6th Annual Pre-Assembly Theological
Conversation
The sixth annual theological conversation will focus
on exploring the historical and religious context of the 1923 Auburn
Affirmation, and learning from that experience lessons that may be
helpful to our church in the present day. In the early decades of the
twentieth century the Presbyterian General Assembly made policy
decisions that elevated the so called five fundamentals of faith to a
definitive position in the church. Clergy were expected to affirm these
five fundamentals. Heresy trials were carried out against clergy who
were accused of rejecting the fundamentals. The theological reductionism
of fundamentalism was resisted by a strong and creative minority that
affirmed the historic presbyterian principles of the liberty of
conscience ("God alone is lord of the conscience."), freedom
to interpret scripture, and unity in Christ the living word. The Auburn
Affirmation was written to call the church to remembrance of these
guiding principles.
Semper Reformanda (Always Being Reformed) invites
Presbyterians to its sixth annual theological conversation, which will
be held on Friday, June 8, in Louisville, prior to the beginning of
General Assembly. A panel of speakers will address the topic:
"Exploring the Auburn Affirmation -- Our Theological Heritage and
its Implications for Today." The lead speaker will be the Reverend
David Bos of Louisville. Bos
preached a sermon in September of 2000, in which he called on
Presbyterians to reclaim their own historic principles of Reformation
faith. He further suggested the calling of a convocation after this
year's General Assembly to consider a new affirmation of conscience by
Presbyterians. There is now wide-spread support for such an event.
The Friday, June 8th theological
conversation, sponsored by Semper Reformanda, will deal with such
questions as:
Other speakers will contribute to a critique of the
Auburn Affirmation and also deal with its relevance for the church
today. The focus will be on understanding this part of our Presbyterian
heritage.
Date: Friday, June 8
Time: 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Place: The Central Presbyterian Church
318 West Kentucky Street, Louisville
Registration for the one-day event is through the
Office of the Presbyterian General Assembly. Phone: 1-883-728-7228. Cost
- $40.
Nile Harper
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The Annual Semper Reformanda Dinner
and Social Justice Lecture
On Tuesday evening at the General Assembly in
Louisville, members and friends of Semper Reformanda will gather to
celebrate the continuing Reformation within the Presbyterian Church.
A central feature of the evening will be the
presentation of the third annual Robert J. Stone Social Justice Lecture
by the Reverend Herbert D. Valentine. Valentine is a former Moderator of
The General Assembly of The Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. For many years
he served the church as Executive Presbyter of Baltimore Presbytery; he
is known in the church as a creative leader with a strong commitment to
urban ministry, an effective strategist for Presbyterian ministry in a
metropolitan context, a supporter of racial and ethnic leadership
development, and as a person of vision for the future of the church.
Another feature of the evening will be the
introduction of the new Intern serving the Presbyterian Washington
Office. Funding for this new part-time position has come from the gifts
of members and friends of Semper Reformanda as well as from a number of
Presbyterian congregations across the country.
Additional gifts are needed each year to continue the
Internship. The Intern provides assistance to the ongoing legislative
research and liaison with the Congress that enables the Washington
Office to inform and advise the Presbyterian Church. Your financial
gifts in support of the intern position are invited. You may send checks
to Semper Reformanda addressed to the Treasurer, Barbara Miller, 1420
Santo Domingo, Duarte, California 91010; mark checks for Internship. Or
you may send your gift directly to the General Assembly, checks made
payable to the Presbyterian Church, and marked for Extra Commitment
Account #051422, Washington Internship. The address is 100 Witherspoon
Street, Louisville, Kentucky, 40202-1396.
Time: 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Place: Galt House Hotel, Combs/Chandler Room
Cost: $28.
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News Note: President honors Elenora
Ivory
In November this past fall, President Clinton signed
the International Debt Relief Act -- known in church circles as the
Jubilee act -- to greatly reduce the debt owed by 37 of the world's
poorest nations. This act of Congress significantly reduced debt owed
directly to the U.S.A., and committed U.S. funds to debt owed by
developing nations To the World Bank and the International Monetary
Fund. The debt reduction is tied to the commitment of the nations to use
the money freed up for programs of health, education, and agriculture
for their own people.
The religious community in the U.S.A. and around the
world have worked, advocated, and lobbied hard for this break-through in
debt reduction. The Old Testament theme of Jubilee debt forgiveness was
a key biblical support for this legislative lobbying. The Presbyterian
Washington Office participated in supporting the legislation, in direct
response to actions of the General Assembly. When President Clinton
signed the debt relief bill into law he called on a number of religious
leaders to join him at the signing and invited several to make brief
statements. Elenora Giddings Ivory, director of the Presbyterian
Washington Office, was invited to participate in the Signing ceremonies
with the President.
We salute Elenora Ivory and all her colleagues at the
Washington Office for their work, along with the efforts of many
Presbyterians, in support of this landmark legislation. We are recalled
to the spirit of jubilee justice by their work and we remember the words
of the Old Testament: "The fiftieth year shall be a Jubilee for you
... You shall return to your own property ... you shall not cheat one
another ... the land shall not be sold in perpetuity ... and if any fall
into difficulty and become dependent, you shall support them ... you
shall not lend money with interest taken in advance ... you shall not
rule over others with harshness ... for I am the Lord your God."
(Leviticus 25)
Nile Harper
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Concern expressed over minority
staff in Louisville
On January 22, a consultation was held in Louisville
in the meeting facility of the General Assembly among John Detterick,
the Executive Director of the General Assembly Council, along with other
members of his staff, Human Resource Management, and representatives of
ACREC, the Advocacy Committee on Racial and Ethnic Concerns. The primary
focus was on discussion of the need for increased employment of
racial-ethnic persons within the staff of the General Assembly.
There are now approximately 280 professional staff and
240 support staff employed By the General Assembly. Approximately 21%
are racial-ethnic persons, and a majority of these persons are employed
in support services. During the conversations ACREC proposed a new goal
of 30% overall, and that special attention be given to racial-ethnic
increase in the professional staff. ACREC created a new listing of over
250 persons with substantial qualifications and gave this to Detterick.
He said that new staff were being added to the Human Resource Department
and that would strengthen recruitment.
