Sadness in Lancaster County

Sad news today from Lancaster County, PA, where a gunman forced his way into an Amish one-room schoolhouse, tossed out the males and the older women, and, after barricading the doors, bound about a dozen young girls then began shooting them. Three died, including a 15 year old teacher's assistant, and then the perpetrator took his own life. Seven others are critically wounded. He was a local father of three who was, apparently, taking vengeance for something that happened to him 20 years ago. This is the third such attack in the last week.
Something is terribly wrong. I remember these kind, gentle people from when we lived in Pennsylvania, several years ago. This is one of the most horrifying things I have read in a very long time. What are we to say?
The news doesn't make it any more likely that I will end up as a pacifist, despite the obvious links between that belief and Christianity. On the other hand I'm not about to sign up with the NRA either. I suppose it's being brought up in Britain, where the police are, mostly, unarmed. (That, and the thought that there will always be somebody with a bigger gun!) It just seems to me that senseless, seemingly random acts like this are the greatest confirmation of the Christian doctrine of Man (to use its historic name). We are fallen people. We are not as we were intended to be. Our rebellion against God, and His purposes has led us into evil. We have rejected His ways. We have lost our fear of divine retribution. We are totally depraved. There is no good thing in us. The scariest thing about murder and mayhem is that, "there but for the grace of God, go I." Only when I am constrained by society, by reverence for God's Law, and by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, am I safe from the beast that dwells within.
The Christian estimate of humanity takes sin seriously, even when it is unpopular to do so. No manner of excuses, sociological, psychological or whatever, can take away our guilt. While popular theory emphasises the feelgood factor, and tells us how wonderful we are, the Gospel begins with the bad news that we are, indeed guilty, and that we shall have to answer to an almighty God.
Yet the Gospel is also Good News. It reminds us that forgiveness is possible, and that repentance and faith can lead to changed lives. I have seen it. I have known it in my own life.
But today, the God who weeps with the gentle people of Lancaster County, and who will one day return to judge the earth, is still able both to comfort the afflicted and to afflict those who have grown comfortable in their sin. May those who have lost loved ones, or fear their loss, know the blessing of His presence, and the assurance both of salvation and of judgement.
Presbuteros

Lessons from Revolutionary France

I've been reading Rodney Allen's fascinating book "Threshold of Terror." It's about the last hours of the Monarchy at the time of the French Revolution, specifically, the attack on the Tuileries on August 10, 1792.
To be perfectly honest, the search for the truth, behind the "he said...he said" supposedly eye witness accounts is not always rivetting, except in as much as it demonstrates a continuing belief in absolute reality which is unusual nowadays. (I grow tired of being told that history is always written from someone's perspective, and that truth is, therefore, always relative to one's point of view). One of the enduring questions about the fight that began on the grand staircase of the palace, for example, has always been "Who fired first?" Was it the insurgents, under the sans-coulotte General Santerre, or was it the Swiss Guards, sworn to protect the King? It's refreshing to hear Allen say that, although differing reports were given from all sides, SOMEONE must have fired first! Hallelujah! Absolute history exists.
This means, of course, that we are not necessarily dinosaurs when we say, "Christ has died. Christ is risen." We are also claiming that truth exists. It is not mere wishful thinking to proclaim the bodily resurrection of Christ, as if it was just "truefor us." Something happened in the Garden Tomb on the third day. It is not just a matter of perspective; that's why we are bold to proclaim - as history - an empty cross, an empty tomb, and a risen Savior.
One other point from this book bears mentioning. There is a lengthy discusssion of the overthrow of the legally elected Municipal General Council of Paris by the radicals under Huguenin, claiming to represent the People. It's clear that the slowness of the Council and its ponderous attention to procedure, allowed it to be outmanouevered and manipulated by the Jacobins. In the end, the moderate middle was far too timid to uphold the Constitution. They became mere marionettes, dancing to the beat of the revolutionary drum, until they became expendable. The radicals used legal language to dress up their illegal acts, and they did not stop until they got their way. They had another agenda, and they were singleminded in pursuing it, then in enforcing it with threats. Eventually, even the National Assembly was bullied into inactivity; those who opposed signed their own death warrants.
Now, I'm not suggesting that Madame Guillotine is lurking for those who oppose the radicalism so beloved of the extreme left in the PC(USA), but I believe the example does demonstrate that, unless the Constitution is defended vigorously, it will end up being abused by those with their own agenda. The radicals of revolutionary France had no intention of obeying the Constitution, they merely wanted to use it for their own ends. I fear that the extreme left of the Presbyterian Church has as little regard for our Constitution, and that they will not rest until they have bent it to their will.
Presbuteros

Back from Tulsa

Don, Jen and i got back from Tulsa on Saturday, dodging the storms. It was quite an experience and, just like at General Assembly, I operated on about 5 hours of sleep per night. Late afternoon is the most dangerous time. A little voice inside your head keeps saying, "Of course you can listen with your eyes closed." I don't think I ever actually dozed off, but I'm probably not the person to ask.
One evening I spent over an hour writing a blog but, just as I posted it, the wireless service in the hotel came on telling me that I needed to resubscribe because my 24 hours were up. An hour's worth of blog slipped quietly away into cyberspace, never to be seen again. Sorry, but I didn't have the energy to re-do it, and I didn't trust the service enough to try again another night.
The New Wineskins meeting was, in some respects, a rather odd mixture of reflective music, stirring preaching, and momentous decision-making. Michael Card led worship. I've been listening to his music for 25 years and he still has a beautiful voice. I have to say, however, that it won't take God long to number the hairs of his head. At one point he pointed out that he is bald because he was a breach baby. Not sure I buy that! His emphasis, throughout, was on lament, which I thought was entirely appropriate, a fitting counter to what could have been a grating triumphalism. I'm delighted to have met him, and his daughter. I'd no idea he is Presbyterian.
Various preachers led us through Ephesians Chapter 4 during the convocation, or, at least, that was what they were supposed to do. Jim Logan, bless his cotton socks, was as excellent as usual, but his homiletics professor would have frowned at him and reminded him to stick to the text. Carmen Fowler and David Henderson also did well. The one preacher I didn't appreciate was David Bryant, who was delayed by storms for 24 hours. He was slick, affected, uninformed about our circumstances and overly loud. He was everything I don't appreciate about supposedly evangelical preachers. He didn't stick to the text either.
Then there were several presentations, some in plenary, others in network groups or break out sessions. By far the most impressive was Rob Gagnon's interpretation of the 217th General Assembly. Insightful, witty, Bible-based, he was thoughtful and extremely helpful. His powerpoint presentation is now available at the New Wineskins site (I downloaded it then realised I don't have powerpoint on my laptop). There's also an audio recording of his presentation. It's well worth listening to. http://www.newwineconvo.com/
There was an excellent (if rather dry) presentation by an attorney on Church Property Law, and we were given a resource book by the Layman. I also enjoyed a seminar with a professor from Erskine College, Bob Pittman from the Knox Fellowship, and the Moderator of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. This latter (I forget his name) was a very impressive, humble man. He brought greetings but did not try to drum up support for a mass exodus to his denomination (though he had information available). He owned up to being terrified of the prospect of hundreds of PC(USA) churches defecting to his denomination, because they would be swamped. In fact, he said that it may be a case of the EPC joining us, given our numbers, and our emphasis on mission. The EPC has grown to abut 70,000 members since its birth with 12 churches in 1983, but it has not been terribly mission minded. He admitted that it has taken them a generation to get beyond moaning about the PC(USA). Another immensely helpful contribution came from Bishop Duncan of the Episcoplaian Church, the Bishop of Pittsburgh, who set our struggles within a much broader setting.
It was odd, those first few days, that the important business of the meeting was introduced, several times, in a very laid back way, almost as an afterthought. Dean Weaver has a wonderful way of saying "Oh, by the way... here's the revolutionary document we wanted you to see. Take it away and pray about it." For the first two days we were treated to vignettes like this. Then came the business meetings. You can read the finished article on the same, New Wineskins site. It took some hashing out, and I was getting very frustrated at the way in which the rules of debate were abused. You can't half-use Robert's Rules of Order. You either use them or you don't. Well, there are a few corners you can cut, but when it comes to the amendment process, not to use proper rules is to descend into chaos. We came pretty close once or twice. But the job was done. We are now an Association of Churches, and have set in motion a period of discernment which could lead to an exodus from the PC(USA). Despite what some may say, that is not schismatic. What is schismatic is for the denomination to break faith with the World Church and to abandon both its own constitution and the historic understanding of what it means to believe and behave as a Christian.
A great deal of work remains to be done. I covet your prayers.
Presbuteros

