CNP Positions on Constitutional Interpretation Committee Overtures Before the 227th General Assembly
CNP is sharing recommendations on two key items of business coming before the 227th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) from the Constitutional Interpretation Committee (CON).
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Disapprove (with comment)
Both amendments were ratified by a clear GA majority and an overwhelming majority of presbyteries; re-evaluating them second-guesses an unambiguous constitutional mandate.
Special committees are costly in money and attention, and this one would relitigate settled questions rather than advance forward witness and mission.
Freedom of conscience is already addressed in the Book of Order (G-2.0105); the overture misrepresents the threat to conscience while overlooking the concrete harms of discrimination.
The newly amended provisions have been in effect less than a year with no judicial cases requiring further interpretation, making the overture premature at best.
The committee’s comment references GEN-06 and GEN-09, noting that other entities will already be considering brought issues of gender and sexual diversity and inclusion, and will be able to do so with more theological depth.
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Refer to ACSWP as part of comprehensive theological framework effort in GEN-09
The committee recommended referring this overture to ACSWP for inclusion in the comprehensive theological framework proposed in GEN-09, and CNP fully supports that course.
In the committee’s own words, referral allows a fuller consideration of marriage, family and sexual ethics as part of a broader study with more time, adequate funding, deeper expertise and intentional representation.
Questions about the ethics of relational and family structures are complex and deserve that careful, consultative process rather than a rushed (and unconstitutional) authoritative interpretation.
CNP values theological study and reflection on all matters of marriage, family and sexual ethics, and supports referral on that basis.