Parker T. Williamson
Editor-in-chief
A task force called “PUP” says Presbyterians see
things differently. Some see red and some see green; some see up and
some see down; some see gay and some see straight. From this true, but
largely unhelpful, observation, it draws the conclusion that divergent
perspectives matter. Apparently, for this task force, perspective is all
that matters. How far we have come from that 1994 General Assembly
meeting in Wichita where, in the aftermath of a “re-imagining god”
fiasco, the commissioners declared, “Theology Matters!”
PUP reminds us that each of us sees through a glass dimly. It would have
us believe that no one can really know the truth, and that it would be
presumptuous to claim that we do. We are, after all, human. Scripture
may be the Word of God, but each sees it from a different angle. In
matters practical, as in establishing church standards, Scripture is “complex,”
and one person’s view is as good as another.
Thus, like the ancient Athenians, PUP affirms our diversity, proffering
a method of “discernment” that replaces “yes/no”
with “both/and,” suggesting that Presbyterians transform their
governing bodies into corporate therapy sessions wherein everyone –
along with their preferred beliefs and behaviors – is deemed “OK.”
According to PUP, we are obliged to “honor” one another’s
opinions, whatever they may be – even if they are contrary to
Scripture, the church’s confessions and the
Book of Order.
Illogical and unfaithful approach
This approach is both illogical and unfaithful. It is illogical because
it violates the most basic rule of rationality. A proposition cannot be
both true and false at the same time and in the same circumstance. To
say otherwise is to speak utter nonsense.
The approach is unfaithful because it violates the First Commandment.
Shunning the Word of the Lord, the cult of the imperial self makes each
individual his or her own arbiter of truth. Whatever happened to “I
am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt. You shall
have no other gods before me?”
How could a group of reasonably intelligent Christians produce such a
shortsighted report? It did so by becoming the center of its own
universe. Throughout its report, PUP refers to its joyful discovery that
individuals from radically disparate perspectives could love and honor
one another. That’s a claim that we neither question nor disdain.
We are happy for them that they had such an experience of personal
friendship and togetherness. But that experience, however laudable, was
irrelevant to PUP’s task.
When truth is at issue, the focus has never been, nor can it ever be,
all about PUP.
The truth of the Christian faith did not arise from pooled human
perspectives. “Flesh and blood did not reveal this to you,”
Jesus told Peter, “but my father who is in heaven.” Revelation
is the rock on which Jesus Christ built his church. Anything less –
including the most erudite composite of human opinion – is sand.
The Bible is true because...
While it is arrogant for any of us to insist that our opinions
constitute “the truth,” it is entirely a different matter to
make such a claim for the Word of God. The Bible is true, not because we
say so, but simply because it is. Far from humility, agnosticism’s
claim that the truth cannot be known is the most arrogant. In making
such a claim, an individual pronounces judgment over all truth claims,
including the claim that is made by the Word of God.
PUP failed to ground its efforts in that one Word that Christians are
instructed to revere and obey. For this reason, its report will not
endure. For a season, it will enjoy short-term support from purveyors of
institutional Presbyterianism. The stated clerk of the General Assembly
has applauded PUP, saying that it reminds him of what the apostles did
in the Council of Jerusalem.
The General Assembly Council, whose programs are drowning in deficits
due to a dearth of congregational support, gave PUP a standing ovation.
Tens of thousands of dollars are being spent dispatching PUP teams to
the presbyteries in a massive public relations effort. And PUP has
announced that it will conduct a day-long “event” for
commissioners to the 2006 General Assembly.
This flurry of videos, graphics displays, DVD’s, four-color
brochures, endorsements from denominational luminaries and official
appearances on the campaign trail will keep PUP in the public eye. But
in the end, lacking substance, it will dissolve into a well-deserved
insignificance.
The church must set its sights beyond PUP. Peace, Unity and Purity will
not come from consensus. It is not a political achievement. It is a
discovery – a gift of God’s grace, grounded in God’s
Word, transmitted by his Spirit, and requiring the faithful obedience of
God’s people.
A column by Parker T. Williamson, chief executive officer of the
Presbyterian Lay Committee and editor in chief of its publications.