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General Assembly Council (GAC) chair Peter Pizor and
GAC executive director John Detterick have issued the following statement on the controversy surrounding the
remarks about Jesus by Presbyterian minister, the Rev. Dirk Ficca at the 2000 Presbyterian
Peacemaking Conference held last month:
August 23, 2000
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In his July 29 keynote address at the 2000 Presbyterian Peacemaking Conference, "Uncommon Ground: Living Faithfully in a
Diverse World," the Reverend Dirk Ficca presented his thoughts on how Christians are
to maintain the integrity of their Christian identity while engaging in a positive way with those who are religiously different. News stories
reporting on the address have sparked concern on how Ficca dealt with the Lordship of Jesus Christ and some are calling for a repudiation by
PC(USA) leadership.
First and foremost, we want to clearly acknowledge that the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) firmly believes that God has put all things under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We believe that God’s love and
grace for us was revealed through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ Jesus and that through Christ, with Christ, in Christ, in the unity of
the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor belong to Almighty God. We read Rev. Ficca’s address as affirming this position when he says, "God was
in Christ, reconciling the world to God’s self. I believe that with all my heart."
Second, we want to make clear that it is consistent with prior General Assembly statements that the Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.) be involved in activities related to interfaith concerns. The 211th General Assembly
(1999) encourages the General Assembly Council and its ministry units to establish relationships with multi-faith, interreligious bodies on behalf
of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) using the criteria of the "Guidelines for Participation in Interfaith Bodies," adopted by the 204th
General Assembly (1992).
Some who attended the conference comment that Rev. Ficca’s statements were well-grounded theologically and very helpful.
His statements strike others as concepts that challenge the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Constitution as written in our "Book
of Order" and "The Book of Confessions." Regardless, Rev. Ficca speaks for himself
and not for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Given the open dialogue encouraged at the Peacemaking Conference and given the urging of
previous General Assemblies to engage in interfaith relationships, we support discussion that responsibly explores how we are to live faithfully
as Presbyterians in a religiously plural world.
Rev. Ficca has given permission for us to distribute the full text of his presentation. If you would like a copy, please contact
Neva Newlin at nevan@ctr.pcusa.org or 888/728-7228, Ext. 5510.
In Christ,
Peter Pizor, Chair
John J. Detterick, Executive Director |
