Equal Rights in 2012

Equal Rights in 2012

On February 10 Heartland Presbytery passed two overtures to the 2012 General Assembly by a sizable majority.  The vote was taken by secret ballot and there was little debate before that vote.  The Overtures both involved same sex unions/marriages.

The first Overture seeks to edit and refine the Directory of Worship to make its language gender neutral. The second overture is asking the General Assembly for an Authoritative Interpretation regarding pastoral care in states that have approved same sex marriage.  Both of these overtures involve providing equal pastoral care for members and friends of PCUSA churches.

Eight days later I worshipped with the Mayflower United Church of Christ congregation in Minneapolis.  Our older son and his family have become involved with this congregation since moving to Minneapolis.  As a part of the worship service they celebrated joys and sorrows.  The death of a longtime member was the sorrow shared.  The adoption of a baby was the joy of the morning.

Most notable was that Jameson Sophia Wright-Rhodes was born on February 13^th and adopted by Sonia and Patricia Wright-Rhodes on February 15^th.

I am sure that when the Overtures from Heartland Presbytery are debated at the General Assembly the people opposed to the overtures will suggest that if these overtures are adopted the PCUSA will be violating Biblical teaching, destroying the sanctity of marriage and upsetting the social order – and offer many more self-assured arguments.

Well, here are some reflections from a longtime PCUSA preacher who grew up in an era when even father and son embracing could be interpreted as having sexual overtones.

The most complete discussion I have heard of the Biblical teaching on same-sex marriage/relationships was by Dr. Jack Rogers.  Rather than attempt to summarize Dr. Rogers’ analysis, I refer the reader to his writings.

Arguments against the Heartland Overtures:

It destroys Sanctity of marriage.

 We do not choose whom we will love.  We also do not live in a time when third parties arrange marriages, at least generally in the United States.  In the successful British drama set in the early part of the 20^th Century, “Downton Abbey” deals with arranged marriages, as one of its many story lines.  The patriarch of Downton Abbey attempts to control who one of his daughters will marry, but she has fallen in love with the chauffeur and they are going to move to Ireland.

The sanctity of marriage, the sanctity of my marriage is in no way diminished by the love and commitment of the couple adopting the newborn in Minneapolis.  The most damaging element to marriage is infidelity.  Whether it leads to divorce or not, when one of the partners in a marriage is unfaithful, it damages the sanctity of marriage.

In the late 1700s the Attorneys General of the Commonwealth of Kentucky gave three reasons why it was acceptable to own slaves in the United States. 

• First they stated that black men and women were better off on the plantations of the United States than in their native Africa risking hunger and inter-tribal war.
• If one did not accept that argument, then they argued that freeing the slaves would upset the social order.  In other words, freeing the slaves would lead to interracial marriage.
• If that argument was rejected, then slavery was a Biblical mandate.  The Chosen People of Israel had slaves and, since the United States was the new chosen people, it was allowed to have slaves.

Do any of those arguments sound familiar in the opposition to same-sex marriage?  They should.

When I was ordained in 1968 I would not have performed a same sex marriage.  Today, I cannot perform same-sex marriages because neither the State of Kansas nor Missouri have legalized such marriages.  Neither does the Book of Order, the PCUSA rulebook, allow me to perform same sex marriages.

But these restrictions may change within my lifetime.  If that happens, I will still be able to refuse to officiate at marriages based on my own assessment – same sex or opposite sex.  I will also have the authority to officiate at marriages I believe are decent and in order – same sex and opposite sex.

--Dr. Ron Patton, H.R.

It all begins in the pulpit – Part 3 – Time and effort

It all begins in the pulpit – Part 3 – Time and effort

The preacher must keep current.  I wrote earlier of Dr. Elam Davies, Pastor of Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago during the 1960s.  On the Palm Sunday following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Dr. Davies preached a sermon that challenged the socially/economically elite of Fourth Church to own the endemic racism of America and take concrete actions to overcome that racism.  Dr. King died on Thursday evening, April 4, 1968.  Dr. Davies preached his sermon on Sunday morning, April 7, 1968.  There were very few hours between the two events making advance planning impossible.

Seldom is the preacher challenged by such short hours between a major event and Sunday morning, but the preacher should always practice the Boy Scout motto: “Be prepared.”

The preacher must keep up with what is happening in the community, the nation and the world.  This task used to be more difficult before the Internet.  But in 2012, there are a multitude of resources available to “keep in touch.”  I speak of only two.

First, there is Facebook.  Individuals and organizations are using Facebook.  While there are many who are critical of Facebook, we cannot allow the abuses of this social media to taint the positive qualities of the medium.  There was a recent news account of a man in Europe who developed an inappropriate relationship with a young girl in the United States through the use of Facebook.  From the content of the e-mail messages, the authorities determined that it was likely that the man was attempting to create an inappropriate liaison with an underage girl – in other words the man was a sexual predator.  As the authorities were tracking the e-mails, they found a series were coming the United States.  They tracked the communications and found the man had come to the United States on vacation.  He is now in jail awaiting trial.

