Friday, March 26, 1999

Fidelity and integrity? Two former General Assembly moderators, each of whom began his ministry with a solemn vow to uphold the constitution, have announced that their “Covenant Network” will bankroll a presbytery that defies it (see article on p. 1). So much for “fidelity and integrity, ” the banner that Reverends John Buchanan and Robert Bohl so vigorously waved during the denomination’s Amendment A debate. Perhaps it is a sign of our time that an organization claiming the name “covenant” would imperil the covenant of marriage by championing inclusiveness and diversity in the bedchamber. Although its presenting issue is non-biblical sexual practices, something more than that is at stake in the Covenant Network’s newest offensive. It has effectively declared war on the PCUSA constitution. By joining the Presbytery of Northern New England case, the network is supporting congregations who say they will obey only those parts of the constitution with which they agree. We were given a foretaste of this attitude in the “Call to Sabbatical,” a deal through which Covenant Network leaders sought to neutralize the Presbyterian majority while more radical elements orchestrated another assault on the Book of Order. Signatories to the Sabbatical chose the word “respect” rather than “obey” when articulating their obligation to the constitution. When asked why they omitted obey, signatories who described themselves as moderates said they thought obedience was implied. But John Buchanan had another answer. He said that it was inappropriate to speak of obedience when referring to the constitution. We obey only Christ, he said, repeating the slogan his group employed in its ill-fated Amendment A campaign. The Covenant Network’s latest actions remove any semblance of respect for the constitution. Its passion for a “church” without boundaries leads it to tolerate anything except biblical standards. Having replaced the Word with words, the Network packages “diversity” as if it were gospel. Sadly, it now proffers a local-option constitution that allows us to do what seems right in our own eyes.

The Presbyterian Layman

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