What's up with the "Confessing
Church Movement"?
by Doug King, with assistance from Kent
Winters-Hazelton, Gene TeSelle, and Chris Iosso
[7-4-01]
According to reports from The Presbyterian Layman, which is
functioning as a sponsor (and by many accounts, the initiator) of the
confessing church movement, it continues to gather support. The
Layman web site reports as of June 30 that "now
exceeds more than 558 congregations representing in excess of 193,874
members." The movement was begun in western Pennsylvania in March,
first by an action of Summit Presbyterian Church in Butler, followed by
actions of other congregations.
[See
our earlier reports and comments for background on this matter.]
These congregations (or sessions, or
somebody) have signed confessions of faith that, with minor variations,
affirm salvation through Christ alone, the infallibility of the Bible
and the Christian imperative for purity, which is seen as requiring that
sexual relationships take place only within heterosexual marriage.
But there appear to be some strains within the movement.
The General Assembly created considerable distress for the confessing
church movement, as all four of the candidates for moderator - including
elder Nancy Maffett, the candidate most clearly committed to a
conservative stance - told the Assembly that they viewed the movement as
unhelpful to the Presbyterian Church, and an inappropriate way to deal
with the formulation of doctrinal stances. The candidate who spoke most
clearly in criticism of the movement, Dr. Jack Rogers, was elected on
the first ballot. [Elder Nancy Maffett has
asked us to add to what is said above.]
More recently there has been another distressing turn for the movement.
In March, urged on by Summit Church in Butler, the Presbytery of
Beaver-Butler approved a statement of faith by a vote of 46 to 42 - a
decision much heralded by the Layman. Now, however, members
of the presbytery have decided to review their action, not to do
away with a statement of faith, but to draft one by a more inclusive and
less divisive process. This may be in part that the original vote was
somewhat irregular - an item of new business added to the end of the
docket, it was ruled out of order by the Stated Clerk, who was then
overruled by the presbytery. This reconsideration may be an effort
simply to make the action more legitimate, or it may indeed be aimed at
making the action more inclusive and less divisive. It will be
interesting to observe how the presbytery deals with the newly declared
three fundamentals when they are given time for reflection and prayerful
consideration.
Finally, it appears that even some
supporters of the movement are nevertheless concerned about its
potential for division. A group of 25 "evangelical"
congregations in Beaver-Butler Presbytery has called for a National
Confessing Church Assembly to be held in 2002.
But the Rev. Jerry Cooper , whose congregation has signed a confession
of faith, has sent a
note to PresbyWeb expressing concern that the "movement"
is beginning to look like an organization, which would have a more
divisive impact and would compete with other evangelical groups that are
seeking to influence the denomination.
Finally, of course, there is the question of what all
this portends. Perhaps it's a show of force (and the great emphasis
on numbers of congregations and members seems to suggest this); for
some it is probably a declaration of conscience, similar to that of the
"dissenting congregations" over G-6; some may intend it as a
challenge to the church and specifically to the GAC, a demand that they
either sign or resign.
What will happen if they do not prevail? What if they
draw a new and more confining boundary and nobody retreats inside it?
What if there is internal dissension in the congregations or among the
leaders? (One gets the impression that this is a parade that was started
by a very few people and publicized by the Lay Committee, which many
other conservatives felt they must support but about which they have
many qualms.) [See the query from one
church member.]
If the votes at the General Assembly are an
indication, the hard-core conservatives include about 15% of the church.
Repeatedly they showed themselves more interested in drawing lines than
in finding middle ground. Eventually they will have to decide whether to
leave the church or to continue claiming that they alone, despite their
minority status, represent the authentic tradition of the church and
deserve to select its leadership and define its policies. This dilemma,
too, has clearly haunted every gathering of conservatives.
And how should others respond to the confessing
movement? Progressives and moderates have no obligation to respond to
the demands of a small pressure group. [See
below for a comment.] In the past, attempts to placate
them have led to one retreat after another, but the recent Assembly in
Louisville showed no willingness to be intimidated. That common sense
and courage may well give courage to many others.
On the numbers
game:
Some may recall the 1996 Assembly, when conservatives
came to the GA with a sack full of mail, claiming that 3,000 churches
had written in protest of the possible ordination of gays. They claimed
that these churches would leave the denomination, or at least withhold
their giving. The sack of mail was presented to the Sexuality Committee
and left in the middle of the room. After the Assembly, it was said that
someone followed up on those letters and found out that many of the
churches did not know that their names had been used, or that the
session had not approved of the letter. It may have been the pastor or a
member of the church that sent it in.
So we might wonder whether there may be similar
manipulation of the numbers here again. In at least one congregation in
Virginia, the pastor brought a statement that might have been a
confessing church statement, and told the Session he was going to sign
it. The Session responded with stony silence. Is that one of the 558
congregations?
