Here are som answers to questions and comments at our congregational meeting.
One thing Michael Lukens mentioned was Jesus’ desire
for unity. Jesus wanted unity, but not at the expense of good theology.
Jesus confronted the Jewish rulers of His day for their false teaching
and did not join them. The correct thing to say is Bible first, unity
second. Michael also told us there is no magical place where everyone
agrees with each other. This is true, but we should be in a place where
we agree on the basic things of faith. I am sure God is troubled by our
fighting than He is by there being many denominations. If Michael's ideas
are taken to their logical conclusion we should all disbanded and become
Catholics. I am focused on keeping our church together, and still
Presbyterian. Leaving the Presbyterian Church (USA) to go to the
Evangelical Presbyterian Church, means we are still Presbyterian. We
would have the same structure and way of doing things.
The building seemed to be a concern. I could not
say in front of Michael that we will keep the building, yet if we stand
together in this move we will keep the building. At worst the Presbytery
takes over and those who are commuted to the building can just keep coming,
even the name would be the same. As far as the function and the
experience of church and worship, nothing will change.
Michael also talked about you being able to choose
your pastor. True but as Bible believing pastors leave the denomination the
pool of pastors you get to choose from becomes narrowed. You end up
settling for the best you can get and not what you want.
Some seemed to think this is all about homosexual
ordination, it is not. Issues like abortion in all stages, Anti-Israel policies
and statements, and ordination standards that do not follow the Bible, both
heterosexual and homosexual, all reveal a basic disregard for the Full text of
the Bible.
The comment was made that good theologians disagree
about these things. I have studied and debated these issues for 22 years
and have never meet, read of, or found any one who can affirm the full text of
the Bible and support the ideas and actions of the Presbyterian Church (USA). There is no way a person can read Romans
1:17-32 or 1 Corinthians 5:1-6:11 to support the stance of the Presbyterian
Church (USA). I am willing to
discuss these issues with anyone.
People are
quick to point out that people are born that way. In other words People are born predisposed to
feelings, desires, and actions that the Bible calls sin. This would be correct. The Bible teaches us that we are born with
what Paul calls a sinful nature. This
means that we all face an area of temptation that is difficult for us to deal
with. This predisposition could be to
lie, steal, and commit adultery, other sexual sins, gossip, greed, and a host
of other sins. These predispositions can
be genetic, and or environmental. A predisposition
to theses temptations is not an excuse for them. God obviously knew of these predispositions
and yet called them sinful and commanded people to not indulge in these
activities. If we excuse some activities
because of a predisposition we first must say that God was in error when He declared
them to be sinful. Secondly we must
place our intelligence and judgment and wisdom above God. Thirdly we are then forced into the difficult
position of which predispositions we will accept as excuses.
Genetic factors weigh heavily in homosexual behavior,
heterosexual promiscuity, pedophilia, kleptomania, drug and alcoholism, drug addiction,
sociopathic and psychopathic behavior, and many diseases and disorders. If we say something is allowed because it is genetically
based then we must excuse all genetic based actions.
It is often said that God made a person this way and
God does not make mistakes. While it is
true that God does not make mistakes people do.
Our genetic make-up DNA was perfect in the Garden of Eden. When we left the garden we entered a world corrupted
by sin. This corruption includes our
DNA. DNA works like a copy machine to
make a copy of the parents. This copy is
always degrading, with more flaws introduced with each generation. These genetic defects can be from drugs,
chemicals, and a thousand other factors that we have yet to understand. Children born with genetic defects are the
result of mankind’s sin and the environment of sin in which we live. God is not the maker of deformed babies nor
is God the maker of people predisposed to actions which He declared to be
sinful.
Each of us face places of temptation. That temptation may have to do with greed,
lust, envy, jealousy, pride, sex, gossip, tithing, and a thousand others. Each of us in our own area of temptation
struggle with emotions and feelings about our temptation. We face guilt and shame when we fail to
resist. These temptations cause each of
us emotional pain and stress. Yet God
calls us not to give in to temptation but to fight them, and when we fail we
are to go to Him for forgiveness.
Some say we are not to judge others, this is a
misunderstanding of the Bible. Jesus
taught us to be careful in judging others.
The New Testament is filled with the judgments of peoples actions, Jesus
judged the Sadducees and Pharisees, the buyers and sellers in the temple, even
the people giving gifts at the temple. Peter
judges Ananias and Sapphira in Acts, Simon the sorcerer, in Acts. Paul judges the man in Corinth for marrying
his stepmother. Paul even judges Peter
for his return to Jewish ways. People’s
actions are to be called for what they are and we are to reject these actions
while allowing for people to repent and change.
