Covenant Network of Presb yterians

 
 
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Quick Guide -

If you can't find what you are looking for, please contact us at Covenant Network.

Sexuality

Curriculum, Becoming One In Christ
Paper , Sexual Reparative (Conversion) Therapy Revisited
 Links, papers, Marriage, Holy Unions, and the Presbyterian Church (USA)

Faith Stories

Booklet, Far From Home - Tales of Presbyerian Exiles
 Video, (key note presentation) How I Changed My Mind on Homosexuality

Theology

Papers & Liturgy, Trinity Resources
Paper, Reading Scripture in the Reformed Tradition
Papers, Sermons & Papers
Podcasts, Covenant Conference Presentations

Living as Church

Papers, discussion guides on the Theological Task Force
Papers, curriculum Resources for Dialogues
Essays, articles on dialogues, Talking with the Enemy
Video, (lecture) What Makes Us Distinctive As Presbyterians
Study Guide, Call to Covenant Community
Resources, Hospitality for All
Links, Links to Related Sites

Ordination

Article, The Church's Pioneering Women

Covenant Network Now Podcasts!

Link to Covenant Network Podcasts on Itunes - please click here

Download directly from our server

 

 

Becoming One In Christ

A new curriculum on the ethics of human sexuality by the Rev. Doc. Kevin E. Fredierick is now available. There are two files available for downloading. The Leader's Guide containes all the text of the Student Guide if you would like to preview the curriculum.

Becoming One in Christ - Leader's Guide (size -808 k)

Becoming One in Christ - Student's Guide (size - 544 k)

 

Holly Noble

is Profiled in Far From Home

 

Far From Home - Tales of Presbyterian Exiles

Presbyterians will have another opportunity to see the cost to the church of our exclusionary ordination policies with the publication of a new booklet by the Covenant Network of Presbyterians, Far from Home: Tales of Presbyterian Exiles. Written by the Rev. Alice Anderson, it tells the stories of 39 pastors, seminarians, elders, and deacons who used to serve the Presbyterian Church but have left or been forced out by the church's inhospitable stance.

Some of the pastors profiled are now serving UCC, Episcopalian, MCC, or independent congregations. Some have found other careers; some have stopped going to church altogether. Meanwhile thousands of Presbyterian churches are unable to find pastors.

The booklet is being mailed to presbytery resource centers, seminary libraries, commissioners, selected clergy, and all Clerks of Session, in hopes of sparking conversations across the church. Additional copies can be ordered from the Covenant Network office. It will also be available at G.A.

The Covenant Network commissioned and published the booklet in hopes that, as Gene Bay writes in his Foreword, readers will "meet some of those whose gifts for ministry are not being used by our church. . . , will recognize their faith, feel the pain of their rejection, understand their passion for ministry, and realize the authenticity of their calls." Dr. Bay, pastor of the Bryn Mawr [PA] Presbyterian Church and Co-Moderator of the Covenant Network, continues, "You will, I believe, begin to question our denomination’s present policies."

To order a copy, and pay by check, please click here for an order form

To order 1-20 copies and pay with a Visa or Mastercard, please click here

To order 21 copies or more and pay with a Visa or Mastercard, please click here

Maria Stroup is profiled in Far From Home.

The Church's Pioneering Women

As we approach the fiftieth anniversy of the Ordination of Women, The Covenant Network is grateful that Barbara Wheeler, Deborah Block, and Cynthia Campbell have chosen to serve as members of the Covenant Network Executive Committee and that Linda Loving and Thelma Adair have chosen to serve on our Board of Advisors.

Presbyterians Today
 

Sexual Reparative (Conversion) Therapy Revisited

C. Richard Carlson

C. Richard Carlson, HR, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and serves the Presbytery of Mid-Kentucky as a member of the PJC and the Church Administration Committee.

On May 9th, 2001 the Associated Press reported that Dr. Robert Spitzer, who in 1973 was instrumental in helping the American Psychiatric Association remove homosexuality from its list of mental disorders, now had published “an explosive new study that says some gay people can turn straight if they really want to.”

