By a wide, wide margin - 86% to 14% - the General Assembly voted this evening to send the Confession of Belhar back to the presbyteries for their vote and consideration.
I have mixed emotions about this. The Assembly did the identical thing just two years ago, and at that time the Confession failed to reach the larger majority vote required to amend the Book of Confessions. Bringing the Confession back so soon for reconsideration feels a bit like "You didn't REALLY mean that, did you?" I don't think that's the intent. And I do indeed believe the Confession of Belhar will be a worthy, and necessary, addition to the Book of Confessions. I just wish they had waited another cycle or two - and maybe, had waited until there was a clamor from the people for the Confession to be included. I would rejoice to see the General Assembly take fewer actions that were "top down," and instead encourage more actions which initiate from the ground up. We shall see whether it goes forward and becomes part of the book.
By a voice vote, the Assembly voted to make plans to commemorate the 500th birthday of John Knox, our Scottish forebear. That vote was much easier than one earlier this afternoon, about whether and how to provide child care at future assemblies so that younger commissioners would be able to attend. The Twitterverse was indeed atwitter, and the debate in the hall raged on for at least 20 minutes about whether to mandate it right this second or to refer it to the Office of General Assembly for more careful planning. It's not exactly Pampers 1, John Knox 0 - but it's more like Pampers 3, John Knox 1. Glad we have our priorities in the right place!
On the Consent Agenda previously passed, the Assembly approved circulating a revision of the current Directory for Worship (the "W" section of the Book of Order). This study, David Gambrell told us, proposes to reduce the number of chapters from 7 to 5, and to reduce the number of words by about 10,000 - all while retaining the Reformed emphasis on grace and gratitude, and making room for the multitude of worship forms we enjoy today. I am thinking we will make time to study and discuss this revision at an upcoming Presbytery meeting.
Then it was time for the seminary presidents. A new one, Craig Barnes, was recognized as he begins his call to serve Princeton Seminary. A retiring one, Bill Carl, was recognized as he completes his tenure at Pittsburgh Seminary. And two retired educators, Jack Rogers from San Francisco Theological Seminary and Cynthia Campbell from Austin and McCormick Seminaries, were given awards for their leadership and scholarship from the Committee on Theological Education.
I take a moment of personal privilege to salute my friend and mentor Cynthia, the second clergywoman I ever met. She was the model for us, in more ways than one, during a time when female role models in ministry were few and far between. We got to sing together during worship in seminary. She introduced me to the work of Stanley Hauerwas, who I was privileged to hear in person for the first time this past Sunday. She also served on my Candidates Committee and scared me to death there - but I will save that story for another time! Suffice it to say that I want to be Cynthia Campbell when I grow up. Thank you, dear one, for all that you have taught us in your classroom and with your life.
They closed the report with a tribute to another heroine in my life, Sara Bernice Moseley. Sarah Bernice died about a year ago at the tender age of 97. As the wife of John D. Moseley, the visionary president of Austin College, she mentored the women students in particular and always made us laugh. She was grace personified, and was as brilliant as she was full of grace. I'm not sure whether she or her Ph.D. husband was the brainier of the pair. Oh, and by the way, she was the first female Moderator of the former Presbyterian Church in the U.S., and also moderated the first Council of the reunited PC(USA).
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