Women Deacons Or Servant-Widows?

I have found a fascinating article, which asks the question that we are dealing with in the PCA, "Should we have women deacons?"  This article by Brian Schwertley investigates the Historical and Biblical Evidences of women as ordained deacons and gives a pretty good conclusion.

It is rather long, so if you don't want to read the whole thing, please at least read from this point in the article to the end.

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

(From Kevin) In the Reformed faith, we believe that God’s moral law as summarized in the Ten Commandments is binding on all men, everywhere. The Commandments teach us how God expects us to live in relation to him and to others. It is no small thing to break one of the Commandments. It is an equally serious thing to accuse someone of breaking one of the Commandments.

The Ninth Commandment is, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Keeping the commandment involves positive and negative aspects.

Positively, the duties of the Commandment require,

the preserving and promoting of truth between man and man, and the good name of our neighbor, as well as our own; appearing and standing for the truth; and from the heart, sincerely, freely, clearly, and fully, speaking the truth, and only the truth, in matters of judgment and justice, and in all other things whatsoever; a charitable esteem of our neighbors; loving, desiring, and rejoicing in their good name; sorrowing for, and covering of their infirmities; freely acknowledging of their gifts and graces, defending their innocence; a ready receiving of a good report, and unwillingness to admit of an evil report, concerning them; discouraging tale-bearers, flatterers, and slanderers; love and care of our own good name, and defending it when need requires; keeping of lawful promises; studying and practicing of whatsoever things are true, honest, lovely, and of good report. (Westminster Larger Catechism, 144)

Negatively, the Commandment forbids,

prejudicing the truth, and the good name of our neighbors, as well as our own, especially in public judicature; giving false evidence, suborning false witnesses, wittingly appearing and pleading for an evil cause, out-facing and overbearing the truth; passing unjust sentence, calling evil good, and good evil; rewarding the wicked according to the work of the righteous, and the righteous according to the work of the wicked; forgery, concealing the truth, undue silence in a just cause, and holding our peace when iniquity calls for either a reproof from ourselves, or complaint to others;( speaking the truth unseasonably, or maliciously to a wrong end, or perverting it to a wrong meaning, or in doubtful and equivocal expressions, to the prejudice of truth or justice; speaking untruth, lying, slandering,backbiting, detracting, tale-bearing, whispering, scoffing, reviling, rash, harsh, and partial censuring; misconstruing intentions, words, and actions; flattering, vain-glorious boasting, thinking or speaking too highly or too meanly of ourselves or others; denying the gifts and graces of God; aggravating smaller faults; hiding, excusing, or extenuating of sins, when called to a free confession; unnecessary discovering of infirmities; raising false rumors, receiving and countenancing evil reports, and stopping our ears against just defense; evil suspicion; envying or grieving at the deserved credit of any, endeavoring or desiring to impair it, rejoicing in their disgrace and infamy; scornful contempt, fond admiration; breach of lawful promises; neglecting such things as are of good report, and practicing, or not avoiding ourselves, or not hindering what we can in others, such things as procure an ill name. (Westminster Larger Catechism, 145)

Essentially, then, breaking the Ninth Commandment involves either wanton disregard for the truth or malice in offering up un-truths. Which brings me to the point of this post.

Recently, there has been a rash of accusations against ministers in the PCA for allegedly breaking the Ninth Commandment. These men are not liars, but faithful upholders of the confessional standards of our church. To my knowledge, no less than 29 ministers have been accused of breaking the Commandment and three of them have been or are currently being formally investigated with an eye towards leveling charges against them. The presbyteries leveling these accusations, while no doubt also filled with many faithful ministers as well, all harbor known proponents of the Federal Vision. As the Ninth Commandment charges are coming so fast and furious right now its use is beginning to look like a stratagem from a Federal Vision playbook. If such a playbook exists, here are the plays:

1. Tell detractors that they misunderstood or took the Federal Vision proponent out of context. If that fails,
2. Say the detractor is too stupid to understand what the Federal Vision proponent is advocating. If that fails,
3. Accuse the detractor of violating the Ninth Commandment for drawing attention to what the Federal Vision proponent is advocating.

In short, the Ninth Commandment is becoming a cudgel to intimidate faithful ministers into silence. As one prominent PCA minister who is facing such an allegation recently said to me, “This approach is the last refuge of those who can't stand the heat of vigorous theological discourse.”

Kind of sounds like a violation of the Ninth Commandment to me.

The PCA: The Offices of the Church and Women

I love my wife.  For almost four years now we have been married and every year our marriage, by God's grace, has gotten better and better.  She is most important to me save the Lord.  I am thankful that Adam saw amongst all the creatures no good match for himself and God made woman.  Women were created for a very great purpose, to show forth the glory of God through their beauty and love.  In general, their caring motherly nature linked with their gentleness is a blessing.  Now, I could go on and on about how great God has made women and how each man deserves not a wife due to his own wretchedness.  But I come at the topic in the title from this angle because I don't want you to think that I am a chauvinist pig.  Sure, in my sin, I have a tendency to be that because I hate the egalitarianism of the world.  Any man's natural tendency is to go too far to contradict a problem he sees.  Mine is to go too close and into chauvinism, but this doesn't detract from the truth for man is not the determiner of what is true, God alone is.  At the same time, I love my wife and she has a great purpose in this life, to live for the glory of God.  

Concerning her and all other women, God has made very clear that she is not to hold any office in the Church of Jesus Christ.  That's what Scripture says and at the institution of the offices men were appointed even in the times we would think women were needed (see Acts 6:1-6).  In the Presbyterian Church in America, our Constitution, which is made up of our Book of Church Order and the Westminster Standards, is clear that men only are to hold the offices in Christ's Church.  Rightly, they line squarely up with what Scripture says.

In the PCA, every single elder and deacon must take the following vows:

1. Do you believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, as originally given, to be the inerrant Word of God, the only infallible rule of faith and practice?
2. Do you sincerely receive and adopt the Confession of Faith and the Catechisms of this Church, as containing the system of doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures; and do you further promise that if at any time you find yourself out of accord with any of the fundamentals of this system of doctrine, you will, on your own initiative, make known to your Session the change which has taken place in your views since the assumption of this ordination vow?
3. Do you approve of the form of government and discipline of the Presbyterian Church in America, in conformity with the general principles of biblical polity?
4. Do you accept the office of ruling elder (or deacon, as the case may be) in this church, and promise faithfully to perform all the duties thereof, and to endeavor by the grace of God to adorn the profession of the Gospel in your life, and to set a worthy example before the Church of which God has made you an officer?
5. Do you promise subjection to your brethren in the Lord?
6. Do you promise to strive for the purity, peace, unity and edification of the Church?

