Executive presbyter
raises questions about Detterick statements
The following note was first shared on the
WITHERSPOON MEMBERS meeting on PresbyNet. The author has given
permission for us to share it with the wider audience on the Web. Our
thanks for his cooperation!
Dennis Maher is Executive Presbyter and Stated Clerk of Great Rivers
Presbytery.
11-14-00
Dean and other Witherspooners:
Some of us EPs and Stated Clerks are concerned about
the recent statements of John Detterick (at least as reported in News
Briefs, and of course, by the Layman).
One has written:
"It makes me very anxious when the best and
brightest minds of our denomination gathered as the executive
committee of the General Assembly Council, our most powerful national
mission entity, attempt to speak with a voice that up to this point
has been reserved to the Assembly itself. I don't believe it is within
the power of the executive committee of the General Assembly Council
"...to clarify matters by stating clearly the confessional stance
of the church..." The council and executive committee have
enormous power to do many administrative things -- all assigned and
approved by the assembly. But it is not the prerogative of the
executive committee to instruct the church or the world or an
individual congregation on the church's theology.
I think it is a danger to the whole when the
executive committee of the Council arrogates to itself the power to
interpret, "clarify", theological documents of the General
Assembly and Confessional documents adopted by the assembly and the
presbyteries. In the strictest, most conservative sense these
documents speak for themselves."
I replied as follows:
It sounds to me as if John is dangerously close to
denying Dirk's right to preach what he did. If this is the case, John
threatens every minister in the denomination! If GAC were to examine
every speaker for a GA sponsored event, isn't that censorship?
I read Dirk's sermon and didn't see anything in it
that I or several thousand other PCUSA ministers might not say. Let's
face it -- the Coalition leaders don't like any of the major theologians
of the 19th and 20th century. Which leaves us in the 18th century.
We need to ask John and Cliff to clarify these issues
in San Antonio this week....
Denny Maher, Delavan IL
