Gillespie reminds hearers to bear witness to God’s truth By Parker T. Williamson The Presbyterian Layman Nov/Dec, 1997 DALLAS – “We’re drowning in a sea of sexual libertarianism in this culture,” declared Thomas W. Gillespie, president of Princeton Theological Seminary, to a huge gathering of Presbyterians in Dallas. Then, with reference to Amendment A, a proposed dilution of the denomination’s ordination standards, he said, “Let’s call it what it is: ‘Amoral A.’ ” Addressing the topic “The church I admire and the church I desire,” Gillespie said that he admires and desires a church “that witnesses to its host culture out of a deep confessional conviction.” The church in America, said Gillespie, is “in cultural exile,” not unlike the Babylonian captivity experienced by ancient Israel. We live in an “age of carnival,” he continued, where two notions prevail: the notion that truth is opinion and the notion that morality is preference. It is in the midst of this context that God calls us, saying, “You will be my people.” Describing modern culture as “a sea of sexual libertarianism,” Gillespie said that God’s call requires his people to bear witness to God’s truth, particularly in the arena of sexual morality. This is one of those times, observed Gillespie, in which the church must say “no” to culture. And that, he said, is precisely what the Syracuse General Assembly failed to do. Turning to the Assembly’s attempt to undermine the covenant of marriage as the Christian’s only context for sexual intimacy, Gillespie said, “There is not one ounce of morality in it.” He reported that when he asked one commissioner in Syracuse what was meant by the Assembly’s call to practice “fidelity and integrity” in singleness, he was told “serial monogamy,” that sex is OK if experienced one partner at a time. Intimacy and commitment But, observed the Princeton president, saying no to the host culture is not enough. “The church I admire and the church I desire must bear a witness that is more positive than negative … The church must live out its confession … by proclaiming the transforming power of the gospel.” Turning to Ephesians 5, Gillespie said that the covenant of marriage is lifted up as the language that describes our relationship with Jesus Christ. “God with us” suggests intimacy, he said. “God for us” suggests commitment. The ultimate human intimacy is joined with the ultimate human commitment in the covenant of marriage, a sacred covenant. This is the positive witness that the church must offer to its host culture. Gillespie’s final description of the church he admires and desires is “one that is aware of its oneness.” He urged members of his audience, particularly those who have not been reared in the Presbyterian communion, to be lovingly attendant to the church. Suggesting that much of the current talk of post-denominationalism may be a passing fad, Gillespie recalled that when he entered the ministry, people were declaring his day a time of post-congregationalism. “They were wrong,” he said. “And today I am betting on the larger church.” Gillespie urged his listeners to immerse themselves in the work of the denomination as it faces a “gigantic cultural tidal wave,” leading the Presbyterian Church away from cultural accommodation and into a strong, declarative, biblical witness. |
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