PCA 38th General Assembly Overture From Rocky Mountain Presbytery

Rocky Mountain Presbytery voted yesterday to send the following overture to the General Assembly (Overture 12):

Whereas, believing that the Word of God requires ministers, and other church officers, to proclaim the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27), and that it is a grave dereliction of duty to proclaim "Peace, peace" when there is no (actual) peace, or to refuse to confront those who "call evil good, and good evil, who substitute darkness for light, or light for darkness" (Isaiah 5:20); and...

Whereas, believing it is the duty of the civil magistrate, "as nursing fathers, to protect the church of our Common Lord... in such a manner that all ecclesiastical persons whatever shall enjoy the full, free, and unquestioned liberty of discharging every part of their sacred function, without violence or danger...and as Jesus Christ hath appointed a regular government and discipline in His church, no law of any commonwealth should interfere with, let, or hinder, the due exercise thereof;” and...

Whereas, believing (in light of over a century of our collective military experience) that any removal, or diminishing of, the well established U.S. military policy, and high moral purpose, of excluding open homosexuals from military service will, most certainly, put all chaplains who believe the Bible to be God's Holy Word in its entirety gravely at risk of unconstitutional pressure, and eventual persecution, for upholding the Scriptural truth that homosexual thinking and behavior is sinful, should be so named, and ought to be corporately resisted; and...

Whereas, believing that any governmental decision to permit acceptance and inclusion of homosexuals serving openly in our military services, will most grievously, "interfere in matters of faith", particularly the exercise of Christian ministry on the part of our PRJCCMP endorsed chaplains; and...

Whereas, it is apparent from the action of the 2009 PCA and OPC General Assemblies that a number of teaching and ruling elders do not consider such a situation to constitute a circumstance extraordinary enough to warrant General Assembly action. (This in part may be because of the failure to appreciate the difference between a “free civilian society” and a “hierarchical military society.”) To the contrary the PRJCCMP believes that silence by the church on this issue endangers the evangelical chaplaincy in the Armed Services, particularly the continuance of a faithful gospel ministry by almost two hundred PRJCCMP endorsed pastors (chaplains).

Whereas, it is our belief that this is an extraordinary case is demonstrated by the following examples among others. We believe that these are predictable and potential results when/or if DADT is repealed by Congress, based on statements from lobbying groups supporting the removal of this ban, and similar judicial rulings and/or legislative actions already enacted or proposed within our country:

a. Unit chaplains will be expected in their preaching, teaching, and counsel to support the federal military policy of non-discrimination and may be subject to equal rights complaints and/or charges if there is any spoken disapproval of homosexual practice and relationships. By way of contrast, while fornication and adultery are both great evils, neither is a politically protected behavior.

b. Chaplains who frequently hold command sponsored marriage retreats to strengthen traditional marriages may be required to include homosexual couples to avoid equal rights complaints or charges.

c. Chaplains may be required to facilitate sensitivity training classes for military personnel to foster acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle within the ranks.

d. Chaplains may be asked to marry, baptize, administer communion, and provide other spiritual services to practicing homosexuals (who may profess to be Christians) which are reserved by Scripture for repentant and obedient believers. Again equal civil rights discrimination and not the free exercise of religion will be the complaint.

e. Chaplains may be expected to support excising all anti-homosexual passages from any Bibles permitted in military chapels until a “homosexual friendly bible” is printed, which may become the required version for chapel worship and for distribution to military personnel. Current gifts of Bibles for service member distribution by civilian organizations would be ended as well.

f. A serious dissonance between scriptural truth and immoral law supporting sinful behavior will be generated within the ranks jeopardizing unit cohesion so critical in combat. Again, equal rights and the elimination of alleged “hate speech” will trump the vital blessing of good order and discipline as well as religious freedom.

In summation, on the basis of already observed pressures against PRJCCMP endorsed chaplains, we believe that the proposed elimination of the DADT policy will become catastrophic in the emerging unbiblical measures which it will bring to bear against all chaplains. Chaplains may be required to refrain from any identification of any aspect of homosexuality as sinful.

Therefore, we believe, in light of the above, that it is our biblical duty to recognize the extraordinary danger descending upon the visible church from this "extraordinary case", by humbly and urgently petitioning (with biblical grounds) the involved "civil magistrates" to refrain from repealing the current DADT policy.

(Note: Quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from Chapters XXIII and XXXI of the Westminster Confession of Faith)

Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Rocky Mountain Presbytery respectfully overtures the 38th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America to adopt and authorize the Moderator to have the attached letter communicated through proper means to The Secretary of Defense, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Service Chiefs and the President of the United States in his capacity as Commander in Chief, to maintain the existing policy of “Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell” (DADT), and faithfully to resist its removal, for the protection and meaningful continuance of the free exercise of religion within the Armed Forces of the United States.

I must admit some ambivalence about “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” From a civil point of view, I do not believe that the presence of open homosexuals in the military harms readiness any more than the presence of women in the military does. From a ministerial point of view, however, I am very concerned that the winds of political correctness will continue to erode the ability of chaplains (and civilian ministers) to minister according to the dictates of their consciences.

This overture, if passed, would raise a much needed voice of concern with the government that our military chaplains must continue to be permitted to be obedient to the Scriptures. Having said that, however, I suspect it will not be adopted by the Assembly. A similar overture was defeated at last year’s GA because the opinion of the Church had not been requested by the civil magistrate. (WCF 31.5) While the new overture does obliquely appeal to the “extraordinary” clause of the very same chapter in the Confessions, I fear that the appeal is too weak and I suspect it will not even make it the floor at General Assembly.