Bringing the Word to Life

What Did 10-A Do, Really?

10 Comments / GAPJC Decisions, Parnell v. San Francisco, PCUSA / By /

 In instances too numerous to mention, Presbyterians have claimed that the passage of Amendment 10-A last summer opened the door to the ordination of practicing LGBT people. But is this what 10-A did, really? Read it for yourself: Standards for ordained service reflect the church’s desire to submit joyfully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life (F-1.02). The council responsible for ordination and/or installation (G.2.0402; G-2.0607; G-3.0306) shall examine each candidate’s calling, gifts, preparation, and suitability for the responsibilities of ordered ministry. The examination shall include, but not be limited to, a determination of the candidate’s […]

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The Importance of Being Earnest

5 Comments / GAPJC Decisions, Parnell v. San Francisco, PCUSA / By /

  The last of the PCUSA’s “historic principles of church order” points to the importance of discipline within the church: F-3.0108 The Value of Ecclesiastical Discipline Lastly, that if the preceding scriptural and rational principles be steadfastly adhered to, the vigor and strictness of its discipline will contribute to the glory and happiness of any church. Since ecclesiastical discipline must be purely moral or spiritual in its object, and not attended with any civil effects, it can derive no force whatever but from its own justice, the approbation of an impartial public, and the countenance and blessing of the great

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Rainbows and Floods

1 Comment / 2012th General Assembly (Pittsburgh), Leadership and Spirituality, PCUSA, Personal, Spiritual Disciplines, Theological Reflection / By /

The few fans of this blog have perhaps noted my silence the last few days. Can it be true that Mary Naegeli is speechless, or has nothing to say? Au contraire, mes amis, the problem is the opposite! There is so much to say, so much to digest, so much to ponder, that one hardly knows where to begin. On the other side of my mind is the desperate need for some perspective, some peace and quiet, some reflection on the meaning of this moment in the life of the PCUSA. And then the rainbow appeared. This morning, as I

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The Day In-Between

2 Comments / Lent, Theological Reflection / By /

Romans 8:1-11 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For

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Laura Smit on Schism

Leave a Comment / Fellowship of Presbyterians, PCUSA, Theological Reflection / By /

In lieu of a blog post of my own writing today, I commend to you a Journal of Reformed Thought: Perspectives interview of the Rev. Dr. Laura Smit, found here. Laura is steeped in the scenes at Fellowship of Presbyterians (FOP) and Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians (ECO), because she served on the theology draft team which she references in the interview. She is associate professor of religion at Calvin College (Grand Rapids).  I do not know Laura personally, but based on this article I would enjoy making her acquaintance. Her comments about schism, a term being bandied about rather

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Speaking the Truth in Love

2 Comments / 2012th General Assembly (Pittsburgh), PCUSA / By /

The Apostle Paul’s picture of a church in trouble is a dinghy tossed back and forth by the waves of a stormy sea, blown off course by winds of false doctrine and deceitful scheming (Ephesians 4:14). The remedy involves “speaking the truth in love.” Out of compassion for those in peril, we are called to drop an anchor and orient ourselves to an immovable reference point. This is the essential step for getting back on course and for making progress toward our destination, who is Jesus Christ (to mix metaphors, see Hebrews 12:1–2). It grieves me to say this, but

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The MCC Report: What Limits to Our Freedom?

1 Comment / 2012th General Assembly (Pittsburgh), MCC Report, New Form of Government (nFOG), Parnell v. San Francisco, PCUSA, The Missional Church / By /

Over the last week, I have been reviewing elements and concepts embedded in the recommendations and rationale of the Commission on Mid-Councils Report. As a conversation starter, the Report is excellent and the Commission is to be commended for the thoroughness of its process and product. Not every topic therein has been addressed here. Upon reflection, some sections of the Report do not ring as true or indispensible to me as others. And there is still a matter of interpreting one particular sentence, the seventh of eight “guiding principles.” found on page 81. My inquiry of the MCC moderator as

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Understanding the Term “Missional”

2 Comments / 2012th General Assembly (Pittsburgh), MCC Report, The Missional Church / By /

Continuing an evaluation of the ideas and recommendations of the Commission on Mid-Councils Report, today’s exploration delves into the concept of “missional ministry.” Some care must be taken to define the term, because assumptions about its meaning (especially among Presbyterians I observe, including seminary students) can morph it into a new form unrecognizable to those who coined it. My sense is that the writers of the MCC Report had an adequate understanding of “missional,” and the bibliography certainly reflects wide reading on the subject. No complaints there. I am raising the yellow caution flag for all the interpreters of the

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The Link Between Theology and Mission

7 Comments / Essential Tenets of the Reformed Faith, MCC Report, PCUSA, Theological Reflection / By /

I left off last time listing, but not expanding upon, the implication of the MCC Report involving the creation of new presbyteries: Create provisional presbyteries around specific missional purposes.   Right out the chute, the language in the Report is very careful about the formation of non-geographic presbyteries. Those congregations that need a way out of their current presbyteries because of theological incompatibility have a particular challenge because of two conditions given in the report, that 1) these new presbyteries achieve specific missional purposes, and 2) they some how reflect the “rich diversity” of God’s people. In practice over the

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The MCC Challenge to Presbyteries

3 Comments / 2012th General Assembly (Pittsburgh), GAPJC Decisions, MCC Report, PCUSA, The Missional Church, Theological Reflection / By /

The reinvigoration of presbyteries is a central vision within the Mid-Councils Commission Report. One does not even need to read between the lines to recognize that presbyteries are going to be required to step up to new realities, with less help coming from “above” and more responsibility for what happens “below.” But as the locus of support for congregations, presbyteries have the important calling of fostering creative ministry, facilitating networking, and otherwise fanning the flame of good ideas within its bounds. This will all work if presbyteries can be truly supportive of their congregations in a relational way. If, however,

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