A Pastoral Statement on the Judges 19 Hebrew Exegesis Ordination Exam

Dear Community in Christ,

Several within our community have voiced concerns over a decision about the PC(USA) ordination exams proctored this month from the Presbyteries’ Cooperative Committee on Examinations for Candidates (PCC). The only text option for those taking the exegesis examination is a text from Judges 19 that features dehumanization, rape, and the murder of a sexual assault victim, and was labeled one of four “texts of terror” in Phyllis Trible’s 1984 book Texts of Terror: Literary-Feminist Readings of Biblical Narratives (Overtures to Biblical Theology). A Presbyterian News Service report of the response to this text can be found here.

We affirm that we take the issue of violence, sexual assault, and trauma very seriously. Trauma can manifest in many forms and at different times, and can be embodied, cultural, or generational. Ongoing exchanges over the last week on a number of different platforms have ranged from whether the ordination exam is the appropriate venue for exploring these kinds of issues, to how we show care to those who are carrying burdens we may not all fully understand, to how we prepare candidates for the challenges of ministry. For some sexual assault survivors, the resulting conversations themselves have been additionally triggering. 

This week, a number of mid-council leaders from around the country met to resource each other on how to respond to trauma in our communities, with an upcoming meeting with denominational leaders around the process that created this particular ordination exam. We wanted to make sure that you are aware these conversations are being held, and that they too are being treated very seriously. As a presbytery that has been a national voice in naming the dynamics of a legacy of racism due to the sin of slavery, we are mindful of how Black and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) experience violence at different rates than White peers, and women at higher rates than men. 

While our Committee on Preparation for Ministry did not have any candidates scheduled to take this particular exam, we call on members of the Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy to model beloved community together by holding space for all those affected by violence and trauma. May we welcome opportunities to listen, and may we recognize the legitimacy of the trauma and harm that sexual violence has caused.

We recommend the following resources for further study:

• Book: Sisters in the Wilderness: The Challenge of Womanist God-Talk, Delores S. Williams, by Orbis Books, 1993.
• Book: Texts of Terror: Literary-Feminist Readings of Biblical Narratives (Overtures to Biblical Theology), Phyllis Trible, by Fortress Press, 1984.
• Periodical: “How Christian theology and practice are being shaped by trauma studies: Talking about God in the face of wounds that will not go away”, Shelly Rambo, by The Christian Century, November 1, 2019.
• Scholarly Article: “Trigger warnings, covenants of presence, and more: Cultivating safe space for theological discussions about sexual trauma”, Stephanie M. Crumpton, from Teaching Theology and Religion, Volume 20, Issue 2, pp. 137-147, April 2017.

For those of you who find you are carrying a special kind of burden in the wake of these events, please know that, to the best of our ability, we see you, and we validate your lived experience as real.

Please let us know if there is any kind of support we can offer at this particular time.

In Christ’s Peace,

Rev. Dr. Ruben Rosario Rodriguez
Chair of Committee on Preparation for Ministry
Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy

Rev. Elizabeth Kanerva
Associate Presbytery Leader
Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy

Rev. Ryan J. Landino
Presbytery Leader
Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy

Prayer for Justice/Domestic Violence Healing

“We are the church.
We offer ourselves to you, O God, our Creator.
We offer our hands.
May we use them to extend a healing touch to comfort sisters and brothers
and children, youth, and elderly who are afraid.
We offer our eyes and ears.
May we see and hear the signs and stories of violence so that all may have
someone with them in their pain and confusion.
We offer our hearts and our tears.
May the hurt and sorrow of the abused echo within us.
We offer our own stories of violence.
May we be healed as we embrace each other.
We offer our anger.
Make it a passion for justice.
We offer all our skills.
Use our gifts to end violence.
We offer our faith, our hope, our love.
May our encounters with violence bring us closer to you and to each other.
All this we ask through Jesus Christ who knows the pain of violence.
Amen.”

–The Sabbath of Domestic Peace
(Courtesy of Rev. Dr. Dee Cooper, Lead Presbyter of the Presbytery of Denver)

The National Sexual Assault Online Hotline provided by RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) can be found here.