I have taken these vows and I have broken these vows.  I hold to all of them including vow #1, but Lord help my unbelief every time I sin.  I hold to vow #4, but I have not faithfully performed the duties, I am a sinner.  Praise the Lord for Jesus Christ and His imputed righteousness.  Have I adorned my life with the Gospel?  No, but I do in Christ.  Have I set a worthy example?  I hope some in Christ, but no not perfectly or faithfully.  I could go on, but I digress.  The point is here, though I fail in keeping these vows (and my marriage vows for that matter), Christ's righteousness still covers my sin.  But what if I were to take these vows, but not actually hold to them.  What if I took vow #3, but continually practiced those things which are contrary to the form of government found in the Book of Church Order in the PCA and I had been confronted about it time and time again and done nothing to change my practice?  Assume I had taken a vow to set a worthy example before the Church, promised to be subject to the brethren, and to strive for the purity, peace, unity and edification of the Church.  Yet in one or more areas I led my congregation in its practice to do those things which were clearly contrary to the Scriptures and the Book of Church Order, thereby not adhering to vows #4-6.

Maybe I should put it in a more practical light for everyone out there.  Suppose you as a parent, led your children into sin.  The Bible clearly says that children are to honor their parents (fifth commandment) and to obey their parents, yet when they clearly disobey you sit there and do nothing.  Or when Scripture commands that you raise your children in the fear and admonition of the Lord and daily you do not open up the Scriptures to them, but instead you read 'bedtime stories'.  Or where the law of God clearly states that you shouldn't lie (ninth commandment) but you get your children to tell 'white lies' when you are in other people's company to make your family look better before others.  It is hypocrisy and sin.  And I believe it is the same thing that happens in the PCA, in our congregations.

Back on the main topic.  Scripture and our Constitution say that women are not to hold any office in Christ's Church.  They are vital to the health and well-being of the Church and I greatly appreciate their work and service when it is given and it should be given, but not as officers because God says so.  Yet, in our midst, leaders are leading their flocks down that dangerous road of rebelling against the Lord and (if that isn't good enough) not subjecting themselves to the brethren and to the government they vowed to uphold.  What message does this send to our people, to their people?  Take for instance this church in Rye, New York, which goes by the name of Trinity Presbyterian Church.  If we look on their Staff and Leadership page, we notice the list of deacons,

David August, Sean Boyd, Linda Cariri, K.C. Choi, John Eddy (in seminary), Denise George, Graham Henry, Angela Landess, Matt Landess, John Patitucci, Ken Sax, John Talbert

Now I have nothing personal against any one of the ladies I have highlighted from this list, this is public information that there are women who serve on the board of deacons at this church.  If this were the PCUSA, then at least they would have a system of government to support them, but this is the PCA.  Women shouldn't be on the diaconate according to our system of government (not to mention because of what God says).  Please don't get the impression either that this is just out of ignorance.  It is publicly clear that this church's Pastor, Craig Higgins, is promoting this view in his church and in their presbytery (Metro New York Presbytery).  The Bayly Brothers covered this back in November in this post.  There you see that a two page letter was given to the Presbytery to be voted on called A Proposal to the Metropolitan New York Presbytery Regarding Women in the Diaconal Ministry.  The authors were Craig Higgins and  Matt Brown (Park Slope Presbyterian Church) and supporting the letter were men Tim Keller (Redeemer NYC), Mark Reynolds (Redeemer NYC), Stephen Ro (Living Faith Community Church), Randy Lovelace (Redeemer Montclair), Vito Aiuto (Resurrection Presbyterian Church), Chris Hildebrand (Resurrection Presbyterian Church), Jamison Galt (Park Slope Presbyterian Church), John Sweet (Flatbush Community Church), and Trinity's associate Pastor Craig Chapman.

Is Higgins alone?  No, just on the church websites that show who is on their board of deacons, Redeemer Montclair (Randy Lovelace's church) shows the following:

Elders: William Arnold, Sean Bailey, Abraham Houng, Dennis Martenz, Leonard Noll
Deacons: Ming Chang, Jason LaValley, Sal Perednia, Todd Reilly
Deaconess: Eva Perednia

In case that isn't clear enough for you, Living Faith Community Church (Stephen Ro's church), and I have bolded the one's I believe are females.  Please forgive my not knowing the gender of names in the Korean language, so if I have made a mistake please let me know. 

Becky Lee, Grace Jang, Gary Fong, Judy Cho, BJ Sung, Sarah Liu, Henna Choi, Wing Lee, Stephen Au, Ali Hasan, Carol Chou, Gloria Choi, Alan Cheng, Curtis Xia, Matt Suhu

And of course, Redeemer NYC (Tim Keller and Mark Reynolds' church) you can see here and here.  On top of this, some of you may remember the 'incident' where a Pastor of Redeemer NYC 'ordained' deaconesses.  The video you can find below, and an explanation from Tim Keller and the man speaking in the video himself.

If you were the Elders of these churches, what message are you sending to your congregation and to the sheep who look up to you?  If you are a member of a PCA church or an officer of the PCA, what message does this send to you? 

Overture 25: Women and Men's Roles

This is another overture (Overture 25) from the Northwest Georgia Presbytery.  HT: The Aquila Report

Whereas, we believe that the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church in America (BCO 26-1) sufficiently addresses the various ordained roles for men and women in the church; and

Whereas, there have been discussions over a number of years within the Presbyterian Church in America regarding the role of men and women in the church; and

Whereas, recent assemblies have declined to settle this matter via study committees (which would inevitably have to propose many BCO amendments to change our practices in these areas, if desired); and

Whereas, these discussions (and practices that deviate from the clear language contained in the BCO sections below) appear to have highlighted and manifested differences of views and practices within the PCA, which could possibly create division among churches and brothers;

Therefore, be it resolved that the Session of Grace Presbyterian Church in Douglasville, Georgia overtures the Northwest Georgia Presbytery, meeting on May 22, 2010, to overture the 38th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America that until or unless there are constitutional amendments to change our BCO, each court is to be reminded to be faithful in upholding the constitutional views of the Church and by adopting this overture to remind our churches and courts specifically:

To reaffirm to the church and the watching world that while both male and female are created in God’s image and have equal redemptive standing before God (Gen. 1:27; Gal. 3:28), and that while all believers are gifted and called to participate in certain aspects of the ministry of the church, yet by God’s design only men are called to ordained roles in Scripture (1 Tim. 3:1; Tit. 1:6) and in our church’s Constitution (see below); and

To urge its members to study and work for the peace and unity of the church by supporting the written Constitution or by seeking to amend it by ordinary process (see BCO 26-1 and 2; Note: this overture is not intended to prevent such process if this Assembly approves any other BCO amendment on this topic.); and

To direct its members to the specific provisions within its Constitution regarding its structure and the nature of ecclesiastical office; that while not exhaustive, this direction includes an exhortation not to contradict in any way these pertinent provisions in the Constitution which manifest our view, to wit:

“The officers of the Church, by whom all its powers are administered, are, according to the Scriptures, teaching and ruling elders and deacons” (BCO 1-4).

