A Peaceful Opinion Piece

If you (on the off-chance that you don't read the paper/watch the news/haven't seen my Facebook) haven't noticed, a lot of big stuff has been going on in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A). And when I say big, I mean REALLY big.

The first of these things is that according to a new Authoritative Interpretation of our Book of Order, pastors in gender equality states can now marry same-sex couples. Additionally, a decision is now being sent out to be made by each and every presbytery: whether the wording in the Book of Order ITSELF should be changed so that it is not so gender-specific. These decisions have been discussed (or, more likely, argued over) for years now, and the church has finally made the decision to move forward with this.

It is my personal belief that these decisions were made well. I'm aware that many will disagree with me, and that many more will be leaving PC(USA) as a result of this. And that is saddening to me, as I love all that are within this church equally. However, if they believe that it is time to go, then I will send them in peace and with prayer. On the flipside, it brings me great joy to know how many more people will feel truly welcomed to the PC(USA) family as a result of these decisions. May the wedding bells ring for all!

The other big decision made was to divest from Caterpillar, Inc., Motorola, and Hewlett-Packard due to their involvement in the violence taking place on the West Bank between Israel and Palestine. This decision was also made after much discussion and discernment, with committees working year round to determine how to handle the situation.

The final decision, to divest from these companies, was made in an effort to pull ourselves out of the violence and be on the side of peace. It is INCREDIBLY important to note: WE ARE NOT DIVESTING FROM ISRAEL.

I REPEAT: NOT DIVESTING FROM ISRAEL.

PC(USA) is divesting from companies that are knowingly providing tools that implement the violence between Israel and Palestine. There is a very big difference. It is also important to note that we are not doing this to hurt our Jewish brothers and sisters. This part was especially painful for me, as a half Jew. Ultimately, I decided that divestment would be best. I love Israel, but I hate to see both countries battling and know that the PC(USA) is helping fund it by it's investments. There are many conflicting sides on this, and I was (and am) nervous about how this will affect interfaith relations. I can only pray that all will be willing to sit down and discuss, sit down and listen, sit down and pray--together.

I can only imagine that some will disagree with all that I have to say here. That's fine, I don't expect everyone to have my views. I only ask that if you wish to talk about it with me, or anyone else with a different opinion, that you do it peacefully and with respect.

For now, I think I'll be going. These past 10 days were exhausting, and I need to reboot before I head back to work. Sending love and prayers to all. As always, thank you for following me along this journey.