OGA opposes
overture
on authority of Scripture
By John H.
Adams
The Layman
Online
Wednesday, May 24,
2006
The Office of the
General Assembly has urged the 217th General Assembly to reject an
overture affirming denominational statements supporting the authority of
Scripture.
The overture from the Presbytery of Mississippi calls on the General
Assembly to approve statements about the authority of Scripture and an
injunction that Presbyterians diligently search and obey the Scripture:
- 1. In the belief that the Holy Scripture is the Word of God and
God's guide to us for worship and life, the 217th General Assembly
(2006) does confirm that the authority of Holy Scripture is "...
most necessary; those former ways of God's revealing his will unto
his people being now ceased." (Westminster Confession, 6.001)
- 2. The 217th General Assembly (2006) also confirms that "The
authority of the Holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed
and obeyed, dependeth not upon the testimony of any man or church,
but wholly upon God (who is truth itself), the author thereof; and
therefore it is to be received, because it is the Word of God."
(Westminster, 6.004)
- 3. The 217th General Assembly (2006) also confirms the belief
that "Insofar as Christ's will for the Church is set forth in
Scripture, it is to be obeyed. In the worship and service of God and
the government of the church, matters are to be ordered according to
the Word by reason and sound judgment, under the guidance of the
Holy Spirit." Book of Order, G-1.0010c
- 4. The 217th General Assembly (2006) does urge all members of the
church to search the Holy Scripture to determine God's revealed Word
regarding any and all issues that may touch the church; and, to be
diligent in determining God's will and living in accordance with
that will.
But the OGA staff declared that the overture is unnecessary. It
criticized the overture in comments to the General Assembly Committee on
Theological Issues and Institutions.
"While it is important to be reminded of the power of God's Word to
us as we struggle with difficult decisions in our lives individually and
in our corporate life together, simply reaffirming our foundational
beliefs adds no new power to the place of these statements or even these
documents in our everyday lives," said the OGA, which is headed by
Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick.
The OGA response also said, "As Presbyterians, our creeds and
confessions speak to us in detail about our interaction with Scripture.
This overture would simply confirm parts of that understanding; it would
add no new insights."
In fact, though, later confessions, including the Confession of '67,
hold a lower view of the authority of Scripture than was held by
American Presbyterians for nearly two centuries.
The adoption of the C-67 introduced a subjective view of the
understanding of Scripture. Section 9.29 says:
- The Bible is to be interpreted in the light of its witness to
God's work of reconciliation in Christ. The Scriptures, given under
the guidance of the Holy Spirit, are nevertheless the words of men,
conditioned by the language, thought forms, and literary fashions of
the places and times at which they were written. They reflect views
of life, history, and the cosmos which were then current. The
church, therefore, has an obligation to approach the Scriptures with
literary and historical understanding. As God has spoken his word in
diverse cultural situations, the church is confident that he will
continue to speak through the Scriptures in a changing world and in
every form of human culture.
Many seminary professors, pastors and church leaders have used
C-67 Section 9.29 to declare that portions of Scripture are tainted by
cultural views of the time when they were written and that they no
longer apply.
For instance, the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity,
after reading the views of a variety of theologians, concluded that
Scripture on the issue of homosexuality "is diverse, subtle, and
complex. It could not readily be divided into the two categories –
either approval or disapproval of same-gender relationships and
practices – that are assumed to anchor much of the conflict in the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) today."
Christians overwhelmingly throughout the world disagree with that
conclusion.
The Congregational Ministries Division also filed a comment with the
Committee on Theological Issues and Institutions. It did not recommend
how the committee should vote, but it noted that there were many
references in the confessions and Book of Order that were not
cited in the Mississippi overture. The comment said:
- The Book of Order states clearly the role of the
confessions in the life of the PC(USA): "The Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.) states its faith and bears witness to God's grace in
Jesus Christ in the creeds and confessions in The Book of
Confessions. In these confessional statements the church declares to
its members and to the world who and what it is, what it believes,
what it resolves to do" (G-2.0100a).
- The Book of Confessions contains several declarations
concerning the authority of Scripture, specifically in The Scots
Confession (3.19), The Second Helvetic Confession (5.001-.009), The
Westminster Confession of Faith (6.001), The Theological Declaration
of Barmen (8.10-.12), The Confession of 1967 (9.27-9.30), and A
Brief Statement of Faith (10.4).
The Brief Statement of Faith makes only a brief reference to
Scripture, saying the "Spirit … rules our life and faith in
Christ through Scripture." |