Minister claims allowing church to leave tantamount to declaring PCUSA ‘apostate’
By Craig M. Kibler, April 17, 2007
Editor’s Note: Due to a miscommunication, The Layman Online reported that the Rev. Peery’s letter was included in the packets mailed to commissioners to the April 24 meeting in Montreat of the Presbytery of Western North Carolina. Rev. Peery’s letter was mailed separately. The Layman Online regrets the error.
A minister is urging the Presbytery of Western North Carolina not to grant Montreat Presbyterian Church’s request to be dismissed to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church – saying that agreeing to the request would be tantamount to “declaring that the Presbyterian Church (USA) is apostate.”
The Rev. Albert G. “Pete” Peery Jr. of First Presbyterian Church in Asheville made his appeal in a letter that was mailed to commissioners to the April 24 presbytery meeting in Montreat, where the congregation’s request will be decided.
In his letter, Peery refers to what he calls “something unspoken” that commissioners will be addressing. “By saying that to be faithful it must separate itself from the Presbyterian Church (USA),” he writes, “that congregation is saying that our communion no longer is faithful to apostolic faith.”
“I cannot affirm that,” Peery writes. “I know that the Presbyterian Church (USA) has erred in the past. I know it will err in the future. … However, I do not believe the Presbyterian Church (USA) has abandoned the apostolic faith.”
He states that there appear to be three “charges of apostasy being leveled in an unspoken way.” The first, Peery writes, is the authoritative interpretation adopted by the 217th General Assembly in Birmingham as part of the report of the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity. The charge regarding the authoritative interpretation, he states, is that by allowing “scruples to be considered by ordaining bodies, the Presbyterian Church (USA) has abandoned the essentials of the faith. I do not believe that is so.”
The second charge, according to Rev. Peery, is that the PCUSA “no longer abides by the authority of God’s word.” His response is that “there are, as there always have been in our communion, differing opinions on matters of interpretation of God’s word. But I do not believe our communion has given up ordering its faith and practice by any other authority except that of the word of God, particularly that word interpreted through Jesus the Christ the living Word of God.”
Peery sees the third charge as being that the PCUSA “has declared that there are other ways to salvation besides Jesus the Christ.” In response, he says, “I know of no confessional document or official paper of the General Assembly of the church that supports that charge.”
In his letter, Peery urges commissioners “to say ‘No!’ to the charge of apostasy implicit in the request of the Montreat Church to separate itself from our communion.” The best way to do that, he writes, is for the presbytery not to approve the congregation’s request to leave the PCUSA because that “would be making a strong statement that it finds no legitimate reason for the Montreat Church to leave our communion.”
Rather than allow the congregation to leave the PCUSA and join the EPC, Peery states it “would be better to keep the charter of the congregation, see if the remnant of members faithful to our communion could revive it, or if not, close the congregation.”
The complete text of his letter is as follows:
“When Presbytery meets on April 24 I will be on sabbatical in Europe. I planned this sabbatical long before I knew what the agenda would be for the meeting of Presbytery to be held in Montreat. And I realize that without being present I have no vote and no right of voice at the upcoming Presbytery Meeting. That is appropriate. For to listen for the voice of the Spirit to guide the church in the way of Jesus the Christ its Lord and Head requires us to be gathered together, listening to one another, praying with one another to discern that voice. Since I will not be there I will not be able to participate in that process. Thus you may legitimately dismiss this letter.
“However, I have been in prayer about the request of the Montreat Church to be dismissed from the Presbytery. I have just last night read the thoughtful recommendation of the Presbytery’s Task Force appointed to deal with this request. And though I see merit in that recommendation, I have come to the prayerful conclusion that if I were present I could not vote for that dismissal, even the partial dismissal being proposed. I want to tell you why I have come to this decision.
“It seems to me that there is something unspoken that is before the Presbytery, something the Task Force’s recommendation does not address. And what is unspoken is that the Montreat Church by recommendation from its Session is declaring that the Presbyterian Church (USA) is apostate. By saying that to be faithful it must separate itself from the Presbyterian Church (USA), that congregation is saying that our communion no longer is faithful to apostolic faith.
“I cannot affirm that. I know that the Presbyterian Church (USA) has erred in the past. I know it will err in the future. I pray that when we err we will be humble and repentant and turn from our errors. However, I do not believe the Presbyterian Church (USA) has abandoned the apostolic faith.
“The charges of apostasy being leveled in an unspoken way seem to be threefold. First, by adopting the authoritative interpretation recommended by the “Peace, Unity, Purity Task Force” that allows scruples to be considered by ordaining bodies, the Presbyterian Church (USA) has abandoned the essentials of the faith. I do not believe that is so. Second, that the Presbyterian Church (USA) no longer abides by the authority of God’s word. Granted, there are, as there always have been in our communion, differing opinions on matters of interpretation of God’s word. But I do not believe our communion has given up ordering its faith and practice by any other authority except that of the word of God, particularly that word interpreted through Jesus the Christ the living Word of God. Third, the Presbyterian Church (USA) has declared that there are other ways to salvation besides Jesus the Christ. I know of no confessional document or official paper of the General Assembly of the church that supports that charge. As far as I can tell the Presbyterian Church (USA) continues to proclaim that “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow … and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 2:10-11).
“I believe it is incumbent upon Presbytery to say ‘No!’ to the charge of apostasy implicit in the request of the Montreat Church to separate itself from our communion. I believe the way the Presbytery most clearly can say ‘No!’ to that charge is for the Presbytery to not approve the request for dismissal. In so doing the Presbytery would be making a strong statement that it finds no legitimate reason for the Montreat Church to leave our communion.
“I realize ‘that no Church governing body ought to pretend to make laws to bind the conscience in virtue of their own authority” (Book of Order, G-1.0307(7)). Thus, it is not within the realm of authority of the Presbytery to tell the members of the Montreat Church that they must stay in the Presbyterian Church (USA). If the Evangelical Presbyterian Church decides to start a new church development in Montreat, present members of the Montreat Church are free to join that new congregation. And if that occurs, matters of the current property held by the Montreat congregation could still be handled in a manner similar to that outlined in the Task Force’s recommendation (see II.I. in the Recommended Decision).
“But for the Presbytery to vote to agree to the request of a congregation led by its Session to be dismissed because it has concluded the Presbyterian Church (USA) is apostate, I do not believe we should do. It would be better to keep the charter of the congregation, see if the remnant of members faithful to our communion could revive it, or if not, close the congregation. Choosing those options would be a witness that we do not agree that our communion has abandoned faith in the triune God, the Holy One of Israel in whom alone we trust.
“Some may say that we Protestants ourselves are part of a group that asked to be dismissed from a communion that had lost its way and become faithless. But if I remember church history, though there have been many schisms, many leavings since that time, at the core, when Martin Luther raised issues with the church as he posted his treatises on the door at Wittenberg, he never asked to be dismissed from the Roman Catholic Church. Rather he willed to stay and wrestle with those treatises within that communion. Luther instead was dismissed by the communion itself.
“As I said, I will not be present with you on Tuesday, April 24. I have no right to speak. But in your prayerful preparation for that day I invite you to consider my thoughts. And my prayers will be with the Presbytery.”
Craig M. Kibler is the Director of Publications/Executive Editor of The Layman and The Layman Online. He can be reached at cmkibler@layman.org.