New Wineskins

Well, we're off to the New Wineskins meeting in Tulsa, tomorrow. ("Only, twenty four hours from Tulsa" - who sang that? Gene Pitney?) Three of us are going from Lake Jackson. I must confess to going with soome trepidation. Even though I was in on the birth of New Wineskins, at one of the Presbyterian Coalition's Y'All Come meetings, in Denver, I believe, I've kept my distance for a while. First, because I was finishing up my D. Min, and second, because a lot of the stuff they were doing seemed unrelated to the struggles in the denomination. It was all about "what if," dreaming about what a more biblically faithful churchmanship might look like. Which is fine. But some of us were more involved in attempting to renew the denomination from the inside. At that time, I believe I was having some success, working with the Evangelism and Renewal Team in New Covenant (chairing it for three years) we managed to get about a quarter of the churches in the presbytery involved in a program of renewal and transformation, led by Stan Ott, from Pittsburgh. So, while New Covenant was becoming more open to evangelical initiatives, I was in the thick of it. I like to think we have had an influence for good. But at the same time, in other parts of the country, evangelicals were being increasingly ostracised and marginalized. The New Wineskins folks kept going. I suspect that, in Tulsa, we will hear the fruits of their deliberations, and that we will be nearer to schism than ever before. There are about 110 churches that have endorsed the New Wineskins Constitution, including Lake Jackson. It has no authority, except as a teaching document. But I think that it may be the start of a movement to declare that the PC(USA) has gravely erred and is now beyond the bounds of orthodoxy. It may be the beginning of a split. I'm not sure that I'm ready for that, at least, not until there is a greater consensus about what the new Authoritative Interpretation means, or when it has been tested in the church courts and found failing. It is strange that the Layman is now coming out with materials supportive of schism. Who knows what the coming months may bring? I'm anxious that we should be prayerful in seeking God's gracious will in all of this, and that we should not try to run ahead of the Spirit. But, then, I don't want us to be left behind either! There will have to be a great deal of prayer and study in the coming months as, together, we seek the will of Christ.
Presbuteros

Cabrera

I've just finished reading The Prisoners of Cabrera by Denis Smith. It's an interesting little book about French prisoners of war, captured during the Peninsula War, when Wellington was marauding around Spain and Portugal. Several thousand French troops were taken following a particularly inept manoevre by their leaders at the battle of Bailen. They were held, for a time, in an old fort, then left to rot on prison ships, old hulks, stripped of their masts. Eventually, however, the majority of them were moved to Cabrera (Goat Island) in the Ballearics, and left there. There was no hope of rescue by sea, because the Royal Navy had a squadron in the area keeping Napoleon's Mediterranean fleet bottled up. They received minimal supplies, weekly from the Spanish island of Majorca, but often the supplies were late, hindered by bad weather or political in-fighting. Over a period of about five years, twelve thousand Napoleonic soldiers, mostly French and Italian, were placed on the island. Over half of them died, mainly of a combination of malnutrition and preventable disease. When, eventually, they were returned to France, the vessels that carried them bore the Bourbon flag, the newly-restored monarchy against which many of them had spent their youth fighting in the name of the Revolution.
What strikes me most forcibly about the story is the ability of ordinary people to commit horrible crimes against natural law. The people of Majorca were overwhelmingly Christian, as were their Spanish overlords, and the British who prevented escape. Individually, they would never have countenanced leaving fellow-human beings to die on a barren rock, almost entirely devoid of shelter with only minimal supplies of water. And yet, that is exactly what they did when they acted politically. The Majorcans blamed the mainland Spanish for foisting this expense on to them; the Spanish blamed the English for not repatriating the soldiers, as had originally been agreed. The English blamed the ineptitude and corruption of the Spanish authorities. To a degree, they were all right. But they were also all wrong. Nothing could justify the neglect, the lack of basic human compassion, to which the soldiers of Cabrera were subjected. The people were largely blind to their fate, just as we are blind to some of the truly awful situations in our world today, such as in Dafur.
Perhaps, then, Calvin was correct to remind us of the corruption of the human heart, and of our tendency towards evil. Left to our own devices, we are capable of anything. That's why our trust must, ultimately, not be in a human institution, no matter how well-intentioned. Our trust must not be in ourselves, either, since we too are marred by the Fall. Our trust can only be placed, legitimately, in God. He is the only one whose love is untainted by self-interest.
Presbuteros