“The power which Christ has committed to His Church vests in the whole body, the rulers and those ruled, constituting it a spiritual commonwealth. This power, as exercised by the people, extends to the choice of those officers whom He has appointed in His Church” (BCO 3-1).

“Its [a particular church] officers are its teaching and ruling elders and its deacons” (BCO 4-2).

“The ordinary and perpetual classes of office in the Church are elders and deacons” (BCO 7-2).

“In accord with Scripture, these offices [elder and deacon] are open to men only” (BCO 7-2).

“The office of deacon is set forth in the Scriptures as ordinary and perpetual in the Church”  (BCO 9-1).

“To the office of deacon, which is spiritual in nature, shall be chosen men of spiritual character, honest repute, exemplary lives, brotherly spirit, warm sympathies, and sound judgment” (BCO 9-3).

“The church Session is charged with maintaining the spiritual government of the church, for which purpose it has power: “…to ensure that the Word of God is preached only by such men as are sufficiently qualified (BCO 4-4, 53-2, 1 Timothy 2:11-12)….” (BCO 12-5e).

“The government of the Church is by officers gifted to represent Christ, and the right of God’s people to recognize by election to office those so gifted is inalienable. Therefore no man can be placed over a church in any office without the election, or at least the consent of that church” BCO 16-2).

“Wherefore every candidate for office is to be approved by the court by which he is to be ordained” (BCO 16-3).

“Those who have been called to office in the Church are to be inducted by the ordination of a court” (BCO 17-1).

“Every church shall elect persons to the offices of ruling elder and deacon in the following manner: At such times as determined by the Session, communicant members of the congregation may submit names to the Session, keeping in mind that each prospective officer should be an active male member who meets the qualifications set forth in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1….” (BCO 24-1).

Accordingly, the 38^th General Assembly thus believes that an adequate measure of clarity, unity, harmony, and peace may be obtained so that we might devote ourselves more to the mission of the church than to continued debates on these subjects.

Adopted by Northwest Georgia Presbytery

May 22, 2010

Overture 24: Alternative to Strategic Plan

This is Overture 24 from Northwest Georgia Presbytery.  I commend this to you and hope you find it refreshing.  HT:  R. Scott Clark

Overture from Northwest Georgia Presbytery
"An Alternative Plan for PCA Renewal"

Whereas, the “PCA Strategic Plan” is a well-intentioned effort by the Cooperative Ministries Committee to address some of the perceived downward trends in the Presbyterian Church in America; and

Whereas, these apparent problems include a decline in membership, disunity and non-cooperation, and a lack of vision for twenty-first century missions; and

Whereas, the framers of this “Strategic Plan” have worked diligently to set forth a proposal that they believe will make the PCA a stronger, healthier denomination; and

Whereas, many will join with us in believing that the “PCA Strategic Plan” is misguided in its program for spiritual renewal, and view the downward trends in our denomination as having less to do with the various factors described in the “Strategic Plan,” and more a consequence of our unwillingness, as elders, to give ourselves wholeheartedly to what God, in His Word, has promised to bless for the health and extension of His kingdom; and

Whereas, the “PCA Strategic Plan,” among other things, seeks to cultivate spiritual renewal in the PCA by promoting “safe places” for theological discussion, “more seats at the table” of denominational development for women, young people, and minorities, and a closer working relationship with the “Global Church” in the area of missions; and

Whereas, while some may view these strategic proposals as leading the PCA towards a stronger future, many others will be uncomfortable with this strategy, believing that lasting spiritual renewal can come only through the outwardly foolish and weak means to which God has attached His saving promises; and

Whereas, the various committees already have the ability to sponsor “safe” discussions (these have been occurring for years in General Assembly and presbytery forums and seminars), and the nominating process has an adequate method of recommending seats at various tables; thus, short of specific BCO amendments, any merited aspects of these targets may already be pursued; and

Whereas, presbyteries, sessions, and other regional conferences—instead of by a top-down committee process—are the prime places for healthy discussion and for the generation of methods to improve our corporate life, and frequently do so with less vested interests; and

Whereas, some believe this “Strategic Plan” will create even further division in the PCA; and

Whereas, the greatest and most urgent need of the Presbyterian Church in America is not a complex strategy, but a clarion call to renew our avowed commitment to the Biblical, Reformed, Confessional, and Presbyterian Faith – a system of doctrine which has, for centuries, cultivated God-glorifying unity, humility, worship, spiritual/numerical growth, mission, service, sacrifice, giving, and cooperation all over the world; and

Whereas, our present need as a denomination is to rekindle our commitment to foundational Reformed doctrine and practice, reflected, in part, in the seventeen points listed below; and

Whereas, it is our conviction that a faithful implementation of these biblical doctrines and practices into the life and ministry of our presbyteries and churches will yield an abundance of spiritual fruit; and

Whereas, renewal on God’s terms cannot – and will not – fail;

Therefore, the Northwest Georgia Presbytery overtures the 38th General Assembly to call all its congregations and presbyteries to this simple, straightforward, unambiguously biblical call for renewal as an alternative to the complex and potentially divisive “PCA Strategic Plan,” except for the funding proposal already presented by the Administrative Committee, which this overture wishes neither to condemn nor support. And let us trust that in the coming years God will enable us, by His Spirit, to faithfully employ the spiritual means that He Himself has already provided us.

17 Points for PCA Renewal

A renewed commitment to the centrality of the God-ordained, efficacious means of exegetical, Christ-centered, application-filled, expository preaching (Is. 55:10-11; Ez. 37:1-10; Jn. 21:15-17 Mk. 1:38; Acts 2:42; 20:26-27; I Cor. 1:22-25; 2 Tim. 4:2-4; WLC 67, 154-5).

A renewed commitment to the centrality of the God-ordained, efficacious means of baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Gen. 17:9-11; Ex. 12; Mt. 26:26-29; 28:19; I Cor. 10:16-17; 11:17-34; Col. 2:11-15; I Pet. 3:21; Rev. 19:6-9; WLC 154; 161-177).

A renewed commitment to the centrality of the God-ordained means of private, family and corporate prayer (Ps. 63; Mt. 6:5-15; Mk. 1:35; Acts 6:4; Eph. 1:15-23; Phil. 1:9-11; I Thess. 5:17; I Tim. 2:1; WLC 154; 178-196).

A renewed commitment to – and delight in – the Lord’s Day (Gen. 2:1-3; Ex. 20:8-11; Is. 58:13-14; Mk. 2:23-28; Jn. 20:1;19; Acts 20:7; Rev. 1:10; WCF 21).

A renewed commitment to worship on God’s terms, according to Scripture (Ex. 20:4-6; Lev. 10:1-3; Deut. 12:32; Jn. 4:23-24; Acts 2:42; Col. 2:18-23; Heb. 10:24-25; 12:28-29; WCF 21.1).

