Thursday, June 29, 2017

A Snapshot of the PCA General Assembly

A Snapshot of the PCA General Assembly
A couple of weeks ago, the PCA held its annual meeting in Greensboro, NC.  I wanted to share a single instant from the Assembly that, I believe, reflect an all too pervasive reality in our denomination.  In 2016, one of the Presbyteries (regional court) made a worship bulletin with an image of Jesus on the cover.  A minority report sought to cite this as being out of accord with our doctrinal standards which say that the second commandment forbids, “ the making any representation of God, of all or of any of the three persons, either inwardly in our mind, or outwardly in any kind of image or likeness of any creature whatsoever…”  Although some people do not hold to this position, it is unequivocally the position of our church.  Those who do not agree are the exception.  During debate, which eventually upheld the minority report, it was clear that this issue was an issue of conscience for some of the men.  In order to demonstrate the inappropriateness of the image, the minority report unwisely reproduced the image.  When the exception was upheld, a motion was made to remove the image from the official records of our court as it is as much a violation for the GA to publish an image of Jesus as it is for a Presbytery.  This seemingly innocuous request, despite its obvious consistency, was met with vigorous opposition from the members of the National Partnership (a secretive society in the PCA who are committed “to fight and vote until the fabric of the PCA better reflects what we hope.”) 
The National partnership says that its third purpose is “Greater love for the Brethren through resourcing and communication. We share ideas and uphold our good faith subscription to the standards, preferring charitable and respectful dialogue over the action of courts in settling theological differences.”  In a later email, one of the leaders describes the National Partnership as being “a movement toward less stridency and a more diverse and outwardly focussed (sp)and gracious denomination.”  What troubles me is the total inconsistency of such a statement with the unloving choice to fight to keep an image of Christ in the minutes.  The image is clearly out of accord with our standards.  The removal of the image does no harm to anyone.  The image causes some men to struggle with their conscience.  Why fight.  It came across as mean-spirited, contentious, and obstructionistic.
This fight revealed two things to me.  First it appears that to too many men, claiming to adhere to a standard means nothing.  It is harder to allow an external standard to guide our actions than to do what I want to do.  I am sad that so many elders in the PCA do not submit themselves to the confession they profess to uphold.  Secondly, the National partnership seems to operate with a hermeneutic that allows them to interpret the confession or the Bible in any way they wish.  They consistently ignored the clear meaning of a passage in favor of a “faux-sophisticated” interpretation that denies the clear meaning of the text.  This reminded me that I want to be honest with my heart and the text.  When I find a passage of Scripture difficult, may I have the courage to change my heart before I seek to interpret away the meaning of the text.

About Me

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I have been a PCA pastor since 1993, having been a pastor in Arizona, Florida, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, and as the Team Leader for MTW’s work in Scotland. I am currently the Senior Pastor of Providence Presbyterian Church in York, PA. As a pastor, my desire is to help everyone I meet live out Psalm 73:25, “Whom have I in Heaven but You, and besides You I desire nothing on earth.” I love my Wife Robin, my two sons, Patrick and Michael and my daughter in law, Britney. I am firmly wrapped around the fingers of my granddaughters.

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