Bringing the Word to Life

An interesting question was asked during the July 29 Appeal Hearing which bears some amplification. As background, we had presented the message of Scripture as being univocal and unambiguous on three points: 1. Marriage is always based on a male/female prerequisite; 2. Every command regarding homosexuality is a prohibition in the strongest terms; and 3. There is not a single biblical passage that affirms homosexual practice of any kind. A judicial commissioner inquired as to which theological starting point anchors this view, “orders of creation” or “covenant theology.” My mental wheels started turning, and I realized that the questioner presented

I have been bothered by a comment made more than once during the July 29 appeal hearing. I think it was two elders who said, “We’re not theologians here; it isn’t our job to adjudicate differences of biblical interpretation.” By way of background, permanent judicial commissioners are either ministers or elders (now known as teaching elders and ruling elders) who have been elected by the General Assembly to six-year terms on the church’s highest court. Their comment begs the question, “So whose job is it?” Turning the case back to the Synod for a revision of its ruling, the GAPJC

After thirty-six years of marriage, I can still surprise my husband. I broke the “Mary mold” a few months ago when I declared—out of the blue—“This is the year for me to climb Half Dome in Yosemite.”  Andy looked at me in astonishment and asked, “Who are you, and what have you done with my wife?!” The church I have known, loved, and worked hard within for thirty-six years has surprised us all with an about-face in the last few months. This radical departure from our heritage has occurred in stages. The first was the replacement of Amendment 10A for

“Can’t we just all get along?” Yes, we can: we can be cordial, gracious in our dealings, non-attacking, and patient with the weaknesses of others. Awhile back I was having a dinner party for folks from many Christian traditions. One replied to the invitation with a private word, saying his wife would not feel free to attend if alcohol of any kind was served at the party. I told him, “Having your wife with us is far more important to me than exercising my Christian liberty to have wine with dinner. Tell her she is more than welcome, and we

A judicial commissioner raised the question last Friday whether the prohibition of homosexual practice was an “essential tenet of the Reformed faith.”  I said in and of itself it was not, but its mandate for church officers derives from something that is an essential tenet of the Reformed faith: the Scriptures in both Old and New Testaments are the only rule of faith and practice and the only basis for the church’s spiritual authority in any particular matter (G-1.0307). I know we’re in risky territory to actually name an essential of the Reformed faith. Years ago as editor, I asked

Continuing our consideration of some of the arguments heard during last Friday’s General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission appeal hearing, in the matter of Parnell et al v. San Francisco Presbytery, it’s time to move on to the question of the interpretation of Scripture. The most common claim made by folks willing to accept the ordination of homosexually active individuals is that “there are many interpretations of only a few isolated passages of Scripture, and it is wrong to impose one of those interpretations (yours) on the whole church.” Several comments can be made in response to this assertion: 1. In

Conscience is often thought of as the inner voice of reason and morality guiding a person to right action. Whether this is an adequate definition I leave to my readers, but it raises the question of whether the “inner voice” has any accountability to an “outer voice.” It also begs the question of the human capacity for self-deception. Gordon Smith, in the introduction to his book The Voice of Jesus,[1] asks two provocative questions he thinks every Christian should be able to answer: first, What do you think Jesus is saying to you? and second, How do you know it’s

The first Historic Principle of Church Order in the PCUSA Book of Order harkens back to the Westminster Confession (Book of Confessions, 6.109), to declare that “God alone is Lord of the conscience, and hath left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are in anything contrary to his Word, or beside it, in matters of faith or worship.” An improper understanding of this principle leads to the claim that one’s “conscience” overrides any other person’s application of Scripture. This translates to “nobody can tell me with any authority that I am wrong; my conscience is my