A renewed commitment to private, family, and public worship (Ps. 63; Mt. 6:6, 16-18; Neh. 1:4-11; Dan. 9:3-4; Deut. 6:4-6; Eph. 6:1-4; Ps. 100:4; Acts 2:42; Heb. 10: 24-25; WCF 21.5-6).

A renewed commitment to wed our missiology to Reformed ecclesiology (Mt. 28:18-20; Acts 14:19-23; 15:1-41; 20:17, 28; I Cor. 11:17-34; The Pastoral Epistles; Titus 1:5; WCF 25; 30-31).

A renewed commitment to loving, Word and Spirit-dependent, prayerful and courageous evangelism (Mt. 5:13-16; 28:18-20; Acts 4:1-13; I Peter 3:15-16; WLC 154-7).

A renewed commitment to biblical church discipline (Mt. 18:15-20; I Cor. 5:1-13; 11:27-29; II Thess. 3:6, 14-15; I Tim. 5:20; WLC 45; WCF 30).

A renewed commitment to biblical diaconal ministry (Acts 6:1-7; Phil. 1:1; I Tim. 3:8-13).

A renewed commitment to catechize our covenant children in our homes and churches (Deut. 6:4-6; Prov. 22:6; Mk. 10:13-16; Eph. 4:12-13; 6:1-4; WSC).

A renewed commitment to biblical masculinity and femininity (Gen. 2:18-25; Deut. 31:6-7; Prov. 31:10-31; I Cor. 16:13; I Peter 3:1-7; Eph. 5:22-33; I Tim. 2:11-15; WLC 17).

A renewed commitment to entrust the leadership of the Church into the hands of the ordained leadership (Jn. 21:15-17; I Tim. 5:17; Heb.13:17; I Pet. 5:1-3; WLC 45).

A renewed commitment to the Reformed Confession which we have avowed, before God and men, to promote and defend as our system of doctrine (I Tim. 6:12; Heb. 4:14; 10:23; Jude 3; Westminster Standards).

A renewed commitment to the mortification of sin and worldliness (Rom. 6:11-14; 8:13; 12:1-2; I Cor. 6:12; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 4:20-24; I John 2:15-17; Gal. 6:14; WLC 76-7).

A renewed commitment to the doctrine of justification by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, apart from works of the law (Gen. 15:6; Hab. 2:4; Rom. 1:16-17; 3:21-26; 4:1-5; 5:1; Gal. 2:15-16; 3:10-14; Phil. 3:1-11; WCF 11).

A renewed commitment to rest, by faith, in Christ alone for salvation, without minimizing Gospel obedience (i.e. the third use of the law) / (Rom. 1:5; 6:1-2; 8:5-8; II Cor. 7:1; Col. 1:28; Eph. 4:1; 5:1-21; Phil. 3:12; I Thess. 5:23; Heb. 12:14; I John 5:3; WCF 19.5-7).

Furthermore, rather than having the Cooperative Ministries Committee propose additional structural changes, let us adopt this plan for renewal (reflected in the seventeen points above) asking our presbyteries and sessions, who are the best originators of denominational change, to study, discuss and implement it. 

Accordingly, this overture asks our appropriate elected leaders to represent and publicize this to our churches in writing or in counsel as the action of the 38th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America. By taking this action, we, as elders, intend to send a clear and simple message to our churches, presbyteries, General Assembly, and the world, that the PCA will seek spiritual renewal on God’s terms, trusting solely in His sovereign wisdom and grace.

Humbly and Respectfully Submitted by:

The Northwest Georgia Presbytery
May 22, 2010

Westminster Confession of Faith: AUDIO

No it isn't to music, but you can download an audio version of the Westminster Confession of Faith here at the Reformed Forum (click in the first paragraph zip file and you will download the whole thing).  What a great resource to listen to while you do work around the house.  That's what I plan on doing as I go mow the lawn.  Mowing and our Confession of Faith.  Let's use these blessings to grow our own faith and establish them in the foundations of Scripture.

I also found another version of the Confession but also the catechisms as well here.

Thanks for Benjamin for bringing these sites to my attention.

YouTube Devotional Thursday (But on Friday)

Suppose An Unholy Man Went To Heaven

Mercy And Justice by Samuel Davies

"Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other!" Psalm 85:10

The salvation of sinners by the substitutionary death of Christ, gives the brightest display of the perfections of God; and particularly of those which belong to Him, as the Supreme Ruler of the moral world.

Justice and mercy, duly tempered, and exercised with wisdom--is a summary of those virtues which belong to a good ruler. Now these are most illustriously displayed in a happy union--in Christ crucified.

Justice shines brighter in the cross--than if every sin had been punished upon offenders, without any mercy!
Mercy shines brighter in the cross--than if every sin had been pardoned, and every sinner made happy, without any execution of justice.

Mercy appears in turning the divine heart with such a strong propensity upon the salvation of sinners!
Justice appears in that when the heart of God was so much set upon it--yet He would not save them without a complete satisfaction to His justice.

Mercy appears in providing such a Savior!
Justice appears in inflicting the punishment due to sin upon Him, without abatement; though He loved Him more than the whole universe of creatures!

Mercy appears in transferring the guilt from the sinner upon the Surety, and accepting a vicarious satisfaction!
Justice appears in exacting the satisfaction, and not passing by sin, when it was imputed to the darling Son of God.

Mercy appears in pardoning and saving guilty sinners!
Justice appears in punishing their sin!

Mercy appears in justifying them--though destitute of all personal merit and righteousness!
Justice appears in justifying them--only and entirely on account of the merit and righteousness of Christ!

Mercy appears in providing a Savior of such infinite dignity!
Justice appears in refusing satisfaction from an inferior person!

Mercy appears in forgiving sin!
Justice appears in not forgiving so much as one sin--without a sufficient atonement!

Mercy, rich, free mercy--towards the sinner!
Justice, strict, inexorable justice--towards the Surety!

In short--mercy and justice, as it were, walk hand in hand through every step of this amazing scheme of salvation by the substitutionary atonement of Christ!

God pardons and saves the sinner--and yet condemns and punishes his sin!

Though innumerable multitudes of rebels are pardoned--yet not one of them is pardoned until their rebellion is punished according to its demerit in the person of the Surety!

The precept of the divine law, which they had broken--was perfectly obeyed.
The penalty which they had incurred--was fully endured and paid, indeed not by themselves--but by their divine substitute.

Hence the divine law is magnified, and made honorable, and the rights of government are preserved sacred and inviolable--and yet the sinful rebels are set free, and advanced to the highest honors and blessedness!

God brings the greatest good--out of the greatest evil!

God pardons and saves the sinner--and yet condemns and punishes his sin!

God gives the brightest display of His justice--in the freest exercise of His mercy!

God gives the richest discovery of His mercy--in the most rigorous execution of His justice!

God magnifies His law--in justifying those who had broken it!

God reveals the utmost hatred against sin--in showing the highest love to the sinner!

What an astonishing God-like scheme is this! What a stupendous display of the infinite wisdom of God!

