of whether or not those facts alleged are
indeed true is properly left to the trier of fact. If it is determined
that the session’s examination of elders-elect was not sufficient, then
the presbytery has the authority to require that future examinations be
conducted in compliance with the Constitution.

The case has been sent back to the presbytery PJC for trial before July 1, 2007.

The PC(USA) news service has issued a press release on the story.

Comment:  While this is a procedural ruling and the Presbytery PJC will be rehearing the case, it strikes me that this decision lowers the bar, or clarifies where it is, and will have wider application in cases that will get heard by PJC’s.  It is too early to see how much this will raise the case load for PJC’s.

Odds and Ends

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A number of short, but interesting and relevant, items flashed across my screen in the last couple of days so here is a round-up:

PC(USA) Choses a theme for the next, 2008 General Assembly in San Jose, California.  According to an item from the Presbyterian News Service the Committee of the Office of the General Assembly as the theme for the next GA Micah 6:8:

He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord
require of you but to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly
with your God? (Micah 6:8, NRSV)

The Rev. Mark Malcolm, a 32 year old Church of Scotland minister has been chosen as the next moderator of the Presbytery of Lothian.  Mark is believed to be the youngest to be elected to that position.  (That would be young in our presbytery, even for a minister.)  He is the pastor of Ormiston and Pencaitland Parish Church and regularly plays on a rugby team.  More about Mark from the East Lothian Courier as well as a great description of what the moderator’s role is.

And finally, a BBC News item headlined “Church Must Become Less Formal:  The Presbyterian Church must become less formal in order for it to survive, a Presbyterian minister has said.”  The odd thing about the article is that it is really about Prof. Laurence Kirkpatrick of Union Theological College in Belfast and his new book “Presbyterians in Ireland.”  Almost all of the article is about his new book, a book that sounds interesting and includes exterior photographs of almost every Presbyterian church in Ireland.  Only the headline and the lead paragraph seem to mention “appealing to young people.”

News story – PC(USA) income down

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A brief wire story that the Associated Press put out and carried today by Forbes online and The Christian Post puts hard numbers on what most of us would expect:  The amount of money making it to the PC(USA) national office in Louisville is down from what was anticipated.  Specifically, the news story, quoting the financial officer, says that $12.8 million will be received by the office instead of the anticipated $13.2 million.  The reason?  Members dissatisfaction with recent actions by the headquarters and decisions by GA.  What will the PC(USA) do?  To quote the article, “limiting expenditures.”

Any questions?

Selecting the next Moderator of the GA of the Church of Scotland

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The nomination process has begun for the next moderator of the Church of Scotland General Assembly.  There are three candidates and a 54 member nominating committee will select the moderator designee in about two weeks on Oct. 31.  The committee hears from a proposer and seconder for each candidate.

The Church of Scotland announced the nominees yesterday on their web site and today the Scotsman.com profiles the three candidates who are:

The Rev Sheilagh Kesting, 53, of St Andrew’s High in Musselburgh,
East Lothian.  She has been active as the secretary to the committee on ecumenical relations in the Church of Scotland and was selected as one of the rotation ministers to preach to the royal family at Balmoral last month.  If selected, she would be the first woman minister to serve as moderator.

The Rev Dr Norman Shanks, 64, at one time a career civil
servant who, since 2003, has served as the minister at Govan Old Parish Church in Glasgow.  He has also been a theology lecturer and the leader of the Iona Community.

The Rev William Wallace, 67, formerly a dentist, has for over 30 years been the minister for Wick.

High Profile Church of Scotland GA Moderator

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I don’t know if I have an increased sensitivity to it this year for some reason, or if it is really the case, but the Rt. Rev. Alan McDonald, current moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, seems to be higher profile in the popular press than any of his predecessors in that position.

He as been quite outspoken against the replacing of Trident ICBM submarines at naval bases in Scotland.  The Good News from yesterday carries the most recent account of his comments at public meetings, usually with leaders from other denominations.  This particular meeting was in London, so he does stray from Scotland for these comments.  There have been many articles in the Scottish and British press about his outspoken stand on this topic.

But now Rev. McDonald is being widely reported on for his comments about the commercialization of Christmas and the recovery of the true meaning of it.  The reports are covering a speech he gave to the organization Alternativity a week ago.  According to the news articles, Alternativity reaches out to the poor and forgotten in society to be sure they are not forgotten at Christmas time.

However, the reports of his comments, like those on the Christian Today web site, seem to focus on remembering those members of society who are frequently forgotten at Christmas.  Some examples from the Christian Today article:

“It is vital to encourage thoughts of the present and not to think only
of the kitsch Victorian Christmas card scene of Bethlehem… but to think
of Bethlehem today and for the peace that is so longed for”

“It is of great concern that so many people feel under pressure to
present the perfect Christmas. The poorest in our society, and women,
are particularly vulnerable at this time of year. Alternativity gives
people the confidence to take small steps away from the commercial
Christmas.”

The Sunday Herald makes a brief mention of Rev. McDonald’s comments in an article on “Christmas Creep” and another article in The Herald is completely devoted to the speech, noting that it got a “mixed reaction from retailers.”

Regarding the Moderator’s higher profile, it is interesting to see the increased coverage of the Church of Scotland.

About Rev. McDonald’s comments on Christmas, it is curious to see that the reports are on what the Herald calls the “values of Christmas.”  In none of these three articles is there specific mention of Jesus, the PERSON of Christmas.  I don’t know if this goes back to the original comments themselves or to the reporting on the comments, but it is a bit disturbing to me to see the “meaning of Christmas” reduced to the “values” and not the “incarnation.”  It is the “exhibition of the Kingdom” with out the “proclamation of the Gospel.”

My thoughts, take them for what they are worth.