The End

The last day in Birmingham. I'll be back in Houston late afternoon (I just hope my car is still at Hobby airport and not floating in the Gulf). I've been persuaded to go to Webster PC on Satuday morning (10 am) where those commissioners that can make it will unpack GA for whover comes. I'll do something similar for the Lake Jackson folks.
Last night we did some good things, including a motion affirming the right of the unborn child in late term pregnancies. This is a major change for the Assembly which, over the years, has not had much to say about the rights of the unborn. (Actually, I prefer to talk about our responsibilities instead of rights - we don't really have rights before God). Unfortunately, the battle to save the Historical Foundation at Montreat failed. That will, presumably, tick-off a large number of Southern churches and presbyteries. As if we needed any more conflict!
As you may have read, the Renewal Network led an act of prayer and repentance around the fountain at the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center yesterday. I was there. We were joined by the Moderator and the Stated Clerk. To his credit, Rick Ufford-Chase also turned up. I don't know how many were there, but at least a hundred ( it was called for the dinner break and I suspect that many others simply forgot. I wanted it to be more prominent - I'd have walked off the floor of the Assembly, but whoever organised it obiously didn't want to embarrass the moderator, and that was probably a gracious move, even though it meant that the action had less impact).
In the meantime there is a significant sense of foreboding. In some ways the battle was never going to be what happened at GA, but what happens after GA. The New Covenant Evangelical Caucus needs to meet pretty quickly. I seem to recall that we set a date, but I don't have it before me. We need to be preparing some motions for the August Presbytery meeting.
I'm hoping that the statement by the Renewal groups will keep us hanging together, at least in the short term. Now, it's more important than ever that we send representatives to the New Wineskins Convocation in July, and to the Presbyterian Coalitions "Y'All Come" and the Global Fellowship meeting in August. I hear of fairly major developments within a month, but we will have to wait and see. I don't think the Assembly has any clue what a can of worms has been opened.
I've enjoyed my time at GA, even though I've been operating on about 5 hours of sleep per night (and only 3 hours last night!) It's been good to catch up on old friends and to make some new ones. I also (secretly) enjoy the cut and thrust of debate. But I do not appreciate the constant polits. Neither do I enjoy the scandalously low level of trust that makes us all second-guess motives and doubt the good intentions of fellow Presbyterians.
Two churches came together in Birmingham. Sometimes it was difficult to see just what they had in common. It may be that I will be able to tell my grandchildren (not yet, please God!!) that I was there in Birmingham for that famous Assembly, when the PC(USA) finally crossed the line.
Presbuteros

Renewal Groups Joint Statement

Here's a statement brought out by the enewal folks.

Renewal Movement Speaks With One Voice: Responding to the 217th General Assembly's Action on Ordination Policies


Today, in a single vote by 298 commissioners, the constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) effectively was changed. The mandated requirements of ordination, rooted in Scripture and our Confessions, have been made optional. Sessions and presbyteries have been allowed to treat the Seventh Commandment as “not essential.” These ordaining bodies have been told that they need not obey the explicit instruction of the apostles: that all Christian believers should “abstain from … sexual immorality” (Acts 15:29).The consequences of the decision of this General Assembly throw our denomination into crisis.
Many individuals and congregations will conclude from this decision that the PC(USA) has abandoned the historic faith of the Church. The decision will be regarded by others in the worldwide body of Christ as profoundly offensive.Yet we do not believe that God has abandoned the members of the PCUSA. We do believe that God’s Word, by the power of God’s Spirit, is able to convict, transform, and restore. We are thankful for the many Presbyterian congregations and members who testify so boldly to that power—even this week in Birmingham. Faithful commissioners and advisory delegates have stood valiantly and effectively for doctrines such as the Trinity and the sanctity of human life.We will redouble our efforts to bear witness to the Gospel in this troubled time and place. We reaffirm our ordination vows at the very time when those vows are being cheapened. This recent decision marks a profound deviation from biblical requirements, and we cannot accept, support, or tolerate it. We will take the steps necessary to be faithful to God and to those God calls us to serve.Let us all be guided by the passage from which comes, providentially, the theme of this 217th General Assembly:"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood….Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.Pursue peace with everyone, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble, and through it many become defiled." - Hebrews 12: 1-4, 12-15 (NRSV)

The signers of the statement issued by the Presbyterian Renewal Network:
Rev. Richard Burnett
Rev. Susan Cyre
Rev. Paul Gaug
Rev. David Henderson
Rev. Dean Weaver
Kristin Johnson, MDiv
Rev. Brad Long
Rev. Robert Pitman
Rev. Sid Rice
Elder Terry Schlossberg
Rev. Michael Walker
Rev. Parker Williamson
Elder Alan Wisdom
Elder Marie Bowen

Constitutional Presbyterians
Presbyterians for Faith, Family, & Ministry
Evangelical Presbyterian Pastors Fellowship
New Wineskins
New Wineskins
OneByOne
Presbyterian Reformed Ministries, International
Knox Fellowship
Literacy & Evangelism, International
Presbyterian Coalition
Presbyterians for Renewal
Presbyterian Lay Committee
Presbyterian Action Presbyterians Pro-Life
Presbuteros

