Commentary
Let no faithful disciple
go unpunished?
By James D. Berkley, The Layman, November 12, 2010
Are we witnessing a chilling glimpse of the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s future? Two recent articles bring out what could be the coming plight of Biblically faithful Presbyterians.
If a majority of PCUSA presbyteries vote in favor of Amendment 10-A, which would make ordination “standards” as pliable as a putty nose, those among us who defend what the Bible says about sexual morality would suddenly be deemed sinful for doing so. Efforts to believe and uphold basic sexual morality that Christians throughout the centuries have believed and upheld would become subject to reprimand and censure – within this denomination.
Might this sound alarmist? It is not. The attribution of blame is already happening, if you look at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) or the Presbyterian Church (USA) that lesbian activist Katie Morrison envisions.
The ELCA example
At this point, the ELCA has strayed farther than the PCUSA toward the normalization of sinful behavior. While having so-called ordination standards, it simply allows those standards to be neglected, so that unrepentant practicing homosexual persons may be ordained. And they are being ordained. This is where the PCUSA would be, should Amendment 10-A be approved.
Now in Rite of Reception services in St. Paul and in San Francisco, bishops are leading congregants in solemn “confession” of the alleged sin of upholding scriptural morality. What are they “confessing?”
- In St. Paul: “We have used Scripture as a tool of discrimination. … We have encouraged violence, promoted invisibility and rewarded lies.” (How? Simply by expecting people to live in accordance with the Word.)
- In San Francisco: “Our church of the Reformation has been too long captive to bias and misinformation. … We have not respected the gift of sexuality. … We have betrayed fellow members of the body of Christ because of cultural prejudice. We have misused Scripture as a tool of discrimination. We have forced celibacy upon too many. … We have promoted invisibility and dishonesty. … We have intimidated and disciplined, censured and expelled.”
In other words, people who have believed the Bible they read and who have stood solidly behind Christian morality now need to apologize for doing so. They are out of step with the novel progressive morality of the ELCA and have become the subject of scorn within their own denomination. Those who must now apologize, confess, repent and obey are not the individuals who insist on rewriting Christian sexual morality and will not bend their knee to obey God’s Word. No. The “bad guys” are now the most faithful and steadfast Biblical Lutherans.
So it would be in the PCUSA if Amendment 10-A is approved. Solid, believing, Biblical, moral Presbyterians would be subject to condemnation, while those defiantly practicing or promoting sexual immorality would be the inquisitors calling for “repentance” from such steadfast discipleship. Chilling? You bet it is!
The Covenant Network example
A Presbyterian news story is every bit as chilling. Controversial lesbian activist Katie Morrison was invited to speak at the Covenant Network conference recently. Here is her vision for the PCUSA: “Morrison said she hopes the PCUSA can one day have a ‘Truth and Reconciliation Commission’ once it changes its position on LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) issues.”
Did you get that – a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to root out the “sins” of those among us who obey Scripture and will not call darkness light?
Such a commission actually did outstanding work in South Africa, helping those who had practiced apartheid and those who were oppressed by apartheid to come together, express hurt and culpability, and find and offer forgiveness. Then they could travel on together in love and hope. The oppressors and the oppressed found peace. That’s excellent.
But look at the comparisons: Those continuing to practice sinful homosexual behaviors would be the oppressed; those who call homosexual practice sin and seek repentance would be the oppressors. In the Presbyterian commission, the so-called oppressors would need to come clean by confessing their “sins,” and then the so-called “oppressed” would be able to magnanimously grant forgiveness – which, by the way, is what apparently is being engineered in the ELCA.
It appears that Katie Morrison wouldn’t be content merely to gain Presbyterian legitimacy, while continuing in her particular manifestation of sin. She envisions some structure to turn the tables, so that those who have stood fast for what the Bible commands would be dragged into a tribunal, where they can “confess” to agreeing with Jesus and the Scriptures in calling sin “sin,” and then make nice with those they have supposedly harmed.
The PCUSA of Katie Morrison’s vision would be a kind of forced group hug – after those pesky persons who insist on actually honoring Scripture are forced to their knees to confess their unhip bias and are “forgiven” by the new Covenant Network victors. Again, chilling.
A better idea
Maybe the idea of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TARC) is not so bad. What if the denomination defeats Amendment 10-A, which it probably will? That would mean that for the umpteenth time, it is saying that it truly does believe that homosexual practice is sinful and against God’s will for humankind.
Then what if a TARC is formed, so that the church’s oppressed unity and vitality might be freed? The oppressors – the activists who have sought relentlessly to drag fallen human practices into God’s holy Church – would have the opportunity to express repentance for their hubris, recklessness and lawlessness, which have deeply troubled, sorely oppressed and gravely damaged the PCUSA for decades.
The PCUSA then could be gracious, accepting such expressions of contrition. The oppressors could be forgiven and restored. But, as with apartheid, the practice of disturbing the Church through the promotion of homosexual sin would be no longer tolerated. The life of the denomination after the TARC could then be faithful to the Word. It could concentrate on the joint mission goals of evangelism and justice, no longer distracted by the troubles in our midst. It could be the Church, rather than be a troubled, driven and self-consuming disaster.
On second thought, Morrison may have a good idea about a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Simply switch the roles of the participants, and one could find a lot of favor for the idea.