Divinie Providence: Jackson Style

The Westminster Shorter Catechism question 11 is probably my favorite of all the WSC questions because it instills the greatest wonder and awe concerning our God.  It is that question dealing with the works of God's providence. 

"Question: What are God's works of providence?  Answer: God's works of providence are, his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions."

If only we could grasp the infinite meaning contained therein.  We cannot, but we can see outworkings of it in real life.  But first one from Scripture, when Balaam is riding his donkey and the angel of the Lord stands before the donkey where Balaam can't go any further.  Balaam thinks the donkey is acting up because he can't see the angel of the Lord.  But then the angel of the Lord appears and rebukes Balaam.  That is the way it is in our lives even when we can't see the Lord before us, he blocks us from continuing.  He is preserving and governing all his creatures and all their actions.

He did that yesterday to Kevin (where we could see it clearly).  Kevin was in from Colorado attending a funeral of a well-known man who was a member of Kevin's former church in Macon, MS.  He was scheduled to fly out of Jackson yesterday afternoon, but was providentially hindered.  Rest assured, no one here thinks Kevin was committing any sort of sin like Balaam (but maybe he was...?).  However, God, via His providence, uses things like storms in Texas (Dallas area) for His glory and our good.  Because of the circumstances, Kevin's flight now leaves today at 2pm.  This has opened up an opportunity for Ken and I to go down and meet Kevin for lunch (to bad Lane can't come). See, what a good thing that God has providentially directed.  If Kevin's flight hadn't been cancelled/delayed, Ken and I wouldn't have seen Kevin probably until next year.  But God is good.  There could be millions of other reasons Kevin had his flight canceled, but we may never know.

What is so interesting and amazing about this is that at the same time the Lord was sending storms through Texas and seeing to it that Kevin's flight was canceled, He was also preserving and governing all His other creatures (all men, women and children, all powers and authorities, the devil, angels, the souls in heaven, the bodies in the grave, animals, plants, all life, dirt, etc.) AND all their actions!  That is the omnipotent (all-powerful) and omniscient (all-knowing) God who demands your allegiance. 

PCA 38th General Assembly (2010): ALL OVERTURES

Overture 1 (addressed here) from New Jersey Presbytery concerning ministry to senior citizens

Overture 2 (addressed here) from Central Carolina Presbytery concerning amending BCO 9-7 (deaconesses)

Overture 3 (addressed here) from Pacific Northwest Presbytery concerning expanding boundaries

Overture 4 (addressed here) from Central Georgia Presbytery concerning revising boundaries

Overture 5 (addressed here) from Covenant Presbytery concerning concerning amending BCO 26 (BCO amendments)

Overture 6 (addressed here) from Evangel Presbytery concerning study of possible bi-annual GA meeting

Overture 7 (addressed here) from Evangel Presbytery concerning amending BCO 9-7 (deaconesses)

Overture 8 (addressed here) from Savannah River Presbytery concerning revising boundaries

Overture 9 (addressed here) from Eastern Carolina Presbytery concerning amending BCO 9-7 (deaconesses)

Overture 10 (addressed here) from Northern California Presbytery concerning amending BCO 1-4, 4-2, 5-10, 7-2, 9-2, 9-7 and adding BCO 9-8 (deaconesses)

Overture 11 (addressed here) from Blue Ridge Presbytery concerning amending BCO 5-3 (mission churches)

Overture 12 (addressed here) from Rocky Mountain Presbytery concerning communication with U.S. government over 'Don't ask Don't Tell' Policy

Overture 13 (addressed here) from Westminster Presbytery concerning BCO 9-7 (deaconesses)

Overture 14 (addressed here) from Westminster Presbytery concerning prohibiting intincture at General Assembly

Overture 15 (addressed here) from Potomac Presbytery concerning amending BCO 5-2, 5-3, 5-4, 5-8, 5-9, 5-10, 5-11 and adding new 5-5

Overture 16 (addressed here) from Tennessee Valley Presbytery concerning deaconesses

Overture 17 from South Texas Presbytery concerning directing MNA to petition U.S. Government over 'Don't ask Don't Tell' Policy

Overture 18 (addressed here) from Louisiana Presbytery concerning requiring last year's BCO amendment of chapter 59 to follow the procedure of BCO 26

Overture 19 from Western Carolina Presbytery concerning revising boundaries with Piedmont Triad Presbytery

Overture 20 from Susquehanna Valley Presbytery concerning possible virtual voting option for future General Assemblies

Overture 21 from Susquehanna Valley Presbytery concerning confusion of disaster efforts between MNA and MTW
Overture 22 from Savannah River Presbytery concerning communication with U.S. government over 'Don't ask Don't Tell' Policy
Overture 23 from Ascension Presbytery concerning the erection of a study committee on political and economic justice
Overture 24 (addressed here) from Northwest Georgia Presbytery concerning an 'Alternative' to the Strategic Plan
Overture 25 (addressed here) from Northwest Georgia Presbytery concerning the role of men and women in the offices of the Church
Overture 26 from Piedmont Triad Presbytery concerning revising boundaries with Western Carolina Presbytery
Overture 27 from Central Carolina Presbytery concerning revising boundaries with Eastern Carolina Presbytery
Overture 28 from South Florida Presbytery concerning a resolution on the sanctity of life

Imagine Heaven

Due to all the posts on PCA overtures, things need to be more pastoral around here.  So imagine heaven.

No mind has imagined

(Thomas Brooks, "A String of Pearls" 1657)

Surely there is no believer but who finds that sometimes
sin interrupts his joy, and sometimes Satan disturbs his
joy, and sometimes afflictions eclipse his joy. Sometimes
the cares of the world, and sometimes the snares of the
world, and sometimes the fears of the world--mar his joy.

Here on earth, our joy is mixed with sorrow; our
rejoicing with trembling. The most godly have . . .
  sorrow mixed with their joy,
  water mixed with their wine,
  vinegar mixed with their oil,
  pain mixed with their ease,
  winter mixed with their summer, etc.

But in heaven, they shall have . . .
  joy without sorrow,
  light without darkness,
  sweetness without bitterness,
  summer without winter,
  health without sickness,
  honor without disgrace,
  glory without shame, and
  life without death.

"In His presence is fullness of joy, and at His right
 hand are pleasures forevermore." Psalm 16:11

Mark--
  for quality--there are pleasures;
  for quantity--fullness;
  for dignity--at God's right hand;
  for duration--forevermore.
And millions of years multiplied by millions, do
not make up one minute of this eternity of joy
which the saints shall have in heaven! In heaven
there shall be no sin to take away your joy, nor
any devil to take away your joy, nor any man
to take away your joy!

As they shall have in heaven pure joy, so they shall
have in heaven fullness of joy. Here on earth all joy
is at an ebb--but in heaven is the flood of joy! Here
shall be joy above joy, joy surmounting all joy. Here
shall be such great joys--as no geometrician can
measure; so many joys--as no arithmetician can
number; and such wonderful joys--as no rhetorician
can utter, had he the tongue of men and angels!

