 |
|
FEEDBACK  |
|
 |
|
June 2002 letters, page 2 Late-term abortions are the wrong choice before the eyes of God June 25, 2002 It's always been about choices ... from the garden of Eden until now, hasn't it? Pro-choice people think they are the only ones who have the "choice" to abort their babies, but all women have always had the choice. Joshua invited the people of Israel to "Choose this day whom you will serve ..." (Joshua 24:15), and when women choose to end the life of their growing baby, they have made the wrong choice in the eyes of God. Collie Parsons Walla Walla, Wash. Late-term abortion action shows we are a sick church June 25, 2002 If the General Assembly approves the overture endorsed by this committee, it will only affirm my conclusion that we are a sick church, indeed. Reacting to emotions and feelings over logic and fact, not to mention ignoring Scripture, might lead some to wonder if we're a church at all. I have two questions for those who continue to advocate death as a "viable" choice: 1. When is the fetus not alive, and when is it not human? 2. Considering that the statutes in all 50 states are in agreement that murder is defined as the unjustified taking of the life of another human being with malice aforethought (or premeditation), when is the taking of the life of a human fetus which does not threaten the life of its mother not a murder? I have no doubt that should you publish this letter, and should any respond to it, those who are offended by those questions will answer with emotion and "feeling," but I despair of finding any others in our church who are able to think through moral questions with logic and reason. Add to all this the fact that our own health plan pays for the abortions of clergy and clergy family members, I will say again ... we are a sick church, indeed. We routinely pay for the abortions of clergy and clergy family members, but we have to study the question of spending monies on adoptions of children without parents? Some ironies are rather hard to stomach. Rev. Jon F. Jones New Providence Presbyterian Church Salvisa, Ky. General Assembly statement on late-term abortions June 25, 2002 I am responding to the article about the General Assembly's resolution dealing with late-term abortions. Some years ago, very late in pregnancy, my wife and I were devastated to learn that our first-born child was afflicted with a rare neural tube defect known as anencephaly. This news came as a tremendous shock, especially since the pregnancy had been so uneventful. For those unfamiliar with this defect, it is a lethal condition incompatible with life outside the womb. In an anencephalic infant, the only part of the brain present is the brain stem. Anencephalic babies do not feel pain nor are they capable of conscious thought. Since my wife was close to term, we were told that labor would still need to be induced because an anencephalic infant generally lacks a mysterious labor trigger that ordinarily originates from an infant with a normal brain. We had labor induced knowing that our baby would probably not survive labor and delivery or, if it did so, it would only survive for a short time, either a few hours or a few days at most. As it turned out, our daughter, Amanda Hope, was stillborn. As hard as our loss was, we did and still take comfort in our Lord's promise of the Resurrection and the wholeness that goes with that promise. We have entrusted our daughter to the care of our Lord, and look forward to that day when we will be with her in heaven. Where debate over late-term abortions is concerned, seldom do I hear this debate consider the circumstances that we went through. Robert Duggan Frederick, Md. 'Hope in the Lord Jesus Christ' is applauded June 25, 2002 I applaud the recent endorsement by the 214th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) of the theological document "Hope in the Lord Jesus Christ." I feel that this paper is a solid statement of faith in Jesus as savior of the world. I would like to have a succinct, easily understood statement extracted from the eight-page treatise (such as "Jesus Christ is the only Savior and Lord, and all people everywhere are called to place their faith, hope and love in him"). I see nothing wrong with boldly declaring to the world that we believe that no one comes to the Father except through the Son. We do not need to apologize for this belief, and it is in fact a true statement. I am extremely disappointed that the General Assembly did not take a strong stand against partial-birth abortions. The Presbyterian Church (USA) will continue to lose members and have decreased funding as long as it rejects the authority of Scripture and traditional Christian ethics. I believe that we are heading in the right direction, but we need to see a strong grassroots movement toward evangelical representation at presbyteries and general assemblies. Until the commissioners truly represent the people in the pews, we will continue to have division and strife. I pray for the Presbyterian Church (USA). Brian Ahier The Dalles, Ore. 