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Why Musings?
- The Musings Page will be a place to consider thought-provoking, evocative, sometimes polemical but not overtly political, writings, quotes, ideas, and poetry on the Christian life in all its facets: spiritual, religious, ethical, and practical.
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Hope for the PC(USA)
posted on January 12, 2012 by Musings
Eight Presbyterians (five teaching elders and three ruling elders), including Cynthia Bolbach and Landon Whitsitt, the moderator and vice-moderator of the 219th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), have issued a letter and video expressing their hope in the future of the denomination. The full letter can be found at Eight church elders urge congregations to rethink plans to leave the PC(USA) and the video at Hope for the PC(USA)
Below is an excerpt from the letter.
Is the PC(USA) undergoing a season of change? For certain. We are feeling the birthpangs of a new church as it is being reformed by the Holy Spirit. But those changes are much broader than the divisive debates of recent years. The desire to discern what missional actually means “on the ground,” to re-invigorate congregations losing momentum and to make a real life-giving difference in our communities is happening across the whole denomination. We are convinced that that reformation is strengthened by reinvesting ourselves and all of our congregations – and weakened by the departure of any.
TweetWe understand that it’s difficult not knowing exactly where we’re going to end up. But the road we are on, in seeking to proclaim God’s Word to a 21st century culture, is not only exciting but transformative.
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Musings Anniversary
posted on August 10, 2011 by Musings
The Musings blog is one year old this month, and we thought we’d take a moment both to look back at our first year and also to look forward to the coming year for Musings. We also wanted to touch base with our original goals for this blog. We hope that you will help us in this evaluation by completing this short survey. Click here for the Musings Survey
Your feedback will be helpful in evaluating what did and did not work this past year and in considering new directions we might take with Musings for the coming year.
When Musings began a year ago we wanted it to “be a place to consider thought-provoking, evocative, sometimes polemical but not overtly political, writings, quotes, ideas, and poetry on the Christian life in all its facets: spiritual, religious, ethical, and practical.” We think we’ve done a pretty good job of that. Postings on changes in ordination standards, the Belhar confession, missional ecclesiology, the Tucson shootings, the Incarnation, nurturing our youth in the faith, what it means to be the church at 900 Jordan, Lenten devotionals by members and staff, Holy Week scripture and meditations, the emerging church movement, Advent meditations, poetry, art, photographs, video, the Bangladesh pilgrimage, and more have appeared on Musings.
We also hoped that Musings might become an online forum for discussion of matters posted on the blog as a way to broaden our individual perspectives and as a byproduct of those discussions, to foster a sense of community among the participants in Musings. That has proven to be a hard nut to crack and something we will continue to work on.
In subsequent posts this month, we’ll also be taking a broader look at social media in general and how it has been used to share our faith, as individuals, and to tell the story of our church. We will also examine some of the ways other churches are using social media.
So, please complete the survey. If you have additional thoughts about the blog, please speak to Lisa Schrott, Frank Dodson, or Pen Peery. Thanks.
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New Form of Government (nFog) Approved
posted on June 8, 2011 by Musings
We approach Pentecost this Sunday with hearts full of joy and promise for the renewing power of the Holy Spirit to breathe new life into us, as individuals, and into the church. As Presbyterians we recognize that faith communities need some structure and organization to assist us in being a healing presence in the broken world. Thus, we have polity. And today we have a new form of government which will begin implementation over the next few months.
At its meeting on Tuesday, June 7, 2011, Trinity Presbytery in South Carolina became the 87th presbytery to approve an amendment that will replace the current 18-chapter Form of Government with a new version that is six chapters in length. The Form of Government is one section of the Book of Order, which is part of the PC(USA) Constitution.
To learn more about the changes see http://www.pcusa.org/news/2011/6/7/presbyteries-presbyterian-church-us-have-approved-/
To see a comparison of the new and older forms of government, please see http://oga.pcusa.org/formofgovernment/pdfs/comp-chart1.pdf
To learn more about missional ecclesiology and the nFOG, see http://fpcshreveportblogs.org/what-is-missional-ecclesiology
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Update on Belhar Confession and New Form of Government
posted on May 23, 2011 by Musings
Earlier this year we considered two important issues that the PC(USA) General Assembly recommended to Presbyteries for study and vote: The Confession of Belhar to be added to the Book of Confessions and the new form of government (nFog) portion of the Book of Order. Unlike Amendment 10-A, the final decision on these issues has yet to be decided. Pines Presbytery voted yes on both issues.
