Given the secrecy of many ABC deliberations, it is often difficult to know what is going on within the various national meetings. Insider information from within the General Executive Council--made up of all of the executive ministers, several national program board persons, and certain reprresentatives from auxiliary organizations--is not always easy to come by. So, when some of those in the room describe the experience, you tend to listen. Earlier this week, His Barking Dog reprinted the full text of a centrist's interpretation (Dr. Dwight Stinnett). Today we turn to the comments by those on the right. The following direct quotes were culled from eyewitness testimony.
· There was almost wholesale acknowledgement that “the Roy and Peggy show” received a two thumbs down review when they visited PSW . . . Yes, he's an affable guy with a warm heart, but he's been a terrible General Secretary in the midst of this mess.
· It was interesting to me that a number of the members did say, "Let PSW do their thing. If they need to go, let them go. We need to move on." Of course, that attitude was counterbalanced by many critics who said that OGS fumbled the ball as they tried to represent the Covenanting Partners in their visit to PSW.
· The GEC votes forced people to speak their minds before the group. What the discussion proved in GEC is how broken the Covenant of Relationships truly is. It was a very somber time. If they take motion number three seriously, and bring in a mediator to work with GEC, that action will surface the depths of the divides that separate the principal parties.
· There was an admission, and an apology . . . at GEC that the "Circle" letter from OGS went out in violation of the Budget Covenant, and there was also an admission . . . that the language . . . "was over the top."
· Charles Jones [stood] before General Board and [clarified] that BIM is in compliance with the 1992 resolution on homosexuality, and will continue in compliance in all hiring practices. Amazing! He did this in spite of counsel from a very high up person on the BIM Executive Committee not to do it. Why couldn’t Roy do the same? We would be in a far better place if Roy would be the voice for the majority, and leave it at that.
The fact that the quotes given come from written sources from within the GB/REMC/GEC meetings should give Dr. Medley pause. The party line presented to the churches does not correspond to the reality within the denomination, even at its highest levels.
As to the meeting next week of the PSW board, my great hope is that the leadership will move forward with their announced plans. IFF Valley Forge recants their long stated commitment to mindlessly latitudinarian pluralism, there will always be time to cancel an announced meeting. That makes more sense than a delay of the decision which will also push back a meeting of the congregations.
[It didn't require an Abrahamic teleological suspension of the ethical to get me to admit that this blog has absolutely no connection to official policy of the PSW or any other entity within the region]
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