Sometimes great crosses, sometimes hard losses, and
sometimes unexpected changes--turn a Christian's
harping into mourning.

Here shall be joy within you, and joy without you,
and joy above you, and joy beneath you, and joy
about you. Joy shall spread itself over all the members
of your bodies, and over all the faculties of your souls.

In heaven,
  your knowledge shall be full,
  your love full,
  your visions of God full,
  your communion with God full,
  your enjoyment of God full,
  and your conformity to God full;
and from thence will arise fullness of joy.

If all the earth were paper, and all the plants of the
earth were pens, and all the sea were ink, and if every
man, woman, and child, had the pen of a ready writer;
yet they would not able to express the thousandth part
of those joys which saints shall have in heaven!

All the joy which we have here in this world is but
pensiveness--compared to that joy which we shall
have in heaven. All the pleasure which we have
here in this world is but heaviness--compared to that
joy which we shall have in heaven. All sweetness
which we have here in this world is but bitterness--
compared to that joy which we shall have in heaven.

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind
has imagined what God has prepared for those
who love Him." 1 Corinthians 2:9

PCA 38th General Assembly (2010): Overture 18

Overture 18 comes to GA this year from Louisiana Presbytery.  I like the intent of this overture.  It seems to actually correct the problem that happened last year amending the BCO without following the correct procedure of BCO 26-2, where the Overture from Covenant Presbytery (of which I commented already on Overture 5) seeks to correct the BCO confusion that led to the problem last year. I am unsure if this will be in order or not, but again I do like the intent.

Overture 18 from Louisiana Presbytery states the following:

WHEREAS:

1. The 2009 General Assembly (GA) purported to amend Ch. 59 of the BCO to allow freedom of conscience to pastors.
2. The amendments added conscience clauses, to the effect that civil laws relating to marriage be obeyed only as long as they do not violate the laws of God.
3. There was a concern at the 2009 GA that with gay marriage becoming legal in several states, PCA pastors might be sued if they refused to perform such marriages.
4. The amendments in question were thought to give these pastors some protection in court by allowing them to say our BCO gives them the liberty of conscience to decline to perform such marriages.
5. The proponents of this overture supported the amendments, and believe they serve good purposes, but feel they were adopted in violation of the PCA’s Constitutional-change provisions.
6. The 2009 moderator ruled that he could just declare the BCO amended without any presbyteries consenting. The majority on the floor in 2009 wanted these amendments passed right away regardless of any Constitutional requirement to have 2/3rds of the presbyteries approve it. They supported the moderator’s illegal decision.
7. There was an explanation put forth that Ch. 59 was not “constitutional,” and therefore did not require the 2/3 presbyteries approval. That is patently not the case. The constitution is expressly defined to include the entire BCO.
8. It was bad precedent. It can and should be corrected. Otherwise, just forget the Constitution, and say any GA can do whatever a majority wants.
9. It could be corrected this way: Keep it all constitutional as it currently is, and belatedly submit the amendments to the presbyteries for, presumably, 2/3 of them to approve it.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED

Make a declaration that the 2009 General Assembly’s amendments to Ch. 59, without submission for advice and consent of two-thirds (2/3) of the Presbyteries, as required by Ch. 26-2 (2), was done improperly or improvidently, and that those 2009 amendments to Ch. 59 be forthwith submitted to the Presbyteries for their advice and consent.

PCA 38th General Assembly (2010): Overtures 11 and 15

Two overtures are coming before GA this year having to do with Church Planting and/or 'Mission Churches'.  Both of these overtures seek to change the language of BCO 5.  The first overture is more simple so I will address it first.  It comes from Blue Ridge Presbytery (Overture 11).  This overture states, 

Amend BCO 5-3 by deleting the words “of several” and adding “or more of the following” as shown below:

5-3. The mission church, because of its transitional condition, requires a temporary system of government. Depending on the circumstances and at its own discretion, Presbytery may provide for such government in one of several or more of the following ways:

1. Appoint an evangelist as prescribed in BCO 8-6.
2. Cooperate with the Session of a particular church in arranging a mother-daughter relationship with a mission church. The Session may then serve as the temporary governing body of the mission church.
3. Appoint a commission to serve as a temporary Session of the mission church.

The language change seems to be clear.  Instead of what might possibly be confusing of which a Presbytery might think they can only use one of the three ways, the change would allow the Presbytery to use any number from one to all three of the ways to establish a temporary system of government.  Seems good to me.  Do you have any qualms about this one?

The second overture comes from Potomac Presbytery (Overture 15).  It is rather lengthy dealing with amending the whole of Chapter 5 of the BCO.  To me, it seems like clarification is brought to Chapter 5 and nothing seems to be out of order.

The Overture seeks to amend BCO 5-2, -3, -4, -8, -9, -10 and -11, as shown below, and add a
new 5-5, renumbering thereafter:

Note: Strike-through for deletions; additions/revisions in bold and underlined.

CHAPTER 5

The Organization of a Particular Church

A. Mission Churches

5-1. A mission church may be properly described in the same manner as the particular church is described in BCO 4-1. It is distinguished from a particular church in that it has no permanent governing body, and thus must be governed or supervised by others. However, its goal is to mature and be organized as a particular church as soon as this can be done decently and in good order.

5-2. Ordinarily, the responsibility for initiation and oversight of a mission church lies with a Presbytery, exercised through its committee on Mission to North America, or by a Session, in cooperation with presbytery's committee on Mission to North America. However:, if the mission church is located outside the bounds of Presbytery, the responsibility may be exercised through the General Assembly's Committee on Mission to North America.

a. if an independent gathering of believers desires to form a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America, they shall submit to the appropriate presbytery a written request to be established as a mission church and, upon approval of said request, be assigned a temporary government (BCO 5-3),which government shall take steps to oversee the election of a pastor according to BCO 5-9.f.(1).

b. if the mission church is located outside the bounds of a presbytery, the responsibility may be exercised through the General Assembly’s Committee on Mission to North America or Committee on Mission to the World, as the case may be, according to the “Rules of Assembly Operation.” In such a case the powers of the presbytery in the following provisions shall be exercised by the General Assembly through its appropriate committee.

5-3. The mission church, because of its transitional condition, requires a temporary system of government. Depending on the circumstances and at its own discretion, Presbytery may provide for such government in one of several ways:

a. Appoint an evangelist in accordance with BCO 8-6.
b. Cooperate with the Session of a particular church in arranging a mother-daughter relationship with a mission church. The Session may then serve as the temporary governing body of the mission church.
c. Appoint a commission to serve as a temporary Session of the mission church. When a minister of the presbytery has been approved to serve as pastor of the mission church, he shall be included as a member of the commission and serve as its moderator.

5-4. At the discretion of the temporary governing body, members may be received into the mission church as prescribed in BCO 12. These persons then become communicant or non-communicant members of the Presbyterian Church in America.

