On June 23, 2015, at a stated meeting of the Presbytery of
Elizabeth, two well-known neighboring Presbyterian churches were dismissed from
the PC(USA), at their request.
For more than six months Resolution Teams from the
Presbytery had met with leaders of both churches, attempting to give in detail
all the reasons why those churches should not seek dismissal. Both
churches cited decisions made by the PC(USA) General Assembly over several
years relating to same-sex marriage and the ordination of gay individuals as
Presbyterian pastors.
The Liberty Corner Church and the Presbyterian Church at New
Providence have large and thriving congregations. They will be missed as
members of the Presbytery of Elizabeth. Both churches intend to affiliate
with the Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians (ECO), which has a more
traditional opinion on the church role for gay persons.
While the foregoing may seem alarming, we should view it
against some Presbyterian history, to see that our denomination has often
seemed to evolve a bit dramatically, over the years - - - - - .
In 1640, a Presbyterian congregation was organized at
Southampton, Long Island. It is considered to be the oldest Presbyterian
church in the United States.
Before that, however, in Scotland, reformer John Knox (1510
- 1572) was the primary author of the Scots Confession. He is considered
the founder of the Presbyterian Church. But it was John Calvin (1509 -
1564) in Geneva, Switzerland, who had developed the system of Christian
theology from which the Presbyterian Church evolved.
Meanwhile, in the United States, the first presbytery in the
American colonies was organized in 1706 in Philadelphia, by Francis
Makemie. He is sometimes referred to as "The Father of American
Presbyterianism."
Almost 50 years later, in 1746, William Tennant, a minister
and educator, established a cabin academy, dubbed the "Log College,"
which evolved into the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University).
John Witherspoon, president of the College of New Jersey signed the Declaration
of Independence in 1776. Witherspoon was the only active minister to sign
that historic document.
The first General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the
United States met in Philadelphia in 1789. Again, in Philadelphia, the
first African Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia was organized in 1807, being
the first African-American Presbyterian church in the United States.
Then in 1812, in New Jersey, a Theological Seminary at
Princeton was established by the Presbyterian General Assembly as its first
national school for ministers.
The General Assembly spoke again in 1818, pronouncing
against slavery and calling for a gradual emancipation.
In the mid-1800's, the growing divide between the Northern
and Southern states created some problems for organized Presbyterians. In
1861, the General Assembly pledged loyalty to the Federal government.
Southern commissioners protested and withdrew. The Presbyterian Church in
the Confederate States of America (renamed the Presbyterian Church U.S. in
1865) was organized in Augusta, Georgia. This divide would not reunite
for 122 years ---- in 1983, forming the Presbyterian Church (USA).
In the intervening years, Margaret Towner became the first
Presbyterian woman to be ordained, in 1956, as a minister of the PCUSA.
In 1972, a woman was first elected Moderator of the General Assembly.
Finally, in 2011 Presbyterians approved an amendment
allowing for the ordination of lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals, called to
ministry. Within the past year, a majority of PC(USA) presbyteries voted
to give our congregations and pastors the authority to undertake same-sex
marriage ceremonies.
Do you think the PC(USA) was leading the social changes in
our American society over the last centuries, or were we following?
Remembering that Presbyterians deliberate on a congregation-by-congregation
basis, perhaps it was a bit of both. Perhaps this mixed bag of social change
sets a good pace --- it satisfies in orderly fashion the "change
leaders," while supporting others who are slower to accept that social
change doesn't really mean abandoning our Jesus-oriented principles.
Today the PC(USA) faces new challenges as membership and active participation
have been declining. But, are not challenges what we should expect in a
healthy church that actively engages the dynamics of a changing contemporary
world?
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These thoughts are brought to you by CPC's Adult
Spiritual Development Team, hoping to encourage some personal spiritual growth
this summer at CPC.
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