Elizabeth Achtemeier, known to family and friends as Betty, died in Richmond, Virginia on Friday, October 25, 2002. Betty was a scholar, prolific writer, and teacher—retired adjunct professor of Bible and homiletics at Union Theological Seminary in Richmond—beloved by students, many of whom now serve in pastorates throughout the PC(USA).

Her memorial service was conducted on November 2 by former student James Goodloe at Grace-Covenant Presbyterian Church in Richmond.

Elizabeth Achtemeier was a friend of the Church throughout her life. Deeply committed to Scripture, she admonished us all to "get it into our very bones." She was a truth-teller who did not shy away from the most controversial issues of our time. In addition to her strictly theological work, she spoke and wrote on feminism, marriage, sexuality, and abortion. She was rooted in Scripture and gave the Church leadership in understanding the hard issues of our time through the biblical lens.

Betty Achtemeier became a special friend to Presbyterians Pro-Life as a result of her service on the Moderator-appointed General Assembly abortion task force. She was named to that group in 1988 and led the effort to produce a minority report, which was not adopted by the Assembly. That was in 1992. In 1993 Betty joined the PPL board and was PPL’s featured speaker for the PPL General Assembly event. She spoke again on our behalf at the General Assembly of 1994. During her years of service with PPL, she met each year with Theological Student Advisory Delegates (TSADs) at the Assembly.

In 1992 PPL held an ecumenical consultation on abortion and the marks of the church at Princeton Seminary. The objective was to engage serious Christian scholars in a discussion of what the church’s response to abortion in our time ought to be. As a result of the papers produced and the discussion that took place at that meeting she and Terry Schlossberg wrote a book together called, Not My Own: Abortion and the Marks of the Church. The book explains how the ministry of the church—as opposed to the beliefs of the Church—ought to be engaged on the abortion issue. It was published in 1995 by Eerdmans and was one of the top twenty-five books of the year selected by Christianity Today.

Betty’s biblical rootedness was a constant resource for the development of PPL’s views on the life issues. She wrote a regular column in the PPL News, always emphasizing the pastoral and spiritual aspects of the life issues. Euthanasia and assisted suicide became increasing concerns of hers, along with the abortion issue. After leaving the PPL board, she continued to serve on its Board of Reference.

Toward the end of 2001, Betty learned that she had cancer. After her retirement from Union Seminary, she wrote a short autobiography titled, Not Till I Have Done (John Knox Press, 1999) in which she related her life’s story in minitheological treatises on a broad range of subjects. The book begins and ends with reference to the Scripture she loved and lived by.

Since her illness, with her permission we have reprinted previous columns she wrote for us. We intend to keep doing that because her writing is timeless. In this issue of our newsletter we are repeating a column that she wrote in the Fall of 2001. It seems apropos.

The final hymn in Betty’s memorial service was For All the Saints, a fitting reminder of all our Savior does for us. Betty’s was a life that showed forth both humbly and brilliantly all the resources of grace that now are culminated in the crescendo of the promise of everlasting life for her and for all the saints.

We in PPL grieve the loss of her presence in the Church along with all her friends. We rejoice in the enduring nature of her teaching. And we anticipate a happy reunion with her.