Event Summary
Open to Dissent:
A History and a Calling
As Americans, as Long
Islanders, we all became victims of the terrorist attacks of 9/11. In the
aftermath, we felt as one; we mourned as one; we prayed as one; we spoke with
one voice. This unity helped to salve the wounds of a distraught people, as we
struggled through the interminable period of rescue and recovery. Yet it left
no room for the dissent and individual conscience on which both our American
democracy and our reformed tradition were founded.
On May 3, 2003, a
partnership of ten
The keynote speaker was
William Chapman (author of History and theology in the Book of Order: Blood
on every page), who brought history and process together in examples of our
reformed theology in action. His outstanding talk provided a firm historic context for
dissent and problem resolution in our denomination. He also
added the caution, "When dissent becomes obsession, it loses any
likelihood of having a positive effect."
[see
“Nuanced Controversy: Dissent and Its Cousins”
].
The event continued with a series of seminars and
workshops highlighting three representative areas of current dissent in our
denomination. The speakers are all highly regarded contributors to their
topics:
1). The politics of war and peace is a
particularly timely topic, not just for Presbyterians, but for all Americans.
Doug Bartlett, former Mentor of Peace Studies at
2). The controversy over the nature of Christ in
the reformed tradition is of crucial importance to our denomination, yet most
Presbyterians are unaware of it. (Last fall, our own congregation conducted a study
series based on the “Hope in the Lord Jesus Christ” statement and study
guide.)
Anna Case-Winters,
moderator of the GA committee that originated the “Hope” paper, spoke on the issues of dissent that motivated this statement.
3). The continued controversy surrounding the ordination
of sexual minorities makes the issue a “lightning rod” for many other
theological and social issues, ranging from discrimination and social justice,
secular morality and the appropriate methods for the exegesis of scripture.
Sylvia Thorsen-Smith, co-author with Marv Ellison of an upcoming book on the subject , Body
and Soul: Justice-Lovers Rethink Sexuality,” spoke on issues surrounding
this controversy in the PC(USA), and her reflections on the ill-fated GA-
commissioned 1991 report on human sexuality, “Keeping Body and Soul Together.”
Following the formal presentations, there were brief
periods of discussion and commentary to provide an opportunity for all attendees to let their voices be heard, as well as workshops
for a more thorough exploration of a topic of interest, fellowship over lunch,
and a final period of questions, sharing and reflection on the events of the
day.
The day concluded with a worship
service, at which Barbara Lundblad,
associate professor of Homiletics at Union Theological Seminary and author of
several books, preached. It was a moving sermon entitled,
"Water on a
All in all, the event provided an informative, compelling,
and joyful celebration of our faith, and the diversity of thought and
conscience that makes up the PC(USA). Everyone
who attended had a rewarding day.