Parnell v. San Francisco

In case my readers have been snowed by analogies of salt, cable noise, or Apple, let me close the week with a clear statement of why I believe the PCUSA and its judicatories must make a significant correction. Though the Parnell et al v. San Francisco Presbytery case is still pending, the Caledonia v. Twin Cities Area case comes full circle today with the ordination of an openly gay man to PCUSA ministry. As this happens, the church is jolted off its foundation. The question is whether Presbyterianism is truly a faith and polity grounded in the Word of God.

My husband and I are having a recurring problem with our digital cable. While watching television, the broadcast will be interrupted by “tiling” and freezing: little squares appear over portions of the picture, obscuring faces and blipping out the sound. We’ve had baseball games freeze at critical moments, which have passed by the time the cable signal catches up with itself. The technician explained that tiling is the result of a corrupt signal that literally loses binary 1s and 0s into cyber-heaven, never to be seen again. This is caused by “noise on the line,” and past that memorable image

The Complainants’ Counsel in the matter of Parnell et al v. San Francisco Presbytery will appeal the Synod of the Pacific Permanent Judicial Commission (SPJC) Ruling rendered on September 17. They have until the end of October to file the Notice of Appeal with the General Assembly PJC. The GAPJC in August remanded two specifications of error to the Synod, which wrote a new ruling to respond to the biblical, theological, and historical evidence presented to it. Rather than judge the claims made by either complainants or the presbytery according to the Scripture and confessions, the Synod PJC came to

Evangelical Presbyterians, depending on their context, feel their strength or weakness relative to those with whom they serve. One might feel comfortable and strengthened by being part of a majority in a presbytery or congregation; another feels beat up and discouraged at being the minority in a different presbytery or congregation. One purpose for this blog is to encourage the theologically conservative of the PCUSA, to identify with their dilemmas, and to support them in their efforts. The fact that there are several different efforts underway, during this sea-change we are experiencing in the denomination, is the reason why one

The occasion for beginning this blog was the completion of the Appeal Hearing before the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission (GAPJC) in the matter of Parnell et al v. San Francisco Presbytery. The GAPJC rendered its Decision and Order on August 2, 2011, and the response of the Complainants’ legal team followed. By way of review, what the GAPJC did was to dismiss all allegations of error that applied the previously encoded standard for church officers, the requirement “to live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness” (the former