By W. Jacob Perry, The Bernardsville News (New Jersey)
Photo by W. Jacob Perry
With the Presbyterian Church (USA) taking an advocacy role in a growing number of socially and politically divisive issues, the Presbyterian Church of Liberty Corner has decided that enough is enough.
The Session, or board of elected elders of Liberty Corner Presbyterian, voted unanimously on Monday, Sept. 15, to take the first step to possibly disaffiliate from Presbyterian Church (USA), which is the nation’s largest Presbyterian body.
It will next discuss the matter with the Presbytery of Elizabeth, which is the governing body for local Presbyterian churches.
The move, which was brought to this newspaper’s attention by a congregation member, was confirmed by the Rev. Don Feuerbach, pastor of the church.
“An action such as this is only the beginning of a long deliberative process” in which local congregation leaders will meet with the local Presbytery “to come to amicable resolution,” Feuerbach said in an email response.
“Ultimately,” he added, “any decision to leave the PCUSA would be determined by a vote of the congregation.
“A decision of this magnitude takes a great deal of time, prayer and careful consideration.”
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Is the PCUSA a cult?
Jarring as that question may be. It is worth a thought in times of churches seeking to depart. One normally associates a religious cult with images of old hippy like communes, with crude methods of mind control, family breakdown, charismatic personalities, apocalyptic narratives, or at worst, pathological communities, like Jonestown, Waco and Heaven’s gate.
But one mark of a cult or cultic like behaviors is how easy it for people to leave. How easy is it to leave that community? What is the price to pay? Personal or otherwise? At least at the institutional, governmental, how the Property Clause is indeed applied, the institutional PCUSA does indeed display cultic-like tendencies and behaviors.
In almost all cases where Presbyteries have adopted the by the Louisville, Tropical Florida book of hardball, yes indeed factors such as intimidation, fear, paranoia about “life on the outside”, to outright extortion and shakedowns are employed. All with the desired end to control or manipulate people’s behaviors by the use of fear and intimidation. Legal or otherwise with the expected threats of career, job, health care, etc. If this is not cult-like behaviors from a a religious organization, show me what is? May God bless and be with all who wish and desire to the leave the PCUSA worker’s paradise and the blessed plantation. History is rich with other such voices who have told their followers the same old set of lies and untruths.