An Inkling
I’m offering a reason each day for why I believe the PCUSA decision to change ordination standards has pushed us across a line. Yesterday’s reason was that this change, far from bringing peace, will only ramp up our conflict. Today I’ll not add another reason, but seek to add some nuance to yesterday’s reason.
Simply saying conflict will increase doesn’t quite describe how it works. Actually some presbyteries are peaceful in the sense that they have a clear voting majority around sexual ethics issues (ordinations, blessing unions, and in some states, weddings). In Hatfield presbyteries, where there are only a few McCoys, every time “the issue” comes up, a few of the more vocal McCoys will make pro forma speeches, but the vote is known before it is ever taken. And there is peace, of sorts. Ditto in McCoy presbyteries with a few Hatfields.
The leadership patterns are predictable in such clearly defined Hatfield and McCoy presbyteries. When it’s time to choose people to serve in the real decision making positions (COM, Coordinating Council, etc), a Hatfield presbytery will include some McCoys for the sake of being inclusive. A particularly polite McCoy may even be chosen as Moderator. But the McCoys will never be allowed a voting majority. Ditto with the choosing of General Assembly commissioners. The elephant of “the issue” dictates that unspoken quotas be preserved. You won’t find these operating procedures in the presbytery manual, but you can be sure that they do hold sway. And it works the same way in McCoy presbyteries, preserving a peace, of sorts.
Then there are presbyteries like where I serve: the Presbytery of the James. Here the Hatfields and McCoys are closely divided. We actually had a tie vote on 10-A. That means that every time “the issue” comes up, we have something more than pro forma speeches. We maneuver and turn out the votes, and we try to persuade the dozen people who haven’t already made up their minds to vote with our side. Gratefully, here in the James, the Hatfields and McCoys are cordial. But cordial and peaceful are not the same thing.
But hasn’t it always been so? In some measure, yes. Across the 200+ years of our denomination (for simplicity’s sake, let’s keep “denomination” singular and ignore the various divisions and reunions along the way), the issues have changed, but there have always been Hatfield and McCoy and mixed presbyteries. Sometimes, despite the differences, a meaningful common life could be preserved. There was a substantial unity on essentials, which allowed a freedom on non-essentials, and charity all around. But now the Hatfields and McCoys disagree even about what’s essential, which doesn’t bode well for unity, freedom, or charity.
It’s a good thing Jesus is Lord of this mess, and that the Lord of this mess is merciful. Tomorrow another reason…
Blessings,
Keith
