Presbyterian Church (USA)

The Presbyterian Church (USA) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. It is part of the Reformed family of Protestantism, descending from the branch of the Protestant Reformation begun by John Calvin. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the USA and was established by the 1983 merger of the former Presbyterian Church in the United States, a southern branch of American Presbyterianism, and the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, a northern branch. The unified body currently has approximately 2.4 million members, 11,100 congregations, and 14,000 ordained ministers. It is a member of the National Council of Churches.

Divestment from Israel

In March 2002, PC(USA) sent a letter to the Israeli government stating, "While we do not condone the acts of violence by certain Palestinian extremists, we are appalled that Israel, in response, has continued to punish the entire Palestinian population and its leaders who have been your government's partners in the peace process."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In June of 2004, the General Assembly met in Richmond, Virginia and voted 431-62 to begin studying how to divest itself of companies whose business dealings in or with Israel contribute to the occupation. Rev. Nile Harper stated "The occupation by Israel in the West Bank and Gaza must end because it is oppressive and destructive for the Palestinian people" in explanation of this action. The church statement noted that "divestment is one of the strategies that U.S. churches used in the 1970s and '80s in a successful campaign to end apartheid in South Africa."

Related Topics:
Richmond, Virginia - Israel - West Bank - Gaza - Palestinian - Apartheid - South Africa

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~