Pro-life leader calls for 'reform from within' By Parker T. Williamson The Layman Online Wednesday, October 8, 2003 PORTLAND, Oregon – Presbyterian Coalition board member Terry Schlossberg told her Gathering VIII audience that although the Presbyterian Church (USA) "has been corrupted so much that orthodoxy itself is threatened," those who believe the gospel should stay in the denomination and fight for reform. Schlossberg said she could understand why members of the denomination are "shocked and disgusted by its current condition, even to the point of wanting to part company with people in it." She lamented the fact that Christians are "up against aggressive forces that wish to so change Christian faith that what would be passed down to future generations would be very different from what we have received." But she argued that she finds no Biblical, historical or practical warrant for separation. She suggested that those who propose a division of the denomination may be guilty of "a Jonah syndrome." "Jonah ran because he really didn't want to see repentance come to Nineveh," she said. She urged her audience to reflect "the magnanimous heart of God" by forgiving repentant heathen, rather than exhibiting the "narrow, bigoted and unforgiving spirit of Jonah." Lessons from history Schlossberg, who is the executive director of Presbyterians Pro-Life, said that while the struggles that are tearing this denomination apart are "exceptional," they are not new. Every generation of Christians has had to deal with those who would distort and defy the faith from within, she said. Sounding a note of hope, Schlossberg pointed to other "exceptional times" in history. She reminded her audience that the 19th century English reformer, William Wilberforce fought more than 40 years to rid his country of slavery and moral corruption. "At the end of his life, Wilberforce wrote that there had been no improvement in the morals of his countrymen," she said, "but historical studies show a marked transformation during his lifetime in nearly every area of English society." "We're better historians than prophets," said Schlossberg. "Long periods of very bad conditions can change suddenly. … We are often not cognizant of all the forces at work influencing outcomes." Different faiths? Schlossberg was preceded on the podium by lay leader Robert L. Howard and Pittsburgh minister Rick Wolling who argued that policies of inclusion have left the Presbyterian Church (USA) encompassing two "irreconcilable faiths," one of which defies the essential beliefs of Christianity. But she took issue with that observation, saying "It is difficult not to see our situation in the PCUSA as rather dire, but we must be careful not to think of ourselves as two churches. We are one church under one constitution." Schlossberg's assumption appeared not to be widely shared in the Portland audience. In a speech following her presentation, Rev. David Henderson, a leader of the Coalition's "New Wineskins Task Force," said that Presbyterians must rid themselves of the notion that the denomination is a church. It is "an organization, a structure, not a church." he said. Henderson's statement was greeted with applause, and his seminar envisioning a radically different denomination in the future drew one of the largest crowds in the conference. Schlossberg reminded her listeners that the denomination is made up of sinful persons, living in a corrupt culture. She counseled them against leaving or splitting the denomination, saying that any alternative would suffer the same problems. "We should not kid ourselves into thinking that we can go somewhere else and not find our own weaknesses facing us squarely wherever we go," she said. Victories cited Schlossberg claimed that denominational reformers have achieved some victories. "We must be careful not to overstate the negatives," she said. Among the positive accomplishments she cited were, embedding Biblical standards for sexual morality in the denomination's constitution, holding fast to orthodox theologies in the face of "ReImagining" and other similar theological heresies, not losing ground "since the disastrous abortion policy of 1983," an increased interest in doctrine, and the fact that evangelism and missions continue to be high priorities for Presbyterians. "It is repentance and restoration – not separation – that are needed," she counseled. "The road to recovery is marked by the exercise of church discipline." She said that reforms that are so badly needed by the denomination cannot be accomplished at a national level unless they have begun in local congregations. She urged her listeners to select godly leaders and train them for a disciplined life of integrity in the church. This is the pool of persons from whom representatives must be chosen for leadership in the higher governing bodies, she said. "This is not being a Pollyanna," said Schlossberg. Instead, she argued, this is "expressing the hope we are called to have because of the promises we have from the God who governs the whole thing, and who declares that nothing is too hard for him!"

Respond to this article

Home · Archives · The Layman · PLC Publications Presbyterian Lay Committee · Feedback · Links