The story set off a media frenzy. Newspapers, TV reporters and talk show hosts featured the story. “Promoters of so-called ‘conversion therapies’ and organized opponents of gay and lesbian civil rights claimed that Spitzer’s study proved what they had been saying all along: that gays and lesbians ‘choose’ homosexuality and that they can be cured.”

In fact the study did not draw this conclusion. The study said, in effect, that change in sexual orientation is unlikely.

Please click here to read the entire article.

A Reply to Professor Warren Throckmorton Concerning Reorientation Therapy
C. Richard Carlson

Several weeks ago Warren Throckmorton, PhD offered a response to my article “Sexual Reparative (Conversion) Therapy Revisited” with an article entitled “Sexual Reorientation Therapy Reconsidered.” While I appreciate the reasonable tone of his arguments in opposition to mine, they nevertheless contain many distortions regarding this current controversy. (to read more, please click here)

Trinity Resources

Here are some resources for worship and study regarding our understanding of the Trinitarian God.

The Trinity: God's Love Overflowing (PDF 112kb) is a paper from the Trinity Working Group which has been meeting for the past three years. At the upcoming General Assembly meeting, the General Assembly Council will call for a series of consultations on the Trinity throughout the PC(USA) based on this paper with a final report at the 2006 General Assembly.

For more information, visit the Theology and Worship web page at http://www.pcusa.org/theologyandworship.

And... here are some resources for use in your worship planning:

Resources for Trinitarian Worship - Compiled by Rebecca B. Prichard, Moderator, Trinity Working Group

Liturgy for Worship - (Microsoft Word document)

Reading Scripture in the Reformed Tradition

If Scripture is at the heart of all that the Reformed Church undertakes, (and it is), how then do we read the Bible? This is a critical question for every Christian, and one that has seen a great deal of lively debate in the last four hundred years. Here on this page are just a few links to and statements by pastoral writers and teaching theologians across the Reformed Tradition on this question.

Study Together, Learn Together, Work Together

The Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity, and Purity of the Church asks Presbyterians across the church and of varied theological understandings to sit down together and discuss the affirmations of the Task Force's preliminary report. They write in their Recommendation to the 215th General Assembly, "The task force is discovering that the appropriation of Christ's peace, unity, and purity in the church can be realized only as fellow Presbyterians engage in a process of studying together, learning together and working together toward such a reality."

For More Information, Click Here

Resources for Dialogues

Here is a list of books, videotapes, websites, and Presbyterian documents that you may want to read and study in your congregation or presbytery. We strongly recommend them for conversations with those who have not yet made up their minds and with those who disagree. Click here

The Christian
Science Monitor

And More Dialogue Resources

The Christian Science Monitor is tracking articles focusing on changing the tensions of our national political life. Please click here to see the original eight part series and the growing list of commentary and opinion.

 

What Makes Us Distinctive As Presbyterians

A video for Presbyterians by Dr. Jack Rogers, Former Moderator of the PC(USA)

In this video presentation, Dr. Jack Rogers explores the three books that are foundational to our denomination.  He explains the seven principles for interpreting the Bible adopted by the church, and ten doctrines characteristic of our Book of Confessions, as well as the principles of representative government in our Book of Order.  

To pay by check, please click here to print an Order Form

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How I Changed My Mind on Homosexuality


Jack Roger's Address to Covenant Network NorthWest Regional Conference in October, 2003 is now available on video.

“I appreciate the opportunity to address you this morning. I am going to speak about my change of mind on the question of homosexuality, what I have learned theologically in that process, and some implications for us as a church.” And thus Dr. Rogers begins his simple, yet startling presentation to the 2003 Northwest Regional Conference of the Covenant Network of Presbyterians. This is a videotape of that presentation as it was first being delivered.

To pay with a check, please click here to print the Order Form

To pay by Visa or Mastercard, please click here

and

Click here to Read the text

Download the Call to Covenant Community Study Guide

The entire document in PDF form (288k)
(please watch for smaller, more easily downloaded versions in the near future.)

