A pastoral letter to congregations in presbyteries that switched their vote on ordination standards:
Greetings, my Presbyterian brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. To the churches in Arkansas, Charlotte, Cimmaron, Detroit, Eastminster, East Tennessee, Grace, Great Rivers, Greater Atlanta, Lake Huron, Lehigh, Mackinac, Maumee Valley, Minnesota Valleys, Missouri River Valley, New Hope, Newark, Ohio Valley, Pacific, Philadelphia, Salem, Scioto Valley, Sheppards & Lapsley, Southeastern Illinois, Transylvania, Tres Rios, Utah, Wabash Valley, West Jersey, West Virginia, Western North Carolina, Western New York, Whitewater Valley and Yellowstone presbyteries: Grace and peace to you from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, to whom be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
Do you know how to play “Go Fish,” “Manipulation,” or “War?” In life, as in cards, in order to play the hand you’re dealt, you have to know what game is being played. This letter is to let you know how the game has changed in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and to help prepare you to play the hand we have been dealt.
‘Go Fish’
The Church, throughout all generations, has one primary calling: to make disciples. Put simply, Jesus commands us to “Go Fish.” As Presbyterians, we call it the first “Great End of the Church,” and it is “the proclamation of the Gospel for the salvation of humankind” (G-1.0200). It is our primary “job,” our first order of business, the “if we don’t do this, nothing else matters” priority. We are the Church and we “Go Fish.” But then the game changed.
‘Manipulation’
You are likely unfamiliar with this particular game. I think my family made it up. It can be played by an unlimited number of people as long as you keep multiplying the decks and manipulating the cards. In the PCUSA, during the past 30 years, we’ve gone from a friendly, cooperative game of “Go Fish” to a no-holds-barred denominational version of “Manipulation.”
The latest evidence? Your presbytery was strategically “targeted” as one whose vote on ordination standards could be “flipped.” Those targeting your presbytery were successful in their efforts. While you thought we were still playing “Go Fish,” the game changed. Your presbytery, along with 33 others across the country, got played. If you think I’m overstating things, then you haven’t seen the national strategy that was laid out by The Covenant Network, More Light Presbyterians and That All May Freely Serve – where your presbytery was openly referred to as a “target flip” (unless you’re in Utah, which makes you a “bonus flip”).(1)
Why characterize it as manipulation? Well, you know what the Bible says about sexual purity. You know God’s design for marriage is between one man and one woman, and you know that’s the only appropriate place for the full expression of physical intimacy. You know the plain meaning of the words “fidelity” and “chastity” and you know when someone is trying to use language and politics to advance their personal agenda. You know what our mutually agreed upon constitutional standards say and you also know that our ability to uphold those standards has been jeopardized by the “scrupling” made possible by the passage of the Peace, Unity and Purity report (2006). You mistakenly thought we were still playing old-fashioned, “by the book” Presbyterianism. Sorry, friends, the game has changed.
The risk of ‘War’
As the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender) lobby was very successful in this round of presbytery voting, battle plans for the next round are already in the works. The final nine presbyteries needed to strip the Constitution of sexual behavioral standards for the church’s officers have already been identified. The ammo is already being reloaded and the targets are in view. Lest you think I’m kidding, the LGBT lobby has identified the 2010-2011 “target flips” or those seen as the most vulnerable for flipping as: Cincinnati, Central Nebraska, Mission, Pines, Carlisle, Homestead, Florida, St. Augustine and Eastern Oklahoma, with Savannah clearly on the radar. The LGBT advocates are singularly focused on one goal and have no intention of stopping short of total victory.(2)
I predict this determination to “have their way” no matter the harm to the Body of Christ, no matter the cost, and no matter the consequences, will lead us down a path to all out “War.” As has been the trend, some will flee the fighting, some will hunker down and hope to wait it out, and some will suit up and stand firm (Ephesians 6). Whatever posture you take, let us all remain fully aware that this battle is not against flesh and blood.
