‘Beware
of false prophets’
- Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s
clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them
by their fruits. Matthew 7:15 (English Standard Version)
False prophets recently have scattered rotten fruit in several
corners of God’s Kingdom, celebrating the morally corrupt ideas of
men and women while trampling under their feet the infallible Word of
God. Worse than that, through an idolatrous sleight of hand, they have
placed themselves at the center of our common faith and practice and
turned on its head the Word of the Lord:
- I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and
I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can
do nothing. John 15:5 (ESV)
These most recent actions of those false prophets within the bounds
of the Presbyterian Church (USA) – which has been wasting away for
decades under the erosive onslaught of continued departures from
Biblical beliefs and historic practices – are easily summarized:
- On Jan. 15, the Presbytery of San Francisco approved as “ready
for examination, with departure” a lesbian who has been blocked
from ordination for more than 20 years.
- On Jan. 26, the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area voted that the
“fidelity/chastity” ordination standard in the Book of
Order is not an essential of Reformed faith and polity, as well
as voting to restore an openly gay man to the ordained office of
minister of Word and sacrament.
- On Feb. 16, John Knox Presbytery approved an overture to “hopefully
overturn” the Feb. 14 rulings by the General Assembly Permanent
Judicial Commission that stated presbyteries considering candidates
for ordination cannot depart from the “fidelity/chastity”
requirement. The overture stresses local option in the examination
of candidates and argues that the “fidelity/chastity”
requirement is not an essential of the Reformed faith.
In each case, the majorities relied on an authoritative
interpretation approved by the 217th General Assembly. That approval –
Recommendation 5 of the PUP report – granted sessions and
presbyteries full discretion to declare as “non-essential”
Biblical ordination standards mandated by the Constitution.
By this action, the General Assembly bypassed the presbyteries –
which previously upheld the ordination standard three times in national
referendums by ever-growing margins – and amended the Constitution
without using the process it requires, thus denying the presbyteries
their proper role in making such decisions.
- Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?
So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears
bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased
tree bear good fruit. Matthew 7:16-18 (ESV)
This action, as the Presbyterian Lay Committee said in a statement
July 6, 2006, “opened the way not only for the ordination of
persons who openly engage in sexual activity outside of marriage, but
also of persons who do not believe in the bodily Resurrection of Jesus
or any other foundational doctrine of the faith. Every ordination
standard may now be deemed optional. Congregations that honor Reformed
faith will experience a viral effect, as other congregations within
their presbyteries exempt themselves from the essential tenets of that
faith.”
These actions, and pending actions relying upon the contorted reasoning
of the PUP report still working their way through other presbyteries and
the upcoming General Assembly, illustrate more than just the worsening
theological crisis fracturing the PCUSA. This ongoing rejection of God’s
Word, Biblical teaching and the constitutional commitments that form the
basis of our communion clearly demonstrate that in many places we no
longer can say we are people of the Book. Instead, more and more
Presbyterians are declaring themselves to be people of the moment –
breaking covenant with the Biblical and historic bonds that have defined
and held this denomination together.
This trend moves beyond the piecemeal fragmentation that has been
roiling the denomination for years and takes a quantum leap to the
precipice of schism.
- Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and
thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
Matthew 7:19-20 (ESV)
After sustained prayer, it is with great sorrow that we conclude
there are too many trees that are not bearing good fruit within the
PCUSA. More and more, individuals are simply leaving, while more and
more congregations are voting or planning to vote to seek dismissal to
another Reformed denomination that they believe is more Biblically
orthodox and authentically, fervently committed to the Great Commission.
Like Elijah, the infallible counsel of His Word strengthens all those
who refuse to bow their knee to Baal. Scripture leads us to believe that
now, as always, Jesus Christ will gather His followers around His Word.
We believe that the Lord will rally thousands of Presbyterians whose
integrity and Biblical faithfulness will not abide the compromised
belief and practices that have been thrust upon them.
Consequently, we denounce the ongoing abandonment of Biblical beliefs
and historic practices that have sustained and strengthened the Church
Universal throughout history. We call upon Presbyterians at every level
of the denomination to challenge these continued breaches of the
covenant that holds us in faithful communion.
In this, we remember that our unity is not in an institution created by
man, as those false prophets proclaim, but in the timeless and inerrant
Word of God – where “faith is being sure of what we hope for
and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11 – NIV). |
