Things are Getting Interesting...

At 11:00 a.m. local, rulings from the Judicial Council were announced. Eight aspects of the Traditional Plan were ruled Unconstitutional, and both the Boyette and Taylor Disaffiliation plans were ruled Unconstitutional. You will see the notes I was taking as the reports were reported.

Then, Tom Berlin from Virginia rose to bring a "Minority Report" in hopes that the One Church Plan may be reconsidered as a substitute motion. 

Immediately, we began hearing speeches for and against the substitute motion, which are taking the typical lines of debate... the Word vs. the Flesh, the statement of Jesus about marriage vs. the "love" that ensures unity. Scripture is being quoted. Every one is accusing the other of judgmentalism…

A young woman delegate from (I missed where) rose to speak of the 15K signatures on a petition started and received since last evening, in support of the unity of the church and equal marriage rights for LGBTQI+ folk.

This is a picture of To Berlin.

A woman delegate from OK rose to say, "When you accuse me of being unloving, when I love my lesbian niece but do not condone her actions, you hurt my ministry and my relationships with others. And in fact you shouldn't want to be in a church with me if you consider me as mean as you accuse me of being."

A young woman rises to speak as a "Young Evangelical" who is against the OCP, who stands for scriptural holiness and speak for themselves. She says the claim is to include, not exclude, and to work with LGBTQI+ folk for a just society, while still arguing for a traditional and orthodox definition of marriage so as to leave a legacy of holiness for future generations.

We will soon be voting now as to whether the delegates are willing to reconsider the OCP. OCP's Last Stand, as it were.
All the speakers are saying "Vote and Please Don't Abstain," because apparently many have abstained either because the OCP does not go far enough or because they do not want to be considered judgmental.

One rises to say that a speech suggested that one of the speeches suggested LGBTQI should be drowned, and wonders how we can stand aside in the face of such language.  Berlin comes back to say that we have been gracious regarding divorce, so why not in this. While others have compared the issue before us to a soccer field, he compares it to a playground where we learn to play nice and there is not someone ready to throw penalty flags at every moment. If we want scriptural holiness, then he wants us to apply it equally to divorce, to cohabitation, to all the matters that related to sexual ethics.

Lots of cheers and jeers.

The head of the legislative committee asks us to reject the substitute and go forward with the Traditional Plan.

Berlin asks for prayer--not to support the OCP, but to show love for the church. An amazing moment as many delegates, members of the audience, and even the bishops come forward to join each other in prayer. Some delegates, however, refused to move, or could not... make of that what you will.

And, as people all over sing "They will know we are Christians..." we vote as to whether to substitute the Minority Report:

Yes: 374

No: 449

And we are back to the Traditional Plan. The OCP dies with a whimper.