The Confession of Belhar comes from the church in South Africa and encourages us to seek reconciliation for situations that seem intractable. To be included in the Book of Confessions, it needs to be affirmed by 2/3 of the 174 Presbyteries (116 positive votes needed) and affirmed by the 2012 General Assembly.
As of June 1, 85 Presbyteries had voted in favor of the Belhar and 55 had voted no (60.7 % in favor), with 34 Presbyteries still to vote.
To learn more about Belhar, visit these postings: http://fpcshreveportblogs.org/belhar-confession/ and http://fpcshreveportblogs.org/not-our-own-being-christian-in-difficult-times/
The nFOG provides a form of government that is more streamlined and more responsive to local ministry needs. One emphasis in the nFOG is missional ecclesiology or a recognition that “the Church is not a building or an institution but a community of witness, called into being and equipped by God, and sent into the world to testify to and participate in Christ’s work.” A majority of Presbyteries (87) need to affirm it for inclusion in the Book of Order.
As of June 1, 79 Presbyteries had voted in favor of nFOG and 81 had voted no (49.4 % in favor), with 14 Presbyteries still to vote.
To learn more about missional ecclesiology and the nFOG, see http://fpcshreveportblogs.org/what-is-missional-ecclesiology
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Being the Church
posted on May 10, 2011 by ppeery
Early this evening in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Twin Cities Presbytery became the 87th presbytery to vote in favor of “Amendment 10-A” which means that our denomination’s ordination standards will change. Last summer, the General Assembly of our church voted to replace language in our constitution that prohibits non-celibate gays and lesbians from being ordained with language that gives local congregations and local presbyteries the responsibility to examine candidates for ordination who will “submit joyfully to the lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life.” General Assembly actions take the support of 50% plus one of the 173 presbyteries to change the constitution. Tonight, that threshold was crossed. No doubt this change will mean that some churches and some presbyteries will choose to ordain gays and lesbians who the church/presbytery believes to meet this new standard. And, no doubt, some churches and presbyteries will choose to continue to uphold the former standard and not ordain gays or lesbians.
To read more about what these changes mean (and do not mean), I recommend reading a letter from one of our sister presbyteries in Florida: http://fpcshreveportblogs.org/what-does-amendment-10-a-really-change/
The PC(USA) report on tonight’s vote and a letter from our Stated Clerk, Moderator, and Vice Moderator can be found here: http://www.pcusa.org/news/2011/5/10/presbyterian-church-us-approves-change-ordination/
Tonight, across our denomination, there are many Presbyterians who rejoice. This debate has roiled the church for the last 32 years. For some, tonight’s historic vote was a relief. I read a tweet from someone who said “Rejoice! I can now be ordained in the denomination that baptized me!”
Tonight, too, across our denomination, there are many Presbyterians who despair. Some will feel betrayed, believing that the freedom for churches and presbyteries to ordain gays and lesbians is a departure from scripture and our tradition.
In the days ahead, there will be much of both in the PC(USA) world: rejoicing and despairing. I dare say that our congregation at First Presbyterian represents the “broad middle” that is the majority of our denomination – we are a community of faith made up of people on both sides of this long-standing debate.
And yet…
I can’t help but to think of the words that God speaks at every crossroads of the church’s life that is filled with anxiety – be it the empty tomb, the wind-whipped disciples at Pentecost, or the churches struggling with the inclusion of the earliest gentile converts. Those words are “do not be afraid!”
None of us know what the future holds. No one can anticipate what the reaction will be to this news. But what I am sure about is that Jesus Christ is still the head of the church and no matter who is ordained, that will not change. “Do not be afraid!”
I strongly believe that the antidote to our anxiety about the church’s future is found in being the church. Next week, I am sitting down with some local clergy to talk about ways our congregation might address the problem of absentee landlords who take advantage of low-income renters in our neighborhood. Plans are underway for a terrific Vacation Bible School week this summer, where our children will join with other Presbyterians to learn the stories of scripture and live out their faith by working with the Fuller Center for Housing. Our youth are getting ready to head to Mo-Ranch for two different Spirit-filled weeks. We are sending four members of the congregation to walk beside our missionaries Les and Cindy Morgan in Bangladesh this June. “Do not be afraid!”
