Review of Overtures, Overture 1

The first PCA General Assembly 1973

Perhaps more as an exercise in thinking through my own votes than presuming to influence anyone else, here are my (rough) thoughts on this year’s overtures:

Overture 1) Appointing a Judicial Commission Whose Decision Would be Final – This overture from Pacific Northwest Presbytery would give presbyteries a third option with judicial cases. The first two options are a) try the case on the floor of presbytery, or b) appoint a judicial commission to bring a recommendation which must be approved with an up or down vote. The new option would be to appoint a judicial commission whose decision is final.

In our presbytery I am continually frustrated by committees and commissions bringing recommendations to the floor with such a sparse accounting of the “facts of the case” that it is difficult to know what we are voting on. This overture would be one way to fix that problem. The presbytery could give the matter to a judicial commission which would simply act without the rest of the presbytery’s involvement. I’m not particularly fond of that option of resolving the issue because I believe the presbytery’s oversight is extremely important. I myself would NOT wish for a judicial commission to act in a matter concerning me without a full accounting of the facts of the case to the presbytery. I will vote no on this overture.

Assembly Mired in RPR Report

"The RPR is kind of like your little sister who constantly tattles on you, which is sometimes helpful, but is mostly just annoying." -TE Doug McNutt

The Committee on the Review of Presbytery Records's report is becoming mired in debate with an Assembly already 2 1/2 hours behind schedule. RPR has recommending citing a presbytery for allowing a man to take a personal exception to sacramental theology in favor of paedocommunion (allowing non-examined children to take the Lord's Supper). As many men have stated (and largely followed), he agreed not to teach his view or teach against the theology of the denomination.

The problem for RPR is that the GA has repeatedly, for decades, declined to rule the exception unallowable. This is different than ruling it allowable, which would have solved the problem a long time ago. The recommendation from RPR would have the effect of establishing doctrine and acting judicially, neither of which does it have the authority to do. We've ended up in this situation avoiding issues (on the GA level) because we don't want to expend time and relational capital resolving them. The time we don't spend resolving the issues we end up spending during the RPR report year after year.

Sent with an Old World flourish from my iPhone

Greetings from Eglise Reformee du Quebec

We have been greeted by representatives from denominations around the world, from the 1,000,000 strong powerhouse of the Presbyterian Church of Brazil to the tiny Reformed Church of Quebec (ERQ). The ERQ has FIVE churches in a region the size of Tennessee. They are the ONLY Reformed churches in Quebec. Evangelicals represent one percent of a population that, while traditionally Catholic, is now mostly secular and hedonistic. They covet your prayers.

Sent with an Old World flourish from my iPhone

Voting System Might Work

The assembly conducted an apparently successful test on the new electronic voting system by taking polls on weighty matters.

Assembly Defended from Choir Directors

Not the choir director, not the General Assembly, but a very lazy attempt to add a visual to a blog post indeed.

In an uncomfortable move that surprised no one, a Teaching Elder lodged a protest against the host committee having a woman “lead the Assembly in worship.” Five or six other TEs (out of 1300+) signed onto the protest, which requires no action and mostly functions as an exercise in conscience. Personally, I am deeply grieved at how hurtful such a public statement is, knowing the choir director (probably more properly “conductor”) and her deep love for Jesus. The TE, I’m sure, had no desire to attack the woman personally, but saw the issue as a matter of doctrinal fidelity.

I think the protest is misguided for several reasons. First, his objection was that a woman was “leading worship.” It is common for church members to collapse “worship” down to singing, but a minister should know better. The entire service is formal worship. She didn’t “lead worship,” the worship was led by the moderator, The Rev. Dr. Bryan Chapell, who opened the service, preached and closed with a benediction. The woman (whom I’m avoiding naming) directed the choir and the congregational singing.

Second, I can’t image any reading of Scripture which would forbid a woman being a choir director. 1 Timothy 2:12 forbids a woman teaching or “exercising authority over a man.” Surely a woman waving her arms to help the congregation stay on beat is not what Paul was talking about. If so, then we’d have to say that any function of a woman in church where she directs in any way (say in the parking lot), would be forbidden. Surely this is an admonition against a woman exercising spiritual authority, which is found in establishing doctrine (normally by preaching) or church discipline.

