Whereas, the BSA has now in principle and practice placed homosexuality, bisexuality and transgender-ism as normative by requiring those affirming such “orientations” and behavioral “preference” as qualified for membership within the BSA thereby creating conflict for the ministry of Briarwood Presbyterian Church

Briarwood Presbyterian Church has been placed in an unsought position of responding to the change of Troop membership standards established by a consensus majority vote of the BSA national Council. A key element of the change is contained in the following approved statement from the Resolution.

…no youth may be denied membership in the Boy Scouts of America on the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone.

This issue was addressed by our Session at the June 25 meeting in response to a recommendation from the youth and adult leadership teams from Troop 254 at Briarwood whereby they unanimously recommended that BPC through the Session consider severing its relationship with the Boy Scouts of America. After due diligence, prayer and discussion the Session unanimously voted to sever the 52 year old BPC relationship with the BSA through Troop 254 by the end of this year and that its Resolution be recorded with their rationale and then spread upon the minutes of the Session as well as announced to the congregation and publicly.

THE BRIARWOOD PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH SESSIONAL RESOLUTION WITH RATIONALE CONCERNING SEVERING ITS CHARTERED RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA

RATIONALE

Whereas, the actions of the BSA concerning its change of membership standards effectively and functionally alters its affirmation of the historic Judeo-Christian ethic affirming sexuality as a gift from God reserved for its Divinely designed blessing within the bounds of a heterosexual, monogamous marital relationship and,

Whereas, the Word of God requires Briarwood Presbyterian Church to oppose all sin including all forms of sexual immorality including homosexuality, bisexuality and transgender-ism and,

Whereas, the Scout Oath affirming a Scouts “duty to God” has now been compromised by abandoning the revealed Law of God affirming sexuality as a relationship of intimacy reserved for a heterosexual, marital monogamous relationship and,

Whereas, the Scout Oath affirming a Scouts commitment to be “morally straight” has also been compromised for the reasons stated above and furthermore, this element of the Scout Oath has now been redefined and rendered meaningless in terms of sexual morality and,

 Whereas, the BSA has now in principle and practice placed homosexuality, bisexuality and transgender-ism as normative by requiring those affirming such “orientations” and behavioral “preference” as qualified for membership within the BSA thereby creating conflict for the ministry of Briarwood Presbyterian Church since all other ministries of BPC oppose such sexual behavior as immoral, calling for repentance of such sexual behavior through the forgiving and transforming power of the Gospel; a position and practice which would now be effectively prohibited in the BSA by the changed membership standards and,

Whereas, the BSA has rendered its commitment to produce young men of virtue and principled leadership unattainable by its embracing sexually immoral and abnormal behaviors as normative and therefore calling good and acceptable what God calls evil and destructive and,

Whereas, the BSA has, in effect, betrayed the model of principled leadership by practicing compromised leadership through succumbing to financial threats of already compromised corporate leaders and,

Whereas, it is obvious that the compromise of accepting as normative sexually immoral and abnormal behavior for membership in the BSA will inevitably and necessarily lead to the same compromise concerning BSA Troop adult leadership standards as it is now logically and legally untenable to accept sexually immoral and abnormal behavior as normative for Troop membership but reject it when the Scout grows to adulthood and desires to participate in the leadership; as well as the inevitable pressure to provide homosexual, bisexual and transgender leaders for the Scouts who claim to have such “orientations” and “preferences” and,

Whereas, the BSA in effect by its membership change has embraced the untenable, unbiblical, unscientific contemporary myth and proposition that sexually immoral behavior is genetically-determined and,

Whereas, Briarwood’s ministry to boys and young men who are struggling with issues of sexuality does not and for the sake of these boys and young men must not require affirming as acceptable what is not only unacceptable but destructive and,

Whereas, to love and accept people in general and those dealing with sexually immoral and abnormal confusion, tendencies, or questions is not enhanced and in fact is hindered by the deceitful myth that one must accept or affirm their sexually immoral or aberrant behavior in order to minister to them effectively (for instance; to love, accept and affirm a young man struggling with sexual immorality exhibited by practicing heterosexual promiscuity does not require BPC to affirm and/or accept heterosexual promiscuity as normative no matter how much the young man might insist he cannot help himself); and furthermore, since homosexuality is ultimately sexually immoral, destructive and aberrant; and since it cannot be treated as normative or genetically determined with integrity; and furthermore, it would be cruel and deceitful to treat sexually immoral behavior as acceptable in the name of love; therefore, it is the responsibility of Christians and the Christian church in every ministry and in every relationship to “speak the truth in love” since “to speak truth without love is cruelty and to love without truth is barbarity.”

