Parker T. Williamson
Editor emeritus and senior
correspondent of The Layman
Kirk of the Hills did what it had to do, faithfully,
thoughtfully, deliberately, and with a manifold measure of grace.
More than a decade ago, Rev. Tom Gray and Rev. Wayne Hardy realized that
Presbyterian Church (USA) leaders had set the denomination on a course
of cultural compromise that could only end in apostasy. They presented
evidence to the Kirk’s session, and together they committed
themselves to denominational renewal.
The Kirk drafted overtures; sent observers to meetings of higher
governing bodies; volunteered for service on committees, commissions and
councils; funded advocacy groups that were working for change; sent
letters to commissioners; and testified at General Assembly hearings –
all the while contributing hundreds of thousands of dollars to the
worldwide mission of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
They won a few victories: The General Assembly expressed regret for the
worship of “Sophia,” the denial of the incarnation and
rejection of the atonement that occurred during its ReImagining God
conference. But denominational agencies were not to be deterred, and
ReImagining God themes continued to appear in curricula, conferences,
programs and policies.
The General Assembly adopted a “both/and” compromise on
abortion – a half-loaf victory for evangelicals – but its
agencies and Washington lobby implemented only half of the compromise,
promoting the agenda of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.
The General Assembly declined to adopt “Building Community Among
Strangers,” a policy paper that celebrated multiple religions as
equivalent pathways to God. But Louisville continued to peddle its paper
as a “resource to the church.”
Three times, the presbyteries upheld the standard that they would not
ordain persons who openly engage in sex outside of marriage. But when
blatant defiance repeatedly occurred, the denomination’s highest
constitutional officer insisted that it was not his job to enforce the
constitution.
Then, in the summer of 2006, the General Assembly, knowing it could not
muster the votes required to amend its constitution, undermined it by
granting governing bodies that refuse to live by its standards a license
to do so.
That did it. The renewed denomination for which the Kirk had prayed and
worked has not come to pass. In fact, it is now abundantly clear that
among the councils and agencies of this institution the apostasy is
intractable.
Kirk members have felt a growing sense of theological estrangement. They
ask, “How can we continue to identify with an organization whose
leaders are ambivalent about Jesus and will not obey God’s Word?”
The Kirk’s leaders have not squelched such questions. Instead, they
have dealt with them openly and honestly, all within earshot of a
dangerously restive denominational infrastructure.
Then, in March, presbytery officials marched unannounced into the
courthouse and filed a claim on the Kirk’s property. When asked for
an explanation, they said this was done in all Eastern Oklahoma counties
in the presbytery because an errant Native American congregation had
sold some of its real estate without permission.
In August, the real reason surfaced. “Privileged and Confidential”
papers that had been written by Louisville lawyers to guide presbytery
officials were leaked to
The Layman. “The presbytery lied
to us,” said Gray, noting how closely the presbytery had been
following Louisville’s playbill.
A tectonic shift occurred. Pious assurances to the contrary
notwithstanding, the presbytery – and denominational attorneys who
advised it – proved they could not be trusted. On August 16, the
Kirk’s session announced that Gray and Hardy renounced the
jurisdiction of the Presbyterian Church (USA). On August 30, Kirk of the
Hills Inc. severed its association with the denomination.
Make no mistake about it: the Kirk did not leave the Presbyterian Church
(USA); the Presbyterian Church (USA) left the Kirk, just as it has
distanced itself from every congregation that insists on being true to
the Gospel. The Kirk is now affirming its membership in the larger
worldwide Presbyterian family, finding a home with those who love the
Lord, obey his Word, and treat one another with Christ-like grace.
Will the Kirk fend off heavy-handed assaults by an alien that has laid
claim to its property? Certainly, it will make every effort to do so. It
must, for it cannot allow believers’ gifts that were dedicated to
the Lord Jesus to be spent on lesser lords.
But the Kirk will not be tethered by a title. If an Oklahoma court so
rules, this congregation is prepared to sing Martin Luther’s great
hymn: “Let goods and kindred go; this mortal life also. The body
they may kill. God’s truth abideth still. His kingdom is forever.”
Godspeed, Kirk of the Hills. Godspeed!
A column by Parker T. Williamson, editor emeritus and senior
correspondent of The Layman.