For Immediate Release

Princeton and Union Theological Seminaries Host October 24 Videoconference with Members of the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity, and Purity of the Church

Princeton, NJ, September 8, 2005– Princeton Theological Seminary and Union Theological Seminary and Presbyterian School of Christian Education (Union-PSCE) will cosponsor a videoconference to discuss the report of the Peace, Unity, and Purity Task Force of the Presbyterian Church (USA) on Monday, October 24, from 7:00 to 9:30 p.m.  The event is one of the early opportunities to discuss the report, which will be voted on in June 2006 at the church’s General Assembly. Three of the task force members will be present:  Milton J Coalter, library director and professor of bibliography at Union-PSCE, and Frances Taylor Gench, professor of New Testament at Union-PSCE, will be participating in Richmond, Virginia; and W. Stacy Johnson, Princeton Seminary’s Arthur M. Adams Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, will be at Princeton.

The Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity, and Purity of the Church was established by the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s 213th General Assembly in 2001. It is a group of twenty Presbyterians who represent the range of backgrounds and views in the denomination. The task force was asked to discern the church’s identity for the 21st century and devise a way to help the church deal with issues that are causing conflict. Some of these issues include sexuality and ordination, interpretation of the Bible, and questions about Jesus Christ and salvation. The task force’s report, released in late August, includes six main recommendations: that the Presbyterian Church (USA) stay together in one body; that Presbyterians with differing views form “discernment groups” that meet together for worship, community-building, study, and theological reflection; that governing bodies use methods of discernment before moving issues to debate and vote; that the 217th General Assembly (2006) approve an “authoritative interpretation” of the Presbyterian Church (USA) constitution that supports an approach to ordination that is both more flexible and more rigorous than current practices; that the 217th General Assembly create a climate for discernment by not making any constitutional changes in the areas covered by the task force report if the recommended authoritative interpretation passes; and that all Presbyterians build up the church in love by seeking conciliation and mediation before taking formal action against one another. The first recommendation, that the Presbyterian Church (USA) remain as one body, was recognized by the task force as primary, for even as individual members of the group did not agree in all areas of doctrinal controversy, the individuals did recognize that each member was a fellow sister or brother in Christ; and, as they agreed about the core doctrines of Christian faith and Reformed tradition, they were able to continue in unity. The subsequent five recommendations, the task force felt, would assist the denomination in fulfilling this goal of maintaining unity.

The videoconference offers Presbyterian clergy and laity one of the early opportunities to discuss the task force’s findings with some of its members. Topics will include the theological foundations that underlie the report and the findings about the three main issues the task force was called to address. After presentations by the three speakers, an opportunity will be given for questions from all conference participants, in Princeton and in Richmond. The conference fee is $20, or $100 for church groups of up to ten people. For more information, contact the Office of Continuing Education at 609-497-7990.

Princeton Theological Seminary was founded in 1812, the first seminary established by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church. It is the largest Presbyterian seminary in the country, with more than 700 students in five graduate degree programs.