(By Holly Lott, The Pittsburgh Post Gazette, PA). The last few years have witnessed the tragic redefining of a once great institution. The Presbyterian Church of the USA, which exists to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to all of his children, has been fundamentally corrupted in its visions and aims. Shoved in the back seat is Christ and the whole of his teachings, replaced in the driver’s seat by an increasingly secular worldview that the PCUSA seems intent on pursuing at full speed.
More frustrating still, this effort to keep apace of the progressive culture is happening at the expense of tens of thousands of members each year. In the face of this, we are told that “we are not dying, we are reforming.” What exactly we are trying to become, though, is thoroughly ambiguous at best.
It’s worth considering what exactly this “reformation” looks like. In recent years, we have witnessed, for example, the church adopt same-sex marriage. There is, of course, no biblical basis for this course of action, quite the contrary in fact. Yes, we love and respect the dignity of each of God’s children, but we also accept that God created man and woman, separate, distinct and purposeful.
At the most recent conference of our denomination, we were offered a Muslim prayer, referring to Jesus Christ as merely a prophet alongside Muhammad. Yes, we love and respect the dignity of the Muslim community as children of God, but ought we invite a person to reject our savior at a conference allegedly intended to decide how best to spread his teachings?
On abortion, we are told by PCUSA only that the decision is “deeply personal,” and should be made based on “Scripture.” Naturally, though, the statement offers no guidance as to any particular piece of Scripture that a person ought to reference. To do so would risk lending support to the inherent value of each human life. In fairness, however, it should be noted that PCUSA at least disapproves of partial-birth abortion. How bold.
In the face of these travesties, it should come as no surprise that our Christian brothers and sisters are vacating the denomination in droves.
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In a previous post I discussed what is in essence the current divorce, estrangement, between the administrative state PCUSA, (OGA/PMA/GA/Synods/Seminaries/academia, etc) and the functional, operational church, (churches). I believe the grounds were set in the process of the PUP commission 2003-2006, but that is a discussion for another day.
The rough arraignment is that the functional PCUSA has told the administrative state, we will do missions, givings, form relationship pretty much at the congregational local level. Leave us alone by and large, and you get to play in your arena, ideology, politics, tribalism, sex, race, gender wars, anti-Israel and now anti-police bigotry, and we will pretty much ignore your internal functionalism. Mission giving stats and the 3 ring circus that is the 3 active “vision” commissions all point to that reality. Again when you read the various posts or “statements” from the Stated Clerks Office and that of the blogging co moderators they act and behave as community organizers of a domestic NGO with a Leftist bent, much like SPLC or Greenpeace. Vice a religious organization, which the administrative state is not.
The general numerical, financial decline of the functional, operational church is again, irrelevant to the administrative state, save its monetary, cash flow implications. They exist in their own biosphere of activists, antifa sub groups, the greater marching Left, who are primary consumers of their musing and attend the same conference and gathering as they do. NEXT, DisGrace, all things Montreat or Stony Point again cycle through the same partisan base, which I judge to be about 60-70K out of a 1 million or so denomination. It is what is it is. Again their own stated goals is not the rebirth or renewal of the current “church”, they do not believe in it, never have, nor its Savior. They see themselves missionaries of a “new” faith, in the post-modern , post-faith sense. Which is taking shape as some hybrid secular-religion based upon environmentalism and Marxist class warfare dogmas. Well ,good luck with that.
Look at the 8 deadly vices and see if it matches up with the leadership the PCUSA has shown in liberal tyranny.
1 Gula (gluttony) The leaders are drunk and fat on dispossessed lucre stolen from Christians who want out of the moldy “Big Tent”.
2 Luxuria/Fornicatio (lust, fornication) Instead of the Gospel they teach abortion, pre, during and post marital sex with whoever or whatever you want.
3 Avaritia (avarice/greed) see #1
4 Superbia (pride, hubris) They want to make everyone bow to their agenda or else.
5 Tristitia (sorrow/despair/despondency) They sorrow at past days because of the numbers they can steal from to support their causes, not because of Christ’s presence in those who left.
6 Ira (wrath) Ask any church that wants out about that.
7 Vanagloria (vainglory). They proclaim the gospel of reform but it is only “Trust us, and we professionals will take care of it.”
8 Acedia (sloth) They do nothing to help struggling churches except stand at the door for the keys as the last person leaves.