Publications and periodicals

The 200th General Assembly (1988) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), meeting in St. Louis, Missouri, was asked to respond both to ever-increasing public turmoil over the issue of abortion and to turmoil within our own denomination, including numerous overtures in recent years asking that the General Assembly change, reconsider, or reaffirm the abortion policy expressed in the 1983 document, Covenant and Creation. The response of the 200th General Assembly (1988) was to mandate:

The Special Committee on the Nature of the Church and the Practice of Governance was charged with the responsibility of producing a thorough study of the nature of the church. The enclosed document represents the committee's efforts to fulfill that directive. The report begins with an assessment of our denomination's current situation and contains fifty statements that explore the biblical nature of the church, examine the Reformed tradition, consider the history of the church in North America, inspect the confessions, and search its polity.

Un comité de trabajo fue designado por el Comité Asesor sobre Políticas de Testimonio Social para escribir una resolución respondiendo a un referido de la 213ra. Asamblea General (2001) llamando a la «legalización total de inmigrantes en los Estados Unidos de América». Al comité de trabajo se le pidió traer un borrador a la reunión del comité en enero de 2004.

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has been among the strongest supporters of human rights law, an area of significant success in 20th Century Protestant Christian witness generally. One part of this has been our now 20-year history of preparing human rights updates for Christian education and public policy use. Previous General Assembly actions are noted in the background materials to this year’s resolution; copies can be found in the Advisory Committee’s Social Policy Compilation.

Along with the resolution and its study paper is printed a second action of the Assembly, a petition calling for a formal congressional inquiry into how torture …

The Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy (ACSWP) was asked by the 211th General Assembly (1999) to develop a resolution that addresses the need for advocacy on behalf of uninsured persons, especially those with low income or fixed income.  The 214th General Assembly (2002) recognized that the church must provide not merely a moral whisper of conscience, but a chorus of voices raised in a call for immediate action.

220th General Assembly (2012) resolution on advocating for comprehensive Immigration Reform.

The report affirms procedures for mandating reporting of child sexual abuse and the importance of handling complaints of child sexual abuse according to standards of fair process. By doing so, it seeks to balance the rights and duties of those accused of alleged child sexual abuse with the inherent needs and rights of the protection of children from abuse.

The 203rd General Assembly (1991) decries our nation's failure to establish an equitable, efficient, and universally accessible medical plan.  It asks the nation's legislative leadership, with help from religious, health care, insurance, and other organizations or industries, to break the impasse for the purpose of establishing  a National Medical Plan.  It returns to the roots of healing found in our faith and speaks forthrightly for healthcare services guided by theological vision.  It calls upon the Presbyterian family to step into the fray, advocating access to health care for all.

A description of our current health care crisis could fill many …

The Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy (ACSWP) recommends that the 212th General Assembly (2000) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) prepare to celebrate, reaffirm, and recommit to to That All May Enter (Minutes, UPCUSA, 1977, Part I, pp. 99–108) as the basis for a call to greater concern for the inclusion of all members in every aspect of the life and work of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and a call to broader concern for justice in our own and the wider communities.

The question of Palestine, now in its 56th year without resolution, has been the oldest continuing item on the agenda of the United Nations. From the beginning, the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians has been a subject of concern, prayer and action for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) as well as other churches and ecumenical bodies in the region and the world. The church has shown concern for both the Israelis and the Palestinians. Our voice has been heard repeatedly on behalf of the suffering of the Palestinian people.