We need not diminish the importance of tonight’s vote. It is significant and is cause for strong reaction on each side of the 30+ year debate. But this “issue” does not define the church. God still calls us to the life-giving work of being Christ’s hands in the world. And so we walk forward in faith…
Pen Peery, Pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Shreveport
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What does Amendment 10-A really change?
posted on April 29, 2011 by Musings
The following letter was written by the Frank J. Allen, Stated Clerk and Paige M. McRight, Executive Presbyter of the Central Florida Presbytery. We think it has an important and often not articulated message about what the passage of Amendment 10-A means for ordination standards, especially with respect to how the vote may be portrayed in the media.
Dear friends;
Based on current trends, it is widely expected that Amendment #10-A will pass within the next few days. As you may recall, this is the amendment that deals with ordination standards. When it passes you may be faced with questions and concerns from your members and your local community. The information below is offered in the hope of assisting you with those conversations. You may reprint it if you wish.
What 10-A Says:
“Standards for ordained service reflect the church’s desire to submit joyfully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life (G-1.0000). The governing body responsible for ordination and/or installation (G.14.0240; G-14.0450) shall examine each candidate’s calling, gifts, preparation, and suitability for the responsibilities of office. The examination shall include, but not be limited to, a determination of the candidate’s ability and commitment to fulfill all requirements as expressed in the constitutional questions for ordination and installation (W-4.4003). Governing bodies shall be guided by Scripture and the confessions in applying standards to individual candidates.”
What it DOESN’T say:
10-A eliminates the mandates on who should/should not be considered for ordination that are present in the current language. [The wording previously said that “Those who are called to office in the church are to lead a life in obedience to Scripture and in conformity to the historic confessional standards of the church. Among these standards is the requirement to live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman (W-4.9001), or chastity in singleness….”] Instead, the new language re-focuses the discussion of ordination on who examines (presbytery or session) and on what basis (joyful obedience to the Lordship of Christ, gifts, preparation and suitability for office, and commitment to fulfill the ordination vows).
It is also important to note that the new language does NOT REQUIRE that any person be ordained and installed, if the ordaining body’s sense of faithfulness does not commend it. Sessions and presbyteries will continue to be responsible for being sure that everyone to be ordained has full preparation and thorough examination. The examination for ‘suitability for the responsibilities’ will need to include consideration of whether anything in that person’s manner of life is unacceptable in those who are ordained. The new standard reminds us that all areas of a person’s life including, but not limited to, sexual behavior are subject to the Lordship of Christ. Ever since the current language was adopted in 1996, sessions and presbyteries have disagreed about whether the Scripture precludes ordination for homosexual persons. The revised language will lay on sessions and presbyteries the responsibility to answer that question for themselves and to take seriously their responsibility to prepare and examine those who are called to church office in their context.
The media is likely to say that this revised statement automatically opens the door to the ordination of homosexual persons in our denomination. It does not automatically open the door to ordination for anyone. There will be disagreement among Presbyterians about how the new standard should be interpreted and some will doubt whether they can stay in our denomination with this change. We are grateful that already pastors and other leaders who care deeply about our denomination are at work to find a way for us to stay united in mission even if congregations decide to separate into presbyteries around how they interpret Scripture related to this standard. We are grateful for the foresight of the General Assembly Commission on Middle Governing Bodies and the Fellowship of Presbyterian Pastors which independently of each other are working to discover ways for us to serve together in the Presbyterian Church (USA) honoring our theological diversity and our common calling to serve our common Lord.
More information is available on the Central Florida Presbytery website: http://www.cfpresbytery.org/council.html
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What is Missional Ecclesiology?
posted on March 12, 2011 by Musings
The second of the three major measures passed by the General Assembly and to be voted on by our Presbytery (March 26) is the new form of government (nFog) portion of the Book of Order. While the nFog is important in the life of our church, it is a difficult beast to actually muse on. So we will look at some of the underlying theology … Namely missional ecclesiology….
Below is the abstract of “What is Missional Ecclesiology?” by Paul Hooker. The full text can be found at http://www.negapby.org/missionalecc.pdf
Missional ecclesiology demands more of the church than deciding which community service projects to undertake or setting congregational priorities for the coming year.
Missional ecclesiology is a way of understanding the church. It begins with the missio Dei—God’s own “self-sending” in Christ by the Spirit to redeem and transform creation. In a missional ecclesiology, the Church is not a building or an institution but a community of witness, called into being and equipped by God, and sent into the world to testify to and participate in Christ’s work.
