Council doesn’t reprimand speaker or PCUSA group
By John H. Adams, The Layman Online, October 25, 2000
The executive committee of the General Assembly Council has issued a letter that affirms the historic Presbyterian theology that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior for the world. But the council found no reason to do anything in response to a Peacemaking Conference speaker who said Jesus is but one of many valid paths to the Father.
The executive committee’s letter was posted without comment Oct. 25 on the PCUSA web site. The letter was a response to a complaint made by the session of Highland Park Presbyterian Church, one of the largest congregations in the denomination, but it was addressed to the entire PCUSA.
The letter concludes a lengthy review of the theology of salvation by quoting from a 1998 General Assembly interpretation that says, “In our pluralistic world, we confess that Jesus is the truth and the way, through him God gives life. Jesus does not point to the truth, but is the truth, in his person.”
But in the next paragraph, the executive committee declined to criticize either the Rev. Dirk Ficca, the Chicago minister who was the keynote speaker at the Peacemaking Conference, or the leaders of the conference.
“We reaffirm Dr. Ficca’s right to his own views and we reaffirm the propriety of the Peacemaking Conference Planning Team’s decision to invite Dr. Ficca to be one of the speakers at this particular conference,” the letter says.
Ficca is executive director of an inter-faith organization, the Council for the Parliament of World Religions, which is headquartered in Chicago. The Parliament includes representatives of traditional religions as well as religions that call themselves “neo-pagan.” Several groups that practice witchcraft are among the neo-pagans.
After following the debate over Ficca’s comments at the Peacekeeping Conference – at one point he asked, “What’s the big deal about Jesus?” – the session of the 5,500-member Highland Park Church in Dallas formally asked the General Assembly Council to reaffirm the denomination’s historic theology that there is salvation in none other than Jesus Christ.
The session’s request was conveyed by certified mail on Oct. 2 to Peter Pizor, chair of the General Assembly Council; John Detterick, executive director of the council, and Donald G. Campbell, director of the Congregational Ministries Division.
The Highland Park letter asked the council to:
- Make “a public statement that the Presbyterian Church (USA) believes and proclaims the good news of the salvation by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ as the only Savior and Lord.”
- “Direct and require all entities, agencies, and programs of the Presbyterian Church (USA) – including the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program – to be good stewards of the resources provided by working towards the proclamation of that witness.”
Whether the Oct. 25 response met those criteria could not be determined immediately. Dr. Ron Scates, pastor of Highland Park Church, said he would distribute copies to members of the session without comment and let the session decide whether it will pursue judicial action against the General Assembly Council.