| Individuals and organizations
of the Jewish community, Presbyterians, and others are raising
many questions and concerns about some of the actions taken
at the latest General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.),
June 26-July 2, in Richmond, VA.
Here are some highlights of the actions that
were taken, with links to the documents in question, and suggestions
about other information that might be helpful for understanding
the General Assembly’s actions, and for talking about
them with neighbors.
Regarding Christian witness
to Jewish people
The General Assembly agreed with the concern
of four presbyteries (our regional governing bodies), generated
in reaction to the opening of a “messianic” new
church development named Avodat Yisrael in Philadelphia, PA.
Commissioners called for a two-year study to “examine
and strengthen the relationship between Christians and Jews
and the implications of this relationship for our evangelism
and new church development.”
In regard to the second part of this resolution,
the Assembly, in a close vote, did not vote to suspend national-level
funding for any other such new church developments until the
study is completed in 2006. There was no resolution before the
Assembly to remove funding from the congregation in Philadelphia.
Click here to see this two-part action.
For background on the congregation in Philadelphia,
see the “Perspective”
prepared by the Interfaith Relations Office last fall. “Toward
a Theological Understanding of the Relationship between Christians
and Jews,” commended
to the church for study and guidance by the Assembly in 1987,
provides the basic framework for Presbyterians regarding Christian-Jewish
relations. In addition, you may want to look at “Turn
to the Living God,"
a key policy of the church regarding evangelism, and “Presbyterian
Principles for Interfaith Dialogue."
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