Time to get in the game or get out
The clear command of Christ to “Go Fish” tempts some to suggest that we should just ignore the denomination, isolate and insulate ourselves, and continue to drift into congregationalism. That, my friends, is not an option for Presbyterians. We are a connectional people. We are constitutionally bound to one another. If you want to formally disassociate from the group in order to align with a more faithful communion, that is a legitimate option. But to gut the effective nature of our fellowship by withdrawing into some protective enclave is not acceptable. Safe? Yes. Godly? No. This is not a spectator sport and you cannot hide in a holy huddle. Get in the game or get out of the game, those are the options. (Revelation 3:16)
Yes, I know that the world is going to continue to become more debased. Culturally, politically and socially, life is going to become more challenging for Christians seeking to live out an authentically Biblical worldview. Darkness does not like to be pierced and sin does not like to be called out. But Jesus has not called us to befriend the world – in fact, being with Jesus puts us at enmity with the world. Jesus sends us as salt and leaven and light. Just as the Father sent the Son, so Jesus sends us – to embody both truth and grace, to be agents deployed in the world that He so loves, knowing in advance that the Gospel offered will, in many cases, be rejected. Unrequited love.
Jesus never said it would be easy. He never promised “success,” only that the gates of Hades would not prevail against His Church. He demands faithfulness. He disciplines His own. He demands allegiance, come what may. He demands all that we are and all that we have and all that we do and He promises His all in all. By the powerful presence of His Holy Spirit, He is with us always, even to the End. So, fear not, He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world!
Back to ‘Go Fish’
Friends, it is time we started to learn to play the hand we’ve been dealt. And, yes, I know this is much more than a game. With Paul, let us press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of us. Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, let us press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. (Philippians 3:12-15 paraphrased).
Forget what you thought you knew about how the system works. Forget what you thought you knew about who populates your presbytery. Forget what you thought you knew about what being Presbyterian looks like in the 21st century. God is doing a new thing. Old institutional structures are coming down. Congregations are realigning. God’s Kingdom is advancing. The game is on and the Victory secured.
The Presbyterian Lay Committee is committed to stand with you as you take your stand with the consummate Fisher of Men, Jesus Christ. We will continue to inform you through The Layman and The Layman Online and we are committed to helping you become more fully equipped for every good work that God has prepared in advance for you to do. Part of the essence of equipping is that of mending nets – and there are plenty of “nets” that need mending in the PCUSA. Equipping also includes preparing and maintaining firm theological foundations, and in that vein, we offer to you Russ Stevenson’s new book, Forgotten Foundation.(3) Finally, equipping is about preparation for ministry: “Go Fish.”
Let us know how we can be praying specifically for your congregation and your presbytery as you live into the calling to become “fishers of men.” Pray for your sister congregations. And let us never cease to praise God for His blessings to us. Praise God for the faithfulness of His people in the majority of our presbyteries where the Biblical standard was upheld. Indeed, in the face of all that confronts us, let us pray.
Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, what I say would not be mere words, but reflective of the very Word of God; may I fearlessly make known the One who died that I might live, for whom alone I am an ambassador. May I always speak the truth in love and openly declare Christ in the midst of a generation of itchy ears.
You are encouraged to read this letter aloud to your session, publish it to your congregation, and send it on to others who need to know that the game has changed.
With you, forever fishing in uncharted waters and stormy seas, for His glory,
Carmen Fowler, president
The Presbyterian Lay Committee
Footnotes
- Read the evidence for yourself at: http://yeson08b.blogspot.com; http://www.mlp.org/index.php?topic=answeringgodscall; http://www.mlp.org/staticpages/index.php?page=answeringgodscall; http://www.covenantnetwork.org/resources/OrgFor08B.html; and http://www.shuckandjive.org/2009/05/missouri-river-flips.html.
- Read the evidence for yourself at http://www.northsidepres.org/outreach/more-light/overture-press-release.htm; http://www.northsidepres.org/uploads/overture/Detroit%20Overture%20-%20FINAL.pdf; http://www.tamfs.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=94&Itemid=101
- Forgotten Foundation is $14.96 and may be purchased by calling 1-800-368-0110. For more information about the book, see the back page advertisement.