A Draft of Hemlock

Today, Tuesday June 20, at 5.18 pm (if my watch was right) the denomination stepped over the line. The PUP Report was passed without substantial alteration. I don't remember what the percentages were, but the numbers were somewhere in the region of 280 to 230. The events was seen around he world on streaming video, as was yours truly, at about 5.20 pm!
It's been a long day. This morning was taken up with a number of challenges to the action of the Nominating Committee. Usually, they get away with doing their work without having any of their nominations challenged at all. Not today. There were about 8 or 10 challenges.
The nominating committee is charged with filling spots on GA committees. They have a whole slew of requirements. A certain percentage of every committee must be women, a percentage must be from a minority, a percentage must be disabled. You must have balance between clergy (I dislike that word, by the way) and lay. I don't know how they do it, but they manage to find enough left handed mulatto sheep herders with one leg two inches shorter than the other to fill the vacancies. Of course they are also supposed to have theological diversity, so a percentage must be evangelical. They tend to ignore that requirement.
Well, this morning, they were reminded that they are not going to get away with ignoring evangelicals. Out of the positions contested, we managed to get two overturned. Not a great percentage, but a darn sight better than 0%. Of course, those nominated by the committee have a natural advantage. Many commissioners just assume that they have done their homework. So, for example, they elected a 31 year old, totally unqualified office assistant to a position on the Permanent Judicial Commission of General Assembly, the most important legislative body in the denomination, instead of Rev Catherine Purves, one of the most respected evangelical women in the denomination. Doesn't make much sense to me, either. It took us all morning to get this done.
Then, in the afternoon, we began the assault on the recommendation of the Ecclesiastical Committee on the PUP report. After presentations by everyone and his mother, we dealt with the first four recommendations. These were not particularly controversial, especially since they didn't contain any language that requires us to take any notice of them! Then, we got onto the meat of the matter with recommendation five. This is the one that advocates for local option, though I actually prefer what Jerry Andrews called it - "local licence." Basically it says that, although we have national standards, and that those standards matter, local ordaining bodies are free to examine candidates for office, and to decide whether or not any scruples they declare pertain to the essentials of the faith. If the local ordaining body (Session for elders, Presbytery for ministers) decides that some part of the constitution is not an essential of the faith, then they can declare that person suitable for ordination. Now, in fairness, that decision can be appealed to a higher body, but given some of the crazy decisions made by the permanent judicial commissions over the last few years, don't hold your breath for any appeals to be upheld.
We heard a report from members of the Task Force, then a minority report was presented by several courageous members of the Ecclesiology committee who refused to be cowed by all of the theological heavyweights ranged against them. I thought it was well-presented, and Moderator Joan Gray did a great job of conducting the meeting in a fair manner. (I came up in an elevator with her just a little while ago and thanked her for her work. She looked like she was completely drained and ready to burst into tears. I think she realises what they have done - and it is on her watch).
After perfecting both motions, the question was put "Shall the substitute become the main motion?" We debated long and hard. The minority report people had worked really hard and they were very well prepared, but the motion failed by a narrow margin. Immediately, a member of the minority report team moved to refer the matter to the Presbyteries (in effect, treating the proposed authoritative interpretation in recommendation five as if it was a regular constitutional change, which requires the approval of the presbyteries). After equally lengthy debate, this too failed. We knew it was all over at that stage. The motion to approve swiftly followed and the deed was done. General Assembly has adopted a comstitutional change by a backdoor approach which, at the very least, opens the door to the ordination of those who do not adhere to the standards in the Book of Order. Effectively, the constitution of the whole church is rendered optional, since local bodies can declare scruples, and do what they like. From now on, standards are "aspirational." That means that they something to which we aspire, not something we require. Our connectionalism is broken. Expect a rush of legal battles across the denomination as those presbyteries that are only too ready to ordain gays and lesbians try to push the boundaries as far as they can as quickly as they can. Some presbyteries have already announced that ordination standards will be rigidly enforced in their jurisdiction, but what happens when a pastor or elder wants to move? Is their ordination rendered void, or do we just fudge through? This result can only result in anarchy.
The Moderator called for prayer, just after the decision, but I had already gone to the microphone. Commissioners prayed. Some wept. Others just kept silent. I couldn't believe my ears when somebody started singing kum-ba-yah! Then, the assembly came to order and I got to ask my question. I wanted to know how to register my dissent, to have my name recorded in the minutes of the General Assembly as one who wished not to be associated with the decision of the assembly. The stated clerk replied. To tell the utter truth, I already knew how to register a dissent, but I wanted other people to know also. During a five minute break, I led a line of people to a table set up by staff members of the OGA. Dozens of people came forward to sign. Many of them were in tears. It seemed that a change was upon us.
The rest of the afternoon was a bit of a blur. In fact we had to go back and redo a couple of votes because folks said we had moved too fast and they were in shock. None of the reconsiderations changed the votes. We still failed to approve motions supporting the traditional understanding of Christian marriage. Actually, in this instance, I understand why. Our constitution already contains language that affirms traditional marriage, so we didn't need to add more. (You can't reaffirm the constitution - it is just there!) One telling moment came in the middle of that debate, however, when a Lebanese elder stood up and asked why we were bothering talking about the constitution when we had just voted to make it optional. As I remember it, he conclude with "Unbelievable!" and someone near the microphone said "God help us."
One last point, and then I think I deserve a refreshing beverage (as Letterman would say). The Assembly roundly defeated a challenge to the ordination standards. 22 presbyteries had sent overtures asking for the removal of the fidelity/chastity standard (fidelity in marriage between one man and one woman or chastity in singleness). It went down by over 400 to about 100, but before you get carried away, we should note that the PUP report had recommended that there be no changes made in the constitution for at least two years, in order to allow their recommendations to work. Some people clearly voted against the overtures because of the advice in the PUP report. Of course, it's a bit of a hollow victory, because we have just declared the ordination standards are open to local interpretation.
After the session broke up there were lots of people just walking round with blank expressions, barely able to believe what they had witnessed. One commentator summed it up well for me when he said that the PUP Task Force prepared the hemlock, and the General Assembly drank it.
What next? Nothing too drastic or too sudden, I hope. We have gatherings of evangelicals over the summer at Tulsa and Atlanta. I want to be at both. Apparently there will be some kind of major statement coming out by one of the renewal groups within a month. I believe that the Task Force gambled that the evangelicals would roll over and do nothing, after all we all have our pension credits and our property to worry about, not to mention the $1.8 billion the PC(USA) holds in assets, and of course the $150 million outreach gift we have just received. It may just be, however, that, this time, they will be surprised, and the gamble will fail. Who knows what God will make out of all of this.
Presbuteros

Who the Heck Knows What day it is...

