Board of Pensions

What GA Decisions Mean to the Church

5 Comments / 2012th General Assembly (Pittsburgh), Board of Pensions, GAPJC Decisions, Marriage Definition, MCC Report, Naegeli's Laws, Parnell v. San Francisco, PCUSA, Teaching / By /

Hundreds of decisions were made in the course of this week’s General Assembly. Tracking the business is a little like maintaining a baseball scorecard. Some runners may get on base but never make it to home plate. The weather may delay the game. An error may be offset by a brilliant field catch. The final score is only one indication of what happened during the game; but the routine plays, the hand signals, and the errors throughout the game reveal the true condition of the team. To carry this analogy into the PCUSA, the Big Decision not to change the […]

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“Resistance Is Futile”—Huh?

9 Comments / 2012th General Assembly (Pittsburgh), Board of Pensions, GAPJC Decisions, Moral Authority, New Form of Government (nFOG), Parnell v. San Francisco, PCUSA, Peace Unity & Purity / By /

A Complaint was filed with the Synod of Southern California and Hawaii in response to the action of Santa Barbara Presbytery on June 2 to identify itself as a union presbytery (co-membership in PCUSA and ECO). This “local matter” may seem a bit off-topic as I reflect on General Assembly here in Pittsburgh, but the Complaint is germane because it reveals a strategy for attempting to make the ordination of practicing GLBTQ people mandatory across the church. I am quite sure we will see these arguments come forward in discussions and debates in the coming week. The Complaint cites “reforms,”

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Keep Calm and Carry On

3 Comments / 2012th General Assembly (Pittsburgh), Board of Pensions, Marriage Definition, PCUSA / By /

 It sounds very English, doesn’t it? “Keep calm and carry on.” In fact, this was the message of propaganda posters printed for distribution throughout England as World War II was befalling Europe. You can hear more of the story from a YouTube video. To the person of faith, this poster is a succinct summary of God’s message during tribulation, “Do not fear; do not fret. Trust in the Lord and do good” (from Psalm 37). Sometimes we need the reminder when things go topsy turvy around us, which is how many evangelicals in the PCUSA feel the present moment. The

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Evangelicals Are in a Pickle: BOP and Personal Conscience

1 Comment / 2012th General Assembly (Pittsburgh), Board of Pensions, Marriage Definition, PCUSA / By /

Evangelicals in the PCUSA are in a pickle. One week ago the Board of Pensions announced its decision to expand Benefits coverage to same-sex partners of Plan members. A lot of soul-searching has ensued, if my mailbox is any indication, and I have attempted to work through the issue for my own benefit here on this blog. My “research” has included correspondence or conversation with the Corporate Secretary of the BOP, Andrew Browne; Rev. John Huffman, a member of the subcommittee that took up the question; and with various “renewal network” folks watching the situation. I have also read the

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Board of Pensions Responds to Questions

4 Comments / 2012th General Assembly (Pittsburgh), Board of Pensions, Marriage Definition, PCUSA / By /

Two days ago, I asked some questions and just received written reply from Andrew Browne, Corporate Secretary of the BOP. He commented that he would be adding these four questions and answers to the BOP FAQs on the matter. So by sharing his unedited (by me) comments, I am not talking out of school or putting words in BOPs mouth. These answers represent the BOP’s understanding of its relationship to and with the PCUSA.  So, here goes: Question 1: what is the actual relationship between the BOP and the PCUSA? Can GA decisions bind the work of the BOP? Or

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