Joe Small, until recently employed by the PC(USA) in the Office of Theology and Worship, wrote an op-ed for the Catholic lay journal First Things last winter. In it he lamented how dependent on democratic majority rules governing the PC(USA) has become in recent years. Some of what he said was spot on, some was a bit far-fetched. All of it gives us reason to take a step back and, on the day we celebrate the political freedom of a liberal democratic society, assess how we go about doing our business together as a church.
That PC(USA) polity is rooted in principles of liberal democracy is widely understood. Principles such as freedom of individual conscience, divesting power from individuals and investing it into the body as a whole and our multi-tiered governing structure are all features common (though not universal) in liberal democratic societies. So as far as the structure of our polity, there is a kernel of truth to the claim that Presbyterians and democratic theory owe one another a mutual debt.
This is, I believe, one of the great blessings of being a Presbyterian. Growing in faith and worshiping God in the context of a denomination that embraces both the wideness of God's mercy and the breadth of possibilities when we draw our minds, hearts and spirits together in discernment is a true gift.
One of the issues that Small raised in his article is that although this context for church governance can be a gift, we can also find ourselves mired in a way of doing church business that reduces every prayerful decision to a yes or a no.
One of the most persuasive arguments in favor of the New Form of Government was its return to a polity of description rather than prescription. In other words, our polity once again defines the boundaries within which we are called to live and work together. It is no longer designed as a document to legislate away controversy or particular outcomes. The spirit of the New Form of Government is one of trust and, yes, at times tension. It resists the tendency in democratic debate to reduce every issue to a simple yes or no.
We, as a nation, are mired in this sort of reductionism. We define ourselves and one another by which of two candidates we support or with which of two parties we identify. We have reduced democratic debate to false dualisms and we are reaping the harvest of that misguided way of living together. Not since the Civil War has this nation been so deeply and evenly divided along ideological lines.
As a church, we have the opportunity to witness to a new way of living together. And to bear that witness, we do not have to abandon our liberal democratic structures or vest power in a few individuals. We need only live fully into the opportunity our polity allows for discernment, conversation, prayer and community. Not every issue is a simple up or down vote. Those are necessary to make final decisions when we are not unanimous in our thinking and there is something to be said for allowing the Holy Spirit to work through the voice of the larger church.
However, the doing of business is not merely about making final decisions and taking final votes. Part of being a governing body is being a deliberative body willing to seek solutions beyond yes/no.
The work of some committees at GA has reflected that spirit. I pray that the whole assembly will take the time and energy to look beyond dual horizons of yes and no.
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