July 2001 Pastoral Letter to the
Bunker Hill Presbyterian Church, Bunker Hill, WV,
from its pastor, John E. Harris
[published here 6-25-01]
John Harris to the church that is in Bunker Hill:
Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and
who is to come.
I write to you having just returned from the 213th
General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A). The General
Assembly was held June 9-16 in Louisville, Kentucky.
Though he is certainly no liberal, most progressives
at the General Assembly favored the Reverend Jack Rogers, a recently
retired seminary professor, for election as Moderator. He was elected
Moderator on the first ballot with 55% of the vote, or 286 of the 524
votes cast. Elder Nancy Maffet, the candidate favored by most
conservatives, received 24% of the vote, or 125 of the 524 votes cast.
Two other candidates garnered the remaining 113 votes.
Rogers perhaps clinched the election when he responded
to a question about the "Confessing Church Movement" during
the question and answer time preceding the election. The Confessing
Church Movement is a small conservative movement championed by the
Presbyterian Lay Committee and its publication The Presbyterian
Layman and its Editor in Chief, Parker T. Williamson. Even though
the Presbyterian Church USA is already a confessional church, the
Confessing Church Movement calls upon congregations to make their own
statements of faith, statements that seem to recall the bygone era of
1920's Presbyterian Fundamentalism, and also calls upon denomination
staff to sign what appear to many to be "loyalty oaths."
When asked about the movement, Rogers suggested the
Confessing Church Movement "is a threat to the peace, purity and
unity of the church." He has since softened his criticism of the
movement but still contends that "some behind the Confessing Church
Movement ... are sowing discord and disunity."
In addition to electing Rogers their Moderator on
Saturday, commissioners on the following Friday voted 317-208 with three
abstentions to send a constitutional amendment removing a four year old
ban on ordination of non-celibate homosexuals to the presbyteries for
their affirmative or negative votes. Following the Assembly vote, a
conservative minister reflected "I am deeply concerned about
whether or not the church can hold body and soul together under this
challenge." A progressive minister offered that she thinks the
Assembly "really took seriously the middle ground" and
"would hope this church would be guided by the spirit of this
Assembly."
While at the assembly I was fortunate to see a one
hour PowerPoint presentation
prepared by those advocating removal of the ordination ban. Rather than
focusing on the differing interpretations of scripture on this matter it
focused on the need to recommit ourselves to the two hundred year old
historic principles of church order, especially the recognition that
"there are truths and forms with respect to which men of good
characters and principles may differ. And in all these we think it the
duty both of private Christians and societies to exercise mutual
forbearance toward each other." It also suggested that perhaps the
church ought to say the same thing Jesus had to say about homosexuality
and the ordination of homosexuals -- nothing!
If the current ban is lifted, presbyteries and
particular churches will once again be able to practice their right to
determine who, and who can not, serve as ministers, elders and deacons.
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints.
Amen.