From the Introduction and Suggestions for Use

"Your session is considering signing A Call to Covenant Community, the statement of commitment from the Covenant Network of Presbyterians. Or perhaps, your congregation is already committed to that cause. This study guide is designed to help sessions and congregations explore the scripture and theology undergirding A Call to Covenant Community, and to examine the actions and results it may bring about in your congregation.

"The study guide is divided into four study sessions following the four primary sections in the beginning of A Call to Covenant Community:

• Jesus' Radical Hospitality
• Church in Society
• Using the Bible
• Unity in Diversity

"Each study session has background information, group activities, and time for action planning. The material is designed to engage participants in studying new material, sharing their ideas, and exploring possibilities. That takes time! Time suggestions are given for an hour long session. All of the sessions, though, have much more material than can usually be adequately covered in an hour. Leaders will need to be selective in the activities they choose, and they must keep a watch on the time to proceed through the material. You will need to cut off discussion to move on to other topics. When you must do that, we suggest that you keep a running tally of ideas for further discussion of topics that arise which cannot be fully explored in a brief session. Jot these ideas on a piece of newsprint which you keep posted throughout the study period. At the end, pass these ideas along to your adult education planning team or pastor. Each session should leave time for action planning and an adequate closing.

"In each session, the leader's guide is supplemented by handout sheets to be used by participants. In planning ahead, the leader should decide which handouts he or she will use and make copies for all the participants. The Bible is used in all the sessions, and participants should be encouraged to bring their own Bibles to the sessions; however, leaders should provide enough copies for those who do not bring one. Also, all participants should have a copy of A Call to Covenant Community, because we will refer to it frequently in all the sessions.

"At the end of each session, you will find "Ideas for Further Study." Along with the ideas you have jotted down from discussion, use these for further discussion which you might take up later in adult education, small group study, or sermons.

 
 

Sermons & Papers

Here you will find resources for preaching, witness, and study.

There are two ways to find the information you may be looking for. The first is to use the search box in the upper right hand corner. Enter a topic, such as "Romans 8", and then follow the results for the insights you seek. The second way is to browse, to click on a link below and then meander through the results until you find what you are looking for, even though you may not have been looking for exactly that tidbit. In either case, you have five years of sermons, speaches, and papers from some of the brightest and most insightful minds of the church at your fingertips. You'll also find study guides, educational materials from previous efforts to repeal G61001(b) and legal resources.

 

Links to Related Sites

Some are allies, some are not, but all have important points of view.

 

Two web sites of interest publish papers, list seminars, and offers links to other websites for that complex intersection between our theology and our sexuality.

The Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry -
Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, California

The Carpenter Program in Religion, Gender, and Sexuality -
Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
 

Hospitality for All

Rev. Caroline M. Kelly
Associate Pastor

Central Presbyterian Church
Atlanta, Georgia

In June the 215th General Assembly approved recommendations which: (1) encourage presbyteries to equip pastors and sessions to provide pastoral care and nurture to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (“GLBT”) members and their families; and (2) encourage presbyteries, sessions and pastors to seek out pastoral care resources presently available in their own communities for GLBT members and their families. Less then six months after the approval of these recommendations, the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta, through its Committee for Inclusion, is taking the lead in equipping its pastors and elders to provide pastoral care to GLBT members and their families. To Read More: Click Here
 

Marriage, Holy Unions, and the Presbyterian Church (USA)

Recent News from the PC(USA)

Actions of the General Assembly Relative to Same-Sex Marriage and Civil Unions

Polls say gay marriage not a top issue for voters

Cultural debate on gay marriage proves tricky and divisive

Tying the Knot: Civil Contract or Holy Matrimony?

Covenant Network Resources from the 2000 debate on Holy Union Ceremonies:

A New Bible Study prepared for the Synod of the Trinity - Shall our clergy be permitted to participate in vows of faithfulness between persons of the same gender?

Marriage is appropriately understood by the church... - Presentation to the Presbytery of New Brunswick; Daniel L. Migliore Professor of Systematic Theology, Princeton Theological Seminary

Articles of Interest in the Secular Press

For Massachusetts, A Chance and a Choice - By Peter J. Gomes

 

 

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