Four Presbyterian Church (USA) churches in Missouri received letters threatening to burn their buildings to the ground, not long after the denomination voted to allow same-sex marriages.
The four churches — members of Giddings Lovejoy Presbytery — who received the letter which cited Leviticus 20:13, were:
- Westminster Presbyterian Church in Cape Girardeau.
- First Presbyterian Church in Cape Girardeau.
- First Presbyterian Church in Jackson
- First Presbyterian Church in Perryville
“Any church that accepts this action, should be burned to the ground, any any (sic) pastor who performs such marriage should be kicked out of the church forever,” read the letter. “The above statement could happen to any church that performs this action ….. You have been warned churches.”
Carmen Fowler LaBerge, president of the Presbyterian Lay Committee, strongly condemned the message of the letters. “”Neither the PCUSA’s abdication of the Bible nor the letter writer’s abdication of the principle of peace are in the Spirit of Christ. Both are a violation of the fellowship of Christian believers who are called to be the very Body of Christ in the world today. Neither the witness of the PCUSA in seeking to bless what God does not bless nor the letter writer’s threat of violence against the visible church make the gospel of Jesus visible or beautiful; and neither should be exalted as a legitimate witness of Christ to the world.”
The Rev. Karen Dumey, pastor of the Westminster Church, told KFVS news that the “threat is a concern because it appears that someone is angry enough that they want to use violence against the church.”
The Rev. Nancy Farris Gillard pastor of First Presbyterian in Perryville, told KFVS that “she has never received a threat like this in the 25 years she has been involved with a church.”
The Layman Online asked both pastors, along with the Rev. Dr. Grant Gillard of First Presbyterian in Jackson, and Presbytery Leader the Rev. Dr. Anita Hendrix of Gidding, for comments. At this time, none have responded.
The Rev. Dr. Kim Nelson, pastor of the 191-member First Presbyterian in Cape Girardeau, refused an email request for a comment from The Layman Online. “Since The Presbyterian Layman is not an official publication of our denomination, I am not willing to reply to your inquiry,” he wrote.
On March 17, a majority of PCUSA presbyteries voted in favor of an amendment to the denomination’s constitution that changed the denomination’s definition of marriage so that same-sex weddings may be conducted by PCUSA pastors and in PCUSA churches.
22 Comments. Leave new
It doesn’t matter what the “reason” is: there can never be any justification for terroristic threats like this!
The Rev. Karen Dumey, pastor of the Westminster Church, told KFVS news that the “threat is a concern because it appears that someone is angry enough that they want to use violence against the church.”
I agree, our new motto in the pcusa is “make love, not war”, hopefully law enforcement will find the deranged idiot that sent this note.
Please forward our address to this inspired lunatic:
First Presbyterian Church of Upland
869 N Euclid Ave
Upland, CA 91786
To seemingly equate acceptance of a Biblical basis for same-sex marriage with the threat of violence against a church and its people just shows how utterly fringe Carmen is. There is no comparison whatsoever!
Anne, please pass the gin bottle, thanks
Really, Carmen? Terroristic threatening is on equal footing with the General Assembly’s action and majority votes in the presbyteries? That’s pretty low, even for the Layman.
I have respected the noticeable turn towards more accurate reporting and fairer representation of other views that has marked your editorship. This falls far short of that.
Carmen did not say that both were on equal footing. She simply said that neither gay marriage or blowing up or burning down church buildings are honorable to Christ.
You can tell the person who wrote the threat is an ignorant rock-head. They spelled “soul” “sole.” Really? That person doesn’t have much going on between the ears.
Makes one wonder why the prophets’ noses got all bent out of shape, and why Jesus had the nerve to turn over tables in the Temple AND call down maledictions upon the Pharisees.
I read and re-read this article and I’m sorry, I don’t see where Carmen equated these actions at all.
Alas you can still strike a match without having to spell soul correctly.
Patrick and Anne,
Both bearing false witness and murder are sins, but I wouldn’t necessarily put them on an equal footing. To place behaviors in the same general category does not demand that they are equally regarded in all ways. Carmen states that neither the PCUSA’s abdication of the Bible nor the letter writer’s abdication of the principle of peace reflect the Spirit of Christ. As to which is the more egregious sin, God will say in due time.
