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218^thGeneral Assembly
2008

Candidates for Moderator

For our index page for GA 2008
For the JustPresbys website

Candidates for Moderator respond to
Witherspoon questions

[5-17-08]

One of the first acts of the 218th General Assembly will be the election of a new Moderator. To help our readers weigh this important choice, the Witherspoon Society has invited each of the people standing for this high office to respond briefly to four questions that reflect Witherspoon concerns – and, we believe, the concerns of the wider church.

With gratitude to the candidates for their cooperation in responding, we are happy to share their comments here, presenting them in alphabetical order, beginning on the next page.

The four questions were:

1. Jesus, following in the footsteps of John the Baptist and the Hebrew prophets, had some sharp things to say to the religious leaders of his time. ("Whitewashed tombs" comes to mind.) What do you think he might have to say to us if he were to drop in on our Assembly in San Jose?

2. The Presbyterian Church (USA) has a long-standing commitment to peacemaking. What might we do to further the cause of peace in our still-warring world today?

3. In a time of increasing economic stress for many Americans, how should we understand the prophets’ call to "do justice"? What might the PC(USA) say or do about the growing gap between the rich and the poor in our own nation, and in the world?

4. Recent decisions of the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission imply that the Authoritative Interpretation approved by the 217th GA does not allow the ordination of men and women who feel that in conscience they cannot conform to the requirement for "fidelity in marriage or chastity in singleness." Do you believe that this situation should be changed, and if so, how?

The responses from the four candidates are below:

	The Rev. Carl Mazza
	The Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow
	Elder Roger Shoemaker
	The Rev. Bill Teng

The Rev. Carl Mazza

Pastor / Director, Meeting Ground, Cecil County, Maryland

www.carlmazza.org
www.meetingground.org

1. What might Jesus say to us if he were to drop in on our Assembly in San Jose?

A few years ago I was "visited" on the Arizona/Mexico border, while standing at sunset beside a beautiful orange grove. The tranquility masked the terrifying fact that scores of families were living there, struggling to make a living in the dirt, sleeping among animals beside drainage ditches filled with pesticide. They were economic refugees – undocumented and demeaned as "illegal."

Unexpectedly, a girl about 5-years-old appeared out of the thicket. The rays of the bright sun made her white dress appear angelic. I turned away for a moment; when I looked again she had vanished back among the trees, her home. For a brief moment I dared to imagine I had been visited by Jesus himself.

If she were to appear in San Jose, perhaps she would say to us: "My single life, humble as it stands, is as dearly important to God as all of what you hope to do in this Assembly. If you ever forget me as you deliberate, all your words and solemn declarations will be nothing more than that."

2. What might we do to further the cause of peace in our world today?

"If we want peace, we must work for justice." It is the Biblical command. There is no alternative plan. In this regard, congregations must become mission, as well as do mission.

3. What is our calling to "do justice" in this time of increasing economic stress and the growing gap between rich and the poor in our own nation, and in the world?

My greatest insight came in visiting with Christian faith communities in Salvadoran refugee camps during the 1980’s civil war. They were so money-poor, their economy was bartering.

Yet, their faith was powerful and rich. They were courageous in their love for each other and in the bonds of Gospel-based community. I felt so poor among them and powerless in realizing that nothing material I could offer was of any real help.

The justice they demanded, and eventually got, was to return home and live with pride by their own means. The "gap" only partially involved money. Their wealth was the confident awareness and courage as a community – their power to access housing, food, and livelihood in self-reliant dignity. They were economically poor, yes, but rich in faith, bonding and love as a neighborhood.

The Gospel empowers us with the means of creating such community, right relationships and true freedom. The Presbyterian Church needs to strengthen its mission in learning, teaching, and sharing such means, and to realize that its own liberation is inextricably bound to that of the world it serves.

4. Following the recent GAPJC rulings, do you believe the requirement for "fidelity in marriage or chastity in singleness" should be changed, and if so, how?

The short answer is: yes, I think the situation should change. The unending discussion has a poisonous win/lose character. It is making us myopic, narrow, and unloving. Most tragically, it saps vision and energy to work together in mission. It makes ministry candidates, and us all, fearful of authentic dialogue and candid relationships.

