Presbyterians and “Big Tent” Rationale

Presbyterian Church (USA) commissioners will convene in about one hundred and eighty days, on June 20^th.  The PCUSA’s focus for the 224^th General Assembly is social, not theological.

Earlier this year, an annual PCUSA conference about the marginalized and oppressed, known as the “Big Tent,” convened in Baltimore. More Light Presbyterians, an unofficial LGBTQ+ caucus within the PCUSA, re-tweeted an adapted quote from late author and blogger Rachel Held Evans: “If the Gospel you’re preaching isn’t good news for those on the margins, it isn’t the Gospel.”

Yes and no. Jesus, during his incarnation, reached out to those on the margins. These societal margins encompassed tax collectors, Samaritans, and widows. Today, these margins include those with heterodox beliefs, immigrants, and the poor. Yes, the Gospel tells us to go to those people “who feel unloved and… those who have nowhere else to go” – how could we not? Jesus did; we must imitate Him.

Jesus loved the sinners around him on Earth. He once refused to greet his natural family waiting outside the temple, claiming his disciples as family instead. Jesus saw his sinful disciples – former tax collectors and working-class fishermen – as family. Critically, however, Jesus did not expand Biblical doctrine; he merely fulfilled the Old Testament. Jesus did not let Zacchaeus continue in monetary extortion.

In a similar vein, the liberal church’s semantic toying creates a problem. The Big Tent movement’s diction implies a widening of the tent to meet the margins where they are. Effectively, that is what mainline Protestantism does today. Since the Sexual Revolution of the 1960s, the church has moved left on theological issues, and not just social issues. The relatively theologically insular tent of decades ago has widened to include beliefs and practices that are Biblically unsound.

The Gospel is good news for those on the margins, but they must enter the tent. Jesus was unafraid to draw lines in the sand, hurling sinners out of his Father’s temple and publicly facing down Pharisees. The rich young man could not give up all he possessed, however well he’d kept the Ten Commandments, and he was left out.

The church should not expand its tent or adapt to the margins. Instead, it must encourage those outside to come in. Christmas was very recent: many people probably visited friends’ homes. Upon entrance to someone’s home, you adapt to their rules. They don’t adapt to yours. You ask if shoes should come off or not. Granted, there is give-and-take: the host or hostess may ask if you’d like a drink. Primarily, however, the give comes from the guest. In order to enter the Christian tent, some things have to be checked at the door. The door doesn’t come to you; you come to the door. In Jesus’ own words, in Matthew 7:7, “Knock, and it will be opened to you.”

Christians must go to the margins, as Jesus did, to minister in both a social and proselytizing manner. We can lead the margins to the tent, and provide them with the aid they need: an understanding of the legal framework surrounding immigration, funds for health problems, assistance in finding a job, etc. Christ did this: he healed people from bodily illness, while forgiving their sins at the same time. He is our example, and if He does something, we must follow in His footsteps as best we can. There are a number of excellent Christian social organizations dedicated to this idea. Jesus went to the margins to bring spiritual and physical health, but He also laid down the law. Likewise, Christians must say, “Welcome home! Please come in, but you must take off your shoes.”