First on the plate is the false promise of universalism. Gone is the Calvinist doctrine of Limited Atonement, the “L” in T.U.L.I.P., which tells us that Christ’s death was a substitutionary endurance of the penalty of sin for the elect, and that Christ’s redeeming work was intended to save those whom God the Father had given Jesus Christ the Son. Instead, nFOG misleadingly promises that God “redeems … all things and all people.”

The island of Guam is infested with snakes. Inadvertently introduced to the island after hitching a ride on ships during World War II, and lacking a natural predator, the snakes have thrived.

To rid the island of the invasive brown tree snakes, which no one seems to want, dead mice packed with aspirin have been airdropped into the jungle canopy. The plan is simple: the snakes eat the aspirin-packed mice, go into a coma and die. Apparently brown tree snakes like mice, but the drug which cures headaches in humans kills the snakes. It’s the classic “poison pill.”

In legal terms, a “poison pill” is a defensive device built into a corporate structure to deter hostile takeovers. While varying in form, the basic idea is that when a change in control is in the works, the corporation to be taken over is burdened with heavy financial obligations which make the takeover less appealing.

In nFOG, (proposed New Form of Government) the Presbyterian Church (USA) has offered up its own version of the poison pill. The amendment contains elements of both the legal plan and the snake-plan. Embedded like aspirin in the mice, and triggered by a change of control like the corporate version, several things will happen if the presbyteries vote to digest the nFOG: Power structures will change, hierarchies will be strengthened, congregations will be disempowered and the denomination that once was – will be gone.

The nFOG seeks to change the basic corporate structure of the church – taking it from a presbyterial system to a much more hierarchical one. Gone will be the elegant balance of presbyters from the local churches gathering to discern God’s will, and in its place will be mandated openness to ideas that fundamentally undermine the church’s faith and theology.

The change is so great, yet subtly stated, that even the permissive powers of the particular church are replaced with expressly limiting language. The similarity is no doubt designed to appease or confuse the casual reader. Compare, for example, the current G-7.0304 which states that “Business to be transacted at meetings of the congregation shall include … matters related to the permissive powers of a congregation …” with the proposed nFOG’s version: “Business to be transacted at meetings of the congregation shall be limited to [a short list].”2 There are no permissive powers listed for a congregation in nFOG.

Forrest A. Norman III is a member of Hudson Presbyterian Church (EPC) in Hudson, Ohio. He is chairman of the Board of Directors and chief executive officer of the Presbyterian Lay Committee.

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