Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) blogs

Subscribe to this blog

Recent posts

• Unsung Heroes Pt. 2
• Where Are the Ruling Elders?
• Unsung Heroes Pt. 1
• I'm Back
• Can We Give Thanks?

Categories

• Religion (1)
• View all categories →

Archives

• View all archives →

See all PC(USA) Blogs →

PC(USA) Home →

Whatever Happened to the PUP Report?

Cynthia Bolbach

     Remember the report of the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity, and Purity of the Church (PUP)? The report that urged us to seek ways to discern God's will for the PC (USA) without relying solely on yes/no, up/down votes?

     Somehow that emphasis on building relationships among all Presbyterians, even, and especially, those with whom we disagree on certain issues, has diminished since the PUP report was approved. Somehow, as we debate and discuss topics on which we disagree, we have lost sight of the central affirmations on which we as Presbyterians do agree: the awesome sovereignty of a merciful God; the redeeming love of Jesus Christ; the absolute need to make the proclamation of the Gospel the central focus of our lives; the belief that we proclaim the Gospel most effectively through our Presbyterian connectional system.

     Demonizing and diminishing those with whom we disagree has become, sadly, a staple of our American political life. We as a church must not descend to that. We as a church must model a different way of engaging difficult issues.

     I'm not saying we shouldn't debate and take votes on issues like ordination standards. I'm not saying that advocacy and interest groups within our church should stop advocating particular positions. What I am saying is that we need to do more than advocate. We need to reaffirm what binds us together, even as we debate and decide issues on which we disagree.

     Here's my challenge to the entire spectrum of the PC (USA) -- left, right, and center: Reach out to those on the opposite end of the spectrum from you. Have a conversation with someone with whom you disagree deeply on an issue, and find out where you do agree. Build relationships. Establish common ground.

     I first attended a General Assembly in 1997, when I was a commissioner in Syracuse. I've never forgotten something that Pat Brown, newly-elected Moderator, noted during the election. She quoted an Ashanti proverb that says, "When elephants tangle, it is the grass that suffers." Today, the "grass" is the PC (USA). Will we stomp it into oblivion because we can't find common ground?

• Posted at 2:52 p.m.
• Tweet