Congregations taking stand against GA

Congregations taking stand against GA

Patrick Jean, The Layman, N.C. church sends study guide, Minnesota church starts campaign, July 25, 2008

Congregations are taking action to counter the effects of the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s 218th General Assembly, which was widely considered devastating for evangelicals and conservatives.

A North Carolina congregation has sent a study guide on key GA decisions to all of the fellow churches in the presbytery to which it belongs. And the session of a large church in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area is encouraging opposition to the proposed removal of the “fidelity/chastity” ordination standard.

Here is a closer look at the efforts:

Study guide

First Presbyterian Church in Hendersonville, N.C., sent to all of its fellow congregations in the Presbytery of Western North Carolina a study guide on the 218th General Assembly.

A letter from the session of the Hendersonville church accompanies the study guide. “We believe, following our recent 218th General Assembly, that church leaders and church members should be informed about the serious divisions within the PCUSA and pray to God for divine intervention,” it states. “While much business occurred that was productive, this letter is a call to prayer related to decisions that are potentially destructive.”

The study guide focuses on 10 major assembly decisions:

1. Sending the proposed removal of the “fidelity/chastity” ordination standard to the denomination’s presbyteries for another round of debates and votes. This “opens up a huge range of options for presbyteries to ordain practicing homosexuals or others deviating from Scripturally mandated standards of sexual morality,” the study guide states. “The Confession of 1967 says that, ‘Anarchy in sexual relationships is a symptom of man’s alienation from God, his neighbor and himself.’ This new statement seems to endorse anarchy far more than reconciliation with God and neighbor.”

2. A proposed revision of the Heidelberg Catechism that would eliminate the phrase “homosexual perversion” from a Scriptural list of behaviors making one unworthy to inherit the kingdom of God. “Proponents argued that this was a correction of the creed,” the study guide states. “The term ‘homosexual,’ though, is in the Scripture referenced and has been our version of this creed for years. … Our second concern is why this particular question in this particular creed is suddenly singled out, when we still have rules in our Book of Confessions against women baptizing babies, against the Roman Catholic Church, and several other outdated statements (for example, see Book of Confessions, Scots Confession: 3.22). This is clearly part of a larger effort to encourage the ordination of practicing homosexuals.”

3. The Church Polity Committee’s disapproval of an overture that would have changed the definition of marriage in the Book of Order from “between a woman and a man” to “between two persons.” “We were encouraged that this resolution was rejected by the GA,” the study guide states. “Nearly 80 percent of GA delegates voted against this proposal.”

4. Removal of a 1993 authoritative interpretation which stated that “homosexual practice does not accord with the requirements for ordination set forth in [the] Form of Government.” The 2006 General Assembly “directed the Louisville office to send a copy of this AI to each congregation along with a study guide, within a year of the 2006 GA meeting,” the study guide states. “The Louisville office neglected to fulfill these mandates in either the timeline or the extent of materials requested (a few brief materials were made available eight days before the 2008 GA), easing the path for its defeat.”

5. Approval of an authoritative interpretation on G-6.0108 to ensure proper application of ordination standards. In doing so, the study guide states, the assembly “voted to overturn” the February ruling by the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission that presbyteries considering candidates for ordination or installation cannot depart from the “fidelity/chastity” requirement in the Book of Order. If a majority of presbyteries vote to support the requirement, “it will remain a mandatory provision in the Book of Order. We maintain, with the GAPJC ruling, that mandatory statements are just that, mandatory. This is supported by at least eight other GAPJC rulings as well.”

6. Recommendation to add the Belhar Confession to the Book of Confessions. “This little-known Confession fails the two major tests for inclusion in our Book of Confessions,” the study guide states. “Documents to be included (1) must have shaped Reformed theology over the long term, and (2) must have been used by many congregations in their work and worship. It has done neither.”

7. Approval of a resolution allowing contributions “for the purpose of sharing the cost of legal fees defending our Constitution against the New Wineskins non-geographic presbytery of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.” “We are deeply grieved by this resolution and fully believe that we can find a way to graciously allow churches wishing to leave the denomination to do so,” the study guide states. “At no time has the EPC or New Wineskins ever solicited involvement in their denomination. They are receiving churches who have become disillusioned by the actions of the PCUSA.”