5-4. Pastoral ministry for the mission church may be provided:

a. by a minister of the presbytery called by presbytery to serve as pastor, or

b. by stated supply (BCO 22-5, -6), or

c. by a series of qualified preachers approved by the temporary government (BCO 12-5.e.).

5-5. The temporary government shall receive members (BCO 12-5.a.) into the mission church according to the provisions of BCO 57 so far as they may be applicable. As members of the mission church those received are communing or non-communing members of the Presbyterian Church in America.

a. If there is a minister approved by Presbytery to serve the mission church as its pastor (BCO 5-4.a.), each member so received shall be understood to assent to the call of that minister and to affirm the promises made to the pastor in BCO 21-10.
b. Meetings of the members of the mission church shall be governed according to the provisions of BCO 25 so far as they may be applicable, and shall be conducted according to the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised.

5-6. Mission churches and their members shall have the right of judicial process to the court having oversight of their temporary governing body.
 

5-7. Mission churches shall maintain a roll of communicant and non-communicant members, in the same manner as, but separate from, other particular churches.

5-8. It is the intention of the Presbyterian Church in America that mission churches enjoy the same status as particular churches in relation to civil government.

B. The Organization of a Particular Church
5-8. A new church can be organized only by the authority of Presbytery. The Presbytery may proceed with the organization directly, or through an especially appointed commission, or through an evangelist to whom the Presbytery has entrusted the power to organize churches. In the organization of a church, whatever be the way in which the matter originated, the procedure shall be as follows:

1. The Presbytery shall receive and approve a petition subscribed to by those persons seeking to be organized into a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America, appointing a time and date for a service of organization.
2. At the service and following the preaching of the Word, testimonials shall be presented to the Presbytery by such persons as are members of the church, if there be any, and applicants for admission to the church on profession of faith in Christ shall, on satisfactory examination, be received.
3. These persons shall in the next place be required to enter into covenant, by answering the following question affirmatively, with uplifted hand:

[See below – no change in wording of question]

4. The presiding minister shall then say:

[See below – only one word changed in pronouncement]

5. Action shall be taken to secure, as soon as practicable, the regular administration of the Word and Sacraments.

5-9. A new church can be organized only by the authority of Presbytery.

a. A presbytery should establish standing rules setting forth the prerequisites that qualify a mission church to begin the organization process, e.g., the minimum number of petitioners and the level of financial support to be provided by the congregation. The number of officers sufficient to constitutethe quorum for a session shall be necessary to complete the organization process.
b. The temporary government of the mission church shall oversee the steps necessary for organization.
c. When the temporary government determines that among the members of the mission congregation there are men who appear qualified as officers, the nomination process shall begin and the election conclude following the procedures of BCO 24 so far as they may be applicable.
d. The election of officers shall normally take place at least two weeks prior to the date of the organization service. However, the effective date of service for the newly elected officers shall be upon the completion of the organization service.
e. If deacons are not elected, the duties of the office shall devolve upon the session, until deacons can be secured.
f. If there is a minister approved by Presbytery to serve the mission church as its pastor, and members of the mission church have been received according to BCO 5-5, no further action with respect to the call of that pastor to the church to be organized shall be necessary. If no such minister has been appointed, or if the minister serving chooses not to continue as pastor of the newly organized church, a pastor shall be called as follows:

(1) The temporary government shall oversee the election of a pastor according the provisions of BCO 20 so far as they are applicable. If a candidate is to be proposed before the organization, the congregational meeting to elect a pastor shall take place at least two weeks before the service of organization. This may be the same meeting called for the election of other officers.
(2) The ordination and/or installation shall be according to the provisions of BCO 21 so far as they are applicable. The service may take place at the service of organization.

g. In order to proceed to organization as a particular church the members of the mission church shall sign a petition to Presbytery requesting the same.
h. Upon presbytery’s approval of the petition, presbytery shall appoint an organizing commission and shall set the date and time of the organization service.
i. At the service of organization the following elements shall be included in the order deemed by the organizing commission to be appropriate:

(1) The organizing commission shall ordain and/or install ruling elders and/or deacons according to the provisions of BCO 24-6 so far as they may be applicable.
(2) If a pastor is being ordained and/or installed at the service, the organizing commission shall act according to the provisions of BCO 21 so far as they may be applicable.
(3) A member of the organizing commission shall require communicant members of the mission church present to enter into covenant, by answering the following question affirmatively, with uplifted hand:

Do you, in reliance on God for strength, solemnly promise and covenant that you will walk together as a particular church, on the principles of the faith and order of the Presbyterian Church in America, and that you will be zealous and faithful in maintaining the purity and peace of the whole body? [note: no change in wording]

(4) A member of the organizing commission shall then say:

I now pronounce and declare that you are constituted a church according to the Word of God and the faith and order of the Presbyterian Church in America. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy GhostSpirit. Amen.

5-9. The following procedures shall be used in nominating and training ruling elders prior to organization and the election of a Session:

1. All men of the mission church (unless they decline) shall receive instruction in the qualifications and work of the office of ruling elder by the organizing commission or the evangelist.
2. These men shall be examined by the organizing commission or the evangelist concerning their Christian experience, their knowledge and acceptance of the constitutional standards of the church, and their willingness to assume the responsibility of the office of ruling elder according to the qualifications set forth in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. The organizing commission or the evangelist shallpresent a list of all who are found qualified to be nominated.
3. Not less than thirty (30) days prior to the date of election, petitioners shall submit, from the list of all those found qualified, nominations of members for the office of ruling elder to the Presbytery-designated organizing commission or evangelist.(Compare BCO 24-1)
4. The congregation will determine the number of ruling elders following proceduresoutlined in BCO 24-3 and 24-1.
5. At the organizing meeting ordination and installation shall follow the procedure setforth in BCO 24-6.
6. Those elected, ordained and installed ruling elders should meet as soon as is practicable to elect a moderator and a clerk. The moderator may be one of their own number or any teaching elder of the Presbytery with Presbytery's approval.

5-10. If deacons are elected, follow the procedures of (1) through (5) above. If deacons are not elected, the duties of the office shall devolve upon the ruling elders.

5-11. The following procedures may be used in the selection of a pastor in a newly organized congregation:

1. Not less than thirty (30) days prior to the date of organization the petitioners shall elect from their own body a Pulpit Nominating Committee. This election shall take place at a meeting of the petitioners announced at least one week in advance. Only those who have made a written commitment to membership in the new church are eligible to vote at this meeting.
2. The Pulpit Committee may report at the organizational meeting of the congregation, or any subsequent congregational meeting called for that purpose.
3. If at the organizational meeting a pastor is called who is a member of the organizing Presbytery, he may be installed at that time by the Presbytery or a Commission authorized by the Presbytery to do so. If the pastor elect is not a member of the organizing Presbytery, his call must be prosecuted under the provisions of BCO 21.

