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Tennessee Valley Declines to Investigate Or Instruct Cedar P&R News ² March 1999 Recording the Presbyterian & Story of the Presbyterian Church in America Reformed News $2.75 per issue/$15.00 per year Volume 6 Number 1 Published by Presbyterian International News Service, Inc., Lawrenceville, Georgia January-February 2000 Tennessee Valley Declines To Investigate or Instruct Cedar Springs Church Regarding Female Preaching Presbytery Approves Unordained Persons Speaking in Public Worship At its Winter Stated Meeting, held that the church had scheduled a woman to be he concluded, she is not preaching because Church is only ministerial and declarative, and January 8, 2000, in Sweetwater, Tennessee, the plenary speaker at its missions conference she is not presenting authoritative teaching. therefore whoever proclaims the Word of God Tennessee Valley Presbytery (TVP) of the in 2001. By way of illustration, he added that just in the church is by that very preaching Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) At its November 1999 stated meeting, because it walks like a duck, looks like a duck, exercising authority over all who hear, declined to institute a judicial investigation of Western Carolina sent yet another letter to and quacks like a duck, doesnt mean its a including the Session, which is not lawful for Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church, Knoxville, Tennessee Valley. After noting the action duck. During his attempted defense of the women to do. Two resolutions were Tennessee, or to instruct the Session and taken by Cedar Springs, the communique notion that a woman who fills the pulpit is not proposed in the overture: 1. The Tennessee Pastor that they must cease from the practice asked TVP to intervene and to require the preaching, Mr. Wood suggested that his use Valley Presbytery exhort the Cedar Springs of women preaching. The Presbytery, rather, Cedar Springs Church to comply with the of terminology was not Clintonesque. Presbyterian Church, and all our churches, to gave its blessing to two resolutions in an PCAs position on this issue. Presbytery then delayed further cease and desist from inviting unauthorized overture from Cedar Springs, which allow that persons, men or women, as plenary speakers unordained people may speak on occasion in their designated worship services, as this in public worship. Taken together, the actions practice is contrary to the Constitution of the appear to grant approval to female preaching. PCA. 2. The Tennessee Valley Presbytery at The action on these matters prevailed by an the same time encourages laymen and women estimated two to one margin. to participate in the worship services by The issue of women preaching has been praying, testifying, singing and so on, but bubbling in the PCA for almost a year, ever not usurping the place of verbal authority since it came to light that a woman had twice granted the minister of the Word in our preached at Cedar Springs in August 1998. Constitution. The Senior Pastor of the prominent Knoxville The pastor of Wayside Church, Marshall congregation, John Wood, publicly defended St. John, began his argument in favor of the the practice in an interview in the March 1999 overture by reminding the court of a edition of P&R News. Since that time, charges fundamental tenet of all Protestant theology, have been brought against him by four PCA namely, that the authority of all preaching presbyteries, which petitioned the General Lookout Mountain (Ga.) Reformed Presbyterian Church was founded in the 1960s and is resides in and is derived from the Word of Assembly to assume original jurisdiction over located just south of Covenant College. Its session has played a leading role in the discussion on God. He explained that if his wife preached Mr. Wood. The unusual Constitutional women preaching in Tennessee Valley Presbytery. his sermon, it would be no less authoritative, procedure, of having the Assembly exercise because she would be speaking the Word of original jurisdiction over a minister, was The Western Carolina letter was only one consideration of the Cedar Springs overture, God. Dr. St. John also mentioned that in the invoked after Tennessee Valley Presbytery had of several communications which brought the in order to take up the other two. The first of Reformed tradition the Word of God is failed to act in the matter. issue to the attention of Tennessee Valley these was from the Session of Wayside especially known in its proclamatory form, that One of the presbyteries which has been Presbytery at its January meeting. Also before Presbyterian Church, Signal Mountain, is, as what is preached. taking the lead in the matter is Western the court were three overtures, the Tennessee. This document declared that the Several of the presbyters seemed Carolina, home of Dr. Morton