by Bill Lancaster

Kirkpatrick said in a post-election press conference that he "really does look forward" to what the Theological Task Force on the Peace, Unity and Purity of the Church will bring forward. "The big issue here," he said, "is that the task force is urging the whole church to engage in a process to replicate their experience of bringing together people who have great differences in order to find a deeper unity in Christ. I hope they will lead our church . to find that kind of reconciliation."

He said he is excited that the Presbyterian Church (USA) is "increasingly becoming a multicultural church, becoming a growing church." And he said he hopes the denomination will "continue to be a witness to God's justice in the world in a time in which there is such a hunger for justice."

"The way of Christ is the hope of the world," he said, "and I hope we will be much, much more effective as we go forward in that kind of ministry."

Responding to a reporter's question about defiance of the PC(USA) constitution, an issue that was prominent in the election debate, Kirkpatrick said that, on the whole, the constitution is being upheld, "and I think we need to affirm that."

He said his office will continue to offer advisory opinions to clarify what the constitution says and to train stated clerks and judicial commissions in interpretation. "But we also need to be careful that when people are involved in issues of very real dissent, that does not mean that that is necessarily defiance of the constitution," he said.

He added later: "Dissent is an honored value. That's why even contention can be the work of the Holy Spirit. But defiance is not. Clearly and openly defying the constitutional standard is destructive to the church."

Asked about a comment from one of his challengers in the election that the stated clerk's office should be used as a "bully pulpit," Kirkpatrick said: "I've really never liked the term 'bully pulpit.' The Apostle Paul's admonition of speaking the truth in love is much more what I have attempted to do. . What we always need to do is graciously, lovingly, speak the truth and uphold the constitution."

Asked whether he agrees with the Assembly's action regarding a Presbyterian-Jewish "Messianic" congregation in Philadelphia, he said, in part: "I think the gospel ought to be offered to Jewish people, they ought to be invited into the church. . What should not be done is ever seeking to do that in a way that is deceptive, that fails to fully live out the standards in the Book of Order . or that ever denigrates other traditions. I am not saying that is what has happened in Philadelphia. . The Presbyterian Church has always favored a respectful evangelism."

Asked whether he had anything to do with a list of questions one candidate said his supporters planned to ask during the Q&A period, Kirkpatrick said: "I neither distributed nor wrote any of the questions. I did see a copy of that ahead of time, and obviously he (the other candidate) did, and others, so it was no big secret. I do know that some people were handing out those questions . but I did not personally distribute or encourage people to ask those questions."

Later, during a plenary session of the Assembly, a commissioner moved to have the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly "investigate the integrity, openness and fairness of our electoral process," apparently prompted by what he considered irregularities in the earlier election.

Kirkpatrick took a moment of personal privilege to speak in support of the motion, saying that, while the PC(USA) has established procedures for the election of moderator, it has none for the election of a clerk, and that he thinks it would be helpful to have them. The Assembly approved the motion.