[For the PCUSA now]…all references to marriage and chastity are gone, along with the language about refusal to repent of sin. The new language speaks instead of submission to the Lordship of Christ and being guided by Scripture and confessions. In any other context, that language might not seem revolutionary, but in this case, it means the denomination’s surrender to those pushing for the normalization of homosexuality.
Put another way, this church has now decided that “fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman or chastity in singleness” is just too restrictive.
Gradye Parsons, Stated Clerk of the PC(USA) General Assembly, explained the meaning of the change: “Clearly what has changed is that persons in a same-gender relationship can be considered for ordination . . . . The gist of our ordination standards is that officers submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and ordaining bodies (presbyteries for ministers and sessions for elders and deacons) have the responsibility to examine each candidate individually to ensure that all candidates do so with no blanket judgments.”
I have sensed through these various presenting issues (mostly orbiting around gender-related topics) over the past 20 (30? 40?) years that the Protestant denominations, having rejected the authority of the (Catholic) Church at the end of the Middle Ages, are now in the process of recreating the dynamic of authority where Holy Scripture is not the rule by which the denominations are guided but the servant of contemporary administration. I just came across an article from a few years ago by one of the leading revisionists in TEC explaining that Holy Scripture was subject to reason and that Hooker’s reversal of that relationship was wrong. He went on to elaborate on the authority of the church to tell us what is in Scripture. I felt the same thing around 2003 over the “schism is worse than heresy” arguement.
If I am to be subject to the church in its contemporary interpretation of Scripture, if schism is worse than heresy, let it be the church of Rome or Constantinople that demontrate far greater allegiance to the faith of the apostles than protestant churches where you follow your heart and look to the Bible afterwards for affirmation. Liberal churches love to coo about how they don’t make you leave your brain at the door, but in reality they confuse thought with emotion. It seems to take far greater brain-power to engage the historic doctrines and dogmas and understand what is being taught and why than to create new interpretations based on emotion. Besides, if I must choose, I prefer to leave my brain at the door than my soul.
schism is worse than heresy was conveniently deployed in 2003, but the same ECUSA revisionists would recoil at the thought of rejoining Rome or Constantinople – they’ll use that rallying cry exclusively at their convenience.:(