We the Missouri Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in America, judge each of these allegations made against TE Greg Johnson to be untrue, namely that some of his actions (i.e., publicly identifying as a same-sex-attracted man on various occasions), views, and teachings on human sexuality are seriously out of accord with our doctrinal standards and do strike at the vitals of religion, render him unfit for the office of elder. We exonerate TE Johnson of these allegations and restore to him his good name, finding no warrant for a trial since we find no strong presumption of guilt….
Missouri Presbytery Ad Hoc Committee to Respond to Memorial Presbyterian Church
Report of Its BCO 31-2 Investigation of TE Greg Johnson
Presented to the Missouri Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in America
at its stated meeting of July 21, 2020
The following actions were taken at that meeting:
While TE Greg Johnson has, at times, neglected to do all he could to clarify the meaning of his views and teaching, nevertheless, we the Missouri Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in America, judge each of these allegations made against him to be untrue, namely that some of his actions (i.e., publicly identifying as a same-sex-attracted man on various occasions), views, and teachings on human sexuality are seriously out of accord with our doctrinal standards and do strike at the vitals of religion, render him unfit for the office of elder. We exonerate TE Johnson of these allegations and restore to him his good name, finding no warrant for a trial since we find no strong presumption of guilt that he:
MSP (Allegation #1): Denies That Same-Sex-Attraction is Sinful and Thereby Fails to Properly Distinguish Misery From the Sin Which Gives Rise to It.
MSP (Allegation #2): Compromises and Dishonors His Identity in Christ by Self-identifying as a SameSex-Attracted Man
MSP (Allegation #3): Denies God’s Purpose and Power to Sanctify SSA Believers by Minimizing the Pursuit of Orientation Change From Homosexual to Heterosexual.
MSP (Allegation #4): Cannot Meet the Biblical “Above Reproach” Qualification for the Eldership Since a) Homosexual Inclinations Are Sin Proper And Are More Heinous For Being “Against Nature,” and Since b) TE Johnson Identifies as a Homosexually-Inclined Man
MSP We are grateful for TE Greg Johnson’s acknowledgment that has not always been as careful in expressing himself in his teaching as he should have been. We hereby encourage and exhort Greg, our brother in Christ, to take great care, going forward, to qualify what ought to be qualified, and to clarify all his views when he speaks or writes, especially on the matter of sexuality; and when it is called for, to explain what he is not saying as well as what he is, especially with those who have taken offense with things he has said, or are likely to.
MSP We hereby commend TE Johnson for his commitment to the authority of God’s Word in his life and teaching for his faithful ministry to the flock of God at Memorial Presbyterian Church, and for his zeal to see unbelievers savingly encounter Jesus Christ’s love through the ministry of the Church, especially people in secular LGBT communities.
MSP We hereby declare that TE Johnson has been and remains an honorable member in good standing of Missouri Presbytery.
MSP We receive Parts 1 and 2, which are the summaries of the allegations and the arguments behind the committee’s judgments, as useful for Session study and for the perfecting of the Church’s understanding of the Scriptural teaching on sexuality and how it can be rightly applied in our 21st century setting.
Read the entire Missouri Presbytery Report here.
