By Edward H. Adair The Cumberland Presbyterian Church possesses a rich theological tradition and commitment to scripture.  Notwithstanding this tradition (or, more accurately, in part, because of it), the Church is faced with deeply held, differing views on the validity of LGBTQ+ relationships and the roles individuals in these relationships and those who support them may have in church leadership. Some within the Church interpret scripture to exclude LGBTQ+ individuals from such roles, while others advocate for their inclusion. Many in this latter category draw on Christ’s teachings of love, justice, and a contextual understanding of scripture to reach an understanding they authentically believe to be consistent with the will of God. This divergence has resulted in division among members of our denomination. Yet, I think there remains space within the Cumberland Presbyterian Church for these perspectives to coexist in mutual respect.[1]  By exploring these views in the spirit of our Confession of Faith, we can fulfill our mission of reconciliation, love, and justice without requiring uniformity on issues related to sexual orientation. The Cumberland Presbyterian Church has the theological depth and history of unity amid diversity to support both perspectives in mutual respect. By grounding this approach in the Confession of Faith, which emphasizes the interpretation of scripture in light of Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection (COF 1.06) and the use of historical context in study (COF 1.07), we can find a foundation for harmony. Our Confession of Faith recognizes that believers may reach different theological conclusions as a result of Biblical interpretation and, because of that probability, encourages community engagement in interpretation (COF 1.07), affirming that theological exploration and dialogue are central to our faith.  This engagement should be undertaken with humility and acknowledging the inherent limitations of human understanding. COF 5.08:  Because the church in the world

The Cumberland Presbyterian Church does not impose a singular view on abortion. According to our Confession of Faith, "God alone is Lord of the conscience and in matters of faith and worship, God frees believers from the opinions and commandments of others that are contrary to his word..." (CoF 6.02). This statement affirms the sacred agency and conscience of each individual who seeks God’s will. Rev. Dr. A. B. Miller, in his work Doctrines and Genius of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church published in 1892, emphatically stated, “No pope or counsel or creed can bind the conscience in this respect. Only the word of God is the rule of faith and practice, and it is such to every [individual] in the sense in which [they understand] it through an honest effort to arrive at its meaning. This doctrine, common to Protestantism, is the key to progress in the interpretation of scriptures. To give it up is to go back to the spiritual bondage of the middle ages….the spiritual death in which [persons] repose unquestioning faith in the opinions of a fallible [person] or council of fallible [individuals]." The Cumberland Presbyterian Church, with its history of honoring individual conscience, exemplified this approach during the 1991 General Assembly when addressing the contentious topic of abortion. Rather than imposing a singular viewpoint, the church embraced the validity of diverse interpretations within its covenant community. This inclusive stance fostered unity and underscored the significance of aligning one's actions with Christian conscience. EXCERPT FROM "SANCTITY OF PERSONS" (1991) Since Cumberland Presbyterians affirm a variety of views on abortion, it is not appropriate for the General Assembly to define either view as the view of the church. Instead, on the issue of abortion, the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church affirms this range of views as

By Edward H. Adair The continued efforts of those who seek to redefine our Confession of Faith to impose a narrow, exclusionary interpretation divert valuable time, resources, and energy away from the church's true mission. The church’s mission is to “worship God and study the word of God, to join together in a common witness to the gospel and to engage in the good works to which Christians are called . . ..” (Constitution 2.01) These ongoing attempts to legislate specific doctrinal positions on contentious issues detract from spreading the love and compassion of Christ, serving those in need, and working for justice and peace in the world. This misallocation of efforts hinders our ability to fulfill the Great Commission and embody God's inclusive and transformative love. Moreover, recent events, such as the vote on proposed amendments precluding a particular class of people from serving in leadership roles within the church, have led to division, ill will, and hateful speech. “[A]ll who are united to Christ by faith are also united to one another in love. In this communion, they are to share the grace of Christ with one another, to bear one another's burdens, and to reach out to all other persons.” (Confession of Faith 5.10.) We must prioritize our duty as a Church over divisive and distracting debates that undermine our unity and effectiveness in ministry. We are “to bear witness to God's saving activity in such a way that those who have not been saved, redeemed, and reconciled might believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and experience salvation." (Introduction to the 1984 Confession of Faith). As Cumberland Presbyterians, we are a global community of individuals united in our ongoing reflection and action to understand our collective role in society and history. This unity, guided by

