A prior Assembly decided that, before dealing with that question, there should be a period of study of the sacrament of Baptism itself. It was thought that many of us had not taken seriously the admonition to "remember our baptism and be thankful." Out of that Assembly grew a study paper - the name of which escapes me at this very moment, for which I apologize - written by a group chaired by the Rev. Marney Wasserman (wife of Dave Wasserman, Interim EP of Grand Canyon Presbytery).
The paper considered by this year's Assembly is the response to that question posed by that earlier Assembly, after the time of study - and it was approved unanimously today.
But then the committee brought a recommendation to the floor to disapprove the following item from Missouri Union Presbytery:
Shall W-2.3008b be amended as follows: [Text to be added is shown as italic.]
“The Baptism of children witnesses to the truth that God’s love claims people before they are able to respond in faith and God pronounces that he adopts our infants as his children, before they are born.1
“1. (John Calvin, The Institutes of the Christian Religion, IV:15:20)”
The floor had quite a bit of debate on this item; it seemed that many saw it as more a referendum on the question of abortion than a helpful addition to our understanding of baptism. All advisory delegates except ecumenicals voted overwhelmingly to disapprove as well. The commissioners voted 417-221 to disapprove as well.
Next came a motion to approve authorizing a new translation of the Heidelberg Catechism and add to it appropriate scriptural references. One of the members of my personal communion of saints, Jack Stotts, was quoted in this discussion as saying that an open tradition is not just based on one confession only, but instead is "a wide river with many currents."
I am personally excited about this development. When I was a minister member of Utah Presbytery, I was a commissioner to the 1998 General Assembly in Charlotte. At that meeting I was also an overture advocate from that Presbytery, for an overture seeking a new translation of this catechism. I am glad that the church has finally caught up with Utah Presbytery, 12 years later!
Fortuitously, as this new translation was being considered by a work group over the past two years, they learned that a similar group from the Christian Reformed Church was working on a new translation as well. Because of the timing, our denominations will be able to work hand in glove on a new translation. The commissioners voted to move ahead unanimously!!
Another motion came forward to add the Belhar Confession to the Book of Confessions. Belhar comes out of South Africa and was written during the era of Apartheid. It would be the first addition to our book which comes forward from south of the Equator.
I confess to you, my friends, that I am a self-affirming Confession Nerd. I LOVE the Book of Confessions. I describe them as "period pieces" - bits of theology which shed light on our deepest beliefs. I believe the best confessions come out of times of theological or societal upheaval - the times when the Church is most likely to make statements which grow from its deepest beliefs. Consider the Declaration of Barmen, which was written in dialogue with the Nazi regime in the early 1930's. Or the Confession of 1967, written in our own country during a time of national upheaval, which addressed the problems of race relations and war with the theme of "reconciliation." Belhar, with its strong stand against apartheid, falls right in the same tradition with those powerful confessions.
A motion came forward to refer the Belhar back for further study, and MUCH discussion ensued. Fortunately, in my opinion, the motion to refer was defeated. I say that because the motion, if it passes, will come as an amendment to the Book of Confessions which means that it will have to be voted up or down by a simple majority of our 173 presbyteries. I trust the wisdom of our presbyteries to decide wisely.
So the discussion continued! Motion PASSED 525-150.
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