Rogers, Kirkpatrick reject ''apostasy'' accusation
by Jerry L. Van Marter, Presbyterian News Service
LOUISVILLE -- August 7, 2001 - In a strongly worded
letter to the board of directors of the Presbyterian Lay Committee, the
moderator and stated clerk of the General Assembly have asked the
conservative group to "reconsider" its accusation in the July
issue of The Presbyterian Layman that the 213th General
Assembly was "apostate."
The American Heritage Dictionary defines
apostasy as "an abandonment of one's religious faith, political
party, cause or principles."
An editorial in the post-Assembly issue of the
bimonthly tabloid newspaper, published by the Presbyterian Lay
Committee, pointedly refused to call the General Assembly by its name,
referring to it instead as a "Convention Center gathering."
In another column in the same issue, Presbyterian Lay
Committee chairman Robert L. Howard of Wichita, Kan., wrote: "The
Louisville conclave does not deserve to be called a General Assembly of
the Church. A Gross Aberration is more descriptive."
In their letter to the group, Rogers and Kirkpatrick
affirmed that "you certainly have the right to express disagreement
with actions of an Assembly," but told the Lay Committee that the
charge of apostasy "is clearly beyond the spirit of our ordination
vows."
The full text of the Rogers-Kirkpatrick letter,
dated Aug. 3 and also sent to commissioners to the Assembly and to
middle governing body offices :
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
We greet you in the name of our Savior and Lord, Jesus
Christ. We write you out of solemn duty as officers of the 213th General
Assembly. We write in reference to the editorial in the Presbyterian
Layman entitled "An Apostate Assembly."
The editorial reads in part:
"We declare this Convention center gathering
[213th General Assembly] an apostate assembly. We do so fully aware of
the gravity of that charge. The root word is apo-histanai. Histanai
means "to stand" and "apo" means to depart from
that stand. An apostate assembly is one that has abandoned its
religious tradition and the moral principles that emanate from it.
That is precisely what this assembly has done."
Apostasy
refers to the total repudiation and abandonment of the Christian faith.
Historically, apostasy is only declared by a church court which has
rendered a judgment only in response to the gravest of offenses in
teaching, usually by individual members, but from time to time by other
church courts or churches. When apostasy is declared, it serves as a
basis for denying the authority of the body under judgment and as the
basis for breaking Christian fellowship with its members. We do not
believe that a body like the Lay Committee, which is not a church, has
the authority to declare apostasy and would respectfully submit that
such a judgment on the 213th General Assembly is in error.
The 568 commissioners whose actions you have
unilaterally declared to be apostate began the assembly by affirming
that "Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior" during the their
initial commissioning on Sat., June 9, 2001. These commissioners were
duly elected by their presbyteries. They are ministers of Word and
Sacrament (primarily local church pastors) and elders, who serve on the
session in their local congregations. They were chosen to be
commissioners because of their distinguished and faithful service in
their presbyteries. They spent many hours in prayer and in preparation
for their work at General Assembly. While at the assembly, they engaged
in daily worship and in private devotions. During the plenary sessions
they sang with enthusiasm the great hymns of the church, recited our
historic confessions, and a holy quiet descended upon the hall when they
were called to prayer. These ministers and elders, men and women, young
and old, sought to discern the mind of Christ and to represent their
fellow Presbyterians well and faithfully. There is no evidence that they
sought to abandon their faith or their moral principles. Your editorial
suggests two reasons that the 213th General Assembly was apostate:
In its action on salvation through Jesus Christ the
assembly declared:
"We confess the unique authority of Jesus
Christ as Lord. Every other authority is finally subject to Christ.
Jesus is also uniquely Savior. It is his life, death, resurrection,
ascension and final return that restores creation, providing salvation
for all those whom God has chosen to redeem. Although we do not know
the limits of God's grace and pray for the salvation of those who may
never come to know Christ, for us the assurance of salvation is found
only in confessing Christ and trusting Him alone. We are humbled in
our witness to Christ by our realization that our understanding of him
and his way is limited and distorted by our sin. Still the
transforming power of Christ in our lives compels us to make Christ
known to others."
While one may have preferred different language to
affirm the teaching of Scripture about Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior,
it is simply not appropriate to equate the General Assembly's statement
on salvation in Jesus Christ as a repudiation of the Christian faith.
The second action that you cite, the proposal to amend
G-6.0106, is certainly an action which many faithful Presbyterians
believe is contrary to God's will, but it cannot constitute apostasy.
This provision only became part of the Form of Government in 1997, and
no one would suggest that the church was apostate for all the years
prior to the adoption of this particular Constitutional revision. It
should also be noted that the assembly did not take final action on this
matter. That can only be done with the affirmative vote of a majority of
the presbyteries on the proposed constitutional amendment.
In our ordination vows we promise to be governed by
our church's polity, abide by its discipline, and be a friend among our
colleagues in ministry, working with them, subject to the ordering of
God's Word and Spirit. (G-14.0207). The right to disagree with the
actions of a General Assembly and to seek to change such policies is a
fundamental principle of Presbyterian governance. It is also an
established constitutional truth that "all councils may err."
(G-1.0307). You certainly have the right to express disagreement with
actions of an Assembly and to work through duly constituted governing
bodies to change them. However, to imply the abandonment of Christian
faith and to presume to make solemn declarations of apostasy on faithful
ministers and elders duly elected to serve as commissioners by their
presbyteries is clearly beyond the spirit of our ordination vows.
We urge you to reconsider your charge of apostasy on
the 213th General Assembly and the ministers and elders who served as
its commissioners.
May God's richest blessings be with you!
In His Service,
Rev. Jack Rogers,
Moderator of the 213th General Assembly
Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick,
Stated Clerk of the General Assembly
cc: Commissioners to the 213th General Assembly