Third, the argument that it is inappropriate for a woman to lead a choir would seem to cover all female involvement in music in a worship service. All of the musicians lead the congregation in singing – that is the function of their service. Is this the biblical admonition?

Fourth, and most importantly in some ways, this kind of public statement has the effect of chilling godly women’s service in the Church. It gives the unspoken message that they are viewed with suspicion and fear. They feel that they don’t have a place in the work and life of the church. They feel that they are called to be witnesses to work and worship and not full participants. The church ends up looking far different from the New Testament, where women were “fellow workers” (Romans 16:3) and were publicly commended for their service (Romans 16:1).

By creating an unbiblical environment, the credibility of men, who are claiming to teach what the Bible says, is diminished. In that credibility and relational vacuum, other, less biblical, voices begin to influence the conversation. Ironically, the extreme forms of biblical patriarchialism end up promoting what they condemn. God deliver us from our own fear.

Hobbit elected Moderator of the 43rd PCA General Assembly

Not Jim Wert, but close...

The 43^rd General Assembly has the makings of one of our irenic years. Though who knows where the seemingly innocuous overtures and resolutions will actually go, there is nothing of the weight of past debates on creation, Federal Vision, insider movements or the like. Overture 7 proposes removing a minister’s right to not testify against himself in judicial cases (more on that in a separate post) and Ligon Duncan submitted a personal resolution expressing corporate repentance for the involvement of Southern Presbyterianism in modern racism and opposition to the civil rights movement. Both of those might generate some heat on the floor, but it’s hard to imagine the Assembly spending a great deal of time on either one. We might finish early.

In opening business last night, the Assembly elected Jim Wert, a prominent Atlanta Ruling Elder, moderator for the Assembly. Teaching Elder Joe Novenson nominated Jim with some of the strangest arguments in my memory. Among the usual long list of abilities, service, and character qualities, Joe cited the fact that Jim and his wife are known for dressing up as Samwise and Rosie Gamgee. I kid you not. In his acceptance speech he quoted Bilbo freely, “I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.”

The other bit of excitement was the total fail of the electronic voting system. Each commissioner received a calculator like device with his name badge. Instead of waving cards, we are supposed to push buttons to record our votes. Only about half appeared to work and the assembly devolved into an old-time hymn sing while the clerk printed off 1300+ paper ballots. It is likely they will get the system operational today, but it might be a good idea for me to find my card.

Welcome to Chattanooga! The 43rd General Assembly of the PCA

It has been a couple of years since I’ve attended a General Assembly, which certainly has been a welcome relief to some. If nothing else, I have a gift for gumming up the works. I took a call as a chaplain for Chattanooga Christian School, which means I don’t have a church sending me every year. This year, in God’s Providence, he has provided a way for me to attend. I don’t expect to spend much time on the floor this year, but I thought I would offer thoughts on the Assembly as it progresses.

After two years hiatus, the first thing that jumps out to me in the packet is how much less time there is for floor debate. I’ve heard men talking for years about how the reason Ruling Elders don’t attend GA is that they are put off by rancorous floor debate with long haggling over arcane rules. What the Ruling Elders would really enjoy, they have said, are helpful workshops and interesting/inspiring reports about our denomination.

I am no longer young and won’t speak for youth, but I know why the REs in my congregation didn’t come: they felt like the floor business didn’t matter and the “powers that be” were going to find a way to push through their agenda through the denominational apparatus. The Res who DID come believed that they could still do something meaningful on the floor.

This does not mean that they didn’t appreciate some of the workshops. I didn’t, for the most part, but they did, sometimes. They were just no going to take a week off from work to go to workshops. The one thing that seemed true across the board was that there was very little interest in the denominational reports.

In my mind, the less people think that their participation makes a difference, the less they will be motivated to show up. That does work in favor of the “powers that be,” since the people not showing up would have been the ones most likely to question administrative agendas.