 God bless the Kirk  The Layman Volume 39, Number 4, Posted Sept. 19, 2006
More than a decade ago, Rev. Tom Gray and Rev. Wayne Hardy realized that Presbyterian Church (USA) leaders had set the denomination on a course of cultural compromise that could only end in apostasy. They presented evidence to the Kirk’s session, and together they committed themselves to denominational renewal. The Kirk drafted overtures; sent observers to meetings of higher governing bodies; volunteered for service on committees, commissions and councils; funded advocacy groups that were working for change; sent letters to commissioners; and testified at General Assembly hearings – all the while contributing hundreds of thousands of dollars to the worldwide mission of the Presbyterian Church (USA). They won a few victories: The General Assembly expressed regret for the worship of “Sophia,” the denial of the incarnation and rejection of the atonement that occurred during its ReImagining God conference. But denominational agencies were not to be deterred, and ReImagining God themes continued to appear in curricula, conferences, programs and policies. The General Assembly adopted a “both/and” compromise on abortion – a half-loaf victory for evangelicals – but its agencies and Washington lobby implemented only half of the compromise, promoting the agenda of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. The General Assembly declined to adopt “Building Community Among Strangers,” a policy paper that celebrated multiple religions as equivalent pathways to God. But Louisville continued to peddle its paper as a “resource to the church.” Three times, the presbyteries upheld the standard that they would not ordain persons who openly engage in sex outside of marriage. But when blatant defiance repeatedly occurred, the denomination’s highest constitutional officer insisted that it was not his job to enforce the constitution. Then, in the summer of 2006, the General Assembly, knowing it could not muster the votes required to amend its constitution, undermined it by granting governing bodies that refuse to live by its standards a license to do so. That did it. The renewed denomination for which the Kirk had prayed and worked has not come to pass. In fact, it is now abundantly clear that among the councils and agencies of this institution the apostasy is intractable. Kirk members have felt a growing sense of theological estrangement. They ask, “How can we continue to identify with an organization whose leaders are ambivalent about Jesus and will not obey God’s Word?” The Kirk’s leaders have not squelched such questions. Instead, they have dealt with them openly and honestly, all within earshot of a dangerously restive denominational infrastructure. Then, in March, presbytery officials marched unannounced into the courthouse and filed a claim on the Kirk’s property. When asked for an explanation, they said this was done in all Eastern Oklahoma counties in the presbytery because an errant Native American congregation had sold some of its real estate without permission. In August, the real reason surfaced. “Privileged and Confidential” papers that had been written by Louisville lawyers to guide presbytery officials were leaked to The Layman. “The presbytery lied to us,” said Gray, noting how closely the presbytery had been following Louisville’s playbill. A tectonic shift occurred. Pious assurances to the contrary notwithstanding, the presbytery – and denominational attorneys who advised it – proved they could not be trusted. On August 16, the Kirk’s session announced that Gray and Hardy renounced the jurisdiction of the Presbyterian Church (USA). On August 30, Kirk of the Hills Inc. severed its association with the denomination. Make no mistake about it: the Kirk did not leave the Presbyterian Church (USA); the Presbyterian Church (USA) left the Kirk, just as it has distanced itself from every congregation that insists on being true to the Gospel. The Kirk is now affirming its membership in the larger worldwide Presbyterian family, finding a home with those who love the Lord, obey his Word, and treat one another with Christ-like grace. Will the Kirk fend off heavy-handed assaults by an alien that has laid claim to its property? Certainly, it will make every effort to do so. It must, for it cannot allow believers’ gifts that were dedicated to the Lord Jesus to be spent on lesser lords. But the Kirk will not be tethered by a title. If an Oklahoma court so rules, this congregation is prepared to sing Martin Luther’s great hymn: “Let goods and kindred go; this mortal life also. The body they may kill. God’s truth abideth still. His kingdom is forever.” Godspeed, Kirk of the Hills. Godspeed! A column by Parker T. Williamson, editor emeritus and senior correspondent of The Layman. |
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