From the Pastor’s Desk
by First Church
On July 1, I will be heading to Minneapolis for the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA). This meeting, which is held every two years, is part convention, part political caucus, part prayer meeting, and part family reunion. Equal numbers of clergy and lay commissioners will come from all of the presbyteries across the nation. For the first twenty years of my ministry I paid little notice to Assembly life. As a young pastor, you are generally not invited to attend as a commissioner from the presbytery, and the ins and outs of national church concerns have never really been my passion. I much prefer the pulse and beat of the local congregation: its births, deaths, member receptions, worship, fellowship dinners, pastoral visits, and daily life. The great actions of amending the Book of Order, or making pronouncements about war, or entering into ecumenical or interfaith alliances have never been as immediate to me. But with the debate over ordination standards that dates to the Albuquerque Assembly some eleven years ago, I realized that the work of 6A affects and shapes the life of the local congregation. As I became more involved in the ministry of the Covenant Network, I found a constructive outlet for my passion for justice and for a more inclusive national church.
This year—along with overtures to address same-gender marriage (both pro and con), the need to remove all barriers to the ordination of gay and lesbian leaders in the church, and the right and responsibility of pastors to officiate at marriage ceremonies in those states where same-gender marriage is permitted—there is another issue that will perhaps capture even more media attention. A study commission known as the Middle East Study Committee (MESC) will be making a report to the Assembly reviewing its two-year study of issues in Israel-Palestine, and making recommendations on what the Presbyterian Church and the U.S. should do in response. The report rightly expresses concern over the dwindling number of Christians in the Middle East. It discusses the growing disparity and dislocation of Palestinian people and the problems of living outside the Separation Barrier. It points to the difficult problems created by Israeli occupation of the West Bank, Gaza, and expanded settlements in East Jerusalem. It expresses concern for the aggressive posture of the current Israeli administration toward blockading peaceful materiel from Palestine and hostile actions on the Mediterranean Sea. On these points many Israelis and American Jews have expressed concern as well.
But the 173-page MESC report is highly biased and in the end neither a fair analysis of the problems in Israel-Palestine nor a feasible plan for how to move toward a better place. For one thing, the committee did not consult with American Jewish leaders, spokespersons, or voices. The breadth and diversity of opinion in this country is influential in Israel, and the committee has overlooked that fact altogether. The report does not include the Israeli narrative in any meaningful way, and describes certain historical turning points such as the 1967 War in a strongly pro-Palestinian, anti-Israeli way. Because of the many flaws, biased perspectives, and disturbing elements of the report, I have joined eighteen other pastors, seminary presidents, and leaders in the Presbyterian Church in signing a letter to be sent to every commissioner of the 219th General Assembly and to be published in the Presbyterian Outlook. I don’t know what influence this may have on the Assembly’s consideration of the MESC report. The letter calls for the rejection of the report. But if the Assembly decides to adopt the report, I can only hope that its most offensive and biased elements will have been amended or deleted to express a more balanced perspective. Not being a Commissioner, I cannot speak to the Assembly, but being an Observer, I will be there hoping and praying for a just and helpful outcome.
The Rev. Dr. Jon M. Walton