The Real Value of 08-B
Written by Paul Detterman, PFR Executive Director   
Wednesday, 06 May 2009 10:50
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“As of Saturday, April 25, Amendment 08-B, which attempted to change the ordination standards of the PC(USA), has been officially defeated.”  The joy I had in speaking those words to a congregation I was visiting last week was surpassed only by the cheer that erupted in the room. Despite widespread evidence of individual frustration and institutional fatigue, a majority of our presbyteries remain in harmony with the global Church in saying “Yes” to the Good News of Jesus Christ and “No” to a recurring cultural temptation.

Like the congregation I was visiting, those on the more conservative side of the PC(USA) are, understandably, rejoicing in another “win,” defeating, yet again, a clear threat to corporate obedience to God’s Word.  But this year, many on the theological Left are publically claiming a nar-rower margin as some form of a “win,” confident that the long-awaited fall of oppressive orthodoxy is probably just one more vote away. 

Is it important that Amendment 08-B has been rejected by a majority of the 173 presbyteries?  Absolutely!  Even within our current theological confusion, elders and clergy can, by God’s grace and leading, still affirm that unrepentant sin is not an attribute worthy of ordination.  (Please remember, despite the confusion promulgated by some of the revisionists, this ongoing debate is about sin not about sex.)  The PC(USA) continues to call our ordained leaders to live in obedience to the clear teaching of Scripture amid a culture of self indulgence.  Larger issues remain unanswered, however.

On deeper examination, this year’s vote simply illustrates the profound theological and spiritual struggle we seem incapable of resolving.  Our struggle goes deeper than polity and is far more pervasive than the symptomatic disagreements over human sexuality.  The ethos and actions of the 2008 General Assembly epitomized this struggle, and in response, PFR called for an effort to “reshape the PC(USA)” in a way that would address these deeper issues over a longer term.

Throughout the last eleven months, PFR has been actively engaging Presbyterians across the denomination in regional conversations, exploring new models of structural realignment within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). We have learned a great deal through this process, and our sense of the need for reshaping has been confirmed in consultations with Presbyterians of vari-ous theological stripes in nearly every part of the country. In the very near future, we’ll share publicly the fruits of our efforts.

Meanwhile, PFR remains committed to helping leaders of congregations recapture our passion for loving, worshiping, following, and serving Jesus Christ, and we will continue to expand our unique range of opportunities, resources, and ministry partnerships to support this mission. 

What can you do?

You can find information and updates on this site (www.pfrenewal.org).  You can also subscribe to our three regular e-communications: ReNEWS, a trusted voice for the past two dec-ades, which now is being published online, Eighth Day, our monthly e-newsletter, and Wee Kirk e-News, our newest monthly connection focusing specifically on what God is doing in small membership congregations. 

You can strengthen your spirit by attending PFR’s Christian Life Conference or another of the many opportunities for discipleship and mission offered by our PFR and its partner ministries.

You can rise above the current controversy by recommitting yourself and encouraging others to joyfully accept the ongoing challenge of proclaiming the risen and living Christ with enthusiasm, compassion, and joy.  This challenge is more subtle and much more insidious than any General Assembly action or any presbytery vote.  As the cultural struggle is intensifying, affirming God’s intention for human sexual relationships becomes more complicated but also more necessary.  As more people seek to discover Jesus Christ beyond the structure of the organized Church, honoring and proclaiming him through our individual networks and relationships becomes more urgent.  

We give thanks to God that so many Presbyterian believers have, yet again, helped our denomination affirm biblically faithful ordination standards.  On behalf of PFR, I thank everyone who has voted and who will yet vote as part of this important statement of faith and faithfulness. Now we invite you to join us in facing the greater challenges: rethinking the way we relate to one another within the denomination where God has called us, and reaffirming our commitment to live as ambassadors of his love in his world—with honest hope and obvious joy!

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