Now' let's see. It's Monday.. I think.
Yesterday I went Methodist! We were supposed to split up and worship in local congregations, but I was picked up (at 8.15 am) by Virgil and Betty Coleman's daughter Lin and her husband Brian to go to their church. It was wonderful. Nobody cared a hoot about the Presbyterian General Assembly. Some of them had, however, read about the $150 million gift we received at GA and wondered whether we were interested in doing mission work among the Methodists. I even got to go to Sunday School, and toured their newly extended facility which cost them a round $10 million. It doesn't sound much when you say it quickly. After a Father's day lunch I got back to business at GA. Amazingly, some of the committees were still working. In fact one, Ecclesiology, the one dealing with the PUP report, worked until 10.30 pm for three days. Even then they hadn't finished, and apparently had to push some time in today between plenary sessions. Of course the PUP report was the main deal, with a rearguard action being fought by conservatives who were consistently defeated by about the same margins. A final resolution, to refer the report back, was also defeated. It will come to the floor of Assembly tomorrow late morning.
There was a big ecumenical service on Friday and a huge gathering last night, that was apparently very good, but I couldn't go. In the end I was flying round Birmingham trying to find a Kinko's open so that we could make some stickers. I'd had this idea. Logic and sound theology hadn't worked for the Trinity report in the committee, even though we won the arguments. Thay didn't bother answering most of our points. So, thought I to myself, why not try emotion instead, or rhetoric. So, a couple of us dreamed up a campaign comparing the Trinity Report to the Da Vinci Code. I got 800 stickers printed that said "Break the Trinity Code". Then, I found out that the youth loved it and the older folks thought it was disrespectful and dangerous. They thought that we would turn people off by being too "in your face." We persuded the guys presenting the minority report to let us do it, and to distance themselves as they thought appropriate. Of course, the YAD's (Youth Advisory Delegates) had a field day, and the older ones retained their Presbyterian respectability. The point was not that the Trinity Report was as deceptive as the Da Vinci code, but that if words are used without proper thought they are dangerous. We were to have a good example of the folly of slippery language just this morning, but more of that in a moment.
I went to the Coalition Dinner last night, to hear Dr Jim Edwards speak (he wrote the book on "Is Jesus the Only Savior" that some people studied recently in Lake Jackson). He did a good job describing the cultural captivity of the mainline church, how it bows to the pressures of the age, then reminded us that, sometimes God's people have to be faithful for centuries before the church is renewed. The first part of his speech drew considerably more applause than the second half. I then went to a strategy meeting put together by the renewal network. Again, the YAD's (and the ladies) mostly laughed at the stickers, and saw the joke. The guys didn't.
This morning I was up at 5.30 am so that I could go to the Presbyterians for Renewal breakfast, where Richard Mouw was speaking. He's the president of Fuller Seminary, and a Presbyterian. There were a lot of people there, but it's funny how the different renewal events have different atmospheres. This was far less raucous, with lots of very nice, earnest people. The Lydia scholars, female evangelical seminarians suported by the renewal movement, were honbored, as were a couple of missionaries who had served faithfully in Iran, Pakistan and somewhere else, then Richard Mouw spoke. He's a very engaging speaker. Well worth listening to. I've bought his latest bok "Calvinism in the Los Angeles Airport" about relating the Reformed faith to contemporary culture. He told us that he had just got back from Regent where, as the only Calvinist in the room, he'd had to calm down a bunch of Pentecostals. Now, in Birmingham, his job was to warm up a bunch of Presbyterians! I ddn't hear the end of his speech, but he did an excellent job of calling us to biblical faithfulness in a time of rapid societal change.
Then, it was into the plenary session, with about 1500 people in the room and huge jumbo-trons at the front. We'd had some preparation for this, but it's still very difficult not freezing up when you hear a voice booming out from the speakers, and you realize that it's yours, and you see a face on two 20 foot screens, and recognize that it's you! The Theological Issues and Institutions report came up early. We'd approved a motion calling on Presbyterians to make Bible reading an integral part of their decision making and their discipleship. It passed, easily, which surprised me a little. Then came the Trinity eport, and the moment of truth. The majority report was discussed and a crucial amendment was added changing the recommendation from "that the report is approved" to "that the report is received." Received is the lowest level of acceptance, and is usually used for routine matters, maybe for the calendar, or for something that doesn't really matter too much. A few other helpful amendments were presented and accepted, significantly weakening the report. After that, the minority report was presented and perfected (amended until the question was called). After that is the pivotal point of the debate, when the moderator asks, "Shall the minority report become the majority?" I looked across the hall from where I was waiting to speak, and we had advocates from the minority team at every microphone (there are 9 of them) including some young folks who had been terrified at the idea of speaking only the day before. Somehow or other, I got to speak last. I pointed out that even the doxology, which we had sung that morning during the installation of the Vice-Moderator, had been rewritten to exclude the name of the Father. Though I say it myself, I thought it was pretty powerful. Then the question was called, and the vote was taken. Sadly, I have to report that we lost 240-227, with 4 abstentions. However, we had pushed them as far as we possibly could, and the Trinity report that came out was far, far weaker than the one that was originally presented. We can live with it, and it will probably die quietly on a shelf now, except for those crackpots who will try to write liturgies based on its ideas.
After lunch, business continued with only a few points of dispute. We approved the production of a new sexuality curriculum for youth which we said must reflect Biblical values, and the view of the Assembly that marriage is to be regarded as between one man and one woman. It passed by a 2:1 margin. I was pleased, and not a little surprised. It looks to me like the whacko progressives have been concentrating so much on the PUP report that they have not organised themselves very well for other items. Ordinarily, the call to Bible reading would have been contested, and the curriculum vote would have been a major talking point. They weren't even terribly well organised for the Trinity Report. Anyway, on two separate occasions they tried to reopen debate on the curriculum by moving that it be reconsidered. At first, a lady from New York got up and whined that business had been moving too fast and that the moderator had declared the motion passed because no one was prepared to speak against it, and that she had been struggling from her seat. Of course, she wanted to advocate for literature that was sympathetic to "alternative lifestyles." Then, someone pointed out that the vote had been taken by electronic ballot, and that her story was completely bogus, so she was ruled out of order (she should have been thrown out...) Later on, someone else forced a vote for reconsideration, but it was defeated by a huge majority, so I think the attempted deception during the first attempt scuppered any chance they had.
Of course the big test will be tomorrow. Every indication is that the PUP report, which will lead to absolute anarchy in the church when every Presbytery and Session decides for themselves what is essential for ordination, will come to the floor of the Assembly unchanged. Unless someone's motion from the floor succeeds, we will not vote ad seriatim, that is, we shall have to vote the whole thing up or down with one vote, instead of taking it in parts. Goodness only knows what will happen if it passes. Some will walk out immediately, I'm told. We will have to wait and see.
There was a worship service tonight in celebration of the anniversay of the ordination of women. No disrespect, but let someone else celebrate. I ned a little snooze... just five minutes of course.
Presbuteros

Second day of Committee part two

After we'd finished with the Trinity Paper we went on to discuss a study of sacramental practices. It wasn't a bad paper, but it didn't really reflect the Presbyterian Church of my experience. We were told that renewal and growth will come to the PC(USA) if we will (and I may not remember them all) - Put the communion chalice and patten on the table every week - conduct part of worship every week from the communion table - pour water into the font every week during the time of confession - celebrate communion more frequently (weekly is what they really want). There was one other thing, but it was similar. Now call me a cynic ("Here Cynic"), but I don't think they are going to batter down the doors of our churches just because we take the flowers off the communion table. Fine, try it if you want, but don't force me to do it. The trouble is that there is more than one traditional stream in the Reformed church. The one with which many of us is far more familiar only celebrates communion 4 or 5 times a year, and makes a big deal of it when we do. We were still using communion tokens to admit people to communion when I started in the ministry 23 years ago. The sacramental theology behind the recommendations places a far greater emphasis on liturgical worship than we are familiar with, on the use of the lectionary and form prayers. It also seems to give a higher place to baptism than it does to conversion. The report talked about the importance of the Word as well as the sacraments, but I can't help feeling that it was, largely, lip service. Their recommendations sounded more like Anglicanism, with a five minute sermon or homily, instead of the people of the Reformation, gathering around the Word of God, revealed in Scripture and expounded by faithful preaching. These points were made, but were largely ignored. Several amendments were offered, which failed. This is not as big a deal as the Trinity paper, it's only a study document, but it worries me that we can determine the essential elements of worship (no flowers on the Table) but we can't identify the essential tenets of Reformed theology. Is this the rise of the worship nazis? I don't really think so, but it still annoyed me that theological argument was still ignored by commissioners who still feel that a report should be supported because the authors are "such nice people and they have worked so hard."
I got back to thinking about the Trinity Report again. It amazes me that we heard so few substantial arguments in favor of the report (except from its authors), yet it still passed. We offered some really good criticism of the report, yet it still passed. Are the decks stacked? Maybe, maybe not. What would seem to me indisputable is that there is a level of theological and biblical illiteracy among commissioners that is simply astonishing, and not a little worrying. There were statements made in debate that were completely off the wall in terms of orthodox Christianity. Some of them even came from pastors. They made mistakes that should have been obvious to a freeshman in divinity. Perhaps, then, the problem should be traced back to those colleges that are more concerned about social activism than they are about solid Bible teaching.
A quick word about other committees. The Ecclesiaology committee, which is dealing with the PUP report just kept going and going, I was going to say "like the energizer bunny" but a better analogy might be "like an attack of Montezuma's revenge..." There had been some very minor revisions made to the report, and recommendations 1 - 4 had passed, but despite valiant attempts, it looks like the thing is very likely to be passed virtually as it was presented to the church last September. Of course it still has to go through the plenary session next week, but the indications are that it will probably pass. Then we will have to see what will happen.
On a better note, the nonsense about divestment in Israel looks likely to be reversed, despite a lot of pressure from some of the agencies of the denomination to delay any action. If the plenary agrees, we will rescind the nightmare of divestment and, hopefully, form a more rounded and less divisive policy on the Middle East.
In short, the conservatives have had victories here and there, but the major battle, over the PUP report, to which our overture spoke from New Covenant, looks to be going the other way.
Tonight, the assemblies of three Presbyterian denominations will meet together for worship: the PC(USA), the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America. I don't know how many thousands of people will be there, but it should be quite a few. Will they all be worshiping the same God?
One final note, despite my poor memory (messing up tournaments) and certain dire predictions, the US soccer team made a real go of their game against Italy. We can all be proud of them. Drawing 1-1 with only 9 men left on the field is quite an achievements. We can only hope that this, feisty, team shows up for the Ghana game, and not the jet-lagged crew that capitulated to the Czech Republic. And as for the England team. Won 2, lost 0 sounds good, but you "ain't gonna get no predictions out of me."
Presbuteros

