Session says GA adoption of PUP report ‘would be a grievous and irrevocable error’
May 11, 2006
A church session in California has adopted a recommendation calling for commissioners to the 217th General Assembly to “stand firmly against” the report of the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity.
The recommendation, adopted April 23, says that the session of First Presbyterian Church of San Mateo, Calif., feels “that adoption of the report of the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity of the Church would be a grievous and irrevocable error and urge all delegates to the 217th General Assembly to stand firmly against it.”
The 217th General Assembly will meet in Birmingham on June 15-22.
The session said that recommendation 5 of the PUP report would allow individual sessions and presbyteries to decide if the PCUSA’s constitutional ordination requirements are “essential” or not.
“This would effectively undermine the constitution and allow the ordination or installation of any person who self-acknowledges engaging in any ‘practice which the confessions call sin’ and refuses to repent of that practice,” the recommendation says.
It continues, “Under this proposal, individual conscience would be considered a higher standard than Scriptural authority.”
A statement posted in the weekly newsletter on the congregation’s Web site states that the PUP report “recommends adoption of a provision that would effectively void the ordination standards of fidelity in marriage and chastity in singleness, resulting in fragmentation of the church by authorizing local option to ignore these and other standards. Fulfilling its charge in the leadership of this congregation, Session has acted to state its disagreement with the recommendation and to be actively involved in encouraging other like-thinking congregations to do the same.”
The statement continues: “A letter has been sent to the San Francisco Presbytery expressing the Session’s disagreement and encouraging delegates to GA from the Presbytery to vote against the Task Force’s recommendation. You will be receiving a copy of this letter with interpretive comments from Session, information on how you can obtain more information on the report and how to become personally involved in this critical and fundamental debate over the essence of our beliefs as evangelical members of the PCUSA. We also plan to have informational meetings, a video presentation and opportunities for congregational discussion – all to coincide with Pastor George Gilchrist’s sermon series in June addressing the issues that will be before General Assembly this year. Please pray for the true peace, unity and purity of the church that can only be achieved by the acknowledgement of the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the adherence to the Word of God in Holy Scripture.”
A member of the Confession Church Movement within the PCUSA, the church’s mission statement says:
- “We are a family of God, “Empowered by the Holy Spirit,
- “To worship, know and make Christ known
- “in order to produce fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ
- “Worshiping and serving the Lord.”
The full recommendation from the session is as follows:
“We, the Session of First Presbyterian Church of San Mateo, feel that adoption of the report of the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity, and Purity of the Church would be a grievous and irrevocable error and urge all delegates to the 217th General Assembly to stand firmly against it.
“The task force’s proposed authoritative interpretation, particularly recommendation 5, would allow sessions and presbyteries to decide on their own whether the denomination’s constitutional ordination requirements are “essential” or not. This would effectively undermine the constitution and allow the ordination or installation of any person who self-acknowledges engaging in any ‘practice which the confessions call sin’ and refuses to repent of that practice.’ Under this proposal, individual conscience would be considered a higher standard than Scriptural authority.
“We believe that Holy Scripture is our ONLY infallible rule of faith and practice. God’s Word clearly describes the way we are to live our lives. We cannot and do not claim to be without sin. We all fall short of His standard, but where we fail, we must repent, seek God’s forgiveness, and be wholly dependent on His grace for our salvation.
“To do otherwise is to attempt to put limitations on God’s ultimate ability to heal brokenness, denying our brothers and sisters a true relationship with Christ Jesus. Love without law, because it is not aiming at a higher standard, leaves people in their sins.
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness’ sake for they have rejected the Law of the Lord Almighty and spurned the Word of the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah 5:20, 24
“We also strongly urge you to vote against the PUP report because it is a flawed attempt to offer a change in polity as an attempt to resolve a theological difference. Sadly, PUP totally fails to address the theological differences. The task force’s proposed change in the polity of our denomination would precipitate massive fragmentation leading to a collapse of the PCUSA.
“Though we believe the report was a heart-felt effort on the part of the Task Force to make everybody happy and to offend no one, we believe adoption of it would push the PCUSA over the precipice to apostasy. A church that will not stand for Truth will not stand.”