I did not know anything about reformed theology when I first came to the PCA in 1998. What I did know, after spending the first five years after my baptism in the Episcopal Church, was that I was not being fed with the whole counsel of the Word of God. Some friends convinced me that one of the PCA churches in Austin would do that.
They were right. And it did not take too much feeding and shepherding to convinced me that not only was I in the right church but also in the right denomination. I remember being comforted about not having to worry about where to go to church during my travels; I just needed to find the closest PCA church to be assured of sound preaching (though perhaps not weekly communion).
There came a point, however, where discussions in my church led me to look more closely at my denomination. When I did, I was shocked. For much of time I had been in the PCA, our General Assembly, permanent committees, and denominational agencies had been doing what had caused me to leave the Episcopal Church–allowing the pressure of the culture around us to undermine faithful exegesis, preaching, and application of God’s Word.
Struggles in the PCA’s Hierarchy
The point I’d like to focus on here is that the PCA’s struggles with the culture often manifests itself when our pastors and ruling elders function within the PCA’s hierarchy rather than in their roles as shepherds in the local church.
This is not to say that worldliness cannot and does not seep into the local church and affect members as well as elders. It is just that pastors and elders who are buying into critical race theory, white supremacy, egalitarianism, etc. can reinforce each other’s efforts at presbytery meetings, committee meetings, and general assemblies: “I know it is difficult to change the racist/misogynistic perspective of some of your congregants, but you are doing the right thing. Be steadfast.”
In recent years, the reinforcement mechanisms of the PCA’s hierarchy have become more public than ever, moving beyond private conversations and the adoption of overtures and reports at General Assembly.
For instance, the 2016 publication of Heal Us, Emmanuel, a book of collected writings by PCA elders, offered mutual support to elders who agree with statements like, “White people can easily not see how our backgrounds, cultural circumstances, and the issues of the day shape how we read, interpret, and apply Scripture.”
In 2019, the reinforcement of the “progressive” element in the PCA took the form of the PCA protesting against Pastor Steven Warhurst’ General Assembly floor speech–calling it intemperate–because he espoused the belief that the gay community’s self-identification as sexual minorities is an attempt to deceive Christians about the sinfulness of homosexuality. There were 450 elders at GA that supported the parliamentary maneuvering to do this and 203 elders who actually signed the protest against Warhurst’s speech.
Then, over the last year or so, semi-anonymous public letters posted to websites have served this same purpose. In June last year, PCA agency presidents and permanent committee coordinators published an unsigned letter “in light of the heinous killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and the systemic mistreatment of so many other people of color.” And just in the last couple of weeks much of the talk about the PCA’s 48th General Assembly is centered on the “Open Letter” signed by close to 700 teaching and ruling elders and the “moderators letter” signed by 15 former GA moderators.
From Support to Silence
One unfortunate aspect of the letters and the 2019 protest is that they are not only being used to support those who agree with the authors but also as an attempt to silence those who disagree with them. That is obvious in the case of Pastor Warhurst; a number of commenters have written on this aspect of the recent letters as well.
For instance, in his “Response to the ‘Open Letter,'” Pastor Jon Payne wrote:
Church history is chalked full of controversy because doctrinal error and seductive heresies are like weeds in a garden. They’re always popping up in one form or another. In the age of blogs and social media the weeds of doctrinal error grow and spread faster than ever. Indeed, an online article, post, or tweet disseminating error, confusion, or falsehood can potentially be on hundreds or even thousands of screens in a short period of time. In many cases this makes public response prudent and imperative. It would appear from the Open Letter that the authors and signatories might disagree with me on this point, except for the fact that the letter is, well, public. They entered their letter into the fray of controversy. I’m not bothered by their desire to do so, just that they don’t want others to have the same privilege.
Similarly, Pastor Stephen Spinnenweber points out the use of a “straw man” in the Open Letter (OL) to accuse those who disagree with them of being extreme:
One of the leading concerns of the OL appears to be the use of “extreme examples” by the opposite side that “ignite alarm and enflame passions among brothers.” This desire to avoid “extremes” is a recurring theme throughout the letter. … However, despite the repeated calls to avoid setting up straw men and to avoid extremes, the OL’s focus on homosexual practice exclusively and failure to address the matter of same-sex attraction at all, functionally set up a straw man.
It is fascinating–though distressing–to see the progressive element’s rhetoric heating up over the one issue we thought we could all agree on–homosexuality. Though there will be a number of important issues dealt with in this year’s General Assembly in St. Louis, the elephant in the room is whether the PCA should continue to allow an openly gay man to be an ordained minister of God’s Word.
Not that one would know this by reading the recently posted letters or having conversations with a number of our elders. They hem and haw, and throw out words like “practicing” and “celibate.” Anything to avoid dealing with the fact that a man who has said, on the floor of the General Assembly, “I knew I was gay at age 11,” “I am 46 years old and still same-sex attracted,” and “when I read Article 7 of the Nashville Statement, it hurts, because Article 7 says it is a sin to adopt a homosexual self conception” is ordained in the PCA.
We can all love this man and with joy walk with him in his struggles as a Christian, but this does not mean he should be a man under authority preaching the gospel in our denomination. And making this point does not mean, as the Open Letter suggests, that “we [are] speak[ing] in extremes, in order to press a position, [such that] we hurt those we love, and do damage to our Witness.”
Comfort for Members in Local Congregations
I write about the challenges in the PCA to bring the voice of a lay member to debates dominated by elders. Of course, we expect elders to lead this conversation because they are called and ordained to lead us. Yet this leadership does not take place only in high church councils. These are the men who preach to us, teach us, baptize our children, counsel us on our marriages, discipline us, and eat in our homes. And the worldliness and efforts to quiet opposition of some of them find their way into our local churches and homes as well.
God calls these men to the ministry, but we elect them to their offices. Those of us concerned about the PCA’s drift toward worldliness have an important role to play in returning our denomination to sound biblical orthodoxy on creation, race, men and women, sexuality, etc. In particular, we can encourage each other and reinforce our efforts in the face of being labeled angry, divisive, or extreme in our local churches.
Lest I turn this into a “get out the vote” effort, though, let me finish by reminding us that one of the most important weapons in our arsenal for this battle is faithful prayer. Perhaps a prayer like this:
Father, we find comfort in you and Your Word. As we grow weary of the debates and struggles in our churches and denominations, please help us to remember that as your Word goes out from your mouth, it shall not return to you empty, but it shall accomplish that which you purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which you sent it. Let this be true not just in the world at large, but also in the Presbyterian Church in America. In the name of your Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
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