Does this incident negate the positive and creative communication that Facebook provides.  No, absolutely not.  I can see picture of my four and a half-year-old granddaughter and her 10 year-old brother who live in Minnesota.  I can keep in touch with my 92 year-old friend in Australia whom we met on our trip to Egypt.  Preachers should use Facebook well and keep abreast of privacy issues.

Second, I use Twitter on a regular basis.  I may follow less that 100 “tweeters” but I have chosen them because they open a whole area of the world I would never read about in the “Kansas City Star” or even my wife’s favored “Wall Street Journal.”  Between the University of Cincinnati, CNN and a local television station I get the headlines of the hour.  I can then choose to investigate further those headlines on my own.  I am flattered that there are several dozen people who follow my few tweets.

Third, fourth, fifth and  on – there are many sources for preachers to keep informed about the people in their community – locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.  College, university and seminary faculty may be allowed to so concentrate on their field of study that they miss the latest news, but preachers must be aware of the world their congregations live in everyday. 

Note: I use the word “aware.”  They are no experts on everything.  Preachers should not deny their own particular interests.  Personally, my personal interests include aviation and the fine and performing arts.  But, I also have some knowledge of the fortunes of University of Missouri at Kansas City basketball team.

Previously, I wrote of the need for preparation and planning in preaching.  The sermon is neither a Bible study from the pulpit nor the preacher’s personal “soap box.”  It is taking the story of God with God’s people – the Bible – and leading the people of God in the 21^st Century to find their own story as God’s people.

Preaching is not an easy task, but it is unique to the church.  Preaching is a gift to the preacher from God.  Preaching is an art.  Preaching is a skill that needs to be continually sharpened.  Preaching is filled with effort, reward and FEAR.

Fear – that’s the next chapter in this blog.

Dr. Ron Patton, H.R.  

It all begins in the pulpit - Part 2 - Is anyone listening?

It all begins in the pulpit – Part 2 – Is anyone listening?

Note:  As I planned this posting, I thought it would be a single "chapter."  After writing the first part, it became evident that I had more to write on this topic than I could expect anyone to read in one "sitting."  Therefore, my reflections on preaching are in six parts.  The following is Part 2.

It is essential that the church, as a whole, place preaching at the center of its life.  Examine closely the various organizations of the 21^st Century and I believe it will be found that preaching is the one function that sets the church apart.

The story is told that, at the time of the American Revolution, a Church of England preacher mounted the pulpit in his clerical robes and preached against the oppressive government of King George and the English Parliament.  As the preacher ended his sermon, he said it was time for the colonies to take a militant stand against British tyranny.  He removed his clerical garb to reveal the uniform of a chaplain in the Colonial Army.

In the middle of the 1960s, as the pulpits in the United States spoke out against the Viet Nam War and racial discrimination, there were many who suggested that it was inappropriate for preachers to address such subjects from the pulpit.  Censorship, in the church or secular society is unacceptable.  Oscar Romero preached against the tyranny of the government in El Salvador in the late 1970s and was silenced only when the bullet of a sniper cut him down as he was officiating at the Lord’s Supper.

Is there such preaching in 2012?

I was recently speaking with a colleague about the number of hours clergy in the Presbyterian Church are expected to “work.”  My colleague said that when discussing the parish ministry with newly ordained clergy he warns them that there is no such thing as a 40-hour workweek.  Of the time the preacher spends in the practice of his or her profession, how much time is devoted to the crafting of the sermon?

There is the old, old story about three preachers who were comparing their sermon preparation practices.  The first preacher states that the sermon is completed by Thursday evening.  This allows time to practice the presentation.  (This is my process.)  The second preacher explains that since it is quiet around the church on Saturday afternoon, this is the time set aside for sermon preparation.  The third preacher, somewhat perplexed, asks: “So what do you all do while the choir is singing the anthem?”

I believe it is essential that the preacher spend at least 10 hours a week in preparation for Sunday’s sermon.  This time includes the actual “keyboard” writing time, research to assure the accuracy of facts and editing/oral practice of the sermon.  This can, and probably should include, additional time in thinking about the sermon while engaged in other activities, such as driving to make hospital/pastoral calls.

Congregations must understand the time necessary for the preparation of quality preaching.  In my opinion, to stand in the pulpit, randomly open the Bible and say the preacher is going to allow the Spirit to put words in her and his mouth is simply being lazy.  Harsh judgment?  Indeed!  However, historical evidence indicates that the great preachers a century ago paid particular attention to preparation.

No matter the theological position, if the church wishes to be an important part of 21^st Century American culture, then preaching must be at the center of the church’s life.  If preaching is central to the church’s life, then preacher and congregation must provide the resources necessary for quality sermons and one of those resources is time.

--Dr. Ron Patton, H.R.