Second Day of Committee Work

The Trinity Report came to our committe on Saturday morning. We were led in worship by members of the task force that put the report together, which was not a good idea. The materials they used were off the wall. There was an awful hymn by Jane Parker Huber "I Will Be Who I Will Be" in which the language was so fluid that it really illustrated the failures of the report (that was not the intention of those who chose it!) and most of the prayers were taken from the Iona Community, which is well-known for almost New Age materials. Anyway, we went into a quasi committee of the whole, after hearing a presentation, so that we could discuss stuff without having a motion before us. The discussion was good, and most of it was not complimentary of the report. Sorry, and all that, but just linking together three vaguely biblical images and calling them Trinitarian does not make them worthy substitutes for "Father, Son and Holy Spirit". It doesn't make them worthy supplementary resources either. At least the report rejected the use of Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, which has become a trendy alternative to Father, Son and H. Spirit, mostly in feminist circles. Their argument is a good one, that you can't name God on the basis of attributes, especially when those attributes are not exclusive to one person of the Trinity. But why, on earth, did they not apply this reasoning to the rest of the report. They suggest a number of triadic motifs to describe God, such as "The One who was, and who is, and who is to come" or ""Rainbow, Ark, and Dove". The first is just Hebrew poetry, and it refers to a temporal succession, not the Trinity. If it was Trinitarian it would give us all sorts of problems. Is the One who was dead? Who is the God who is - the Holy Spirit? So, is Jesus the One who will come? As for the second, that is just a collection of Bible images or metaphors for either God or the activity of God. Of course we also got the mother hen deal from Isaiah. But God is not described as a mother, only as being LIKE a mother hen in caring for her brood. I thought we gave a pretty good account of ourselves, and if the report wasn't exactly demolished, it was at least tottering. If we'd voted before lunch I thinbk we would have disapproved it. But we didn't. We went to lunch, and then voted. Something happened over lunchtime and the report was passed (admittedly with some helpful alteration - for example the report no longer says that it names God, only that it speaks of Him. I don't know whether someone got to the commissioners, or whether they just felt sorry for the authors, but it passed 33-23 with about 6 abstentions. We immediately filed for a minority report, and this will also be presented to the Assembly on Monday, but the majority report usually has a better chance of passing than the minority. We will have to see.
More on the rest of the day when I get the chance. The PUP report has not been finalized yet, and won't be until Sunday afternoon. But it looks like it will pass with only minor amendments. More later
Enjoy your Sabbath!!
Presbuteros

First day of committee work

Yesterday was our first full day in committee. I'm on number 13, Theological Institutions and Issues. We have one major report to deal with, on the Trinity, but the first day was supposed to be a much milder affair.
After a time spent getting to know one another, we began with open hearings, where advocates for various causes bent our ears. They only got two minutes each, which was strictly enforced, so our ears didn't get terribly bent. Then we moved into the business of the day. Quite a few items were dispensed with quickly under the consent motion, earth-shattering things like allowing the seminaries to celebrate communion at certain times. We were supposed to approved some minutes, from the committee that oversees theological institutions, and from the Presbyterian Publishiung Corporation, but we were told that the minutes were not available to everyone, and that they had been read by a couple of people, and that on their say-so we should approve them. I questioned the rationale, and was told that it was like a presbytery approving the minutes of local congregations, which is delegated to sub-teams. Of course the parallel doesn't hold at all, since committees of presbytery regularly peruse minutes when they have special responsibility, for example if they are looking into holding an adminstrative commission. However, the vice chair had read the theological institutions minutes and, not wanting to get off on a bad foot with him, we smilingly approved, without any idea what they contained. The minutes from the Presbyterian Publishing House were not approved immediately, and the person who had read them had several suggestions for improvement (none of which involved content, only form). We debated for a while (much to the annoyance of the PPC) but time was pressing so we approved them, again without any idea of what they contained. The person who had read them, Peter, wasn't allowed to move that the minute taking needed to be improved in certain ways, since the deadline for new business had passed. All in all, this was a completely fruitless exercise. It gave us an indication, however, of the levels of secrecy some agencies require. We had been told that the minutes would be available at the Assembly. They were, but only to two people.
Later in the day we were asked to approved Bill Carl as the new president of Pittsburgh Seminary, which we duly did. Bill has done a good job at First in Dallas. I was surprised at the lack of theological questioning involved in his approval. When, a little later, Auburn Seminary, seeking an extension of a special relationship with the PC(USA), also brought changes to some documents, we were a little more awake, and questioned why "denominations" had been changed to "faith communities" and 'interfaith" had become "multifaith." I don't think we were popular, but we were told that Auburn has two tracks, one of which is strictly church based, and another that involves people from other religions. We asked whether the changes were indicative of a slide from a commitment to the uniqueness of Christ, but on the basis of their response, we were assured not, so the thing passed with most commissioners looking like they had no clue what we were talking about.
Later, we were asked to appoint Davis Perkins as the publisher and president of the Presbyterian Publishing House. A lot of back-slapping went on, until a couple of us pointed out that this was the Davis Perkins who, in an introduction to a booklet had described the Confessing Church movement as a right wing group using the confessions as a sledgehammer to bludgeon the church and keep some people out of leadership. After some rather mild questioning, he expresed regret for his statement (but did not retract the sentiment). Again, most commissioners seemed to have no idea what was going on. The juggernaut of officialdom seemed annoyed that we were not just rubber-stamping motions. Perkins was confirmed, but a few brave souls did vote against.
Then we got to talk about hymnals. The PPC would like to produce a new hymnal (because they will make money on it) and they produced some statistics to show why they should. Generally speaking, the statistics (from a very small sampling) showed that fewer than 50% of people were interested in having a new hymnal. Nevertheless, the results were manipulated to put them in a good light. We were told that the vast amjority of churches use the blue hymn book (we don't in Lake Jackson) but we later found out that the number is nearer to 50% of churches. A businessman I was sitting near pointed out that, as a business plan, it stank. Apparently it will cost $5 million to research and develop a new hymnal, but when we pressed we found out that they expect to make $25 million in sales. The words "yeah" and "right" come to mind.
Anyway, we debated and debated and the PPC huffed and puffed and then we voted, and, metaphorically, told them where they could put their hymnal (politely, of course). I did, in passing, mention that one of the reasons for the lack of buy-in to the current hymnal might be its bias, theologically, and its use of inclusive language for God. That went down like a lead balloon.
Sadly, that wasn't the end of the affair. A couple of people had brought an overture on behalf of two presbyteries that wanted to produce an e-hymnal. Some other denominationa have already done this. Hymns and choruses, together with music versions, are available on line. When one is chosen for worship, you just download an original from the internet (even messing with the key if you like) and either print it in your bulletin or project it on a screen, or both! Good idea. We liked it. We approved it by a wide margin. Then we found out that no money had been allocated since it had been assumed that it would be produced by PPC along with their new hymnal. Incidentally, the makers of the motion didn't seemto really want PPC to be involved, because then PPC would have editorial control. So, we ended up reconsidering the original motion to produce a new hymnal, and approving it in order that the church will have the funds to develop an e-hymnal. It passed. The word blackmail comes to mind. PPC etains editorial control, and wouldn't even commit to develop an e-hymnal earlier than about 8 years.
This is a good example, both of the arrogance of the insiders, who clearly expected hat we would just do what we were told, and the way in which commissioners are hamstrung by financial constraints. Time and again, an agency of the church told us that what they wanted to do would not cost anything because it was already budgetted (that doesn't mean it doesn't cost anything, of course), and when we wanted to do something different, we were not allowed to do so because no money had been allocated. So why do we have a General Assembly? Why do we bother showing up to vote?
Fortunately, there are some really good people in some of the offices, particularly in Theology and Worship, otherwise the abuse would be far more widespread. Whenever we talked to them, I felt we were being heard, but some of the other groups just wanted to give their report and have us say "Oh, well done!"
I'm a day behind, and I have yet to report on the second day of committee work. I'll get back as soon as I can, but I'm currently surviving on about 5 hours of sleep!
Presbuteros

