The 218th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

2008 • San Jose, CA

In San Jose from June 21 to 28, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General Assembly is gathering to consider hundreds of business items dealing with such important subjects as morality, church government, the church’s witness to the world, and the faith Presbyterians confess. General Assembly meets only once every two years, and its actions are binding for the entire denomination. That means that when it convenes, all eyes are on its actions.

The San Jose Convention Center will host the 218th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). (Photo courtesy San Jose Visitors and Convention Bureau)

Presbyterian Action is in the thick of the General Assembly action, fielding a team of nine Steering Committee members, volunteers, and staff. The team will be praying for commissioners and offering vital counsel and encouragement on such key decisions as:

• Pronouncements about Israel-Palestine. Will the PCUSA strengthen its present position to serve as a fair and evenhanded peacemaker, or will it resort back to taking sides by casting all the blame and scorn on Israel?
• Same-sex marriage. With same-sex marriage becoming legal in California just four days before General Assembly, San Jose would be a ripe setting for grave mischief to be done concerning Christian morality and God’s gift of marriage. Will commissioners redefine marriage as “between two persons” rather than between a man and a woman?
• Form of Government flip-flop. Will General Assembly abandon its historic Presbyterian Form of Government for a sketchy, ambiguous substitute, or will commissioners reject the insubstantial new document and its local-option governance?
• Old-order ecumenism. Will commissioners decide that the costs of propping up the failing political activism of the National Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches should no longer be wrested from unwilling churches through per capita apportionments?
• Big leadership changes. Who will be elected to replace Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick, and who will become Moderator? Will there be fresh new leadership or more years from leaders with a tin ear toward the faith and faithfulness of the majority of Presbyterians?
• Misguided social statements. Will wisdom and moderation finally gain the upper hand this year, or will General Assembly offhandedly approve yet another collection of longwinded, overwrought, and ill-advised social-policy resolutions?

Presbyterian Action Recommendations for General Assembly 2008

PresbyAct Blog: Published from the halls of General Assembly in San Jose as events transpire, this live Presbyterian Action blog will be one of your best ways to gain a feel for the issues and mood of General Assembly. (Click here to read the PresbyAct Blog.)

Presbyterian Action Articles: When Presbyterian Action–related issues make news, Presbyterian Action will provide the commentary. Follow articles on specific topics of interest here as decisions are made.

• Transcript: Divestment and the Future of Middle East Peacemaking (Ambassador Dennis Ross) (June 23)
• Testimony on Per Capita Funding of Ecumenical Grants (Alan Wisdom) (June 23)
• Testimony on the Resolution on the Iraq War (James D. Berkley) (June 23)
• Testimony on the Definition of Marriage (James D. Berkley) (June 24)
• Testimony on Same-Sex Marriage (Alan Wisdom) (June 24)
• Testimony on the Proposed “Social Creed for the 21st Century” (Alan Wisdom) (June 24)
• Assembly Keeps Per Capita Money Flowing to NCC, WCC (Alan Wisdom) (July 16)
• Presbyterian Leaders Sing “Fie on Fairness,Fie!”about Israel (James D. Berkley (July 16)

Photo Gallery: Images from General Assembly. (Click here to view slideshow.)

Presbyterian Action Briefing Papers: Background information pertaining to key General Assembly issues.

• Let’s Be Fair Concerning the Middle East: A briefing paper on ISRAEL-PALESTINE
• Speaking Humility to Complexity: A briefing paper on SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ISSUES
• Keeping Trust, Respecting Consciences: A briefing paper on PER CAPITA FUNDING OF ECUMENICAL BODIES
• Which Creed Shall We Say? A briefing paper on the “SOCIAL CREED FOR THE 21ST CENTURY”
• Let Marriage Be Held in Honor: A briefing paper on EFFORTS TO EQUATE MARRIAGE WITH SAME-SEX RELATIONSHIPS
• A Matter of Conscience: A briefing paper on ECUMENICAL BODIES SUPPORTED THROUGH PER CAPITA APPORTIONMENTS
• Keeping Our Balance in the Middle East: A briefing paper on ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN PEACEMAKING
  

Presbyterian Action Press Releases

• Amid Controversy, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Gathers in San Jose
• Ambassador Dennis Ross to Speak at General Assembly
• Unbalanced Committee Courts Presbyterian Moral Relativism
• Presbyterians Plant Seeds of Self-Destruction
• Presbyterians Vote to Remove “Fidelity and Chastity” Standards for Clergy

Presbyterian Action and the IRD in the News at General Assembly

• “Presbyterians in San Jose to Tackle Tough Issues,” San Jose Mercury News (May 22)
• “Presbyterians Debate Gay Issues,” The Bulletin (Philadelphia, PA) (May 24)
• “PC-USA Blocks Money For Political Causes,” The Bulletin (Philadelphia, PA) (May 27)