Hills and Plains Presbytery approved an overture at a March 5, 2022 Called Meeting, asking the 49th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America to “amend BCO 16 by adding a new paragraph using wording from the Report of the Ad Interim Committee on Human Sexuality.”

The Overture presents proposed wording to amend BCO 16 by adding a fourth paragraph using wording from the Report of the Ad Interim Committee on Human Sexuality (AIC). The overture argues that since the 48th General Assembly in 2021 voted unanimously to commend the Human Sexuality Report, it seems appropriate to ask the 49^th General Assembly to approve wording to add to BCO 16. The proposed wording provides the following:

BCO 16–4. Officers in the Presbyterian Church in America, though sound in the faith and living lives according to godliness, are well served when they can be honest about both their present fallen realities and their hope for sanctification. Their goal is not just consistent fleeing from, and regular resistance to, temptation, but the diminishment and even the end of the occurrences of sinful desires. Desires that are inconsistent with God’s design are to be resisted and mortified, not celebrated or accommodated. To juxtapose identities rooted in sinful desires alongside the term Christian is inconsistent with biblical language and undermines the spiritual reality that they are new creations in Christ. Sometimes there are disagreements about language even when the underlying doctrinal commitments seem to be the same, and how persons express themselves is not finally determinative of their identity.

An overture is a means by which a Presbytery can bring a matter to the GA for consideration. This overture will be considered by the 49th PCA General Assembly at its meeting in Birmingham, Ala., June 20-24, 2022.

OVERTURE from Hills and Plains Presbytery
“Amend BCO 16 Adding a New Paragraph Using Wording
from the Report of the Ad Interim Committee on Human Sexuality”

Whereas, the Sacred Scriptures instruct us how to walk and to please God, abstaining from sexual immorality and controlling our bodies with holiness and honor (1 Thess. 4:1–5); and

Whereas, the Apostle Paul exhorts Timothy to fight the good fight of faith and to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness (1 Tim. 6:11–12); and

Whereas, overseers must be above reproach (1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:6, 7) and holy (Titus 1:8), and well thought of by outsiders (1 Tim. 3:7); and

Whereas, deacons must be dignified (1 Tim. 3:8) and serve if they prove themselves blameless (1 Tim. 3:10); and

Whereas, the Book of Church Order declares that everyone “whom God calls to bear office in His Church . . . should be sound in the faith, and his life be according to godliness” (BCO 16-3); and

Whereas, the Ad Interim Committee on Human Sexuality of TE Dr. Bryan Chapell, TE Dr. Kevin DeYoung, TE Dr. Tim Keller, TE Dr. Jim Weidenaar, RE Dr. Derek Halvorson, RE Mr. Kyle Keating, and RE Mr. Jim Pocta, studied issues assigned to it by the 47th General Assembly in 2019; and

Whereas, the Ad Interim Committee on Human Sexuality released the Report of the Ad Interim Committee on Human Sexuality in 2020; and

Whereas, overture 38 to “Commend the Human Sexuality Report,” unanimously adopted by Calvary Presbytery, was answered in the affirmative by a show of hands at the 48th General Assembly in 2021; and

Whereas, the AIC Report says, “Christians are well-served when they can be honest about both their present fallen realities and their hope for sanctification” (p. 28); and

Whereas, the AIC Report says, “The goal is not just consistent fleeing from, and regular resistance to, temptation, but the diminishment and even the end of the occurrences of sinful desires through the reordering of the loves of one’s heart toward Christ” (p. 10); and

Whereas, the AIC Report says, “Desires that are inconsistent with God’s design are to be resisted and mortified, not celebrated or accommodated” (p. 28); and

Whereas, the AIC Report says, “To juxtapose identities rooted in sinful desires alongside the term ‘Christian’ is inconsistent with Biblical language and undermines the spiritual reality that we are new creations in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17)” (p. 11);

Whereas, the AIC Report says, “Sometimes there are disagreements about language even when the underlying doctrinal commitments seem to be the same. . . . For these reasons, how persons express themselves is not finally determinative of their identity” (p. 29);

Therefore, be it resolved that Hills and Plains Presbytery (PCA) overture the 49th General Assembly to amend the Book of Church Order chapter 16 by the addition of the following paragraph (underlining for new wording):

BCO 16–4. Officers in the Presbyterian Church in America, though sound in the faith and living lives according to godliness, are well served when they can be honest about both their present fallen realities and their hope for sanctification. Their goal is not just consistent fleeing from, and regular resistance to, temptation, but the diminishment and even the end of the occurrences of sinful desires. Desires that are inconsistent with God’s design are to be resisted and mortified, not celebrated or accommodated. To juxtapose identities rooted in sinful desires alongside the term Christian is inconsistent with biblical language and undermines the spiritual reality that they are new creations in Christ. Sometimes there are disagreements about language even when the underlying doctrinal commitments seem to be the same, and how persons express themselves is not finally determinative of their identity.

Approved by Hills and Plains Presbytery at a Called Meeting on March 5, 2022
Attested by Wesley D. Martin, Stated Clerk