Fellow blogger Apostle John called it: Joan Gray from Atlanta was elected Moderator of the General Assembly on the third ballot tonight. I was impressed with her presentation and answering of questions, which I watched on the streaming video.
I'm happy because I agree with her opposition to changing ordination standards and the PUP recommendation #5. No one asked about the divestment controversy, unfortunately, during the question and answer session. Joan Gray seems to be more conservative than our current Moderator. My impression is that she is someone who will be able to handle the job with fairness to all sides.
All of the candidates were well-spoken and attractive pastors who seem to be a credit to the denomination. I've never seen the election of a Moderator before, but thanks to the miracle of the internet I saw it tonight.
May God be with our new Moderator as she presides over the rest of the GA proceedings!
I wondered if I had missed a question about divestment. That and the ordination standards are my specific interests -- I disagree with her on the latter but she seems to be a person could can bring people to the table and enable them to hear each other -- a true definition of moderator.
ReplyDeleteCan you believe that gannet girl's comment is the first time I've heard the adjective "moderate" within the noun "moderator"? Interesting spin on it!
ReplyDeleteIf memory serves -- and it frequently doesn't, but I have to depend on it since these days there's no PCUSA archive site near me to use for fact checking -- Joan Grey was the commissioner who wrote the language the presbyteries added to the FoG spelling out the power of the General Assembly to offer binding Authoritative Interpretations of the constitution. Before that Assembly ('85, IIRC) the More Light folk had been arguing the GA's power to resolve disputes (as it did in 1978) simply resulted in advice and guidance, not mandates and directives.
ReplyDeleteI watched it too. Very cool.
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