5-10. Upon organization, the newly elected session should meet as soon as is practicable to elect a stated clerk and formulate a budget. If there is no pastor, the session may elect as moderator one of their own number or any teaching elder of the Presbytery with Presbytery’s approval. Further, if there is no pastor, action shall be taken to secure, as soon as practicable, the regular administration of Word and Sacraments.

PCA Proposed Strategic Plan: Is It Presbyterian?

If you remember, about a month ago I wrote an article for The Aquila Report and asked, "Is the proposed PCA Strategic Plan Biblical?"  William Schweitzer asks today whether it is Presbyterian or not.  Below is the article.  In parenthesis is a number corresponding to the page number of the proposed strategic plan.

Thoughts on The PCA Strategic Plan: Is It Presbyterian?

 

There are some attributes of a thing that can be altered without compromising its basic character. You could remove the stone cladding of Buckingham Palace to reveal the red brick underneath and it would still be Buckingham Palace. Yet if you painted the White House even a pale shade of yellow, you would make it something other than the White House. 

 

Likewise, the Pentecostals can officially place leadership in the hands of people other than ordained elders and they will still be Pentecostals. However, it is doubtful whether you can do that in the Presbyterian Church in America without making it something else. So we ask just this basic question of the PCA Strategic Plan: is it Presbyterian? 

 

The Presbyterian form of church government is very simple. In accordance with Scripture and the Westminster Standards, all leadership at every level is exercised collegially by ordained elders. Nothing more (special officers exercising greater authority than rank and file elders by virtue of some quasi-permanent office) and nothing less (those who are not elders exercising any authority at all beyond that of casting their congregational vote) can truly be called Presbyterian. The Strategic Plan, however, proposes several initiatives that seem to run counter to this beautiful simple, biblical polity. 

 

First, the plan enhances the power of the agency Coordinators and the Cooperative Ministries Committee (CMC). References to the CMC “identifying,” “suggesting,” “picking,” “forwarding,” “approving,” and “reviewing” are littered throughout the document. Clearly, the plan intends for the Coordinators and the CMC to exercise authority in the PCA in ways other than that of ordinary elders acting through the courts of the church. Now there is nothing novel in hierarchical leadership and bureaucratic structures.  However, these things are proper characteristics of Roman Catholicism and Episcopalianism, not Presbyterianism.

 

Secondly, the plan would like us to “establish standards for voluntary certification of men and women for specific non-ordained vocational ministries” in order to “endorse the importance of lay men’s and lay women’s gifts in non-ordained church ministry” and “Gain”/ “Protect” their “insights & contributions” (22). Yet the Bible knows nothing of “voluntary certification” for “non-ordained vocational ministry.” Certified vocational ministry means that one has been called to it by God and set aside to it by the church. If this is the case, then the person must meet the qualifications that are established in the Pastoral Epistles and be ordained. If they do not meet the biblical qualifications, then “voluntary certification” is either meaningless or it creates a parallel track that will subvert the meaning of true ordination.

 

Third, the Strategic Plan wants to create more “seats at the table” for women (17). Indeed, one of our “resources/strengths” is listed as “Theological Respect for PCA in Broader Evangelicalism” with this minor exception: “except for actual position on women…” (16). That negative perception in the eyes of broader (more liberal) evangelicalism would not be a problem, unless one of our stated objectives is to acquire “Significant PCA Representation in Leadership of Major Evangelical Organizations” (16). Of course no one intends to ordain women in order to achieve this. But what does creating “seats at the table” mean? That women can advise elders on an informal basis? They can already do that. Or does it mean some official role in church leadership? That is what ordained elders do, and allowing women to teach or exercise authority over men is precisely what Paul specifically prohibits (1 Tim 2:12). 

 

Giving people a “voice” or a “seat at the table” is fundamentally about power. If it would not make any difference at all to give these non-ordained people voice and seat, why do it? No, of course it will make a difference. Outcomes will be changed. If nothing else, there will be a real shift of authority in the church to those who are not biblically qualified and rightly ordained elders. One must therefore question in what sense the proposed Strategic Plan can be considered Presbyterian, much less a blueprint for a better PCA.

_____________________

William M. Schweitzer is a MTW Church Planting Minister in Gateshead, England

How Near The Time Are We To Do This Again?

The following is not to suggest that we are there or that anyone desires this at all.  

If you had to guess given our current situation in the PCA, and assuming the PCA continued to drift in the same the way as it is currently, how long before we must do something like the following again?

A Declaration of Intent

As events began to point more strongly toward the formation of a new denomination, the following document was circulated among like-minded congregations, in the years leading up to the formation of the National Presbyterian Church [renamed a year later The Presbyterian Church in America]:

The ___________________________ Presbyterian Church of ____________________ has since its formation endeavored to be loyal to the Presbyterian Church in the United States and its Constitution.

The officers of this church have taken solemn vows to be zealous in maintaining the purity of the Church. In our opinion, some recent General Assembly pronouncements and programs have been contrary to the clear teaching of God's Word.

We believe that the time has come to take a definite stand against the continuing erosion of Presbyterian doctrine and polity which is taking place in the Presbyterian Church in the United States. We do hereby declare:

1. We reaffirm our faith in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the Word of God--the only infallible rule of faith and practice.

2. We reaffirm that we owe our primary allegiance to Christ--the great Head of the Church--rather than to any ecclesiastical body.

3. We stand ready to enter into fellowship with other like-minded congregations in preparing for a continuing Church which will be faithful to God's Word, loyal to historic Presbyterian doctrine and polity and obedient to the Great Commission.

We have adopted this declaration after much heart-searching and earnests prayer.

Adopted by the Session of _________________________ Presbyterian Church this _______ day of ________________, 197___.
Approved by the congregation this ________ day of __________________, 197___.
Attested by _______________________________

Parody On The State Of Evangelicalism ("Sunday's Coming" Movie Trailer)

This is a sad video of the reality of a great deal of today's church.

"Sunday's Coming" Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.

Is Keeping The Fourth Commandment That Serious?

We are commanded to keep the Sabbath Day holy.  But how serious is it if we don't keep the commandment?  Numbers 15: 32-36 says, 

"Now while the sons of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering wood on the sabbath day. Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation; and they put him in custody because it had not been declared what should be done to him. Then the LORD said to Moses, 'The man shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.' So all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death with stones, just as the LORD had commanded Moses."

Yazoo City, MS Tornado Filmed

The following is a video clip from Reed Timmer who is a storm chaser and who is on the Discovery Channel show "Stormchasers". Please note that no one here approves of the language used in this video clip, but we wanted you to see at least the filming of the tornado in Yazoo City, MS. This town is 30 minutes south of me and 45 minutes North Northwest of Ken.

 

Please be in prayer for the people in Yazoo City and the surrounding regions.  Pray that they would receive the Gospel from the Christians serving there in Word and deed.  Pray also that the destruction and power that the Lord brings will cause the elect of God to see their sin and repent turning to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.