In his Letter to the Editor of the Cumberland Presbyterian magazine, Mark J Davis critiques a faction's insistence on excluding LGBTQ Christians from leadership roles, despite the constitutional rejection of such measures by presbyteries. Davis advocates for a return to the denomination's tradition of tolerance and compromise, urging a focus on real ministry rather than internal power struggles. To the editor: “Let it go to Presbyteries. It is their right to decide on our direction and future.” This was the demand from a group of Cumberland Presbyterians who, unsatisfied with a Statement on Homosexuality approved by the 165th General Assembly (although they apparently subscribe to most of the text), nevertheless consider exclusion of LGBTQ Christians from leadership positions in the denomination one of their highest priorities in ministry. One can only assume that their exhilaration at having successfully fomented the split of one of our presbyteries over the issue now leads them to their efforts to extend what they surely know will be further discord and ugliness wrought by that split to the entire denomination. But we are, after all, Presbyterian in our government, so we did. We did let the question of whether or not we would be a denomination known for codifying exclusion in our foundational documents go to our presbyteries, “to decide on our direction and future.” And despite what by many accounts was a very aggressive (and, I would argue, unseemly) effort at lobbying on behalf of exclusion, the presbyteries responded to that constitutional question by saying, NO. But now, I understand that having failed in that effort, that same group of Cumberland Presbyterians has apparently decided that the only way to get their way—to indulge their preoccupation with the sexual orientation of others whom they rarely know personally, or with whatever sexual activity may or

By Rev. Chris Warren Like many in our denomination, I am grieving the division that is threatening our very existence. I have not always been Cumberland Presbyterian. I was called as a musician to serve a Cumberland Presbyterian church when I was 19. I had no expectation of being called to ministry in that same church years later. I start here because I deeply love the Confession of Faith. I read that document, and it is the reason I became Cumberland Presbyterian. At that time, I was just developing my faith, my understanding of scripture, and my place in God’s world. The beauty of the language in our Confession-- the ability we have as Cumberland Presbyterians to be a part of the same church even though we may understand some things about scripture differently--was one of the most important reasons I had for choosing this church as my home. I have never wavered from my commitment to the Confession of Faith. I imagine any of us can look at any written word and see something a little different from each other. I may read those words the same way you do, or I may read them in a different way than you do, but I want to be clear that I revere the words in the Confession. In many ways I feel that the division in our church has been created intentionally. I have read recently that this division has only been revealed, not created, and it seems natural that as a diverse group, we may experience some differences in understanding of scripture and the meaning of at least some parts of the Confession of Faith. But I don’t think the division needs to be as gaping as some claim. In fact, I think that whatever crack existed has been

To the members of Presbytery del Cristo, Greetings to all of you in the name of Jesus Christ! May the One who loves and holds the Church be with us, now and always. I’m writing to offer my thoughts to you with regards to the proposed amendments which will come before our Presbytery next week. Passions are high and perhaps we’re coming to this meeting with anxiety and with the singular goal of ensuring that “our side” wins. But I’m praying that what marks our conversation would be a desire to listen deeply for what the Spirit is saying to the Cumberland Church and that we would accept the gift and receive the risk of a real conversation. This means listening to our brothers and sisters in Christ with curiosity and generosity, allowing our hearts to soften towards each other. This means speaking out of our deepest Christian convictions, yes, but also with the humility which understands that we can never, in ourselves, have the “full” picture. Thankfully, that’s God’s job and God is more than gracious to invite us to move forward, in spite of our limited visions, long-held assumptions, and fears. As we’re together, I pray that we’d be given a heart of humility before the One whose ways are not our ways and whose vision far exceeds our own. So, what is the invitation? What is the door the Spirit wishes to blow open so that we might live as a more resurrected Church? What of our own assumptions needs upending and refining so that we might live into this vision? Can we begin to imagine LGBTQ Christians fully integrated and fully flourishing in our congregations, not as a sign of moral and spiritual “decline,” but as a sign that God, through the Spirit, is breaking down

February 25, 2024 To our beloved partners in Christ in Del Cristo Presbytery, The staff and session of Grace Fellowship Community Church in San Francisco write to share our concerns with you over the proposed amendments to our Constitution. While we whole-heartedly affirm the letter from the former Moderators of the General Assembly from August 31, 2023, we wish to add our own thoughts to the conversation. Our life together bears witness to the Good News that Jesus brings. Jesus’ prayer in the upper room was that His church would be one. While we practice life together in this unity, we find ourselves with differences in our understanding of sexuality and gender. Grace Fellowship lives on the far reaches of our presbytery. This is where God has placed us. This is how God is shaping us. In our own congregation, we find diversity in ways that include race, age, gender, socio-economics, and theology. But, out of obedience and humility before Jesus, we are learning to treasure the unity of the Gospel, and the joy of having connection and relationship with the larger body in which God has placed us. We are working to explore how to reconcile our diversity. We start with listening in humility, and then engage with one another. We have read the passionate letters from our faithful Cumberland pastors and leaders on either side of the issues at hand. In the presence of such a difference of opinion and beliefs, we want to keep doors open, not shut them. The process and practice of how we engage may be as important as any conclusion we arrive at someday. We live by grace, and we extend that grace. For it is by grace we have been saved, through faith... it is a gift of God. We urge patience

