Bearing True Witness

Alan Wisdom
October 08, 2009

In my last e-mail to you, I wrote about the then-upcoming meeting of the General Assembly Special Committee to Study Issues of Civil Union and Christian Marriage. I warned about the danger that our Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) might follow the unfortunate course of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, setting aside the church’s confessional teachings on marriage and giving license for “everyone to do what is right in their own eyes.”

Now that I have returned from the PCUSA special committee meeting and seen that committee’s draft report, I am afraid that my warning may have been too close to the mark. I encourage you to read the committee’s draft and draw your own conclusions. And I invite you to send your comments back to the committee at [email protected]. Now is the time to persuade the committee to change its course.

Here are my conclusions, which you can find stated at greater length in two articles on the IRD website. The title of the first tells it all: “Presbyterian Committee Following Lutheran Lead on Same-Sex Relations: Ignores Confessional Teachings, Urges ‘Forbearance’ for All Views.” The draft report fails even to mention the rich teaching on marriage that our Presbyterian confessions draw from the Scriptures. Instead it simply presents two contemporary opinions (pro- and anti-same-sex marriage) and asserts that “[t]he Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) cannot agree.” It is as if our PCUSA constitution had now been voided and henceforth we would govern the church by opinion poll.

I observe how much this approach resembles the disastrous moves by our sister denomination:

There are many evident parallels between the PCUSA special committee proposals and the new sexuality policies adopted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in August. Both put traditional and revisionist views on a par. Both ignore the fact that traditional views are founded on the historic understanding of Scripture held by the Universal Church, whereas revisionists are advancing a radically different understanding. Both the ELCA assembly and the PCUSA committee assert that the traditional and revisionist views are equally based on the Bible; however, neither takes the trouble to evaluate the purported biblical basis. Both exalt the sovereignty of the individual conscience and disdain any attempt to hold church officers accountable to church standards regarding marriage and sexuality. Both seek ways to allow each church and minister to do what is right in their own eyes.

I note that the new ELCA policies have not brought peace to that denomination—quite the contrary, they have brought an unprecedented level of division. We can expect the same if our PCUSA special committee pursues the same direction.

My second article—“Laying the Groundwork: The Politics of Consensus”—examines the process by which the special committee conducted its deliberations. Unity in Christ and consensus among committee members were stressed to such an extent that the group was pushed toward a “result that would cover over disagreements with a broad tolerance. Any affirmation of controversial church doctrine, or any expression of dissent from the committee majority, would become more difficult in such an atmosphere.”

In one devotional time, committee members were led in singing a chorus in which they implored one another to “[a]gree with me” and promised, “I won’t harm you with the words of my mouth.” Later, they were induced to sing a “coming out hymn” that celebrated how the Holy Spirit is supposedly “speaking through my [homosexual] longing.”

The good news is that we have an opportunity to influence the special committee. It has asked for comments on its draft report. Please do take the committee up on the invitation. You can bear witness to the biblical truths that the committee’s report has so far failed to acknowledge. Your voice can be an encouragement to those committee members who do affirm God’s design for the marriage of man and woman.

You can read the committee’s draft report—and my analysis, I hope—and then send a (respectful) e-mail to the committee at [email protected]. Please suggest specific ways that the report can be strengthened—e.g., that the relevant biblical and confessional passages on marriage should be quoted and explained, and that church officers should be reminded that their consciences are bound by their ordination vows to abide by the PCUSA constitution.

Apparently, the committee has been hearing a lot from the minority that is pushing for same-sex marriage. It needs to hear more from Presbyterians who support our church’s teachings on marriage. That means you and me. Our comments are due by November 15.

Many thanks to all of you friends who join us in upholding Christian marriage with your words, your prayers, and your contributions.