"A Call to the
Whole Gospel"
by Kent
Winters-Hazelton
11-28-00
Central
Presbyterian Church of Louisville offers an example of a Whole
Gospel congregation [6-21-01]
A CBS Religion and
Culture special offers a look a 6 Atlanta congregations involved in
the "Micah 6" project --
another whole gospel venture. [6-21-01]
We have a
new report on a conversation aimed at clarifying this concept.
"Look, the tears of the oppressed -- with no one to comfort
them. On the side of their oppressors there was power." Eccl.
4:1
Last week I went to a Presbytery meeting and a
celebration broke out! Perhaps it was planned all along and I just
missed the invitation. None the less, I was deeply moved by the joyous
expression of thanks for the work of the Self-Development of People
Committee of San Gabriel Presbytery. It was a wonderful moment to see
such a wide array of groups receive funding from our Presbytery's
committee.
How ironic that our General Assembly Council (GAC)
recently voted Self-Development of People as "low" on its
scale of priorities for programs of our national church.
The decision by the GAC represents a disturbing trend
within the PC(USA) of narrowing rather than broadening our church's
mission, outreach and theology. Many examples can be cited: suggestions
from GAC Director John Detterick that some control may be needed on
speakers at PCUSA sponsored events; the limiting of justice-oriented
programs on the GAC lists of priorities, based on a narrow understanding
of "Discipleship and evangelism"; attacks on the Women's
Ministries Unit; efforts to curb the influence of Social Witness Policy;
and the number of judicial cases being filed against Sessions and
Presbyteries for their commitment to a church that reflects the whole
body of Christ.
In response to these concerns, the Witherspoon Society
wants to draw the attention of our denomination to the whole
gospel of Jesus Christ: evangelism and social justice, corporate along
with private confession, compassion as well as proclamation.
Accordingly, the Executive Committee of the Witherspoon Society has
adapted as its three-year theme, "Whole Gospel Congregations."
Through this emphasis, we want to remind the church of one of the
"Great Ends of the Church," which have been so effectively
promoted over the past two years, the "End" which calls us to
"the promotion of social righteousness." Furthermore, we hope
we might be able to get beyond one-issue politicking within the church
and affirm that our faith speaks to many issues that are currently not
getting much attention.
The first event of our focus will be a consultation to
help us identity the biblical, theological and confessional basis for a
whole gospel proclamation. This consultation will be held at the
Claremont Presbyterian Church, in Claremont, California, on May 4, 2001.
Among our guests for this informal discussion will be Doug Ottati, John
Cobb, Jane Dempsey Douglass, Jack Rogers and Gene TeSelle. Our goal is
to produce a statement, perhaps something like a "Social Creed for
a Multi-Cultural Church in the 21st Century," which will challenge
the church to widen the discussion and debate about who we are and what
we have to offer to our rapidly changing world. We hope this document
would become the basis for conversation within our denomination, helping
us engage with one another on theology and scripture beyond Amendments B
and A and O.
Witherspoon Society will continue to work with
congregations and seminarians, to identify tools and resources for local
churches to become Whole Gospel Congregations. We have begun to explore
the possibility of a book of essays and reflection pieces on the topic.
All of this is designed to help and encourage congregations to carry out
a variety of servant ministries to their communities and constituents.
Ultimately, we are aiming for a church wide conference
in 2003, to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Witherspoon Society
and its witness to justice, peace, inclusiveness and the integrity of
creation, and to announce the formation of a Whole Gospel Congregation
network. Stay tuned for more information on the Whole Gospel
Congregations movement.
Meanwhile, for more information on the May 4, 2000
consultation, please contact Kent Winters-Hazelton, Pastor of the
Claremont Church, at (909) 624-9693, or at KHAZELTON@claremontpres.com
Click here for
an essay on this subject by GeneTeSelle.