Jesus was condemned as Satan for his open heart and joyful association with all us sinners. We may have strayed too far from him, and a blessed future requires that we move forward toward our own roots. "Jesus with us all" is our root, branch, and frankly, all we need. God grant in our powerlessness that grace will be made perfect.

The Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow

Pastor, Mission Bay Community Church, San Francisco Presbytery, California

http://www.mod.reyes-chow.com/

1. What might Jesus say to us if he were to drop in on our Assembly in San Jose?

I think Jesus would simply wander around the exhibit halls, lounges and tables telling stories of the faith. Among other things, he would speak of eternal life, the cost of discipleship, the importance of community and the call to serve. His stories would infect the minds and spirits of the assembly so much so that a movement of action would swell and the General Assembly would burst forth with a clear mandate to serve. In the midst of the details, some of us would feel attacked, alienated and judged while others of us would feel vindicated, liberated, loved. But such are the compelling and challenging words of Jesus.

2. What might we do to further the cause of peace in our world today?

"Peace be with you."

When Jesus says this to the disciples in the locked room, we are given a powerful message. Peace is communal. In order to achieve peace, we have to understand it. We must see the difference between peace simply as an absence of conflict and a peace that is built on a just resolution to conflict. Too often we hope that if one side would simply give in to the other, there would be peace. This is not peace. True peace must be built on a willingness for all involved to admit their part in the brokenness and embrace the needs of the other. In a world of war, this is even more applicable as peace should not just be about a fragile halt of violence taken at the cost of the freedom of the other, but a peace that will be sustained by the power that is given to it by a foundation of justice.

3. What is our calling to "do justice" in this time of increasing economic stress and the growing gap between rich and the poor in our own nation, and in the world?

We will not adequately address issues of poverty and wealth until we can re-direct our emotional, fiscal and spiritual energies away from other internal conflicts. While important to our future as an institution, our internal harmony will only be as effective as the mission that comes out of it. Many in the church are already passionately addressing issues of poverty and economic justice despite our institutional struggles. If we are to address large-scale issues of economic justice, institutional resources and grassroots movements must converge and work together.

4. Following the recent GAPJC rulings, do you believe the requirement for "fidelity in marriage or chastity in singleness" should be changed, and if so, how?

I believe at the heart of this question is the subtext of ordination of GLBTQ folks. I have always been supportive of full ordination and believe the way should be made clear for that to happen. At the same time that is not where our church is today nor is this the primary focus of my call to be moderator. With that said, I believe that will need to come to a decision beyond the often called for, "agree to disagree" stance because fundamentally, like the ordination of women before, opposing positions cannot co-exist. In the meantime, each of us will need to discern what is our level of acceptable disagreement so we can discern that same thing for our denomination. My greatest hope is that no matter what happens, the discourse will be grace-filled, and any leaving or returning can be done with dignity.

Elder Roger Shoemaker

Southern Heights Presbyterian Church, Lincoln, Nebraska

www.rogershoemaker.com

1. What might Jesus say to us if he were to drop in on our Assembly in San Jose?

I do not believe that Jesus followed in the footsteps of anyone except God. As for the Assembly, it depends on whether he came during worship or to a committee meeting or to a debate on the floor. Jesus gave us neither, simple tasks or easy answers. Jesus might say to some: "Come follow," and to others "I do not know you," or to some "First take the log out of your own eye and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye." He would laugh and shed a few tears and tell us to keep trying and maybe someday you will "love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul and your neighbor as your self." I think Jesus would tell us that we could not solve our disagreements with rules but only with love. Then Jesus would say, you are my children and I will be with you always.

2. What might we do to further the cause of peace in our world today?

First we must find peace within our denomination. It is hard to promote peace with anger in our hearts. If some one came to you from PC (USA) as a peacemaker to help you, how would you receive that person knowing of the dissension within the denomination? We need to continue to feed the hungry, to heal the sick and seek justice for the oppressed so there will be a certain renewal of creditability of who we are as the church.

3. What is our calling to "do justice" in this time of increasing economic stress and the growing gap between rich and the poor in our own nation, and in the world?

