The Layman – September 2003 Volume 36, Number 5 – Posted September 12, 2003

Task Force should seek harmony with God’s Word Some aspects of the work of the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity have been admirable. Its members have heard and discussed theological papers, explored what Scripture says about the issues facing the denomination, delved into the denomination’s archives to consider historical tracts and General Assembly declarations, and worshiped and taken communion together. But, so far, they have failed to use the simple parliamentary procedure that Jesus recommended: Let your yes be yes and your no, no. After two years of meetings, they have not demonstrated a willingness to make decisions. They have not voted on a single issue, and there are four substantial issues: Who is Jesus Christ? What authority does Scripture have and how should it be interpreted? How should the church respond to the ceaseless initiatives by gay activists to repeal the “fidelity/chastity” constitutional ordination standard? How should decision-making power be allocated in the denomination? These issues are at the heart of the great divide in the faltering Presbyterian Church (USA), a denomination that is shrinking fast in numbers and relevance. Yet the task force seems to prefer its process – similar to group therapy – over reaching a clear and assertive conclusion. If there has been a theme to the work of the task force, it has been the denomination’s baneful commitment to an unBiblical view of “inclusiveness.” At its August meeting in Chicago, two Bible studies reflected that bent. The first was an examination of a portion of John’s Gospel in which Jesus washed the feet of the disciples. Frances Taylor Gench, a New Testament professor at Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Va., who led the study, suggested that Jesus’ gesture might be a model for acceptance of homosexual behavior today, notwithstanding Jesus’ commitment to the moral law of God. In another study, led by Sara Sanderson Doughty, a pastor in Lowville, N.Y., the task force considered the “inclusiveness” of the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15) in which church leaders accepted Gentiles into the fold. The study did not examine the resolution to the Jewish-Gentile issue, which included an admonition to “abstain … from sexual immorality.” We mention these two cases because the task force frequently seems to plant itself in unity without considering that there are clear Biblical injunctions against immoral behavior and false teachings. To disregard those injunctions may bring about a feigned oneness, but it is not based on the whole counsel of God. Ultimately, the issue before the task force is not its own search for harmony within its community, but harmony with God’s Word, however the chips may fall.

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