8. Approval of a resolution that urges congregations leaving the PCUSA, presbyteries and synods to implement a process that shows “consistency, pastoral responsibility, accountability, gracious witness, openness and transparency.” The study guide recaps comments and action on the resolution, but offers no opinion.

9. Approval of a General Assembly Council request to commend for congregations study material for “The Trinity: God’s Love Overflowing,” a theological paper that stirred controversy during the 2006 General Assembly. “The Office of Theology and Worship of the PCUSA presented the assembly with three study guides and a DVD about the Trinity paper which, we are encouraged to hear, are said to address many of the shortcomings of the original paper,” the study guide states. “The materials were approved for study by the GA.”

10. Approval of an overture intending to build communications with Muslims, but with confusing language that “as children of this loving God, we share the commandments of love for God and neighbor.” The study guide notes that the language is an improvement over what originally proposed, but “this still-weak theological statement points directly to our denomination’s recent signs of compromise related to the essentials of our faith, especially losing sight of the importance of salvation through Jesus Christ, and of the foundational belief in the Trinity. Muslims do not worship Jesus as God.”

Reports from Western North Carolina Presbytery’s commissioners to the assembly are on the docket of the presbytery’s stated meeting July 29. Only one report, from the Rev. Laura Long, expresses “deep concerns for the actions of our Assembly and questions about the heart and mind of our church.”

Session takes stand

In another GA development, the session of Hope Presbyterian Church, a congregation of more than 1,400 members in Richfield, Minn., issued the following statement July 17:

“We are gravely concerned by the actions of the 218th (2008) General Assembly.

“We lament the sudden abandonment of 30 years of interpretive statements on the Constitution of the PCUSA, expressed as definitive guidance and authoritative interpretation on human sexuality.

“We affirm our desire to minister after the example of Jesus, who taught, preached the good news of the kingdom, healed every disease and sickness among the people, and had great compassion for people (Matthew 9:35-36). Therefore, in the name of that compassion, we cannot ignore the clear teaching of Scripture and endorse sexual expressions that the Bible calls sinful, especially for leaders in the church.

“We reject the call to remove constitutional language that calls for church officers to be either faithful within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman, or chaste in singleness.”

The Rev. David Lenz, senior pastor of Hope Church, said the statement has been sent to Bruce Reyes-Chow, the new moderator of the General Assembly; Gradye Parsons, the new stated clerk of the PCUSA; Linda Bryant Valentine, executive director of the General Assembly Council; Presbyterians for Renewal; the Presbyterian Coalition; and a coalition of fellow evangelical pastors in the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area. The statement will also be posted on the church’s Web site and included in the August edition of the church’s monthly newsletter, he said.

Lenz said his church’s commissioners will vote against the proposed removal of the “fidelity/chastity” ordination when it comes before presbytery. However, he said, “it is a foregone conclusion how the Twin Cities Presbytery will vote.” Progressives, he said, have a 72 percent majority based on the Jan. 26 vote to restore Paul Capetz, an openly gay man, to the ordained office of minister of Word and sacrament in the PCUSA.

“Our first priority,” Lenz told The Layman, “is to carry forward the good work God is doing in our midst, helping us engage our community in the name of Jesus, with greater awareness and effectiveness as an ‘internally strong and externally focused’ congregation, and with increasing opportunities for multicultural ministry. We do not want to be distracted from our primary call. At the same time, we will not hesitate to state our convictions about denominational concerns as the need arises. … We will support the evangelical pastors in this presbytery who gather for prayer and encouragement. We have taken this public stand to declare our convictions, and with the hope that it might give courage to others to do the same.”

Hope Church will hold a “town hall”-style congregational meeting about GA on Aug. 6, Lenz said.

“We want to give time for renewal leaders in the PCUSA to develop their responses – we hope, with options beyond the ones currently before us,” he said. “Rather than acting alone, our desire is to join in a larger movement of like-minded Presbyterians. We remain committed to making a clear witness for Jesus Christ and Biblical orthodoxy within, but still more importantly, outside the PCUSA, in our immediate neighborhood, the city of Richfield, the Twin Cities and the world.”