H. Smith, the aforementioned letter from Cedar Springs, and Constitution of the PCA defines preaching as confused about this point, and one teaching PCAs first Stated Clerk. At its March 1999 a protest. a broad general term meant to cover all kinds elder, the Rev. Mr. Dennis Griffith, Chairman stated meeting, the Presbytery communicated First to be considered was the overture of public proclamation and teaching of the of the Presbyterys Mission to North America with Tennessee Valley, expressing concern from Cedar Springs, which asked for approval Word: for example reading, expounding, Committee, even objected to it. After some over the report of a woman having preached of three resolutions: 1. The ordinary declaring, beseeching and bearing glad debate, the Signal Mountain overture was in one of its pulpits and asking for an preaching and teaching ministry in the tidings. The overture also said that the PCA voted down. investigation. Tennessee Valley Presbytery worship services of our churches is to be by Constitution states that all authority in the Following lunch, the Presbytery did not formally respond to its neighbor in those sufficiently gifted, and also duly western North Carolina, either after TVPs approved and called to that office (WCF April or after its July stated meeting. Within Larger Catechism, Q&A 158). 2. However, NSIDE THIS SSUE two and a half weeks after TVPs failure in Sessions are permitted by our Constitution to I I July to act on the matter, three PCA invite unordained persons to speak on those Women Preaching Story.......................................... 1-4 presbyteriesWestern Carolina, Calvary, and occasions when they believe that it would be MTW and Broadway............................................... 5 Ascensionhad petitioned the Assembly for glorifying to God and good for the people original jurisdiction over Mr. Wood. (Directory for Worship, 53-6). 3. For the peace Westminster Presbytery Votes to Divide................. 6-7 October saw further action. Tennessee and health of our churches, the word Mt. Carmel Church Leaves the PCA...................... 8 Valley voted, without formal investigation, to preaching should not be used to describe vindicate the Cedar Springs Session, but also the speaking of unordained persons. Louisiana to Discuss declared that female preaching is In arguing for his Sessions overture, Mr. Serious Doctrinal Departure in PCA.................. 9 inappropriate. Eastern Carolina Presbytery Wood attempted to explain that the Southern California Creation Debate..................... 10 later that month joined in asking the Assembly controversy was essentially a to assume original jurisdiction in the case of misunderstanding of words, that is, a matter Are PCA Courts Private?..................................... 11 Presbyterian Church in America vs. John of semantics. He defended having a woman Who Wrote the Books of Moses?........................... 12-13 Wood. perform the ministry of the Word on the The Cedar Springs Session reacted to the grounds that the only preaching women are Editorials and Letters.............................................. 14-15 TVP meeting by sending a letter to the prohibited from engaging in is authoritative News from the Presbyteries.................................... 16-26 Presbytery. In that letter, the Session averred teaching. Mr. Wood argued that Quotes from the Quorums....................................... 25 that it saw nothing wrong with its having had authoritative preaching is only that which a woman to fill the pulpit, and it announced is done by an ordained minister. Therefore, Sponsors.................................................................. 26-27 2 P&R News ² January-February 2000 considered the overture from the Lookout of his professors at Gordon-Conwell · Certainly did not repent for having women our Constitution. Mountain (Ga.) Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary, said: Gordon Fee preach; believing it to be proper. · Certainly appears flagrant when the CSPC Church, which was presented by its pastor, taught us that the Bible does not mean what it · Certainly is not submissive to the session stated that it had permitted Kevin Skogen. This overture asked the says, but it means what it means. brethren when it notifies the Presbytery women to teach in past worship services, Presbytery to reaffirm its position against During one part of the debate, the Rev. of its intent to have a woman preach at a as if the sessions oversight of such womens preaching in the pulpits of the Mr. Tim Rake objected to the notion of non- future service, could supersede the authority of clear presbytery and instruct the pastor and session authoritative teaching. He told the court that · Certainly appears especially egregious didactic inspiration in I Tim. 2:11-12,
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