Introduction to the controversial issues by, Tom Letts

Minneapolis Convention Center

Up in the air and on our way to the 219th General Assembly of the PC(USA). Thanks for your questions and comments relating to the Assembly and to the blog.

I've said repeatedly that there are four major issues coming before the Assembly but I think we should add a 5th. So, below is a list of controversial issues.
1-Sexuality and ordination (a variety of overtures -see my last post on 'overtures'- seeking to make the way clear to remove sexual preference restrictions in our ordination standards. In other words, to make the way clear to ordain self-avowed, practicing: gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and trans-sexual persons).
2-Redefinition of marriage (from 'between one man and one woman' to 'between two consenting adults').
3-Non-geographic synods (a proposal seeking to offer synod-type alignment to churches on opposite sides of the ordination standards issue. In other words, churches that could not, in good conscience, ordain a gay person to office would be free to align themselves with other PC(USA) churches who believe the same way.).
4-Palestine/Israel relations (a 150 page report that paints a stark picture of Israel's treatment of Palestinians. The report is factually accurate but scathing and some say might do more harm by alienating Jewish neighbors than the good it might accomplish in 'speaking the truth in love.').
5-Inter-faith worship (a task-force report seeking to affirm common worship between Presbyterians and Muslims -and Jews- as 'we are of the same Abrahamic lineage.').

Going deeper: a note on pc-biz.org
The site takes some getting used to but it works. The search engine is a good one. You can type in a word (like 'ordination') and you'll get a variety of 'hits.' Just go through the list and click what you want. Also, you can follow any overture or committee-work by searching for the overture or committee number (my committee is 15, Evangelism and Church Growth. We have no contentious overtures.). I'll post committee numbers and their controversial issues tomorrow.

I've run into some great sites that help interpret the issues of the Assembly. I'll give you a few tomorrow and maybe even a 'site of the day' during the Assembly. Blessings, tl