Posted on 01/16/2020 8:45:16 AM PST by Gamecock
The Presbytery voted to “prevent the proliferation of Teaching Elders publicly identifying themselves with a ‘gay identity’.”
“Grace Presbytery believes the concept of “Celibate Gay Pastor” to be contrary to the teaching of Scripture and the constitutional standards of the Presbyterian Church in America, and that the churches of Grace Presbytery should not presume to think that candidates for our pulpits who identify themselves in this (or similar ways) will be approved for admission to Grace Presbytery.”
At its January 14, 2020 stated meeting, Grace Presbytery acted on a communication from the Session of the Thomson Memorial Church of Centreville, Miss., to “prevent the proliferation of Teaching Elders publicly identifying themselves with a ‘gay identity’.” Presbytery referred the matter to the Ad Interim Committee, which recommended the following to Grace Presbytery:
That Grace Presbytery concur with the Thomson Memorial Session’s concern to “prevent the proliferation of Teaching Elders publicly identifying themselves with a ‘gay identity;” That Grace Presbytery not initiate a judicial complaint or overture to the General Assembly at this time; and That Grace Presbytery adopt the following in thesi statement as an expression of the mind of the court and as guidance for the Examining and Candidates Committee in their future examinations of those seeking admission to Grace Presbytery: “Grace Presbytery believes the concept of “Celibate Gay Pastor” to be contrary to the teaching of Scripture and the constitutional standards of the Presbyterian Church in America, and that the churches of Grace Presbytery should not presume to think that candidates for our pulpits who identify themselves in this (or similar ways) will be approved for admission to Grace Presbytery.”
The three recommendations were adopted by voice vote with no audible negative votes or abstentions
GRPL Ping
As they should.
As a ruling elder in the PCA, I fear that Tim Keller and his compatriots will in short order use the General Assembly machinery to nullify Grace Presbytery’s resolution.
Is Keller going that far left? I haven’t heard that before.
He has gone pretty much full SJW in recent years. His early educational influence was the cultural Marxism of the Frankfurt School. In recent years he has been quoted (accurately) as desiring to reconcile socialism and the Gospel.
Not a Keller fan myself but he has tremendous influence in a lot of PCA churches.
He is incredibly gifted and has done a lot of good. However, finishing well is at least as important as starting well. The comparison is probably a bit harsh, but Benedict Arnold was a hero in the American Revolution - initially.
All of this is the result of rejecting the Torah. When you detach yourself from Torah you will begin to drift, imperceptibly at first, and one day you wake up and find the whole system turning to idolatry and direct opposition to the Law of God.
I’ll wait and see what the Committee on Presbytery Records does with this next summer.
I’d love to see Missouri Presbytery go the way of Louisiana Presbytery, but I don’t see that happening. The move to grant independence to Covenant Seminary never left the starting blocks.
Might I ask what going the way of the LA Presbytery means? I’m an OPC guy but I always worship in the PCA in Baton Rouge when I go there. Love my PCA brothers and am concerned.
Louisiana Presbytery was under the sway of the FV folks. Much abbreviated version, the presbytery was abolished, the territory divided among three other presbyteries, and most of the few faithful churches passed to the jurisdiction of those presbyteries. (Southern Louisiana got the biggest chunk, Mississippi Valley got almost as much, and North Texas got a smaller portion of the former presbytery.)
(At least one of the faithful churches went to another reformed body, I think the OPC but would have to confirm my recollections on that and will more or less gracefully yield to better info).
The folks in Monroe that caused the problems went CREC - another congregation might have, as well.
Wow, thanks for clarification. I was not aware this had happened. FV so far has not made any strides that I know of in my OPC Presbytery. We are currently searching for a pastor and that is one of the questions I put before potential candidates. There is a CREC church up here in AK but so far neither the PCA or the OPC here have been infected.
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