Whereas, Christians and Christian ministry must also intentionally reject another popular myth which is the notion that tolerance is a virtue; when in fact tolerance is the last refuge of the cowardly, arrogant, bigoted and self-righteous since it is fundamentally patronizing and demeaning; instead BPC must embrace our Lord’s command to love others intentionally and personally with courage, compassion and humility; in other words we do not choose to tolerate people, we must choose to love them intentionally, relentlessly and personally; and we must not tolerate sin since it kills and destroys; and furthermore, we must not tolerate people since such toleration is demeaning; therefore, as sinners saved by grace we must love as we have been loved, as we are loved and even more specifically as Christ loves us and with Christ’s love to others by exposing sin and by exalting Christ who is Lord and Savior as revealed in the Good News of God’s grace which announces that Christ freely forgives sinners who come to Him by faith and repentance because He has paid for their sins on the Cross and also because He will transform sinners by the power of His marvelous grace; in other words, Christ “takes away our sins” and Christ takes us away from our sins; and even more gloriously Christ delights to save any and all sinners including homosexuals who, like all of us, are so easily seduced by the deceptive idolatry of sin and its addictions in general and by addictive sexual sins in particular and,

Whereas, the ministry of Briarwood Presbyterian Church to youth is multi-faceted and must be ethically consistent and since Biblical sexual ethics are consistently implemented in the multiple venues of its youth ministries  (i.e. Briarwood High School, BYG high school youth ministry, 56 Club, Raiders junior high ministry, Pioneer Clubs, Sunday School, Children’s worship, etc.) it would be unbiblical, illogical and deceitful to compromise by continuing Troop 254 under the new untenable and ultimately life-destroying membership standards and its inevitable future compromises and,

Whereas, there are other ministries which are existing or in process of development that would allow Briarwood to provide or consider providing a ministry to boys and young men using the historic BSA profile of camping, manhood, practical training, etc. and,

Whereas, there is a desire to seek, explore and implement a scouting ministry for boys with a fully uncompromised commitment to manly and virtuous character including the BSA historic oath affirming an unreserved vow to be “morally straight” affirming the Judeo-Christian ethic of sexuality as a gift of God to be enjoyed in the context of a monogamous, heterosexual marital relationship.

Therefore be it resolved, that the Briarwood Session for the sake of Gospel faithfulness and the ministry of grace and truth with heart-felt remorse in light of our historic and mutually beneficial relationship with BSA, yet constrained and motivated by the love of Christ, a desire to be faithful to God’s Word and the full confidence of God’s good and never failing Providence will sever its chartered relationship with the Boy Scouts of America and will also commit to continue to pray for our Lord to do a work of grace allowing the National Leadership of the Boy Scouts of America to repent of their recent and pending actions embracing sexual anarchy and leadership compromise under duress thereby returning to their historic commitment to do their “duty to God” and train young men to be “morally straight” and,

Furthermore be it resolved, that the Briarwood Session will continue its Gospel ministry of saving grace to boys and young men no matter what issues they are addressing in life including the issues of sexuality by “speaking the truth in love” through a Gospel message of grace and truth marked by clarity and conviction as well as a Gospel ministry of love and mercy manifested with compassion and courage and,

Furthermore be it resolved, the Briarwood Session will not only continue its multi-faceted Gospel ministry to youth in general and young men and boys in particular but will also continue to prayerfully and diligently consider future options for a consistent and effective ministry to boys and young men through a Christ-centered, Gospel-consistent and Holy Spirit-honoring scouting ministry and,

Furthermore be it resolved, that the ultimate desire of the Session of Briarwood Presbyterian Church is that the Triune God of Glory will be glorified and the Kingdom of God advanced and expanded through all of the ministries of Briarwood Presbyterian Church thereby remaining faithful to its Biblical mission and ministries….

“For God’s glory Briarwood is committed to equipping Christians to worship God and to reach Birmingham to reach the world for Christ.”

We do so affirm on this date, June 25, in the year of our Lord, 2013AD, the Session of Briarwood Presbyterian Church.

Harry L. Reeder, III

Moderator and Senior Pastor of the Briarwood Presbyterian Session and Church

Matthew R. Moore

Stated Clerk of the Briarwood Presbyterian Church Session

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