Shades of the KKK… God is watching and noting.
There is nothing so exhilarating than the warm flush of moral superiority that comes from a sense of righteous indignation…no matter how misplaced…The quick riposte designed to humiliate someone on the other side of an issue, the opportunity to score points, sending threats and instilling fear…the love of many growing cold in the process.
The church embraces sexual apostasy and it didn’t think it would provoke intense reactions. The hubris and attitude of the PCUSA invites this kind of division, strife, and turmoil, and people reciprocate from both sides. This is how judgement works. God withdraws his presence and lets you have your way…a continuing, evolving process of lies and self destruction. We choose death instead of life while sniping and cannibalizing each other in a toxic air of hypocrisy, recrimination, and hatred. People leave and others say “good riddance” as if they were vermin. How tragically sad and indicative…
For forty years Jeremiah preached against Israel’s apostasy and they remained hostile to him till the very last when he stood virtually alone in his message. It will be the same with the PCUSA. Truth is not decided by majority vote.
Time to get out.
There’s a Biblical basis for same sex marriage?? Please show me the chapter and verse.
Oh wait, .. THERE IS NONE!!
.. who’s on the fringe now ??
But you demonstrate your own righteous indignation. Pray tell, what is sexual apostasy? Your comments seem to ramp up the vitriol and then you are surprised when the letter writer carries on to an unacceptable level,
The question is not who lit the match—it is who put the powder keg on the doorstep.
Carmen’s comments were somewhat impolitic. Maybe separate paragraphs would not have given the impression of lumping the two together. Or maybe this is what she intended.
This is terrible and horrible. But I can’t believe anyone finds this surprising. This threat holds a mirror up to the Layman and its supporters and they don’t like what they see. But how can they possibly be surprised?
Except one sentence, the threat of church burning, the rest letter could be written by the Layman, and the content has been expressed repeatedly by commenters here. You gin up the anger, hatred, and fear at the PCUSA and you’re surprised this is where it leads? You quote Leviticus so often one might think it is the only book in the Bible and you’re surprised this is where it leads? Terrible, horrible, yes. But surprising? Well, the Layman and its supporters have been calling people heretics for decades. What do you expect?
Now I see that one of these same sorts of people has proposed a consistutional amendment in California to kill gay people “by a bullet to the head or any other convenient method.” I’m sure the Layman will devote as much time to that threat as this one. Sorry, just kidding. We all know that would never happen.
Sorry, but this guy is one of yours, not one of ours. Commenter John L. is blaming gay people for this? In what world do you live in? Just how howl at the moon crazy do you have to be to blame gay people for this sort of threat?
I pray for the safety of these folk. I pray that law enforcement will find this person. And I pray that God will take the anger, fear and hatred that causes this sort of horribleness from us.
BTW, Noel Anderson, a commenter with whom I don’t think I’ve ever agreed, made the only comment in this thread that’s worth a damn. God bless you and yours, sir.
Nobody is condoning this.
Nobody knows who did this. It could be anybody and given the level of acrimony going back and forth, I wouldn’t put it past you or someone like you who was a big supporter of 14f having just enough sorry hate of your own to do this just so you get to malign those who were opposed to it. In fact, I’m cynical enough to think that’s exactly what happened just so you could come here and post your fake rage about it. Sorry.
Yeah and the Klan and the White Citizens Councils told us it was outside agitators and maybe some of ‘them negroes themselves.’
Threats are real and bombs do go off.
…which is what makes it such a potent weapon in the hands of a contemporary militant gay marriage activist. Some Presbyterians of this stripe have already proven they’re not morally bound by the Bible’s ethical authority.
No Presbyterian would spell “soul” as “sole,” which leads me to believe it’s a either an attempt to smear conservatives as not only violent but ignorant, or its some Westboro type from outside the denomination.
But if it is some misguided anti gay Presbyterian trying to intimidate people, he has done injurious harm to those of us trying to hold the church accountable.
This is true. In fact it may even increase the chances of it happening.
I agree, Will. Good observations.