Persons seeking to bar from ministry: 1) individuals in relationships who choose not to marry, 2) engaged individuals who have relations before marriage, or 3) persons in same-sex relationships, often claim the Confession of Faith as their authority in the matter, despite the fact it never rejects same-sex relationships nor addresses the topic of sex outside of marriage. It is also important to note that the founders of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church elevated the importance of the divine call, recognizing that "The compilers of the Confession of Faith and Discipline of our church never intended it to be considered an infallible standard by which the Holy [Spirit] must be limited, when [God] calls [persons] to the sacred office." While upholding our Confession of Faith, we recognize it as a living document, not an infallible one. Therefore, it should be held with humility and not interpreted in a restrictive or exclusionary fashion. Rather, we should allow room for diverse interpretations and for human understanding to evolve, and for God's Spirit to manifest within our denomination through divine calling. For our founders, determining who was called was not about strict doctrinal conformity! In fact, our founders were willing to "scruple" with certain doctrines, and that is why the current vow taken by ministers and elders explicitly states that we believe the Confession "contains" the essential doctrines, which allows room for interpretation and for the Holy Spirit to work. The fact that the Confession of Faith may be amended is both a demonstration of humility and an acknowledgment that not everything within the Confession may be deemed essential. This reforming principle remains pertinent today, particularly in the face of attempts to force "strict subscription" to the Confession or to weaponize it in a exclusionary way to disqualify a minority within the church whose

February 2024 Dear Friends and Family of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and Presbytery del Cristo, I write this letter with trepidation, because I know how emotional the upcoming vote on the proposed amendments has become. I’ve been impressed with the thoughtful letters shared from several of you and so I would like to offer my input in that same sense of civility and connection. For those of you who don’t know me, I’ve been part of Grace Fellowship in San Francisco since 1990, have served as an elder since 2003, and have served on the Presbytery del Cristo Congregational Care Committee and the CPC/CPCA Unified Committee on Theology and Social Concern. Over the past two years, I’ve taken a sabbatical from Grace Fellowship to worship with other local congregations, from Roman Catholic to Mennonite trying to gain perspective on what God is doing in this neighborhood. The thoughts in this letter are mine alone and reflect things I’ve learned both ministering at Grace Fellowship and looking outside the Cumberland to see how other traditions handle sexuality discussions. Several letters have discussed the polity implications of these amendments and I have nothing to add since they were penned by people, such as the 13 former moderators, with a deep understanding of the history and function of the Cumberland. If I were voting, I would give great weight to what these people say. Likewise, the letters that deal with the Biblical texts are extremely helpful and I, a layperson with no formal training in theology, read them with great respect. Our culture is very different in many ways from the ancient cultures in which these texts were penned, so we need the educated voices to help us see what God was communicating to God’s people in those days and today. What I

Rev. Tami Terpstra Staff Chaplain and Specialty Chaplain in Adult Psychiatric Care Denver Health Medical Center, Denver, CO Original Date of Submission: September 30, 2019 Initially addressed to the Unified Committee on Theology & Social Concerns (UCTSC), this letter was revised on February 29, 2024, and is now offered for consideration in conjunction with proposed constitutional amendments currently undergoing review in the church presbyteries. As a recently ordained minister of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and as a chaplain who specializes in ministering to patients within three secure adult psychiatric units at Denver Health Medical Center, Colorado’s public hospital, it is important that I minister to all, regardless of race, or sexual or gender identity. Our denomination, it seems, is searching for how to do the same. Weekly, I encounter patients who have experienced deep rejection by their families and faith communities because they fall somewhere on the LGBTQ+ spectrum. Usually, they have just attempted suicide. Therefore, I thank you for this invitation to provide feedback on the matter of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and its posture towards our LGBTQ+ siblings, sisters, and brothers, and for the diligence this committee has already exhibited. My prayer would be that all of our discussions may be tender, and that the expansive love of God would be our guide. Speaking on behalf of those LGBTQ+ patients to whom I have ministered, I would also pray we understand that, whether or not we are aware of it, it is highly likely that the life of someone we already know and love is at stake. Guidance from our Confession of Faith Before delving into specifics, it is important to highlight certain principles in the CPC Confession of Faith (COF) on which we already agree, and which provide a crucial theological frame for this discussion. First, we