The Church does not have missions; instead, the mission of God creates the Church. The Church serves God’s call to mission through its work in three broadly defined categories: the proclamation of the Word of God, the administration of the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and the nurture of the covenant community of disciples.
It undertakes this mission without regard for its own agenda or survival. A missional polity makes the following commitments:
• The starting point for a missional polity is God’s self-sending into the world.
• The Church’s calling is to be a community of witness that participates in Christ’s work in the world.
• The congregation is the basic form of the church, and individual believers have their ministries nurtured and guided within the congregation.
• The ministry of the councils of the church is shaped around the calling of the Church.
• The polity provides flexibility for mission in a changing and variable context.
• The polity encourages accountability on the part of its covenanted partners to one another.
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Living As a Faith Community
posted on February 15, 2011 by Musings
The Belhar Confession sees the unity of the church as “both a gift and obligation for the church of Jesus Christ; ….a reality which must be earnestly pursued and sought.” The confession recognizes that “this unity can be established only in freedom and not under constraint.” The confession does not confuse unity with agreement but instead recognizes “that the variety of spiritual gifts, opportunities, backgrounds, convictions….are by virtue of the reconciliation in Christ, opportunities for mutual service and enrichment within the one visible people of God.”
For better or worse, the context in which the church has elected to deal with the issue of the place of gay and lesbian people in the life of the church is in the Book of Order provisions dealing with ordination standards for church office. The method by which the church has elected to deal with the issue is by voting on amendments to the Book of Order, a method that guarantees winners and losers, those on the inside and those on the outside. The ordination issue has provoked a much wider and deeper inquiry than the narrow question of whether gay and lesbian persons should be eligible for ordination for church office. For many on both sides of the issue, Amendment 10-A (and its predecessors) involve questions about the use, interpretation and authority of scripture, as well as the nature of the Good News offered to us in Jesus Christ. How do the PC(USA) and its individual congregations maintain the unity of which the Belhar Confession speaks in the context of yes/no, win/lose votes on issues that, for many within the church, involve foundational understandings of what it means to be a disciple of Christ? Where are the boundaries/what are the limits of diversity in the church? What that you love about the church is most at risk in the current controversies? Why do we need each other? Whose church is it?
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Commentary on Amendment 10-A
posted on February 13, 2011 by Musings
As we at First Presbyterian consider amendment 10-A and the proposed changes in ordination standards, we thought it would be helpful to see how others have engaged in thoughtful discussion around this issue.
Former Theological Task for the Peace, Unity and Purity (PUP) colleagues Mike Loudon and Mark Achtemeier have found many areas of agreement in their consideration of issues within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) However, on the issue of setting aside the “fidelity in marriage or chastity in singleness” standard for ordination they take different positions.
In a recent Presbyterian Outlook column, each has presented a series of reasons for their view, including references to scriptures, the confessions and polity. We encourage you to read through the commentary. You can access a pdf at 10-A Commentary or visit the Outlook website at http://pres-outlook.org/amendment-resources/10616-yes-to-amendment-10-a.html
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Gifts and Requirements: Amendment 10-A
posted on February 12, 2011 by Musings
The 219th General Assembly (2010) directed the Stated Clerk to send the following proposed amendment to the presbyteries for their affirmative or negative votes: Shall G-6.0106b be amended by striking the current text and inserting new text in its place as follows:
INSERTING:
Standards for ordained service reflect the church’s desire to submit joyfully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life (G-1.0000). The governing body responsible for ordination and/or installation (G.14.0240; G-14.0450) shall examine each candidate’s calling, gifts, preparation, and suitability for the responsibilities of office. The examination shall include, but not be limited to, a determination of the candidate’s ability and commitment to fulfill all requirements as expressed in the constitutional questions for ordination and installation (W-4.4003). Governing bodies shall be guided by Scripture and the confessions in applying standards to individual candidates.STRIKING:
Those who are called to office in the church are to lead a life in obedience to Scripture and in conformity to the historic confessional standards of the church. Among these standards is the requirement to live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman (W-4.9001), or chastity in singleness. Persons refusing to repent of any self-acknowledged practice which the confessions call sin shall not be ordained and/or installed as deacons, elders, or ministers of the Word and Sacrament.
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