Publications and periodicals
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Hope for a Global Future
From Office of the General Assembly
This policy statement presents a theological understanding for our activities in the complex world of international economics, touching upon issues of economic justice for all persons, concerns about population, and ecological degradation. It calls for a renewed emphasis on the Reformed norm of frugality and presents the norm of sufficiency, so that all may participate with abundant living in caring communities that are less materialistic and more frugal.
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Report of the Special Committee on the Nature of the Church and the Practice of Governance
From Office of the General Assembly
The Special Committee on the Nature of the Church and the Practice of Governance was charged with the responsibility of producing a thorough study of the nature of the church. The enclosed document represents the committee's efforts to fulfill that directive. The report begins with an assessment of our denomination's current situation and contains fifty statements that explore the biblical nature of the church, examine the Reformed tradition, consider the history of the church in North America, inspect the confessions, and search its polity.
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Report of the Special Committee on Problem Pregnancies and Abortion
From Office of the General Assembly
The 200th General Assembly (1988) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), meeting in St. Louis, Missouri, was asked to respond both to ever-increasing public turmoil over the issue of abortion and to turmoil within our own denomination, including numerous overtures in recent years asking that the General Assembly change, reconsider, or reaffirm the abortion policy expressed in the 1983 document, Covenant and Creation. The response of the 200th General Assembly (1988) was to mandate:
1. That the Moderator of the 200th General Assembly (1988) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) select a Task Force to conduct a study ...
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Study Paper On Family Violence
From Office of the General Assembly
Concern about an epidemic of spouse, child, and elder abuse led the committee of Women of Color and the Women's Ministry Unit to recommend to the 203rd General Assembly (1991) a paper on domestic violence for study throughout the church.
The assembly urged churches to study the paper on family violence and to establish programs that respond to domestic abuse in their communities. It also instructed me to print the domestic violence paper and to distribute a copy to each church.
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Vuelva Al Dios Vivo: Un Llamado Al Evangelismo A La Manera De Jesucristo
From Office of the General Assembly
La Asamblea General 203 (1991) continuó dándole un gran énfasis al evangelismo en la vida de la iglesia. Una de las acciones tomadas por la Asamblea fue la adopción de el documento "Vuelva al Dios Vivo: Un llamado al evangelismo a la manera de Jesucristo", el cual articula nuestro compromiso a la evangelización mundial.
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General Assembly Council Task Force On Church Membership Growth
From Office of the General Assembly
This resolution calls upon congregations and presbyteries to a new commitment to evangelism.
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Turn to the Living God: A Call to Evangelism in Jesus Christ's Way
From Office of the General Assembly
The 203rd General Assembly (1991) gave evangelism continued high emphasis in the life of the church. One of the actions taken by the assembly was the adoption of the document "Turn to the Living God: A Call to Evangelism in Jesus Christ's Way," which articulates our commitment to global evangelization.
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Presbyterians and Human Sexuality 1991
From Office of the General Assembly
This report comes to the 203rd General Assembly (1991) after three years of study, research, and writing by the Special Committee on Human Sexuality. The origin, membership, and process of the special committee are described in the Preface. The final draft of the report was approved by the special committee at its meeting in Tampa, Florida, on January 31-February 3, 1991.
As the special committee entered its final months of deliberations, it became clear that several members felt that our emerging drafts did not adequately express their views on various problems or on theological method. Efforts to integrate all views ...
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Resolution on Christian Responsibility And A National Medical Plan
From Office of the General Assembly
The 203rd General Assembly (1991) decries our nation's failure to establish an equitable, efficient, and universally accessible medical plan. It asks the nation's legislative leadership, with help from religious, health care, insurance, and other organizations or industries, to break the impasse for the purpose of establishing a National Medical Plan. It returns to the roots of healing found in our faith and speaks forthrightly for healthcare services guided by theological vision. It calls upon the Presbyterian family to step into the fray, advocating access to health care for all.
A description of our current health care crisis could ...
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God Alone is Lord of the Conscience
From Office of the General Assembly
For two hundred years, General Assemblies of the Presbyterian Church have been concerned with religious liberty and the relationship of church and state. The first General Assembly might well have heard the echo of Hanover Presbytery’s mighty Memorial to the Virginia legislature: "We ask no ecclesias-tical establishments for ourselves; neither can we approve of them when granted to others." Since 1788, our basic Principles of Church Order have placed in the first position the powerful commitment of our Reformed faith to religious liber-ty: "God alone is Lord of the conscience.…