 Heresy complaint seeks to forestall installation By John H. Adams The Layman Online Wednesday, May 14, 2003 A Virginia lawyer has accused a Presbyterian minister of heresy, alleging that the pastor denied "that he believed in the bodily resurrection and ascension into Heaven of our Lord Jesus Christ as taught by Scripture and our Confessions."
Paul Rolf Jensen of Reston, Va., filed the case in North Carolina because, according to a report by the presbytery's Committee on Ministry, Martin's transfer to the Presbytery of San Jose is not effective until July 1. Therefore, according to a May 12 letter by Jensen to Bill Taber, the executive of the Presbytery of Western North Carolina, Martin remains under the jurisdiction of the North Carolina presbytery until that time. Furthermore, the complaint could keep Martin's career in limbo until the issue is resolved; and, if he is convicted of heresy, he could be ordered to forefeit his credentials as a minister of the Word and Sacrament. In the letter to Taber, which was accompanied by the complaint against Martin, Jensen cites constitutional requirements in the (Book of Order, D-10.0103 and D-10.010) that prohibit a presbytery from transferring a minister's membership to another presbytery "while an inquiry or charges are pending." The complaint notes that the constitution also requires that "upon receipt of a written complaint, the … stated clerk of presbytery, without further inquiry, shall … refer the statement immediately to an investigating committee." The Committee on Ministry, which the presbytery has authorized to approve and present calls for service of ministers, cited the July 1 date in its April 29 report to the presbytery. The Layman Online attempted to reach Taber by telephone for clarification about the cross-country disciplinary case, but Taber did not return the call. Jensen has filed numerous complaints that accused Presbyterian ministers of "willful and deliberate violation" of their ordination vows because of their public defiance of the church law that prohibits the ordination of practicing homosexuals and/or "marriage" of same-sex couples. In his complaint against Martin, Jensen says Martin acted "in willful and deliberate violation of his ordination vows" to:
First Presbyterian Church in Palo Alto bills itself as a "More Light Church" in affiliation with More Light Presbyterians, a special-interest group that seeks the repeal of the denomination's constitutional "fidelity/chastity" ordination standard. The Palo Alto Web site says the congregation supports refugees and conscientious objectors; welcomes gay men, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered persons into full membership; works for human dignity and survival and is an "Earth and Spirit Church." In anticipation of Martin's arrival, the congregation has posted four of his sermons on its Web site. In one of those sermons, titled "Losing Our Religious Respectability," Martin attacked Christians who believe in Biblical inerrancy and took a swipe at one of his colleagues in the Presbytery of Western North Carolina – Parker T. Williamson. Williamson, a minister, is chief executive officer of the Presbyterian Lay Committee and editor in chief of its publications. He accused Williamson, an evangelical, of "fanatic orthodoxy" on par with terrorist suicide bombers and "continually preach[ing] hate against those within the Presbyterian Church USA who do not think, or live, or love in the exact same way he does!" In other sermons, Martin aims his vitriol at Billy Graham, President George W. Bush, Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. |
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