Loaves and Fishes

Things finally got going yesterday at GA. I was up at 6am and didn't get to bed until after midnight, so I'm not getting much beauty sleep. And, as my kids would say, "You sure need your beauty sleep!"
An interesting day, meeting lots of new people, and getting reacquainted with many others. At this stage, the political divisions don't mean much, since none of the issues have reared their heads. They will.
I went to a presentation on the Peace, Unity and Purity Report (PUP) which was only supposed to be for information, not advocacy. There were two such meetings going on, one on PUP, the other on the divestment issue. According to tradition, pre-Assembly meetings are not supposed to deal with matters of controversy, because it gives a clear advantage to one side. We had been assured that the meeting would only be to explain the recommendations, but within 30 seconds of getting through the door, it was obvious that this was not to be the case. It was patently unfair.
When we finally got into a plenary session, it became apparent pretty quickly that we were going to have trouble with our new best friend - LES. LES is the online posting of all Assembly business that many of us have been using for months to plough our way through reports. It didn't debut very well yesterday. At one time, we used the electronic voting machines to work out how many commissioners were able to access LES, or get on the relevant page. Only 50% of commissioners could do so. The service was as slow as molasses, and we were frequently booted off the intranet and had to repair the connection to get back on. This is worrying, because, clearly, many people were more intent upon getting their laptops up and running than they were on paying close attention to the business. Fortunately, early business isn't terribly important, but there was one point where I feel we were very badly served. An overture had been proposed by one presbytery, requesting that the recommendations of the PUP Report be voted on ad seriatim, meaning, taken separately and in sequence. The powers that be recommended disapproval, pointing out that, since this was really a matter of procedure, it ought to emerge from the Assembly, or one of its committees. Be that as it may, it would have been helpful to have debated the point, particularly since (a) it's more likely that recommendation 5 will be voted down if we vote ad seriatim; and, (b) I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for the powers that be to remind us when would be a good time to make that motion. But, at that precise moment, LES decided to wander off into the nether regions. I looked around. Everyone in my neck of the woods was whacking keys trying to get the system up and running (except Kevin, who was playing pinball). The failure in the system meant that we could not see the relevant documents (which I'm not convinced had been posted on LES anyway), then it stole our attention. This does not bode well. I should add that the hundreds of notes or comments that I had attached, electronically, to the business papers on LES have also disappeared...
Then came some unexpected good news. A Colorado businessman, Stan Anderson (I hope I remember his name correctly), tired of continuing membership loss has put together a gift for his denomination. He has set up a fund called "Loaves and Fishes" with $150 million, to encourage church growth and transformation in the Presbyterian Church (USA). He is requiring that projects be matched, 10% by any Presbytery requesting them, with an extra 1% for the theological education fund. That means that his 100% will be multiplied to 111%. Projects must be for outreach, (with a few riders), and he hopes that the entire amount, plus interest, will have been spent by 2012. Wow! What a gift! We can only pray that it will be administered faithfully and prayerfully, and not squandered.
Then, at the close of a long day, came another pleasant surprise. On the third ballot, the Assembly elected Rev. Joan Gray, from Atlanta, to be the Moderator of the 217th Assembly. She is a long-time friend of renewal, a truly humble lady, with a steel trap for a mind, and a heart for Christ. She is firmly against the removal of ordination standards, but she said so in a pastoral manner. I believe that she will be trusted by both sides, and that she will be absolutely fair. Perhaps we will begin to see an end to some of the abuses that continue to plague us. Is it too hopeful to wonder whether a level playing field might be in sight? One person cannot turn around a bureaucracy, but I'd like to think that Joan will give it a try. One of the advantages of having moved to biennial assemblies, is that she now has much more time to find out what needs to be done. It will not be as easy for her to be hoodwinked by staff.
One sad note: one commissioner was taken ill yesterday morning and subsequently died. Assembly stood to honor him, to commend him to the Savior, and to seek the strength and peace of the Holy Spirit for his grieving family. It was a touching moment. Perhaps, as a denomination, we would do well to remember that, in the midst of life, we are in death, but also, that in the midst of death, we are in life eternal.
Presbuteros

