As I continue to reflect on the actions of the 219th General Assembly, of which I was a minister-commissioner, i am heartened by memories of all the good folks I met. I am still troubled by some of the decisions, but I am encouraged by individuals Imet from all over the country, who love the Lord and serve diligentlyin their churches. They share many of my concerns, but we alsoseek to be faithful to God's call in the midst of the turmoil and social upheavals of our times. We live in a challenging era. How will we respond? How does God want us to respond? We must prayerfully discern God's will for us.
One of my new church friends, a Hispanic pastor from New Mexico, who was also disappointed with some of the actions of the GA, sent me an email note with this encouraging Scripture from Hebrews. I pass it on to you:
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
"Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood….Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed. Pursue peace with everyone, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble, and through it many become defiled."
Hebrews 12: 1-4, 12-15 (NRSV)
Another friend of mine in the Renewal network of PCUSA, a minister-commissioner from Pittsburgh, wrote to mr that several of his elders told him they did NOT WANT to leave the PCUSA, but "felt like the church was leaving them."
I surely do not want to leave the PCUSA either, but I understand where these elders are coming from. Many good people who have been nurtured by the Scripture and the traditional viewpoints of our PCUSA confessions and such foundational theologians and Calvin and Bullinger, for years and years, and then to be told that these statements of faith no longer matter "for our times", find it a hard pill to swallow. But I feel God is calling for those of us who stand for the historic traditional viewpoints of the church to continue to stand firm, in love and compassion, for the good of the church today and for the promise of the generations yet to come.
What do you think? Where will you stand? As a young man from West Virginia, who I sat with at dinner on Friday night at the GA said to me, "I want to stand on the Solid Rock, not the shifting sands of cultural accomodation, How about you?"
Another friend, a young woman from California, sent me a link to a website of Presbyterian Church in America blogger Adam Parker. The column is interesting, not because my friend is recommending a switch of individual members to PCA or EPA or anything like that, but because it shows another point of view from the Presbyterian family of Reformed churches. There is also a video featuring John Calvin scholar and author, John Piper, who I have enjoyed reading through the years, commenting on the recent trends of churches attempting to accommodate the culture (nothing new to this, just read the epistles to the Corinthians). Take a listen to his powerful comments. Here is the link --
http://www.bringthebooks.org/2010/07/pcusa-decisions-warning-for-pca.html
In conclusion, let us pray for the universal church, our denomination, our presbyteries, out particular local churches, and for each other. May God bless the Presbyterian Church, USA and the North Central Iowa Presbytery. May God guide our steps in the days and months to come.
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