January 27, 2009
by Jerry L. Van Marter

BERKELEY, CA – With the new administration of Barack Obama seeking more counsel from mainline denominations than its predecessor, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy (ACSWP, see see http://www.pcusa.org/acswp/) approached its lengthy agenda with renewed vigor here Jan. 22-25.

On issues ranging from human rights to immigration to the Iraq war, the committee seemed convinced that the PC(USA)'s voice will be now be heard more clearly in Washington than at any time in recent memory.

The question, of course – in Washington and Louisville – is what can be done on a number of fronts in light of the global economic meltdown.

In Washington, for instance, free trade agreements with countries such as Colombia "will be back-burnered, I think," said committee member Bill Saint from Washington, "in order to pursue preservation of U.S. jobs."

And in Louisville, pursuit of environmental justice issues has been slowed by a budget-driven lack of staffing for that office, ACSWP coordinator Christian Iosso told the committee.

Nevertheless, work is proceeding on a number of projects mandated by last summer's 218th General Assembly:

• HIV/AIDS: the task force to work on the HIV/AIDS study is still being assembled, ACSWP associate Belinda Curry told the committee.

• Gun Violence: Iosso said he is still searching for the right balance of urban, suburban and rural Presbyterians for the task force. He said another factor needs to be considered: nearly half the deaths from gun violence in the United States are suicides, a factor not considered when the General Assembly authorized the study last summer.

• Theology of compensation: composition of the task force to do this study is also tricky, Iosso said, because in addition to customary diversity requirements, the task force needs persons who are familiar with secular compensation patterns and the internal economic life of the PC(USA). Another issue that needs to be addressed is "how to get responsible access to Board of Pensions data on compensation in the church," Iosso added.

• Immigration/detention: no money was appropriated for this study, envisioned as a follow-up to a major report on immigration issues approved by the 2004 General Assembly. As a result, the paper, which will focus on the impact on families of immigrant detention, will largely be a staff effort, utilizing the expertise of Julia Thorne, an immigration attorney who is manager of immigration issues for the Office of the General Assembly. ACSWP will also assist Human Rights Watch, which is conducting a similar study.

• "The Nature and Value of Human Life": Technological advances in the medical and bio-ethics fields since the last major denominational report on the subject make a comprehensive new look at the subject necessary, the Assembly said. With new scientific advances occurring almost daily, the trick is to "construct this study in such a way that it can be useful as future issues emerge, said committee member John Knapp.

A number of other ACSWP papers – on the Iraq war, human rights in Colombia and the Philippines, the Middle East, problem pregnancies and healthcare reforms – await updating based on very different approaches the Obama administration is expected to take in contrast to the Bush administration.

Updating the Iraq war paper ACSWP prepared for the last Assembly is complicated by the fact that the Assembly commended the committee's background paper for study but declined to adopt the accompanying resolution outlining specific recommendations, such as withdrawal timetables.

"We're not asking for policy, we're trying to further study, which the Assembly did approve," Iosso explained. "It seems clear that some thought needs to be given on the lessons of Iraq as we beef up in Afghanistan and reflect on the Gaza war."

But with the Assembly having turned down the resolution on the Iraq war, Knapp said it might "appear disrespectful to some to proceed with matters the Assembly refused to adopt." The committee agreed, at least for now, to focus on "just peacemaking" by inviting Glen Stassen of Fuller Theological Seminary and Walter Wink, professor emeritus at Auburn Theological Seminary in New York, who have both written recent books on the subject to come talk with the committee at its May meeting in Washington, DC.

ACSWP co-chair Ron Kernaghan, a professor at Fuller Seminary, also suggested revisiting a 1999 ACSWP-produced paper on just peacemaking approved by that year's Assembly, as well as 2004's "Religion, Violence and Terrorism."

Presbyterian News Service