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1 Unity in the Presbyterian Church in Canada Today PSALT Address Unity in the Presbyterian Church in Canada Today PSALT Address, Vaughn Community Church, May 12, 2017 Kevin Livingston, Tyndale Seminary Introduction: the reality of conflict in the church The story is told of a young rabbi who found a serious problem in his new congregation. During the Friday service half the congregation stood for the prayers and the other half remained seated, with each side shouting at the other, insisting that theirs was the true tradition. Nothing the rabbi said or did moved toward solving the impasse. Finally in desperation the young rabbi sought out the synagogue’s 90-year-old founder. He met the old rabbi in a nursing home and poured out his troubles. "So tell me, was it the tradition for the congregation to stand during prayers?" "No," answered the old rabbi. "Ah, then it was the tradition to sit during the prayers?" "No," answered the old rabbi. "Well, what we have is complete chaos! Half the people stand and shout, and the other half sit and scream." "Ah," said the old man, "that was the tradition!" Whenever two or more are gathered together, people will come down on different sides of an issue. There will be differences of opinion, painful interpersonal conflicts and tense theological debate. It’s been that way since the beginning of the Christian church. It was there in the churches the apostle Paul served. It was there in that very gifted, charismatic but doctrinally and morally confused church of Corinth, and it was there in the church in Philippi, where a very public disagreement between two prominent women was beginning to split the church. It was in the Galatian church with its temptation to revert to legalistic rule- keeping and it was in the Colossian church tempted to believe that salvation could be found in something other than Christ alone. The churches addressed in the Johannine letters were dealing with the threat of Gnosticism; and almost all the seven churches in the province of Asia mentioned in the book of Revelation were dealing with controversies of one sort or another. So conflict within congregations and disagreements between different communities of faith is a central feature found right in the New Testament. Indeed Karl Barth once remarked that “There are no letters in the New Testament 1 apart from the problems of the church.”1 And of course problems among God’s people didn’t stop with the apostles. I don’t mean to make light of the very real impasse we are now face in the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Our current theological debates are deadly serious, and have profound consequences for our congregations, our own ministries, and our denomination. We wouldn’t be here today if we didn’t believe that. But it’s helpful for us to remember that there has never been a pristine, pure time when the body of Christ had no doctrinal conflict or moral compromise or disagreement over which cultural values and practices we could or could not accommodate into our life together. “The Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord,” as the old hymn puts it, but we live and work “mid toil and tribulation’… by schisms rent asunder and heresies distressed.”2 And so shall it always be this side of heaven. I believe we are on the threshold of the greatest crisis within the PCC since 1925, and we face a season of intense, divisive conflict. The presenting issue, of course, is the attempt by some to change our church’s historic position on homosexual practice as it relates to God’s intent for marriage and for ordained leadership within the church. But the real issues we face are much deeper, relating to our views of biblical authority, hermeneutics and the very nature and function of theology. We are wrestling with radically divergent understandings of the inspiration and authority of the Bible. We are wrestling with seemingly incompatible hermeneutical approaches, of how to read and interpret Scripture for the life of the church in ways that are faithful to Scripture itself and in line with our doctrinal and confessional heritage as Reformed Christians. And we are wrestling with denominational structures and institutions that appear to have a profound case of theological amnesia, so that about the only thing that continues to hold us together is our form of church government but certainly not a common theology or a shared mission. I will not be addressing these topics today. I’ve spoken on them at length at Chedoke Church in Hamilton last year and I’d be happy to share a copy of my remarks with you if you like. And we’ll be pondering these matters with our speakers Ephraim Radner, Bruxy Cavey, and Gene Haas, and with each other over the course of today and tomorrow. In our time together, I’d like to set the stage for what’s to come. First I want to briefly reiterate the PCC’s historic position on homosexual orientation and practice, so that we’re all on the same page. Then I’d like to review the state of things among other Reformed churches across the world. And finally, with a nod to the lessons we can learn from the experience of others, I’d like to posit three different scenarios of our future, and make a plea to guard the unity Christ has given us as we strive to embody the grace and truth of the gospel in these difficult days. The PCC’s Historic Position on Homosexual Orientation and Practice3 1 Earl Palmer, Integrity in a World of Pretense: Insights from the Book of Philippians (Downer’s Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1992), 86. 