“Theological
integrity is the biggest issue facing the Presbyterian Church (USA)
today,” the newest member of the board of directors of the
Presbyterian Lay Committee says.
Forrest A. Norman III
Forrest A. Norman III said that “the way relativism has
permeated the theology of far too much of the denomination is not
faithful to the traditions of Presbyterians, not faithful to the Bible
and, while the theological liberals seem to come by this honestly and
have a true conviction of what they believe, it does stray from the
faith handed down by the Apostolic tradition.”
“Sadly,” he said, “it seems that the PCUSA has placed
more emphasis on academic re-interpretation than on the exploration of
faith. The consequences are clearly evidenced in the declining
membership faced by the PCUSA. For the faith to stand strong, it must
stand on God’s Word without compromise.”
“We need to have a major realignment along theological lines and
not along denominational lines,” Norman said. “It makes no
sense for churches to be bound together without theological unity.”
He said he was born into the Presbyterian Church, but raised in the
United Church of Christ. Norman said it was as a teen, while attending
an Assemblies of God church, that he “heard the gospel preached for
the first time where it made sense.”
Later, after service as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, Norman
said he felt his faith reinvigorated. He left the UCC as it “slipped
away from its Biblical heritage” and attended various churches. “The
interesting thing during this faith journey was that God was always
calling to me and I was trying to respond, but not always in the right
ways.”
Norman said he “found a minister strong in the Word and
well-founded.” Despite concerns over the denomination, Norman said
it was “the faith expressed by the congregation and the pastor”
that brought him back to Presbyterianism. A member of Hudson
Presbyterian Church in Hudson, Ohio, he has served as a deacon, a Sunday
school teacher, a lay preacher and as a Bible study leader, among other
activities.
“Modern attempts to define ‘what Scripture really is’ all
too often dilute the value of Scripture, seemingly getting lost in their
own linguistic constructs,” he said. “While there can be
value, and particularly academic value, in portions of such attempts as
the Confession of 1967, I find it difficult to reconcile its lesser view
of Scripture with the traditions of the Reformed faith. Frankly, the
Confession of ’67 seems to run contrary to the tenets of the
earlier confessions and catechisms, permits too much leeway in
interpretation without discipline, and substitutes trend for tradition.
Of course, the value of the traditions is not in their age – which
would merely be tradition for tradition’s sake – but in their
well-tested fidelity to God’s revealed Word.”
Norman is a partner in the Cleveland law firm of Gallagher Sharp. In
addition to his civil litigation practice, he has counseled churches,
assisting them on various matters including church property cases. He
received both his bachelor’s and J.D. degrees from Case Western
Reserve University and is a barrister in the American Inns of Court.
In his professional life, Norman has done work with Lawyers for Life;
Liberty Counsel, a national public interest law firm that seeks to
preserve religious liberties and traditional family values; and Hands of
Hope, a network of pro-life organizations.
He said he has a “great wife and four wonderful kids.” Norman
and his wife, Sarah, and their children – Forrest, Grant, Hunter
and Helena – live in Hudson, Ohio.