Scene #1 -
For the past three days, I have had the privilege and joy of serving as the parliamentarian of the Immigration Issues Committee of the 2012 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). 54 teaching and ruling elders spent concentrated time in prayer, dialogue, and discernment about 11 different matters that were proposed for action by the General Assembly. Okay, so this was not as controversial as how one defines marriage (another committee dealt with that one), but immigration is not an uncontroversial issue in our country. Right? Yet these 54 commissioners and delegates, from across the country and around the world, worked together... together... to address these issues. Two things happened at the close of the committee's time together. First, one of the leadership team members said, "I know that the members of this committee come from different theological perspectives, but I honestly could not tell you who was on which side of the theological spectrum. Everyone worked respectfully and well together. It was amazing." Second, at the end of the committee's time together, the Young Adult Advisory Delegates on the committee presented me and the other members of the leadership team with flowers. They had gone out at lunch and spent their own money to bring us flowers. They felt so valued and so heard that they wanted to express their appreciation. This, too, was amazing.
Scene #2 -
On Sunday afternoon, teaching elder Tara McCabe was confirmed as the Vice-Moderator of the General Assembly. She is a person of deep faith, and has been a colleague and friend of the Moderator for several years, even though they hold very different theological positions on many issues, including how one defines marriage. This afternoon, the Rev. McCabe spoke to the Assembly, and resigned as Vice-Moderator, citing the personal and vitriolic cyber-attacks on her, her beliefs, her faith, and her convictions. Rather than continue to be a focus of a few groups within the Church, and allow their attacks to become more and more divisive, she decided to resign. In addressing her resignation, the Moderator, Neal Presa, bemoaned the "poisonous atmosphere" created by those who perpetuate such actions... which things are incompatible with being a part of the Church of Jesus Christ.
Within 24 hours, I experienced these two very different, contrasting things. May we learn from the folks on the committee I served, and especially from the young adults there. And may God have mercy on the divisiveness that so many - on either end of the theological or political spectrum - choose to perpetuate.
