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The following is a letter that was sent to all church members:
Dear friends,
When you run across your own name in the morning paper, it’s usually not a good sign. The same goes for the name of your church. Last month the Observer-Reporter and a number of other newspapers, both local and national, carried headlines that read, “Presbyterians Vote To Allow Homosexual Ministers.” You may also have read stories about Presbyterians “trying out” different names for the Holy Trinity. The stories referred to action taken by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church USA, the highest decision making body in our denomination.
First – just in case you were wondering – I assure you that First Presbyterian Church of Bentleyville remains resolutely committed to historic Christian orthodoxy and basic Biblical morality. We will continue to worship God as he reveals himself in Scripture, the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Ghost. We will continue to preach salvation from sin through the atoning sacrifice of Christ crucified, and to call believers to a holy life in obedience to the Word of God.
That said, what the General Assembly did does affect us. Let me try as simply as I can to explain what happened. Then, begging your patience, I’ll say a few words about why this matters, where our congregation and presbytery stand, and what may happen next.
Ordination: What happened?
First, some background:
For three decades, a minority of very liberal Presbyterians has pushed to change the denomination’s stance on homosexuality. Specifically, they sought to overturn a provision in the Book of Order that those ordained as deacons, elders and ministers in the church “live either in fidelity in the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness.” They failed by a wide margin.
In 2001, under intense pressure, the General Assembly created a “task force” to figure out some way to make everybody happy and stop what had become an annual fight. What the task force came up with was, with all due respect, simple hypocrisy. The rules, they said, should remain in place. But – and here’s the catch – they argued that it should be up to every church session and every presbytery (there are 170-odd presbyteries around the country) to determine which, if any, of the rules is an “essential tenet of the Reformed Christian faith.” In other words, the law hasn’t changed, but everyone gets to decide whether or not he feels like obeying it. By a narrow margin, the General Assembly adopted their recommendations last month.
What does all this actually mean?
I don’t know. Since any decision on ordination is still subject to oversight by church courts, it’s all still up in the air. I do think, however, that there are a few things that are pretty clear:
First, in a few presbyteries (not ours), active, unrepentant homosexuals – and for that matter, heterosexuals having sex outside marriage – will be ordained as ministers and elders. That’s already happened, in violation of Holy Scripture and the denomination’s rules, but the General Assembly’s action will make it (sort of) legal.
Second, the conflict will shift from General Assembly, which meets every other year, to the local presbyteries which meet monthly or bimonthly. If you think bloody-knuckled arguments with the guy down the road six times a year are a great way to advance the Kingdom, you’ll really love this. Otherwise it’s horrible.
Third, some congregations will quit the denomination in frustration. How many, I don’t know. The problem is that by law, the deeds to their buildings are held by their presbyteries. Did I mention conflict?
Fourth, and as far as I’m concerned, most importantly, our efforts to state plainly what it is that the Bible teaches about sin and redemption and basic morality have taken a blow. It’s hard enough to convince our teens that contrary to what they see on television, casual sex isn’t “just part of growing up.” It’s even harder to convince adults that serial divorce, cohabitation and the like aren’t “just part of life.” How much harder is it when our own denomination is sending mixed messages?
Why does this matter? I mean, what do you care what consenting adults do in private?
It’s not about sex. The fundamental conflict, whether we’re talking about ordination requirements or names for God, centers on the authority of the Bible. Is Holy Scripture in fact the written Word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit and reliable in what it teaches about faith and life; or, is it the (fallible) record of (fallible) human beings and their various (possibly) spiritual experiences?
Either God has spoken, reliably and authoritatively, or he hasn’t. If he has, then we are bound by the clear witness of the Bible to consider any sexual activity outside marriage, gay or straight, contrary to his will. Despite claims to the contrary, there is no ambiguity in Scripture on this point. From beginning to end, the Bible treats homosexual activity, along with adultery, fornication and other acts classed as “sexual immorality” as sin. It’s not necessarily worse than other sins, but sin just the same: a form of rebellion against God that, not repented of, can damn a man or woman to hell. To politely ignore damnation is not a loving act.
Part of the reason the General Assembly’s decision is so alarming, and so damaging to the teaching witness of the church, is that it didn’t even try to justify its action Biblically. The principal debate was over policy and church history and experience and pretty much everything but the Word of God. The impression it creates is that the denomination cares more about expediency than faithfulness.
The Trinity: What happened?
The General Assembly was presented with a paper written by a committee of seminary professors that proposed alternative images for the “three-ness” of God. (Among them are “Rainbow, Ark and Dove,” and “Mother, Child and Life-Giving Womb”.) The argument was that the traditional (i.e., Biblical) language of “Father, Son and Holy Spirit” limits God’s freedom to be a large boat, or something like that.
The problem is that Father, Son and Holy Spirit aren’t just images for God. They’re names for the three persons of the Godhead. Jesus Christ may be like a “Sword That Divides” (one of the names proposed), but he isn’t actually a sword. He is, however, the Son of God.
The good news is that the report was “received,” not “adopted.” This is a polite way of saying, “thank you very much for your hard work, now watch as we ignore it completely.” The bad news is that the church wasn’t willing to step on some toes and call the Trinity paper what it is: heresy.
What about us? Where does our congregation and presbytery stand?
Our congregation stands, with God’s help, on Holy Scripture. Prior to General Assembly, the session signed a letter urging in the strongest terms that the task force’s recommendations be rejected. We will continue to abide by scriptural standards for leadership (cf. 1 Timothy 3:1-6).
Likewise, the representatives Washington Presbytery sent to General Assembly opposed both the Trinity paper and the task force report. I have every confidence that the leadership of Washington Presbytery will take a strong stand for the truth.
On a personal note, I will continue to preach and teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ as faithfully as possible. The leadership of our congregation will not compromise in matters of basic Biblical morality or doctrine. Neither, however, will we allow homosexuals to be demonized or scapegoated. They are men and women made in the image and likeness of God and loved by him. The church, after all, is a hospital for sinners, not a resort for saints. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God; all are redeemed the same way, by the free grace of God; and all the redeemed are called to conform their lives to God’s standard, by the power of the Holy Spirit, whatever their sexual orientation.
What’s next?
I have no idea. God willing, the protest of faithful Presbyterians may yet right the ship. It will be necessary to say some very uncomfortable things in public. It may – and this is a matter for the session to decide – be necessary to reconsider certain financial support to the denomination. Anything beyond that is in the hands of the Lord. Things are happening quickly. In the meantime:
Pray. Pray for the denomination, pray for Washington Presbytery, and pray for our congregation. Pray that we would be faithful and find wisdom to know what to do.
Don’t panic. Nothing is going to change in the teaching or practice of Bentleyville church. Continue to worship, continue to tell others about Jesus, continue to work for the Kingdom of God. And please continue to support the work of God in Bentleyville financially. Know that your tithes will be used faithfully for Biblical, Christ-centered ministry.
Tell the elders what you think. Tell me what you think. The decisions that will be made in the next few months are too important to be made in isolation. We believe that the Holy Spirit speaks to the church through the church (that’s you), by the Word of God.
Finally, rejoice in being called to stand up for the truth. This is what we’re here for. “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4)
Yours In Christ,
Rev. Andrew Scott, Pastor
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