The recent General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America featured a brief, but heated argument about the seemingly inconsequential … issue of foreign missions. Particularly, whether to receive and approve the Majority Report of the Committee on Insider Movements or whether to receive, as well, the Minority Report, written by a single committee member.... Continue Reading

Taking away PCA commissioners’ ability to debate and vote on issues in accordance with our RAO procedures destroys their trust in the underlying ecclesiastical system. Attempting to fix a vote’s outcome by changing voting order on the fly similarly erodes that same trust. Like unjust weights and balances, unjust political maneuvering should not be named... Continue Reading

If the CCB member’s interpretation is correct, and CCB is allowed to review the merits of SJC decisions, then presumably any person who loses a decision at the SJC, or any losing Presbytery, could try to persuade one of the eight members of CCB to cite the SJC in the case, asking GA to remand... Continue Reading

In 1986-1988 an ad interim committee of the General Assembly studied the issue of paedocommunion. The Assembly adopted the recommendation “That the PCA continue the practice defined in our standards and administer the Lord’s Supper ‘only to such as are of years and ability to examine themselves.’” Some Presbyteries have allowed ministers to hold to... Continue Reading

I also came away convinced we need to make some allowances at GA for our family system of suspicion. We can regret that all we want but it seems pointless to ignore it. One way is to consider a policy the Southern Baptist Convention has adopted.  At their annual meetings the SBC use a trained,... Continue Reading

My view is that the GA moderator erred in his interpretation of RAO 17-1, as advised by the Parliamentarian and supported by the General Assembly as a whole.  The rulings related to the CCB exception and on Overtures 19 and 23, when taken together, have the effect of invalidating entirely the constitutional provision in BCO... Continue Reading

In reading the critics of the Minority Report, one is left with the impression that the Minority Report is saying that Jews, Muslims, and Christians all worship the same God and therefore essentially the same faith. The Minority Report says no such thing. That is a misreading of the clear intent of the author. If... Continue Reading

Wasn’t one of the reasons for leaving the PCUS (UPC, PCUSA for some of us) because the other side had secured all the political (committee) power – and then used that to squash the ability of “our” side to even debate matters!? I can’t help but wonder, how was the behavior at this GA from... Continue Reading

It is hard to see how the minority report can change unless it becomes even more indistinct and misleading. Perhaps it can apply more camouflage to hide the fact that it thinks that Muslims can remain Muslims and not leave the mosque. No amount of assurance that syncretism is avoided or that doctrinal standards required... Continue Reading

After this year’s GA I’ve read some blogs and heard some conversations contending those who prevailed on several important matters related to judicial cases did so through less than admirable procedures.  But I’m not persuaded that’s the case.  In most instances, the important question involved constitutional compliance, not Robert’s Rules.  Here are a few examples.... Continue Reading