'Hope in the Lord Jesus Christ' is good news and bad news June 25, 2002 It is with a mixture of gladness and sadness that I read of the acceptance of "Hope in the Lord Jesus Christ." I am glad that it affirms that Christ alone is Savior and Lord, but I am sad that it weakens that affirmation with the statement that, "...we neither restrict the grace of God to those who profess explicit faith in Christ nor assume that all people are saved regardless of faith. Grace, love and communion belong to God, and are not ours to determine." This ambiguous statement, which is inferior to clearer statements which already exist in our Confessions and Catechisms, seems to be an affirmation of practical universalism crafted to please evangelicals with traditional-sounding language while opening the door to fellowship with and ecumenical acceptance of other religions. Though the Reformed tradition has been open to the possibility that some, such as infants or the retarded, may be saved without express faith in Christ, the larger tradition denies such a possibility in adults who are capable of believing. Thus, I believe that The Layman's John H. Adams is wrong to claim that it "reflects the theological modesty of the Reformed tradition in being unable to state unequivocally how Jesus might save someone who has not heard the gospel." A few quotes may be in order. The Westminster Larger Catechism, one of our doctrinal standards, is explicit about this matter in question sixty: "Can they who have never heard the gospel, and so know not Jesus Christ, nor believe in him, be saved by their living according to the light of nature? Answer: They who, having never heard the gospel, know not Jesus Christ, and believe not in him, cannot be saved, be they never so diligent to frame their lives according to the light of nature, or the laws of that religion which they profess; neither is there salvation in any other, but in Christ alone, who is the Savior only of his body the church." The Scots Confession is equally clear. In Chapter XVI, on The Kirk, it states, "For since there is neither life nor salvation without Christ Jesus; so shall none have part therein but those whom the Father has given unto his Son Christ Jesus, and those who in time come to him, avow his doctrine, and believe in him." Charles Hodge, certainly a mainstream Reformed theologian if ever there was one, wrote in his Systematic Theology that, "It is, therefore, as before stated, the common faith of the Christian world, that, so far as adults are concerned, there is no salvation without the knowledge of Christ and faith in Him." (vol 1, pg. 30). Hodge believed that all infants are saved, but his teaching concerning adults is clear. The kind of practical universalism which "Hope in the Lord Jesus Christ" appears to affirm exists in the Roman Catholic Church and is taught in its standards. I believe its effect will be disastrous. Cardinal Francis Arinze, considered a possible successor to Pope John Paul II, taking his cue from Vatican II, has expressly denied the need to believe in Jesus in order to get to heaven, even declaring that, "If a person ... were to say that if you're not a Christian you're not going to heaven, we'd regard that person as a fundamentalist... and theologically wrong." (from the Abilene Reporter-News, March 27, 1999) It is telling, when you read some of Arinze's other statements, that he seems far more interested in inter-religious dialogue and ecumenical cooperation than evangelism. Yet, I seem to recall that Jesus told His disciples to make disciples of all nations, not to have inter-religious dialogue with them. If the evangelicals in the PCUSA care about the Gospel at all, they will demand a clarification, for if this vague statement is not clarified, it will undermine the urgency of the evangelistic effort which impels layman and minister alike to take the Gospel to the world in the assurance that faith in Christ alone leads to salvation. After all, if men may be saved without believing in Christ, why waste effort in telling them about him? David C. Spor Tully Memorial Presbyterian Church Sharon Hill, Pa. Louisville putting spin on declining membership June 25, 2002 It amazes me how it can be said that the decline in church membership is diminishing. It looks to me like almost the same number each year is leaving a body which is smaller and smaller. Does this not mean that an increased percentage of the church is disappearing from the rolls each year? One must look beyond the raw numbers. Thomas Scandlyn Apostasy of denomination confirmed by General Assembly June 25, 2002 If there ever was a doubt about the apostasy of this spiritually-dead organization, this General Assembly leaves us no longer in doubt. Unless the Confessing Church Movement and other God-fearing and Scriptural-obeying men and women decide to take a definite stand against this apostasy, we might as well shut the door and say "it is enough!" Like Arafat -- words are a long way short of action. R. Glen Traver Only in the PCUSA could something like this happen June 25, 2002 In one of your articles you wrote: Fahed Abu-Akel said it first at the close of the 214th General Assembly's opening plenary session June 15. "I want to say this [his election as moderator] can only happen in a place like the