Layman editor calls gays' assault on constitution last-gasp effort Click here for full text Of Williamson's presentation The Layman Online Friday, April 16, 1999 Parker T. Williamson at Carnegie Hall NEW YORK CITY - Parker T. Williamson, executive editor of The Presbyterian Layman, told a gathering of Presbyterians in Carnegie Hall that leaders of the gay-lesbian movement are conducting "a full-blown assault on the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (USA)." But, he added, "These actions represent the last gasp of a dying power structure from isolated areas of the church where it still maintains some control. They will cause the denomination much grief and turmoil for years to come. They will delay, but they will not stop, the reformation that is under way." Williamson was the keynote speaker on a program titled "The Debate over Ordination Standards in the Presbyterian Church (USA)." His comments were warmly applauded by the audience, which included people on both sides of the ordination issue. Opposing the constitution Williamson, an author, journalist and Presbyterian minister, cited several cases arising in church courts and overtures from presbyteries that would dismantle or ignore the PCUSA's constitutional standard that requires candidates for office to limit their sexual activity to marriage. For instance, the New York City Presbytery recently approved an overture that declares homosexuality a normal orientation that cannot be changed. "If adopted," Williamson said, "the overture would prohibit church agencies from supporting ministries that are liberating persons who have been in bondage to the homosexual lifestyle." "The Hudson River Presbytery has allowed its ministers to perform 'same-sex' marriage ceremonies, provided they do not call such unions 'marriages,'" he said. "The Presbytery of Northern New England has chosen not to discipline church officers who say they will pick and choose which parts of the Constitution they will obey." Biblical-historical framework Williamson used a biblical and historical framework to demonstrate how far the Presbyterian Church (USA) has shifted from its foundations. The consequences of that shift, Williamson said, have been steep membership losses (more than 1.5 million since 1965) and a dramatically reduced influence on the political and moral direction of the nation. Nonetheless, Williamson said he sees four signs of hope for the future of the PCUSA: "I see a sign of hope in mounting evidence of the failure of the liberal agenda … If we never lift a finger against it, liberalism will ultimately crumble, for it has within itself the very seeds of its demise." "I see a sign of hope in the growth of biblical faith in thousands of PCUSA congregations. Increasingly popular Bible study groups are feeding God's people and revitalizing our denomination's growth." "I see a sign of hope in the spiritual hunger that is now manifest in American society … There is a growing interest in spiritual things. Some manifestations of this spiritual quest may be strange, even hokey, but the very fact of it offers an open door for the Gospel." "My final reason for hope is, in fact, my first reason for hope. It is based on the promise of Jesus Christ. When Peter affirmed his confession of faith, Jesus answered: 'On this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.' Note that it is not by our wisdom or power that the church shall prevail, but in the promise of Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth and the life. He is our Lord and we are his people. What greater sign of hope can anyone claim?" Williamson's appearance in Carnegie Hall was arranged by John Howard Sanden, an internationally known portrait artist whose works include the official portrait of evangelist Billy Graham. Sanden is a member and former clerk of session of Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City. Sanden and Dr. Perry Wooten, pastor of the growing Eastchester Presbyterian Church in the Bronx, also participated in the presentation at Carnegie Hall. On Monday afternoon (April 12), the day before his appearance in Carnegie Hall, Williamson was featured on an hour-long call-in program on WMCA in New York, a Christian radio station with an audience of about 250,000 listeners.

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