Overture 15 Is Dead – Should We Now Leave the PCA?
Overture 15 would have codified the position that Side B homosexuals will not be allowed to be ordained as officers in the PCA.
For numerous reasons it is my belief that now is not the time to leave the PCA, and I would encourage churches and teaching elders contemplating such action to stay and “fight the good fight.” I would encourage more churches to become actively involved in both their presbyteries and at the General Assembly level. The... Continue Reading
Concerning Professions of Public Orthodoxy: A Somber Reflection Occasioned by the Recent Stover-Semper Ref Controversy
What was the end result of Missouri’s debating and investigating of Revoice and Memorial? They accomplished nothing beneficial, at least as far as the PCA as a whole is concerned.
In sum, LeCroy was wrong and did well to retract his claims and apologize, and Stover was right to publicly oppose him. But in the process he stumbled and suggested things are more hopeful than they are just now. For it is written that we will know men by their fruits (Matt. 7:15-20), and who... Continue Reading
Overture 15 Has Failed. It’s Time to Reconsider the Nature of the Debate
Who decides what temptations are disqualifying for church office? Temptations to do what is contrary to nature and to do what is so displeasing to God ought to be deemed disqualifying.
Under both the old and new covenants God has denied people office (and sometimes more) on account of things that are outside of their conscious control. Why? Because the offices in question belong to God and he may give them or forbid them to whomever he pleases for whatever reasons he pleases. That is inherent... Continue Reading
Overture 9 from Arizona Presbytery Asks the 50th PCA GA to Amend BCO 7 By Adding a New Paragraph
Arizona Presbytery asks the 50th PCA General Assembly to “Amend BCO 7 to Codify the Biblical Standard for Church Officers Related to Human Sexuality”
Arizona Presbytery approved an overture at its January 19,2023 meeting, asking the 50th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America to “Amend BCO 7 to Codify the Biblical Standard for Church Officers Related to Human Sexuality” In 2022, the 49th General Assembly (GA) of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) , approved sending... Continue Reading
Update on Votes on PCA Book of Church Order Amendments: Overtures 8 and 15 Have Failed
Overture 15, disqualifying from church office men who describe themselves as homosexuals, and Overture 8, on higher courts assuming original jurisdiction, failed to receive approval of 2/3 of the presbyteries.
As of February 4, 2023, at least 69 presbyteries have voted and the results thus far indicate that ten of the proposed amendments have received the necessary approval 2/3 of presbyteries, receiving at least 59 presbyteries voting in favor. Two of the amendments were not approved, with Overture 15 garnering approval from 57% of the... Continue Reading
Comparing the Minority Report on Overture 15’s Signers and Presbytery Votes
Comparing the presbytery votes on Overture 15 with the signers of the Minority Report on O15 at General Assembly.
Patterns of voting on O15 indicate a divide between how REs and TEs, broadly speaking, view O15. If ever there has been a clarion call for ruling elders in the PCA to be engaged in their sessions, presbyteries, and at General Assembly, it is now. Recently, I shared my analysis comparing Overture 15’s dissenters to... Continue Reading
Worship, Polity, & the PCA
The state of worship in the Presbyterian Church in America is arguably better than it has ever been, at least as far as liturgy goes.
All is not well in the way worship is conducted in the PCA. Even as observance of the Lord’s Supper becomes more frequent in our churches, it seems that errors in its conduct multiply. These include the bizarre and biblically-unfounded practice of intinction (where the bread is dipped in wine and the two actions of... Continue Reading
Comparing Overture 15’s Dissenters to Presbytery Votes
Comparing the votes in presbyteries on the Overture 15 amendment with the votes of GA commissioners who recorded their negative votes.
To date (January 25, 2023), 51 presbyteries have voted on Overture 15, with 30 voting to pass and 21 voting not to pass, under the two-thirds threshold to bring the amendment to the floor of the 50th General Assembly. Overture 15 has passed in 81 percent of the presbyteries without a dissenting commissioner (17-4), while... Continue Reading
Support of Overture 15: Amending the PCA’s Book of Church Order on Qualifications for Church Office
The most basic, fundamental biblical qualification for the offices of both elder and deacon is that a man must be found blameless.
We do no favors to the members of our churches, nor to those men themselves who are entangled in the sin of homosexuality, when we allow such men to be ordained to office in the church, contrary to our Lord’s appointment. It behooves us, then, for the sake of everyone involved, for the purity and... Continue Reading
Overture 29 Points to the Need for Overture 15
How can Overture 29 deal with the Side B problem in the PCA, if our Confession and BCO have not?
What is missing from our Confession therefore isn’t something in Overture 29, but something that neither the Westminster Divines nor the founders of the PCA could have conceived of, namely the adoption of a homosexual self-conception. We would be good to remember that Former PCA Pastor Greg Johnson objected to Article 7 of the Nashville... Continue Reading
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