Well, having concluded, it is interesting to look back at the GA and some reflection on specific issues.<\/p>\n
From my observation and reading, the most significant debate was on the
\ntopic of same-sex civil unions on Tuesday afternoon. It was
\nprobably the longest debate and most complex from a parliamentary
\nperspective. The motion from the council was actually pretty
\nnarrow, just protecting ministers from the fear of disciplinary action
\nif they were, or were not, to participate in a service marking a
\nsame-sex civil union. It was pointed out that this was
\nsimply a legal and discipline issue to reflect the legal status in
\nBritain as a whole at the present time. However, the strongly
\nheld opinions were reflected in the success of the motion to send the
\naction to presbyteries for approval, and for the main vote where the
\noriginal motion carried by 322-314.<\/p>\n
It should be noted that the debate was handled very well by
\nthe moderator and the commissioners and all sides were heard and their
\nopinions respected. It must also be noted that this was in
\nresponse to secular actions and that a report will be coming to next
\nyear’s GA on the theological underpinnings. It is impossible to
\ntell at this point how many commissioners, in their voting, were acting
\non the issue as a whole, and how many were just concerned with the
\nnarrow parameters of the motion as it was presented.<\/p>\n
Another major issue was the concern over the reorganization of the
\nchurch. The assembly on Monday agreed to an overture to evaluate
\nthe new structure and particularly the new financial implications and
\nwhether it takes away from local churches and presbyteries. As is
\nalways the case in the presbyterian system, since we are connectional
\nan adequate balance and tension must be observed between each of the
\ngoverning bodies. I don’t know if it is codified in the Church of
\nScotland, but in the PC(USA) the understanding is that power originates
\nfrom the presbyteries.<\/p>\n
One of the items that I found most interesting was the discussion about
\nwhether to recognize the Highlands Theological College in the Highlands
\nand Islands University Millenium Institute as a teaching college for
\nthe ordained ministry of the church. The debate was interesting
\nand wide ranging, sometimes straying from the specific issue at
\nhand. Did the Kirk need another college in addition to the
\nexisting four? Was the University broad enough to provide the
\ninstruction for ministers that John Calvin desired? The college
\nhas been described as a “Bible College” without the theological rigor
\nof the “Ancient Universities.” (I am not familiar with Highlands
\nso this may not be relavant, but the largest trainer of presbyterian
\nministers in the USA is not one of the denominational schools but
\nFuller Theological Seminary, a school that started out with a “Bible
\nCollege” reputation.) In the end
\nthe new college was approved by a wide margin.<\/p>\n
Another interesting item came up in a presbytery overture asking for a
\nreview of the “voluntary additional payment scheme.” This
\nallows congregations who can afford it to pay a minister up to 15% over
\nthe Kirk’s base stipend. A concern was raised that the scheme was
\napplied differently by different presbyteries. There was a
\ncounter motion to abolish the scheme which was carried by a vote of
\n225-135. From watching the news wires this appears to be the
\nissue which got the most press coverage. It is interesting to
\nnote that the total vote here (360 votes) was noticeably less than the
\ntotal (636) for the civil-union’s action.<\/p>\n
Thanks for your interest,
\nFeel free to leave your observations
\nBlessings
\nSteve<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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