 Raising the standard  The Presbyterian Layman Volume 34, Number 2, Posted March 26, 2001
“I did,” replies the contractor. “Then tell your carpenter to straighten out those angles.” “I can’t. He has a right to his opinion. I respect his freedom of conscience.” That is precisely what happened at the February General Assembly Council meeting. The Presbyterian Church (USA) has a standard, dating at least back to the Reformation. That standard is Scripture, which declares that Jesus Christ is Lord of the universe. There is no other. But in his “What’s the big deal about Jesus?” speech at a denominational conference last summer, the Rev. Dirk Ficca implied that Jesus Christ is optional. Ficca’s view that other choices may be equally valid constitutes nothing less than a denial of the gospel. That incident led 21 sessions and more than 1,500 Presbyterians to ask that the General Assembly Council require all of its curriculum writers, program managers and conference planners perform their tasks in accordance with Scripture. But the council – like our proverbial contractor – declared that while it affirms Jesus Christ is Lord, it has no intention of binding the consciences of those whom it employs. A curious form of adolescence has overcome many who claim the ecclesiastical spotlight. One would think that persons who are privileged to wear the mantle of Christian leadership would display a deference toward the faithful witness of their forebears, many of whom died for the truth they passed on. Instead, they exhibit a pubescent propensity to defy tradition, thrashing against its boundaries in search of a beguiling “cutting edge.” What we have here is the cult of the imperial self, defining itself by defying the Church’s faith. Presbyterians now face an integrity issue. Contributions dedicated to Jesus Christ are underwriting those who deny him. When given an opportunity to correct the problem, the denomination’s elected leadership, the General Assembly Council, steadfastly refuses to do so. The officers of every Presbyterian congregation in this country should docket this matter for careful and prayerful consideration. Nothing could be more important, for it cuts right to the heart of the gospel. Do we believe that Jesus Christ is what he and centuries of Christian witness claim he is? Is he “the way, the truth and the life?” Or have we finally succumbed to the notion that one’s religious faith is a matter of multiple choice? By eschewing the Church’s standards, Presbyterian leaders are reducing this denomination to a collection of individuals, each doing his or her own thing under the banner of “diversity.” That kind of carpentry may build a tower of Babel, but it will not construct the household of faith. |
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