"You shall not murder"  Exodus 20:13  (ESV)

"...for the fetus, though enclosed int he womb of its mother, is is already a human being, and it is almost a monstrous crime to rob it of the life which it has not yet begun to enjoy. If it seems more horrible to kill a man in his own house than in a field, because a man's house is his place of most secure refuge, it ought surely to be deemed more atrocious to destroy a fetus in the womb before it has come to light."  John Calvin, Commentaries on the Four Last Books of Moses, (Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1950), 3:41,42.

The Presbyterian Church USA has taken a decidedly pro-choice stand.  Although the GA took  a stand on partial-birth abortion at the 2006 GA, the Washington office continues to push for no restrictions on abortion.

Please feel free to use any part or all of the  sample overture below to have your session/presbytery request that the GA to reverse its position on abortion and return to the pro-life position that is Biblical and a tradition in the Reformed Faith:

The Session of [YOUR CHURCH NAME HERE] overtures the Presbytery of [YOUR PRESBYTERY NAME HERE] at its [MONTH], 200X meeting, that the following policy be adopted:

The Presbytery of [PRESBYTERY NAME] Overtures the Presbyterian Church (USA) to renew its historic and Biblical stance of opposition to the destruction of innocent human life through abortion. We call upon the Church to renew its commitment to preserve and nurture life at every stage of development, starting from conception.

The Presbytery of [PRESBYTERY NAME]Overtures the Presbyterian Church (USA) to cease its approval of abortion; to withdraw funding of abortion and abortion advocacy; to remove the unlimited coverage of abortion from the Presbyterian Medical Plan; to discontinue participation in and support for the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.

The Presbytery of [PRESBYTERY NAME] Overtures the Presbyterian Church (USA) to extend the means of grace to those involved in abortion, to lead them gently to repentance and to aid their full restoration of fellowship with their heavenly Father and with the body of Christ, the Church.

Rationale

1.  God forbids us to kill innocent human life.[1] Scripture makes no distinction regarding our humanness, born and unborn. Therefore, it forbids the destruction of innocent human life including unborn babies. Our Book of Confessions includes in the sins forbidden by the sixth commandment "...neglecting or withdrawing the lawful or necessary means of preservation of life." [2]

2.  The teaching of medical science regarding the unborn is consistent with Scripture.[3] Scripture and science both provide us with a clear demarcation for the beginning of human life: the moment of conception.

3.  The policy of the PC(USA) fails to establish a Biblical defense for killing innocent unborn human beings, and departs dramatically from the Church's historical teaching on abortion. It is based on a situational, quality-of-life ethic which is in direct contradiction to Judeo-Christian tradition. The Presbyterian Church (USA) is in serious moral error in its teaching on abortion. 

4.  Proponents of abortion often use the argument that it is legal.  In the 1930s in Germany the persecution and ultimately killing of Jews was legal.  In the 1850s in the United States it was legal to possess other human beings for the purpose of slavery.  In both cases, these practices were immoral and the laws of society did not legitimize their morality.  Since the church provides a moral compass for society, we trust that through the mercy and grace of God a change in the position of our denomination will affect change in the whole society.

5. John Calvin wrote, "...for the fetus, though enclosed in the womb of its mother, is already a human being, and it is almost a monstrous crime to rob it of the life which it has not yet begun to enjoy. If it seems more horrible to kill a man in his own house than in a field, because a man's house is his place of most secure refuge, it ought surely to be deemed more atrocious to destroy a fetus in the womb before it has come to light." [4]

6.  God requires us to protect and care for the needy and helpless. The duty to "bear one another's burdens" applies to pregnancy exactly as to every other aspect of human need. It is our task as Christian disciples and servants, even in the most desperate of circumstances, to use the resources God has provided to find solutions to problem pregnancies that allow both mother and baby to live and prosper.

7.  God freely offers forgiveness and restoration to the repentant. God is rich in mercy and slow to anger. He offers forgiveness, healing, and new life through Christ. We, the Church, are God's agents of reconciliation in the world, and it is our calling to extend the compassion, understanding, and grace of God to those who have had abortions. We are to make the forgiveness, healing, and restoration available in Christ known to women and men who find themselves in these difficult circumstances, and to lead them gently toward repentance and faith in Christ.

Adopted upon motion duly made, seconded and approved by the Session of [CHURCH NAME] of [CITY, STATE], this XXth day of [MONTH], 200X.

Moderator                                                      Clerk of Session 

For much more information on the abortion issue, please check out the Presbyterians Pro-Life website.