Diet of Worms

Well, I made it to Birmingham, which is about as hot as Lake Jackson, but without the bugs, so far at least. Toby, our dachshund (sort of) really didn't want me to leave. He rather fancied getting in my suitcase as I was packing last night, but I'm not sure I could have coped with our ultra-protective attack dog at General Assembly. Every time someone visits our home (even when it's someone he knows) he goes into kill mode. On second thoughts, maybe I should have brought him...
However, I'm not sure that we really need him. We have a rottweiler of our own. Rob Gagnon is the most self-effacing of men, but underneath that calm exterior is a terrier with a bone. I've ploughed my way through his excellent book on homosexuality and the Bible and have enjoyed reading his comments on Presbyweb. Rob is a professor at Pittsburgh Seminary. He is also, amazingly, a commissioner. (Yes, there must be a God). His is the definitive defense of orthodox belief and practice in matters of sexual ethics. I'm glad he's here. Just as an aside, I learned that the denominational publishing house (PPC) wasn't terribly interested in publishing his book. So he sent it to Abingdon instead, where it's doing very well, thank you. But a couple of months ago, PPC published a book by former moderator Jack Rodgers, which is in favor of removing ordination standards. It has been very heavily publicised in the denomination as the book that will "explode he myths and heal the church. " It's funny how healing the church requires the complete capitulation of those who hold traditional beliefs, but that's another story. Incidentally, every commissioner was sent a free copy of this book by some well-meaning church, in California, if I remember correctly.
Over the last few weeks, somehow, Rob Gagnon has found time to write a lengthy review of Jack Rodgers' book. Read it, and you'll know why I think he is a rottweiler. He just doesn't let go. By the time he's finished, Rodgers' scholarship is thoroughly discredited. I just hope he hasn't gone too far. There are those (including some commissioners, I imagine) who vote on the basis of whether a person is being "nice" or not. In this last debate, Rob has taken the gloves off (to mix metaphors). He may get a backlash from those who think that Christians must always be nice to one another. The trouble is, that it's hard to be nice when you are defending something so dear to your heart.
On a different matter, Stuart, our associate pastor in Lake Jackson, surprised me in worship on Sunday with a book of good wishes from folks in the congregation. I've brought many of them with me (but not the book, which was as heavy as a brick). I'm charmed and humbled by the thoughts expressed, and I'm honored beyond words to be the recipient of so much trust. Some of the letters came from children, and a good number of them included candy (that's why the book was so heavy). One comment has to be made public. "Good luck. Be safe. Eat responsibly." It had a Tootsie Roll attached.
"Eat responsibly." Is that the advice Luther received as he set out for the Diet of Worms? Presbuteros

Soccer Dreams

I've almost reached the end of reading every report on LES. I need to get a life, I know. I could tell you that my main motivation has been to serve the Church, but actually, the main reason is so that I will have some spare time to watch the World Cup, (which begins on Friday). This is only partly a wind-up... Last time I got to watch the World Cup (of soccer, for the uninitiated) I was finishing up my final project for my D.Min at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. So that was pretty bad timing, too. At least England did reasonably well in 2002. As I recall, the US team managed to finish last in their group and left without scoring a single goal. (Which makes it kind of odd that FIFA have ranked them 5th in world for this tournament, but I digress).
I get a strange taste in my mouth, figuratively speaking, when I read that the US Eagles (God bless 'em) have been ranked above teams that are clearly superior, with decades of international experience. Who is covering whose palm with images of dead presidents, and to what end? OK, it's a stretch, but I get the same funny taste when I read the advice of the Advisory Committee on the Constitution. Are there any evangelical overtures to which the ACC is sympathetic? Time after time I have read that the ACC, (or some other GA body - even the Presbyterian Publishing House on a couple of occasions) give its solemn, totally unbiased opinion that such-and-such an overture needed to be disapproved, because it had been written in the wrong color of ink or because the advocate had not been standing on one leg when presenting it to Presbytery. On the other hand, overtures to blow up the Constitution and dance on the scattered remains are treated like gifts from the gods, or should that be goddesses? It gets a little wearing after a while. Other groups, generally those associated with those jolly nice people at the Covenant Network, get advice on how to achieve their desired ends. Those wishing to reaffirm what the Constitution already declares about the sanctity of marriage or the value of actually opening a Bible are told how silly they are, and to go and boil their heads in oil. Sometimes the advice is just muddled. Sometimes it is downright funny (Yes, sure, we will defend marriage by spending quality time with our spouse reading Transforming Families). But there are also times when the advice, according to common sense at least, just seems downright wrong. Read Jim Tony's articles on the Coalition website if you don't believe me, or Rob Gagnon's. Isn't the ACC supposed to be impartial?
Maybe I've just got presbyopia through reading too much on the internet. It probably would have been better if I'd just kept doing my regular job, you know - preaching, teaching, visiting the sick etc. Then, when I got to Birmingham, I'd just be able to follow the helpful advice of those nice people in the ACC. Maybe I'll do that. And maybe Team USA will win the World Cup. Presbuteros

By Way of Introduction

It's only a couple of weeks before the General Assembly of the PC (USA) gets under way in Birmingham, AL. I'm being sent as a commissioner by the Presbytery of New Covenant, based in Houston, Texas.
Actually, I'm rather amazed to be a commissioner, since I have colleagues who have been in the ministry for 30 years who have never been asked to go. I've only served in the PC(USA) for 13 years, having spent ten years prior to that as a minister in the United Reformed Church in the United Kingdom. I went to the URC General Assembly once as a commissioner, but then, at that time, there were only about 100,000 members (I may be mis-remembering; there are certainly fewer nowadays). The PC(USA) has about 2.4 million members, but is also experiencing a decline. Last year we lost 40,000 members, and projections are for larger losses for the next two years. That leads me to my second reason for amazement.
I represent, unashamedly, the evangelical wing of the church theologically. I do believe in a broad church (God forbid that I should have all the answers) but I also believe that a broad church should have boundaries. The PC(USA) has not been very good at boundaries for some time. We fail to define the essential tenets of our faith, even though we ask officers to say that they will adhere to them. And we let well-intentioned crack-pots get away with bending the rules for a wide variety of odd reasons. The fact that I'm not terribly afraid to say this is what makes me amazed that I am being sent as a commissioner.
I'll confess that I'm apprehensive about GA. I went two years ago as an observer, and was fairly horrified by some of the political posturing. I really had difficulty identifying with the denomination on display in Richmond, VA. It felt completely unlike anything I have ever experienced in the Presbyterian Church in Texas, or in Pittsburgh where I served for five years before coming down to First, Lake Jackson. It's difficult to say exactly what the difference was, but I think it had to do with the culture of the environment in which I found myself. Believe it or not, but at Presbytery meetings in Houston, I've heard the Gospel proclaimed (not always, but often). I've had conversations about the assimilation of newcomers and how to reach postmoderns. When I was the chair of the Evangelism and Renewal Team in New Covenant, which I was until the end of 2005, they let me spend a pot of money on advertising, including several thousand dollars on a TV campaign. But as I sat around the conference hall in Richmond, and toured some of the displays, I heard different priorities. The word I heard most frequently was 'justice.' Of course, I'm aware of the biblical injunctions to seek justice, and I want to honor them, but in Richmond the term was used to justify a series of activities that would have seemed anathema to most of my congregation in Lake Jackson. I'm not in a hurry to experience that kind of alienation from my own denomination again.
So, I covet your prayers, for myself and for the other commissioners who will start to gather in Birmingham, AL on June 14. Pray for the company of disciples known as Presbyterians: that we will be open to discerning the call of the Holy Spirit, and then willing to obey it. Indeed, I pray that the Wind of God will bring new life to our communion, and that Holy Fire will both purge us and energize us. Join me in this prayer.
As I am able, I will update my blog. One thing, I promise: that I will try not to take myself too seriously; on the other hand, I am deadly serious about seeking to be obedient to the sovereign call of our covenant God.