Wednesday, January 24, 2007
I have been remiss in not linking to several posts at the Truth in Love blog that take a follow-up look at the activities of the Presbyterian Church (USA) since the church synod overturned divestment last summer.
Will Spotts has an extensive look at how some church organs have performed...whether they've gotten the message for a change in course: Breach of Faith: The PC(USA) and Israel Since the 217th General Assembly
...The heart of the matter is this: there are only two possibilities. Either the 217th General Assembly represented a modest but very significant change in Presbyterian policy on Israel and the Palestinian Territories – as the plain reading of the actions suggest, or the 217th General Assembly represented an attempt to continue the same policies while describing them in a different fashion in order to deceive the unwary. I am astonished at the number of Presbyterian officials who are choosing the second interpretation...
There's also this: The Presbyterian Mendacity Service Strikes Again
...This week, yet another article from the Presbyterian News Service appeared that championed the view that nothing was changed in 2006. The Presbyterian News Service, a service which claims lofty purpose “to seek and to tell the truthâ€, has advanced this idea a couple of times before. It talked about “reframing of the Israel-Palestine actionâ€, and curiously asserted that “selective, phased divestment was not mentioned in 2006.†The assertion is curious because it is patently untrue. The 2006 assembly explicitly removed the phased, selective divestment instruction; in order to do this so explicitly, the assembly HAD to mention it.
However, this latest item goes a step farther in its sheer mendacity...
Finally, there's this most recent post: The Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Middle East
Kudos to Will Spotts for his tireless and thankless efforts to keep the PCUSA honest.
I was once a member of the Presbyterian Church, it was once an honorable institution, but no more. My Presbyterian relatives, decent people all, find it increasingly difficult to stay in the fold. Not to worry, however, just wait 5 years and there won't be any Presbyterian Church. It's members are moving elsewhere.