Perhaps one of the most divisive issues today for the PCUSA is that of ordination standards (or lack thereof).  Many believe that the passing of the PUP report and its Authoritative Interpretation of G-6.0108 constitutes a constitutional crisis.  PUP Recommendation 5 (the Authoritative Interpretation) reads as follows:

5.  The proposed interpretation requires ordaining and installing bodies to examine carefully both the doctrinal views and the manner of life of those elected to office. If an ordaining or installing body determines that an officer-elect has departed from G-6.0106b, a manner-of-life standard, the ordaining/installing body must then determine whether this departure violates essentials of faith or polity. If so, the candidate may not be ordained. If the departure is judged not to violate the essentials of Reformed faith and polity, after the ordaining/installing body has weighed the departure in the full context of a candidate’s statement of faith and manner of life, then there is no barrier to ordination (though there also is no requirement that the person be ordained). As at present, the ordaining/installing body would make the decision, with the help of the Spirit, about whether to ordain and/or install and based on all the evidence before it.

Click here for the complete PUP Task Force Report

The Preface to the Book of Order states the following:

In this Book of Order

(1) SHALL and IS TO BE/ARE TO BE signify practice that is mandated.

(2) SHOULD signifies practice that is strongly recommended.

(3) IS APPROPRIATE signifies practice that is commended as suitable.

(4) MAY signifies practice that is permitted but not required.

G-6.0106b, the clause specifically called out in Recommendation 5 as something to be determined by local option, reads as follows:

Those who are called to office in the church are to lead a life in obedience to Scripture and in conformity to the historic confessional standards of the church.  Among these standards is the requirement to live either  in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman (W-4.9001) or in chastity in singleness.  Persons refusing to repent of any self-acknowledged practice which the confessions call sin shall not be ordained and/or installed as deacons, elders, or ministers of the Word and Sacrament.

To allow a scruple of G-6.0106b, based on the preface to the Book of Order and the use of the words "shall not be ordained" is clearly a violation of the constitution.  And yet, inclusion of G-6.0106b in recommendation 5 as a specific example of local option opens the door wide to allowing sessions, Presbyteries and Synods to ignore or even eliminate Biblical and Confessional standards for ordination.

To date, 34 presbyteries (representing 19.5% of presbyteries) have voted to affirm Biblical and Confessional standards for ordination.  Click here for a comprehensive review of these overtures, resolutions and policy statements.

The Presbytery of South Louisiana has submitted an Overture to the 218th GA to rescind PUP Recommendation 5.  Concerned-Presbyterians strongly encourage Presbyteries to concur with this overture.

Please feel free to use any part or all of the  sample overture below to ask your presbytery to adopt Biblical and Confessional standards for ordination:

The Session of [YOUR CHURCH NAME HERE] overtures the Presbytery of [YOUR PRESBYTERY NAME HERE] at its [MONTH], 200X meeting, that the following policy be adopted:

The [PRESBYTERY NAME] Presbytery in its discernment of the essentials of reformed polity and for the sake of preserving the peace, unity and purity of the church does adopt the principle that compliance with the standards for ordination adopted and held authoritative in the Book of Order shall remain essentials of reformed polity and any departure from said standards for ordination set forth in the Book of Order will disqualify a candidate for ordination or installation by the [PRESBYTERY NAME] Presbytery.

Those provisions of the Book of Order deemed to be standards and therefore essentials of polity include those statements using “shall,” “is/are to be,” “required,” “requirement,” or equivalent expressions.

Rationale

1. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is a covenant community (The Book of Confessions, 5.124-.141). Section G-6.0108 maintains that, for the sake of the integrity of our common life as a covenant community, it is of great consequence that our leaders adhere to the essentials of the Reformed faith and polity. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has long sought to maintain a healthy balance between requiring adherence to essentials of faith and polity, while permitting our officers liberty of conscience regarding nonessential matters.

2. The preface to the Book of Order states the following:

In this Book of Order

(1) SHALL and IS TO BE/ARE TO BE signify practice that is mandated.

(2) SHOULD signifies practice that is strongly recommended.

(3) IS APPROPRIATE signifies practice that is commended as suitable.

(4) MAY signifies practice that is permitted but not required.

3. The General Assembly, through its Permanent Judicial Commission in the Londonderry decision (Minutes, 2001, Part I, p. 577, paragraph 12.1028), has determined that every part of the Constitution must be read with force, since the church is a covenantal community (The Book of Confessions, 5.124-.141). In other words, no ordaining body is permitted to selectively disregard or demote a mandate of the Book of Order, for this would break the bonds of covenantal community. This is foundational to the peace, unity, and purity of the church.

Adopted upon motion duly made, seconded and approved by the Session of [CHURCH NAME] of [CITY, STATE], this XXth day of [MONTH], 200X.

Moderator                                                      Clerk of Session

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