 It’s all about PUP  The Layman Volume 38, Number 4, Posted October 26, 2005
PUP reminds us that each of us sees through a glass dimly. It would have us believe that no one can really know the truth, and that it would be presumptuous to claim that we do. We are, after all, human. Scripture may be the Word of God, but each sees it from a different angle. In matters practical, as in establishing church standards, Scripture is “complex,” and one person’s view is as good as another. Thus, like the ancient Athenians, PUP affirms our diversity, proffering a method of “discernment” that replaces “yes/no” with “both/and,” suggesting that Presbyterians transform their governing bodies into corporate therapy sessions wherein everyone – along with their preferred beliefs and behaviors – is deemed “OK.” According to PUP, we are obliged to “honor” one another’s opinions, whatever they may be – even if they are contrary to Scripture, the church’s confessions and the Book of Order. Illogical and unfaithful approach This approach is both illogical and unfaithful. It is illogical because it violates the most basic rule of rationality. A proposition cannot be both true and false at the same time and in the same circumstance. To say otherwise is to speak utter nonsense. The approach is unfaithful because it violates the First Commandment. Shunning the Word of the Lord, the cult of the imperial self makes each individual his or her own arbiter of truth. Whatever happened to “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt. You shall have no other gods before me?” How could a group of reasonably intelligent Christians produce such a shortsighted report? It did so by becoming the center of its own universe. Throughout its report, PUP refers to its joyful discovery that individuals from radically disparate perspectives could love and honor one another. That’s a claim that we neither question nor disdain. We are happy for them that they had such an experience of personal friendship and togetherness. But that experience, however laudable, was irrelevant to PUP’s task. When truth is at issue, the focus has never been, nor can it ever be, all about PUP. The truth of the Christian faith did not arise from pooled human perspectives. “Flesh and blood did not reveal this to you,” Jesus told Peter, “but my father who is in heaven.” Revelation is the rock on which Jesus Christ built his church. Anything less – including the most erudite composite of human opinion – is sand. The Bible is true because ... While it is arrogant for any of us to insist that our opinions constitute “the truth,” it is entirely a different matter to make such a claim for the Word of God. The Bible is true, not because we say so, but simply because it is. Far from humility, agnosticism’s claim that the truth cannot be known is the most arrogant. In making such a claim, an individual pronounces judgment over all truth claims, including the claim that is made by the Word of God. PUP failed to ground its efforts in that one Word that Christians are instructed to revere and obey. For this reason, its report will not endure. For a season, it will enjoy short-term support from purveyors of institutional Presbyterianism. The stated clerk of the General Assembly has applauded PUP, saying that it reminds him of what the apostles did in the Council of Jerusalem. The General Assembly Council, whose programs are drowning in deficits due to a dearth of congregational support, gave PUP a standing ovation. Tens of thousands of dollars are being spent dispatching PUP teams to the presbyteries in a massive public relations effort. And PUP has announced that it will conduct a day-long “event” for commissioners to the 2006 General Assembly. This flurry of videos, graphics displays, DVD’s, four-color brochures, endorsements from denominational luminaries and official appearances on the campaign trail will keep PUP in the public eye. But in the end, lacking substance, it will dissolve into a well-deserved insignificance. The church must set its sights beyond PUP. Peace, Unity and Purity will not come from consensus. It is not a political achievement. It is a discovery – a gift of God’s grace, grounded in God’s Word, transmitted by his Spirit, and requiring the faithful obedience of God’s people. A column by Parker T. Williamson, chief executive officer of the Presbyterian Lay Committee and editor in chief of its publications. |
||
| Respond
to this article Previous columns by Parker T. Williamson Home · News · PLC Publications · The Presbyterian Layman Online Reviews · Archives· History of the Lay Committee · Feedback · Links |
||
