Jewish cantor Sunny Schnitzer was a leader for the opening worship of the 216th General Assembly (2004) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), held in Richmond, Virginia, June 26-July 3. He sang Psalm 23, first in Hebrew, then in English.

The Rev. Dr. Susan Andrews, outgoing Moderator, explained in her sermon, “For 38 years Bradley Hills Presbyterian Church [where Andrews is pastor] and the Bethesda Jewish Congregation [where Schnitzer serves] have been spiritual siblings sharing sacred space in the same building. We at Bradley Hills are joyfully and distinctly Christian. And BJC is joyfully and distinctly Jewish. But through vigorous adult education …and social outreach for peace in the Middle East, we celebrate our common God, our common values, and our common convictions. And then we lift up into the light of the day our deep theological differences. And all of us grow stronger in our faith because of it.”

Those affirming words of Jewish-Presbyterian relations seem to have been lost in the weeks after the assembly. Sadly, several assembly actions have resulted in unfair accusations that Presbyterians are anti-Israel and anti-Semitic. This simply is not true.

Critics of the denomination’s decisions need to consider the full context of the actions taken by the church. The actual resolutions and other helpful resources are available online.

Shortly after the creation of Israel in 1948, a Presbyterian General Assembly stated,

The Palestinian situation is an intricate problem that has been tragically confused by political expedience. We believe that a solution to the problem will be achieved only by a return to the principle of faithful devotion to the welfare, needs, and rights of both the Jewish and Arab peoples. The first concern in the reconciliation of these conflicting interests should be for the well-being of the common people and not for the vested interests of present rulers or foreign powers.

Since 1948, Presbyterian General Assemblies have issued statements for peace with justice in the Middle East, but with little impact. Middle East Christians have made clear to American Christians that they would welcome less talk and more action. A Lutheran pastor in Bethlehem told assembly commissioners this year, “To have statements is not enough. They might be good for discussions within churches, but they’re not much help to us on the ground.” The Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem urged words and actions in support of Palestinians and Israelis working for peace and justice: “[Speaking out] is not anti-Semitic. It’s not anti-Jewish. It is anti-Israel-government policy.”

In response to these appeals, commissioners to this year’s General Assembly issued thoughtful statements and took action on a number of related items:

The assembly condemned violence by all sides, and stated that the “security of Israel and the Israeli people is inexorably dependent on making peace with their Palestinian neighbors, by negotiating and reaching a just and equitable solution to the conflict that respects international law, human rights, the sanctity of life, and dignity of persons, land, property, safety of home, freedom of movement, the rights of refugees to return to their homeland, the right of a people to determine their political future, and to live in peace and prosperity.”

The assembly issued "instructions to initiate a process of phased selective divestment in multinational corporations operating in Israel, in accordance with General Assembly Policy on social investing, and to make appropriate recommendations to the General Assembly Council for action." The church’s top official, the Rev. Dr. Clifton Kirkpatrick, has written that the “focus of this action is to explore use of a proven tool of economic pressure to motivate real change in Israeli policies and movement toward peace.” This action came in response to an overture from the Presbytery of St. Augustine [Florida]. Presbyterians there had visited Israelis and Palestinians for many years. They were grieved by the terrorist attacks against Israelis and frustrated with the continuing oppression experienced by Palestinians, including many who are Christians.

The assembly called for a study to “examine and strengthen the relationship between Christians and Jews and the implications of this relationship for our evangelism and new church development.” This tension between wanting to share the gospel and be respectful of other faiths can be found in the church’s “Confession of 1967”:

Christians find parallels between other religions and their own and must approach all religions with openness and respect. Repeatedly God has used the insight of non-Christians to challenge the church to renewal. But the reconciling word of the gospel is God’s judgment upon all forms of religion, including the Christian. The gift of God in Christ is for all. The church, therefore, is commissioned to carry the gospel to all whatever their religion may be and even when they profess none.

All of the assembly’s actions this year are consistent with the commitment of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) made in 1987 in A Theological Understanding of the Relationship between Christians and Jews, “never again to participate in, to contribute to, or (insofar as we are able) to allow the persecution or denigration of Jews.”

Last November, I drove two of my church members to the airport so they could attend the funeral of their 20 year-old grandson, who was killed serving in the Israeli Defense Force. These grieving grandparents and many other Presbyterians are not indifferent to the sacrifices by so many loved ones for Israel.

Bruce Gillette was a minister commissioner to the 216th (2004) General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), where he served as moderator of the Assembly Committee on Peacemaking.