I think economic stress is a good reason for the people in the pews to re-evaluate their life style. We are known for our over consumption of worldly goods when others do without. Contributions to the church in 2006 were $2,133,177,995 and at one time that was about 2.5% of our income, which leaves us 7.5% short of God’s calling for a tithe to the church. Our economic stress may be caused by the inability to pay the credit card bill for our past life style indiscretions or house payment or is it because there is no work and no food on the table. It would seem that had there been more time spent focusing on who we are called to be as Christians and sharing wealth, we may have been able to avoid some of the economic stress of today. If each member gave 25 cents each Sunday to feed the world, in one year it would raise, (2,267,188 members times 25 cents times 52 Sundays, that’s), $29,473,444. How do you compare that quarter to some one who has no house, does not know what a credit card is, has no job and little or no food let alone fresh water. The store shelves are empty in Zimbabwe and there are no stores in Darfur. Can you spare a quarter?

4. Following the recent GAPJC rulings, do you believe the requirement for "fidelity in marriage or chastity in singleness" should be changed, and if so, how?

No. I also think that we cannot solve the problem through rules and regulations. G-60106b and the Authoritative Interpretation speak to the behavioral problems of all who are ordained as Deacon, Elder or Pastor. It also places upon the presbyteries and sessions a responsibility to uphold their commitment to be guided by the Book of Confessions and the Book of Order. The other side is that there needs to be a better understanding of the GLTB cultural issues involved. I think that in the human community there are those who because of their behavior should not be ordained. I like Paul’s letters to the Ephesians and chapter 4:1-16 as guidelines for who we are as a people and church community.

The Rev. Bill Teng

Pastor, Heritage Presbyterian Church, Alexandria, Virginia

www.BillTeng.com

1. What might Jesus say to us if he were to drop in on our Assembly in San Jose?

I think Jesus might say that we’ve been dwelling and holding on to traditionalism which has prevented us from participating in God’s mission effectively in a radically changed North American context. Tom Gillespie once said that "Tradition is the living faith of people now dead, and traditionalism is the dead faith of people now living." In holding on to traditionalism, we somehow still think that the world would listen to us just because we publish pronouncements and statements on certain social issues from the General Assembly.

Jesus might say that our business should be congregations faithfully embodying the Gospel in their own communities, not about clinging on to yester-year and the bygone hopes of a "Christian Century." We must develop a post-Christendom mindset – stop assuming that we still live in a Christian culture and that our neighbors and friends are familiar with Christian expressions and/or principles, and wringing our hands when they aren’t. This will free us to share with them the most basic Christian truths.

2. What might we do to further the cause of peace in our world today?

Since Jesus is also called the "Prince of Peace," I believe it’s only right that we become peacemakers ourselves. However, I don’t believe in the concept of "peace at any cost" or "cheap peace" – since in order to have true peace, justice must first prevail!

While the General Assembly can do some positive things in encouraging peacemaking, the primary significance should be at the congregational level. If our congregations cannot turn our minds and hearts toward working for the full extent of God’s shalom, then everything becomes only empty-speak. The General Assembly should embrace fully-informed and well-balanced position papers to help guide the lives of our congregations.

3. What is our calling to "do justice" in this time of increasing economic stress and the growing gap between rich and the poor in our own nation, and in the world?

Again, this must first be realized at the congregational level – it’s only when we actually "do" justice at that level that we’ve earned the right to speak to the rest of the world.

I believe the PC(USA) must say we’re called to "do" justice in this secular world as we’re chosen to live life as if God’s love and justice were the order of the day. We need to ask questions when things don’t seem right, advocate for people whose voices are not heard in the halls of power – we are chosen to make every decision based on our faith commitment to God!

4. Following the recent GAPJC rulings, do you believe the requirement for "fidelity in marriage or chastity in singleness" should be changed, and if so, how?

I don’t believe it’s the intent of the GAPJC rulings to keep anyone away from the call to ministry but to hold all Presbyterians accountable for living into the call of ministry – beginning with the realization that God’s claim on our life is a whole-life claim, which supersedes any claim we may have on our own desires, habits or lifestyles.

I believe the GAPJC decisions have simply clarified for the church that if standards are to be changed, it would need to be done through the constitutional amendment process. Though we don’t all agree on these standards, the amendment process reflects the deep wisdom of our tradition: it allows the church, collectively, to discern what boundaries God intends for us to live within. I support our denomination’s discernment on the matter of sexual relationships for elders and pastors, and at our better moments these standards are applied with grace and integrity.