Pre-Assembly events: Of COURSE there was advocacy

BIRMINGHAM -- Thursday, the day General Assembly convened, two pre-assembly events gathered a ballroom of commissioners, advisory delegates, and observers. I had previously written about the unbelievable contention by the moderator of the Committee on the Office of General Assembly (COGA) that “the content of these two events is not focused on issues that are before this year's General Assembly.”

Reports (here and here) about the event presented by the Theological Task Force certainly belie that statement, as anyone might have expected. Task Force members promoted their report.

Another report demonstrates how the Israel-Palestine event was laced with advocacy about the divestment controversy. Two sides were presented at least, but not equally.

Thus we can see that COGA’s moderator was demonstrably mistaken. The problem anybody could have seen coming--and for which specific warning was given--ensued exactly as expected. Now, what will COGA do about such a predictable and indeed inevitable state of affairs?

This kind of unfair practice that privileges one viewpoint on a contentious issue and beggars another should never have been allowed this year and should be disallowed henceforth.