  Letters to the Editor The Layman Volume 35, Number 1, Posted February 8, 2002 |
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When will debate end? When will this finally be over? Our denomination has spent too much time, too much effort and, dare I say, too much money debating this issue. Is it even possible that when Amendment A is defeated – and it will be defeated – that those on the “left” will give up? Our continued debate about this issue is making us a laughingstock. Rob McLallen Fairfax, Va. Overlooking defiance What I find difficult to fathom, and can only attribute to a double standard that winks and nudges at liberals, is why the behavior of the More Light Churches and others who openly and willfully defy the Constitution is not called by its proper name: de facto renunciation of jurisdiction. When will those who are called upon to uphold, defend and enforce the provisions of our Constitution do their duty and exercise original jurisdiction over such congregations (and indeed presbyteries) by dissolving the rebellious sessions and removing from their rolls those ministers of Word and sacrament who by their actions have thumbed their nose at the larger church? Bill Pawson Pembroke Pines, Fla. Colonel speaks for me Please forward my congratulations to Col. Charles King on his excellent letter to President George W. Bush refuting the statements in Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick’s earlier letter to Bush. When I first read Kirkpatrick’s letter, I considered it garbage. It is refreshing to find concurrence from another written in clear terms. Kirkpatrick does not speak for me. Col. King does. Lee W. Thomas Hockessin, Del. Chain of command If Col. Charles King registered as much uncivil regard for his upper “chain of command” in the Army as he publicly seems to level on the PCUSA stated clerk in our denomination, he would probably be subject to a court marshal. Speaking of “chain of command,” the colonel’s arguments would be strengthened if they had once referred to the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to our responsible Christian discipleship or specifically to just one of the well-referenced theological and Biblical studies by both previous denominations over the last number of years on this difficult subject of just war and responsible Christian ethics in combat. It also might be helpful for Col. King to read the long-standing Presbyterian “Commitment to Peacemaking, A Believer’s Calling,” which also speaks of the Scriptural mandate to always refer to those fellow Christians in love with whom we might disagree. Andy Sale Lynchburg, Va. Words have meaning “Chaste” means “chaste.” What a concept those brothers and former GA commissioners have introduced us to: Words have meaning; they are not mere empty vessels into which we can pour our own content and then view the resultant freight through the lens of our own experience. That is quite a revelation, I’m sure, to the majority of our leaders who are “Nike Presbyterians,” Presbyterians with a new credo as old as Judges 21:25. In the vernacular, “do your own thing” or “just do it.” Derek Simmons Santa Rosa, Calif. Bible-believers, too Those of us on the “left” of the current argument are frequently characterized as “not believing the Bible” in contrast to you dear people (no irony intended) who find yourself in The Layman’s corner. I’m a Christian of 40 or so years, a lover of Christ and his church, a member and supporter of this, the PCUSA. I’m also a “believer in the Bible.” And I am also convinced that the Scriptures do not teach, or even imply, that a monogamous same-sex domestic relationship, one that may or may not involve genital contacts, is outside the will of God. I may, of course, be wrong in this belief, but I’ve really tried to study the issues and the Scriptures that could possibly apply to them. So tell me that you think I’m wrong, and I’ll hear you. But when you tell me that you have the moral high ground because you “believe the Scriptures” (implying I do not), I have difficulty hearing you because I know that not to be true. John Burgeson Denver, Colo. On to better things With more than 75 percent of the presbyteries rejecting Amendment 01-A, it is apparent that the Confessing Church Movement has been a significant force in what will be a tremendous defeat of the liberals in the PCUSA. When Amendment 01-A is defeated, it will be time for the PCUSA to do the Lord’s business by obeying Christ’s Great Commission. Lou. S. Nowasielski Wilmington, Del. Give candidate a chance Let us all give Laird Stuart a chance to hear his vision for the PCUSA and his views. We should not assess Dr. Stuart on only one or several quotes. Gary Bligh Daly City, Calif. Ignore the elephant? Regarding his suggestion to the members of the Theological Task Force that we not focus on sex issues, it seems to me that General Assembly Moderator Jack B. Rogers is saying there’s an elephant in the room, but we should ignore it. David C. Ghen Redington Beach, Fla. |
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