Presbyterian Church (USA)." I'd say Amen to Abu-Akel. With all that's going on in the world, only in the PCUSA could something like this happen. Daniel Runkle Denominational curriculum lacks a true Biblical center June 25, 2002 In response to your article on our denominational curriculum, I concur wholeheartedly with Rev. Westmoreland. I began using Covenant People last fall teaching our senior high Sunday school class. While I was somewhat apprehensive from the beginning, I decided to be supportive of our denominational material and remain open-minded. However, by Christmas, I, too, came to the conclusion that it just wasn't worth it. It seemed all "touchy-feely" and no substance. The suggested activities clearly did not fit with the age group and, even more importantly, the applications often had little bearing on the texts (the round peg-square hole syndrome). In fact, this points to what has been missing all along. Your article stated that "Commissioners also approved a comment that states, 'We encourage the Congregational Ministries Division to investigate production of material that addresses the concerns discussed in the Christian Education and Publications Committee, including continuing development of high-quality material that is affordable, adaptable, user-friendly and appealing to congregations.'" It is quite obvious that there is no mention that the material must be first and foremost Biblical. That is, to my estimation, the foundational basis for all the deficiencies of our curriculum. The lack of a true Biblical center radiates outward in a number of directions and deficiencies. Until this is addressed, our curriculum will be less than desirable and I won't use it. Rev. Steven Seng First Presbyterian Church Wellsburg, W.V. Cutting mission funding is just plain wrong June 25, 2002 You do not see the Muslims cut their mission funding because the Muslims believe converting the infidels to Islam is God's will. To the commissioners of the PCUSA, God has recorded your apostasy by not restoring mission funding while not cutting funds for the World Council of Churches, the National Council of Churches, the Washington Office, the National Network of Presbyterian College Women -- outhouse ministries that damage the name of Jesus Christ. I would like to ask the august body of commissioners of the PCUSA this: What is Christ's teaching on Matthew 28:18-20? Question 2, Are you willing to give up your life up for the cause of Christ? It is apparent to me that many commissioners of the PCUSA are ignorant of Gospel missions, and they have no business being commissioners in the PCUSA. Throw the bums out to pasture. Lou. S. Nowasielski Wilmington, Del. Jesus is Lord June 25, 2002 It's about time! JoAnne Duke What happened to the overture about prayer? June 25, 2002 After a quick review of General Assembly news, what strikes me most is something I can find nothing about: the failure of overture 53, which calls for a disciplined season of prayer and fasting. All I see is that it failed big time in committee (and why was it in the Christian Education Committee anyway?) and rejected by the assembly. Maybe the wording was not precise enough for some, perhaps it was poorly presented; but that we would reject an overture calling upon us to pray? Sad. Bill Hoffman Enon Valley, Pa. An update from Youth for the Truth June 25, 2002 It was especially great to see many of you at General Assembly last week. Thank you again for the strong witness that you have within our denomination. Youth for the Truth has been very active over the past couple of months. The main thing that we have been doing is reviewing sexuality curriculum sponsored by Presbyterian Women called "Love ... All that and More." This was a challenge for many of our young people as it took a decidedly postmodern perspective to dating, love and sex. In conjunction with Presbyterians Pro-Life and Voices of Orthodox Women, we have completed our reviews of this curriculum and posted them on our Web site. There is a major story link on the main page (www.youth4truth.org) to the three reviews. It is truly an honor to see young people growing in their faith and taking the initiative to think critically about what is happening in our denomination. Thank you again for the help that you have given to us in the past and for the help you will give to us in the future. If there is anything that we can be doing for you, please let us know. Nate Leaman Youth Director First Presbyterian Church Oostburg, Wisc. Cuts in mission budget may lead to drop in contributions June 25, 2002 If you think that you had a monetary shortfall this year, you're in for a real shock this coming year. Contributions to the PCUSA may well fall dramatically in the coming year. Missions is the core of outreach to bring the name of Jesus around this globe.You may find that local churches will, in fact, fund this area as an independent field. Each action has an equal and opposite reaction. Paul McKay Elder La Habra Hills Presbyterian La Habra, Calif. |
|
| Page
3 of June letters Home · News · PLC Publications · The Presbyterian Layman Online Reviews · Archives· History of the Lay Committee · Feedback · Links |