Memorial Presbyterian Church Votes to Leave PCA
At a congregational meeting on Friday, Nov. 18, 2022, 92% of the congregation of Memorial Presbyterian Church of St. Louis voted to withdraw from the PCA.
The attacks cited by the Memorial session relate to criticism Memorial and Johnson have received since hosting the controversial 2018 Revoice conference; Revoice is an organization created to support Christians who experience same-sex attraction while upholding the historic Christian teaching about marriage and sexuality. At a congregational meeting on Friday, Nov. 18, 2022, 92%... Continue Reading
2022 Proposals: The Case for Item 6 & Against Item 11
Item 6 deals with suspending someone’s rights before the completion of his judicial process. Item 11 deals with suspending someone’s rights after the completion of his judicial process in the lower court, but while the decision is under appeal.
Item 6 proposes a change that would better bring the rights of the various parties into balance by requiring a 2/3 vote to suspend the rights of someone who has been accused, but not yet found guilty. Item 11, on the other hand, would have the opposite effect. Requiring a 2/3 vote to suspend someone... Continue Reading
Where Is There Side B in the PCA?
Competing claims: The PCA has always been Side B vs. Side B isn’t happening in the PCA.
Throughout this time many in the PCA have publicly promoted Revoice while at the same time claiming that Side B does not exist within the denomination. They have said that rather than change our Constitution to address a non-existent issue that we should make use of the AIC Report on Human Sexuality because it gives... Continue Reading
Does the PCA Ordain Homosexuals? Well, “Yes, But” or “No, But”
The addition of Overture 15 is (1) appropriate (2) needed; (3) addresses an unavoidable issue; and (4) failing to approve it will perpetuate one problem and create another.
When asked, “Does the PCA ordain homosexuals?” we cannot say, “We can neither confirm nor deny that the PCA ordains homosexuals.” We must either say, “Yes, the PCA ordains homosexuals, but men must claim celibacy from homosexual conduct in order to ordained,” or we will say, “No, but there may be men who count that... Continue Reading
How PCA Complaints Work: Against BCO Amendment Item 12
Item 12 is an amendment to BCO 43 that would require complaints be filed 10 days before a meeting of the court alleged to be in error.
For the sake of argument, even if we grant that the lower court’s procedure should mirror that of the higher court, this amendment misses the mark. Instead of adding a filing deadline, chapter 43 of the BCO ought to be upended and rewritten, particularly adding the complainant’s right to appear and present an argument to... Continue Reading
Against Overture 8
Overture 8 proposes amending BCO 33-1 and 34-1. Both of these paragraphs concern the jurisdiction of church courts in matters of church discipline.
Raising the threshold for assumption of original jurisdiction from 2 (2) Presbyteries to 10% of Presbyteries has the potential both to prevent and to pervert justice in church courts. By raising the threshold to 10%, nine (9) Presbyteries would have to request assumption of original jurisdiction. This represents a five-fold increase, and it makes BCO... Continue Reading
Two Final Pleas As PCA Presbyteries Vote on the Proposed BCO Amendments
Presbyters are urged to voted in favor of Item 1 and against Item 7
Regarding Item 1: No one is doubting the integrity of a man’s self-description. We believe he rightly owns that description. We believe he is a man of integrity. The major point is whether such a man is eligible to serve as an officer in the PCA. Regarding Item 7: It’s already difficult to get 2... Continue Reading
Researching the Rationales of PCAGA49’s Proposed BCO Amendments
To help recall some of the original arguments in support of these amendments, here is a list of links to the original overtures as submitted by their respective Presbyteries.
We submit this resource with two important caveats. First, many of these proposals from the Presbyteries were amended — and a few almost entirely rewritten — in the Overtures Committee. While the “whereas” statements in the initial forms may help presbyters to remember the original reasons for the amendments, they do not speak to the... Continue Reading
PCA Members Should Speak Out on Overture 15
I believe the failure of the PCA to include the language of Overture 15 in the BCO will be harmful to the peace and purity of the PCA.
One action our denomination can take now is by making it clear to the world, our presbyteries, and our churches through Overture 15 that men who define themselves as homosexual cannot be elders in our denomination. Perhaps even more important is that we make this strong statement to our members, church courts, the world,... Continue Reading
Why the PCA Needs Overture 15
The strength of the BCO language addition proposed by O15 is its clarity and brevity.
The language of O29 and O31 are welcome additions to the BCO. However, they are insufficient. They do not address the issue before us, which is whether a church officer may describe himself as “homosexual.” The proposal put forward by O15 clearly says no. Officers who struggle with same-sex attraction are not “gay” or “homosexual,”... Continue Reading
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