Resolved,
that the Presbytery of ________________ overtures the 217th General
Assembly (2006) to declare the following: that concurring with the
urgings of prior General Assemblies that the church guide our youth
toward decisions of sexual purity, this 217th General Assembly directs
the Congregational Ministries Division immediately to cease sales
of and, within 90 days of the end of this General Assembly, to remove
and discard all materials that fail to conform to the biblical and
confessional standard of reserving sexual relationships to the marriage
bond between a man and a woman,. Such removal and discarding would
include, but not necessarily be limited to, all parts of the existing
“God’s Gift of Sexuality” curriculum series for
all ages, including student materials, leaders’ guides, parent
guides, books, resource materials, and anything else associated with
that curriculum. The Congregational Ministries Division shall report
the items removed and the timely completion of the disposal of materials
to the 218th General Assembly, and
Further,
the 217th General Assembly directs the Congregational Ministries Division
and all other PC(USA) entities to use the biblical and confessional
teachings that sexual relationships belong only within the bond of
the marriage of a man and a woman as the standard for the development
of any future materials or recommendations for materials in print
or on its website.
Rationale
The
General Assemblies of 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2002 spoke to guiding
our youth toward decisions of sexual purity and revising, rewriting,
or otherwise correcting the existing PC(USA) sexuality curricula materials
to reflect biblical and confessional teaching on this subject. Louisville
offices have delayed action in this area well beyond an acceptable
time frame and the reasonable patience of the General Assembly.
Youth
are especially vulnerable to the messages concerning sexuality being
sent by our culture in the various forms of media. Even many of our
schools tend to send mixed messages in the formal instruction of youth
with a lukewarm encouragement to delay sexual relationships while
offering and even promoting contraception.
Scripture
teaches the holiness of the sexual relationship in marriage. It values
the body as a temple of the Holy Spirit and urges disciples of Christ
to glorify God with our bodies. The biblical teaching also is intended
to protect our children and youth from the abusive relationships and
lifelong harm that result from sexual relationships outside the marriage
relationship.
It is
the church’s role to communicate faithfully the biblical message
regarding sexual relationships to our children and youth and encourage
parents in their desire to see their children grow into faithful disciples
of Christ in thought, word, and deed.
Currently,
some of the materials produced by denominational offices contain the
same confusion of teaching that exists in the culture at large.* This
is faithful neither to the biblical message nor to the General Assembly’s
affirmation of its hopes for our youth. It is well past time to require
that denominational offices, particularly with respect to the youth
sexuality curricula—the God’s Gift of Sexuality series—discard
all materials that do not conform to the biblical message. This is
an area of curriculum development that has grown rapidly in the years
since our denomination first initiated its own curriculum. There are
now hundreds of curricula available from a variety of sources, through
catalogues and websites, that teach a biblical view of sexuality and
are produced specifically for use by churches.
*Examples of teaching in the current youth sexuality curricula
1. In
answer to the question, "Should teenagers have sexual intercourse
before marriage?" it says, "...We believe it is best to
postpone intercourse until marriage. If a teenage couple decides to
have a sexual relationship, they have the responsibility to use effective
contraception" (Older Youth Guide, p. 10; Leader's Guide, pp.
17-18; Parent's Guide [elementary level], p. 41; Leader's Guide [elementary
level], p. 105; Guide for Congregations [preschool level], p. 37).
Thus, the curriculum strongly implies that a decision to engage in
sexual relationships, if not best, is at least acceptable in the judgment
of the church, as long as contraception is used.
2. The
curriculum uses situational ethics in its approach to extramarital
sex and ignores the Scripture’s clear teaching that sexual relationships
outside the bond of marriage is sin. In answer to the question, "What
does Jesus teach about extramarital sex?" it completely dodges
the Christian response and says, "Jesus' teaching goes beyond
the act to the state of the heart. Motivation and intent are the deciding
factors...." (Older Youth Guide, p. 11; Leader's Guide, p. 18;
Parent's Guide [elementary level], p. 42; Leader's Guide [elementary
level], p. 106; Guide for Congregations [preschool level], p. 37).
3. The
curriculum goes beyond what is known scientifically and ignores what
is taught biblically by encouraging acceptance of homosexual orientation
without distinguishing orientation from practice. In answer to the
question, "Are people either homosexual or heterosexual?"
it says, "It is believed that most people exist somewhere on
a continuum that ranges from an exclusively heterosexual orientation
to one that is exclusively homosexual" (Older Youth Guide, p
13; Leader's Guide, p. 20; Parent's Guide [elementary level], p. 44;
Leader's Guide [elementary level], p. 108; Guide for Congregations
[preschool level], p. 39. The answer fails to state the Scripture’s
and the church’s clear teaching on homosexual practice.
4. The
curriculum fails to instruct our children and youth in exactly what
our denomination has explicitly and repeatedly stated regarding marriage,
extra-marital sex, and homosexual sex. In answer to the question,
"Is there disagreement with this understanding of homosexuality
within our church?" it says, "...The stand of our church
is to encourage all church members to continue dialogue within the
church. We believe there is always the possibility for more light
to break forth from God's Spirit to aid our understanding." (Older
Youth Guide, pp. 14-15; Leader's Guide, pp. 21-22; Parent's Guide
[elementary level], p. 45; Leader's Guide [elementary level], p. 109;
Guide for Congregations [preschool level], p. 41). Again, this deficient
answer dodges the question and fails to offer the church’s clear
counsel on a matter of crucial importance.
