Last Thursday, it rained in Minneapolis. Now, this is not unusual; Minneapolis experiences, on the average, 101 days of precipitation, and although most of them probably involve snow, rain is not necessarily a remarkable occurrence. But it had already rained on Wednesday, and the rain bands Thursday were even harder.

The Riverside Campus of the University of Minnesota Medical Center is just that; situated on a bluff by the west bank of the Mississippi, this teaching hospital enjoys a commanding view of the mighty river.

The earth absorbed all it could, and then some. But while the runoff was swelling the Mississippi River, some of that sodden earth was transformed from solid ground into something much more dynamic, much more dangerous. With a low roar, the hillside began to move like a wave, snapping branches and dragging trees on its way down to West River Parkway, where it came to rest. In an instant, the Medical Center was a lot closer to the edge.

                                                    Pioneer Press: John Autey

I feel a lot like that hospital.

In the aftermath of the 221st General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church USA, there is at the same time, much and little upon which to comment. There were decisions on marriage and divestment, guns and prisons, background checks and Confessions; whether these decisions were momentous or momentary, only time will tell. At the same time, there was little of the tension, passion and discord we have seen at previous assemblies, at least that's the way it seemed watching the live stream. When it worked. For the first time in a very long time, it seems the assembly's actions are making more waves out in society than they are within the denomination.

I'm not sure that's a good thing.

After decades of talk, discussion, dialogue; ad hominem attacks, changes of heart and hardening of positions; after years of half-hearted overtures for a 'third way,' it seems like we Presbyterians have turned a corner. From here on in, I suspect those advocating for a more inclusive, activist church will find the way much clearer, since so many of the most passionate voices opposing them have taken their theological balls and gone off to new homes. Which leaves those of us who once took perverse pride in being a part of the put upon middle, right out there on the edge.

Look at me - I am the new right wing of the PCUSA.

I am neither fish nor fowl. I am uncomfortable with where my denomination is, and where it is heading, but I find no comfort in the alternatives. For better or worse, I am a Presbyterian; this is the church to which God called me, and this is where I must stay. Of course, this means I will have to speak up, to speak truth to power, as my liberal friends are fond of saying. Most likely, it also means no one will listen much. But I'm used to that - I have children.

So, about those GA decisions:

The truth is, I don't much care whether or not the PCUSA maintains (relatively) miniscule holdings in those companies; it's clear from their historic lack of response the companies don't much care, either. Moreover, the policies governing divestment "ensure that the failure to own the security will not harm the financial soundness of the Plan;"¹ in other words, we only take the "bold action"² of divestment when the transaction won't lose us any money. In the end, I think the Assembly went to a lot of pointless fuss and bother again, and PCUSA got a lot of news coverage for what ends up being a very small symbolic gesture. I do think we have done a poor job of balancing pastoral concern for the Palestinians (who are seriously getting the shaft at the hands of Israel and could use the world's help), and pastoral concern about the American Presbyterians whose livelihood is derived from the companies we now say are directly connected to Human Rights violations.

When it comes to the redefinition of marriage, I find myself caught between the matrimonial Scylla and Charybdis: while I firmly believe that both state and federal statutes should be gender neutral when it comes to civil marriage, I am just as adamant that Christian marriage is between a man and a woman. So I disagreed with the action of this Assembly, just as I came to disagree with the Defense of Marriage Act passed by congress in 1996, and now favor the changing of Virginia law to allow gender-neutral marriage. What disappointed me, though, was the manner in which the decision was implemented. The Assembly passed an Authoritative Interpretation to the effect that pastors now have the leeway to perform same gender marriages where they are legal; but to do so they basically had to turn the language of the Constitution on its head.  This feat of linguistic legerdemain was recognized by the Assembly; thus the presbyteries are being asked to consider a change to the constitution which would make that interpretation tenable. But no matter the outcome of that vote, a precedent has been set. It now seems that, no matter how clear the language, or settled the understanding of a matter has been, it can be changed, even while we continue to consider whether it should be changed.

I just hope the rain stops.

                                                 Scylla & Charybdis by cdra617, courtesy of deviantart.com

  

¹ from General Assembly Item 04-08, Mission Responsibility Through Investment: Engagement with Corporations on Israel-Palestine Issues from 2004–2013--PMA

² from MRTI recommends PC(USA) divestment of three companies by Bethany Furkin,  Presbyterian News Service (http://www.pcusa.org/news/2011/9/12/mrti-                                    recommends-pcusa-divestment-caterpillar/)