2 “The Church’s One Foundation” (Samuel Stone, 1866). 3 Along with the Bible and our doctrinal standards the Westminster Confession of Faith and Living Faith, I would urge you to access two critical documents that summarize these matters much more fully than I can possibly do today. The first document is the Statement on Human Sexuality, approved by the General Assembly in 1994, which includes a section on homosexuality. The second document is a helpful summary of official church 2 So first, let me reiterate the PCC’s historic position on homosexual orientation and practice, so that we clearly understand what our church professes to believe. Everything I share comes from official statements of our church from a variety of past General Assemblies, as recorded in the annual Acts and Proceedings of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. • First, homosexual orientation is not a sin. The jury is still out, but a fair amount of scientific evidence suggests that sexual orientation is innate, established early in life, and not a matter of choice.4 • Second, the church does not limit the roles of its members on the basis of their sexual orientation. These roles include church school teachers, musicians, youth leaders, ruling elders, and ministers.5 • Third, we must oppose the form of hatred known as homophobia as vigorously as any other.6 Anger, hatred, and acts of denigration towards gay and lesbian people should not be tolerated within a congregation or the greater community.7 • Fourth, the church is called to be a welcoming, nurturing, loving and supporting community, a true church family, where all are welcomed, nurtured, loved and supported.8 • Fifth, Scripture does however treat homosexual practice as a departure from God’s created order.9 It is a sign, among many others, of our fallenness. • Sixth, neither scripture nor church prohibits ordination on the basis of the direction of one’s sexual attraction to others, whether homosexual or heterosexual. But both scripture and church do, however, concern themselves with the proper and acceptable expression actions and statements on these matters in the Social Action Handbook, which can be accessed online at our PCC website. At a more basic level, the following affirmations related to the PCC’s teaching on sexuality in general are taken from the Board of Congregational Life’s report on Human Sexuality. See Acts and Proceedings 1987, pp. 328-331. 1) Human sexuality is an integral part of our humanity and has emotional, physical, cognitive… spiritual, personal and social dimensions. Our sexuality permeates every aspect of our being. It is central to who we are as persons. 2) Sexual intercourse is an outward and visible expression of love and respect that provides a sense of mutual acceptance and support in the various experiences of life. 3) Marriage is the proper context for [such] sexual relationships. Sexual relationship in marriage is grounded in creation and affirmed by Jesus. 4) The values of mutuality and equality, inherent in marriage, require faithful monogamy. 5) Single people are called to abstinence from sexual intercourse. 4 Acts and Proceedings 2003, pp. 526-547, 26, 34, 37-41, 43-45. For a recent scientific challenge to this perspective, see http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/part-one-sexual-orientation-sexuality-and-gender 5 Acts and Proceedings 2003, pp. 526-547, 26, 34, 37-41, 43-45. 6 Acts and Proceedings 1985, pp. 238-241. 7 Acts and Proceedings 2003, pp. 526-547, 26, 34, 37-41, 43-45. 8 Acts and Proceedings 1994, pp. 251-274. 9 Acts and Proceedings 1994, pp. 251-274. 3 of sexual attraction in sexual activity.10 • Seventh, a celibate homosexual may be ordained/designated as a minister under the present laws and practices of The Presbyterian Church in Canada.11 • Finally however, the Presbyterian Church in Canada is not prepared to ordain self- avowed, practicing homosexuals or to allow public worship services blessing same-sex relationships.12 In its 1994 report, the Church Doctrine Committee wrestled with the question of whether a faithful, committed, homosexual relationship can ever be a faithful Christian option.
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