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A call to repentance from the Right |
The Witherspoon Society's executive committee has
been fascinated by the statement published on PresbyWeb on October 2,
2002, in which five Presbyterian pastors have issued a "call to
confession and repentance." We have been especially interested in
the suggestive placement of one comma in a crucial sentence as they
"call all churches that wish to be part of the faithful remnant of
the Presbyterian Church, USA, to: ... remain within the denomination
while refusing to fund any work of the denomination, which is
antithetical to the will of God."
[10-4-02]
A Witherspoon response:
The executive committee of the Witherspoon Society,
meeting in Albuquerque October 4, 2002, has read with sorrow the
"call to confession and repentance" published October 2 by
five pastors. We join the five pastors in affirming that "our
hearts, minds, souls, and bodies are captive to the Word of God as
enfleshed in Jesus, recorded in the Bible, and upheld by our
constitution." To use their term, we also are "appalled"
at the call for congregations to "remain within the denomination
while refusing to fund any work of the denomination," which we
agree is antithetical to the will of God, as far as we are able to
discern it.
The five pastors' call for removal of any stated
clerk(s) has no basis in the Book of Order. We are baffled that
that call is followed by ascribing extraordinary and extraconstitutional
powers to the sitting Stated Clerk of the whole PC(USA). The actions
they have called for would constitute an abuse of power, making the
Stated Clerk a pope and grand inquisitor, and violating the
constitutional rights and responsibilities of governing bodies at all
levels. We agree on the importance of honoring our confessional,
constitutional, and connectional relationships, which provide all
necessary and orderly means for dealing with disagreements.
We appeal to the five pastors, following the Apostle
Paul as he wrote to the Christians in Rome:
"[12:1a] So then, my brothers, because of God's
great mercy to us I appeal to you: ... [4-5] We have many parts in the
one body, and all these parts have different functions. In the same
way, though we are many, we are one body in union with Christ, and we
are all joined to each other as different parts of one body. ... [10]
Love one another warmly, as Christian brothers, and be eager to show
respect for one another. ... [12] Let your hope keep you joyful, be
patient in your troubles, and pray at all times. ... [14] Ask God to
bless those who persecute you. Yes, ask God to bless, not to curse.
... [21] Do not let evil defeat you; instead, conquer evil with
good."
[From Today's English Version, with the
gender-exclusive language of the translation retained as appropriate
in addressing the five male pastors who have written the "call
to confession and repentance."]
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A major
Ghost Ranch event this summer!
July 28 - August 3, 2008
Paths toward Peace and Justice:
Spirituality, Earth-Care, and the Prophetic Word in a time of
Violence
More info >> |
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An index of
our reports
from
BECOMING NEIGHBORS:
An Invitation
to Global Discipleship
A Witherspoon conference
on global mission and justice
September 16 - 19, 2007
Louisville, Kentucky |
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Check out our report from the
Conference
on
Terror, Torture,
and Security |
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