‘Historic Principles’ a guide to our unity
The Presbyterian Layman January/February 2000 Volume 33, Number 1, March 27, 2000
The Presbyterian Coalition has gone to considerable expense to help Presbyterians consider our “Unity in Diversity.” It will mail to all of the nearly 11,400 congregations in the Presbyterian Church (USA) a portion of a General Assembly document titled “Historic Principles, Conscience, and Church Government.”
“Historic Principles” is a resounding defense of the theological and practical integrity of constitutional government that binds the members of the PCUSA to shared beliefs and a common mission. It was suggested as a key resource for the denomination when the 1999 General Assembly called for the “Unity in Diversity” conferences, but Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick decided not to include it in the official resource packet that his office mailed to all congregations. That packet, by the way, does include a sermon by former Moderator Douglas W. Oldenburg, who champions diversity, and a psychological exercise more suited to a New Age retreat than serious consideration of what church membership and leadership are all about.
The Coalition is valiantly trying to help Presbyterians regain a sense of their Biblical and Reformed heritage. Furthermore, in its cover letter to the congregations, the Coalition will suggest that church leaders download from the Internet, at no cost, the complete “Historic Principles.” The stated clerk’s office is charging Presbyterians $3 for each copy of the document.
The importance of “Historic Principles” as a tool for discussion at “Unity in Diversity” conferences cannot be measured in dollars. The document states with powerful clarity that to survive the Presbyterian Church must remain committed to essential truths and to a constitutional process. It makes equally clear that rule by individual conscience and choice is no less than anarchy and that faith is based on objective truth and not individual preference.
There are other outstanding resources as well. The Layman Online, the official web site of the Presbyterian Lay Committee, provides a number of those resources at no cost. You can download the full text of “Historic Principles,” an excellent question-answer column by Dr. Ben Lacy Rose and other materials.
During many recent debates, especially those dealing with the issue of practicing homosexuals, a minority of Presbyterians has challenged constitutional government and Biblical theology. Many groups preparing even now for the “Unity in Diversity” conferences intend to attack the “intolerance” of Presbyterians who believe that homosexual activity is sin and that same-sex “holy unions” violate the Biblical ordinances.
Those views will not be refuted by appeals to legalistic traditionalism. They will be negated only as Presbyterians discover that we are bound to Christ and to one another by a truth that is greater than individual choice. “Historic Principles” is a good starting point for returning to that truth.