Presbyterians for Renewal
Compromise of
Gospel
hits unprecedented level
The Layman
Tuesday, July 1,
2008
SAN JOSE, Calif. – The following is the statement, dated
June 27, by Presbyterians for Renwal on the 218th General Assembly:
Sometimes it takes pain to make things clear. While this General
Assembly was not the first to bring pain to the church, its pain has
been used by God to bring clarity to Presbyterians for Renewal.
For two decades Presbyterians for Renewal has worked with congregations
to faithfully engage in God's mission in the world. Our hope in the Lord
Jesus Christ and our commitment to the Presbyterian movement remain
strong.
The faith and witness of the Presbyterian Church (USA) has been a
consistent concern both of our congregations and of PFR as a national
organization. As our North American culture has changed, our
denomination has changed along with it. Having lost sight of her clear,
Christ-centered identity, the PCUSA has continued to embrace our
culture's beliefs and morals.
Gospel compromised
The actions of the 218th General Assembly have made it clear that the
PCUSA's compromise of the Gospel of Jesus Christ has reached an
unprecedented level. It is clear that the PCUSA's confession of the
Lordship of Jesus Christ and commitment to our Reformed confessions has
weakened to the point that we can no longer assume a common framework of
conversation. The pain of this realization has been used by God to
clarify our next steps. While PFR's mission has not changed, our context
has. We are compelled to do the following:
- In order to faithfully witness to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in
and for the PCUSA, we will actively pursue a means of re-shaping the
life of the denomination. For the sake of our witness to the Gospel,
we believe it is necessary for the different visions of Christian
faith and life in the PCUSA to be expressed in formally distinct
bodies without a formal split in the denomination. Such
possibilities have been discussed hypothetically under the rubrics
of non-geographical or "missional" presbyteries and
synods. We will pursue the ideas and relationships necessary to make
this a reality, and we call upon the whole church to think
creatively about ways to achieve this end. Perhaps revisions to the
work of the Form of Government Task Force that will be brought to
the next General Assembly are a way to advance this effort.
- We will no longer consider the debates over ordination standards
and sexual ethics as a meaningful venue to seek resolution of our
denominational malaise. We acknowledge that we are simply talking
past each other, and realize that this debate is merely a symptom of
deeper divisions. These deeper divisions include our understandings
of the authority of Jesus Christ as Head of the Church, and our
calling to exhibit the Kingdom of Heaven to the world. As we pursue
a means to make these differences manifest in "missional"
governing bodies, we hope that over the long-term God will re-unite
the faith of the PCUSA and enable a formal re-unification.
- While we pursue significant changes to our denomination's polity,
we will work to defeat the amendment to the "Fidelity and
Chastity" standard for ordination, and to bring to the next
General Assembly a new "Authoritative Interpretation"
regarding homosexual practice. We will also work to improve the
processes each presbytery uses to elect commissioners to General
Assembly, so that the next GA is more representative of the faith
and life of the PCUSA. We do not, however, believe such measures are
an adequate response to the state of the PCUSA, and therefore will
pursue the larger polity changes mentioned above.
- We will also pursue a revision of our constitution's property
provisions, which would allow those who cannot live with the
church's ordination standards to depart with their property. In the
providence of God this may at some point serve those who have
advocated changing our traditional standards. Regardless, we believe
that the unavoidable lawsuits that proceed from our current property
provisions are a disgrace to God's mission in the world.
- While these polity actions take form, we will encourage our
congregations to begin or continue redirecting their giving into
missions and ministries that serve the Kingdom. In the past we leapt
through many hoops to keep our giving within denominational
structures that we believed would be faithful. While those
ministries remain a viable option, we will no longer hesitate to
direct our giving to ministries beyond the current forms of the
PCUSA.
- We will also pursue missional partnerships within and beyond the
PCUSA, including a means of confessing our faith in the Lordship of
Jesus Christ with integrity, so that mission and ministry might
proceed in good faith even while larger polity solutions are being
worked out.
Call for faith and
witness
We do not see the way to the end of this particular path, but we believe
that God is calling us to take these next steps, and we welcome those
who would walk with us. We especially look forward to working with
Presbyterians of racial and ethnic distinction, and with Presbyterians
in other parts of the world, whose concerns for the faith and witness of
the PC(USA) we share. Our primary concern in taking these steps is to
enable our congregations to faithfully proclaim and live out the Gospel
of Jesus Christ in their own communities, and to do so together.
Our hope is and will remain in Jesus Christ and him alone. All authority
in heaven and on earth has been given to him, and we confess our firm
confidence in his power to renew his church. We call the Presbyterian
Church (USA) to a new season of prayer and repentance, and to gather in
solemn assemblies to ask the Lord's guidance as we face these changes in
the life of our denomination. |