Call to Confession text

"Call to confession" ... the text

A call to confession and repentance

Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ ... But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, "In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions. It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life (Jude 3-4, 17-21).

In the name of Jesus Christ, we call the Presbyterian Church (USA) to confession and repentance.

The Presbyterian Church (USA) is decaying and dying in the belly of the beast (Revelation 13:1-8) and is irretrievably apostate under current management. Because we have abandoned our first love, our lampstand is flickering, fading, and failing (Revelation 2:5). Talk of renewal is ludicrous because our denomination is desperate for rebirth through confession and repentance.

We are appalled at our denomination's failure to proclaim without equivocation and enthusiasm:

Jesus Christ is Lord, God's only Son and our only Savior;

	The Bible is the inspired and authoritative Word of God;
	We are called to holiness as exemplified in Jesus and explained in the Bible.

We are appalled at the deliberate and partisan defiance of our constitution in recent judicial decisions and bureaucratic infidelities. This is an affront to the holiness of God Almighty and an insult to those of us who honor our confessional, constitutional, and connectional relationship as Presbyterians.

We believe the current management of the Presbyterian Church (USA) is responsible for this decay, death, and apostasy. Therefore, we:

	Call for the immediate removal of any unrepentant Stated Clerk who fails to apply the constitution with consistency and without prejudice and who fails to honor the responsibilities of the office.
	Call for our Stated Clerk, Clifton Kirkpatrick, to make certain that all clergy, elders, deacons, and governing bodies who defy our constitution are immediately removed from office.
	Call for our Stated Clerk, Clifton Kirkpatrick, to direct Central Florida Presbytery to receive The Rev. Carmen Fowler as a member of Central Florida Presbytery, to serve as Executive Director of the Presbyterian Coalition and Parish Associate at First Presbyterian Church, Orlando.
	Call for our Stated Clerk, Clifton Kirkpatrick, to press charges against Hudson River Presbytery for the purpose of forcing them to repay the $110,000 extorted from the Circleville Presbyterian Church, which they were required to pay in order to leave our denomination with property.
	Call for our Stated Clerk, Clifton Kirkpatrick, to begin disciplinary proceedings against the pastor and session of First Presbyterian Church, Yorktown Heights, NY, for hosting and conducting poly-theistic worship services in the sanctuary.
	Call for our Stated Clerk, Clifton Kirkpatrick, to press charges against any officer or governing body which defies our constitution.
	Call for our Stated Clerk, Clifton Kirkpatrick, to direct the General Assembly Council and employees of the Presbyterian Church (USA) to adhere to all mandates directed to them by any General Assembly.
	Call for our Stated Clerk, Clifton Kirkpatrick, to direct the Curriculum Publishing Unit to revise, immediately, the Human Sexuality curriculum as mandated by the Fort Worth meeting of the General Assembly.
	Call for the next General Assembly to condemn partial birth abortions.

We believe our denominational leadership will respond to apostasy only when there is a financial crisis. We no longer support feeding the beast. Therefore, we call all churches that wish to be part of the faithful remnant of the Presbyterian Church, USA, to:

	Refrain from giving un-designated mission money to any governing body of the denomination;
	Redirect voluntary Per Capita gifts from any governing body which tolerates defiance of our constitution and to direct these funds to ministries faithfully engaged in God's ministry of compassion;
	Use their financial resources to support worship, evangelism, and mission which is in accordance with the will of God as exemplified in Jesus, explained in the Bible, and upheld by our constitution, and;
	Remain within the denomination while refusing to fund any work of the denomination, which is antithetical to the will of God.

Since we are languishing in decay, death, and apostasy because of our ever-growing and deepening spiritual malaise, we call the faithful:

	To engage in a season of prayer, confession, and repentance commencing with World Communion Sunday, October 6, 2002 and concluding on Easter Day, April 20, 2003, and;
	To remain with the denomination as the salt that stings to heal, exposing apostasy while praying and laboring for rebirth through confession and repentance.

Finally, grievously aware of our own sins, we confess our collaborations in activities, which have contributed to this spiritual, confessional, and constitutional crisis of the denomination. We ask our Lord's forgiveness for our past silence and for too many years of denying Him.

We commit ourselves to praying for and witnessing to the rebirth of our denomination "so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:10-11).

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.

We cannot recant what we have spoken.

May God help us!

This is the solemn pronouncement of the one who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: 'I know your deeds, that you have a reputation that you are alive, but in reality you are dead. Wake up then, and strengthen what remains that was about to die, because I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Therefore, remember what you received and heard, and obey it, and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will never know at what hour I will come against you. (Revelation 3:1-3)

The Rev Dr. Howard Edington, Orlando, FL email

The Rev L Rus Howard, Pittsburgh, PA email

The Rev Dr. Robert Kopp, Rockford, IL email

The Rev Paul Roberts, Butler, PA email

The Rev James C Yearsley, Pittsburgh, PA email