Amendment 10-A: Yes or No?
Former PUP Task Force colleagues Mike Loudon and Mark Achtemeier have found many areas of agreement in their consideration of issues within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
View ArticleIn Support of Amendment 10-A: Time to Move On
Recently our son has been looking for a church home.
View ArticleAmendment 10-A: It’s just plain unbiblical
Our pastor counsels me to continue our debate about ordination requirements "in a rich, fruitful and scholarly way, which helps us understand what God is calling us to be and to do now and in the...
View ArticleNATIONAL COUNCIL OF KOREAN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHES
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF KOREAN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHES- November 19 • 2010To our fellow Presbyterians:
View ArticleWhy we need Belhar
Why the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) needs to add the Confession of Belhar to our Book of Confessions can be answered with one word: racism.
View ArticleHedonism, Narcissism, and the Competency of Western Culture to Change the...
As the German writer Goethe put it “when eras are in decline all tendencies are subjective, but when matters are ripening for a new epoch, all tendencies are objective.”“The cultures of North America...
View ArticleAmendment 10-A to G-6.0106b: Seeking the middle way
The 219th General Assembly has once again sent to the presbyteries for adoption a proposed amendment to G-6.0106b (“Amendment 10-A”), the controversial “fidelity and chastity” clause of our Book of Order.
View ArticleContinuing the Reformation
John Calvin, to whom Presbyterian churches owe their primary inspiration, once said of his own work as a Protestant reformer: “Our constant endeavor, day and night, is not only to hand down the...
View ArticleProposed Form of Government: Universalist creed?
During the plenary debate at the 219th General Assembly in Minneapolis on the proposed new Form of Government, it was said that the first sentence of the Foundations of Presbyterian Polity introduces a...
View ArticleChastity, the Book of Order, and the Reformed faith
One of the abiding criticisms from opponents of the Fidelity/Chastity ordination standard in the Book of Order (G.6-0106.b) has been that the term “chastity” is unclear in meaning. Recently, Dr. Mark...
View ArticleIn Oppostion to Amendment 10-A: CONTINUING MISUNDERSTANDINGS OF G-6.0106B
In the last several years I have continued to be disturbed by themisunderstandings of the controversial standard in our constitution:G-6.0106b, concerning fidelity in marriage and chastity in singleness.
View Article“THAT’S FOR SURE”
“Covenant Network Convocation DinnerGeneral Assembly - MinneapolisJuly 2, 2010They call it “coming out” – the process of discovering and accepting who you are, and then sharing that identity with other...
View ArticleWhy I oppose Amendment 10-A
I find myself in the uncomfortable position of wanting to uphold an ordination standard that keeps others from holding the office I hold.
View ArticleArlo Duba Interview
The More Light Presbyterians (MLP) recently placed an ad in The Presbyterian Outlook summarizing the change of mind experienced by Arlo Duba regarding ordination standards. Duba, Professor of Worship...
View ArticleDid You Hear What’s in the nFOG?
I have become increasingly alarmed at the tactics used by those who oppose the proposed new form of government for the Presbyterian Church (USA).
View ArticleA Response to a Letter from Dr. Aubrey Brown, Editor of the Presbyterian...
(In December 1961, two students from the Belgian Congo studying at Union Seminary in Richmond, Va., attended the three-week pilot project called Christmas International House (CIH) at the Westminster...
View ArticleAn Appeal for the Word
Presbyteries are voting on many amendments. I’m writing about Amendment ‘A’ which would delete G-6.0106b from our Book of Order. For almost fifteen years this paragraph has clarified that we...
View ArticleAnalysis of the amendments to the Constitution
The 219th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has sent to the presbyteries a host of amendments to ratify or disapprove. This report presents unbiased pro/con summaries that explain
View Articlecontra nFOG: Adapted from a Presentation to the Presbytery of Charlotte
Adapted from a Presentation contra nFOGby Robert Austell to the Presbytery of Charlotteas the second part of a pro/con presentation to presbytery on February 12, 2011.
View ArticleRemarks on Proposed Amendments to the Constitution – Part I of 3: Foundations...
The Apostle Paul says we hold this treasure – meaning the Gospel – in earthen vessels. The same can be said for our polity. Any polity is an imperfect vessel in which we seek to hold the perfect will...
View ArticleThe New Testament and Homosexual Practice
This brief essay will cover three sub-topics. Namely: 1. What does the New Testament say about homosexual practice? 2. Misguided readings of these New Testament texts. 3. What is at stake in the...
View ArticleAmendment 10-A Presentation to Chicago Presbytery
Good evening, I’m Michael Kirby, minister member from Good Shepherd, Chicago, and I’ve been asked to speak to you on behalf of those supporting Amendment 10-A.
View ArticleHomosexuality: blessing or sin? The part of the discussion we never really...
A few weeks back, we published an editorial suggesting that the first 10 years of the 21st century could well be dubbed, “The Decade of Disclosure.” With the proliferation of Facebook, YouTube,...
View ArticleG-6.0106b in PC(USA) Perspective – Reflections on Amendment 10-A
January, 11, 2011Amendment 10-A: Standards for ordained service reflect the church’s desire to submit joyfully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life (G-1.0000).
View ArticleThe debate over ordination: Where has it been? Where is it going?
February, 2011 This essay covers the debate over ordaining gays and lesbians in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) at three points: (A) the four stages of the argument to date, (B) where the debate...
View ArticleRemarks to Foothills Presbytery in favor of the Belhar Confession
[This essay is based on remarks I made to Foothills Presbytery on 7 November 2010, at the request of the Presbytery overture committee. The committee members came from the whole spectrum of the...
View ArticleLetter to the editor/readers, regarding Amendment 10-A
To the Editor:Dear Sir:Even if you are in favor of gay and lesbian ordination, you should vote against Amendment A, for three reasons. The same reasons pertain to battle-weary centrists eager to put...
View ArticlenFOG – Cloudy Forecast Probable – Proceed with extreme caution!
I truly wanted to vote for a more concise, less cumbersome new Form of Government (“nFOG”). One that would inspire and send the church fully empowered and engaged in what God is doing in the world. But...
View ArticleBY GRACE ALONE
I was graciously granted an interview that is on the Outlook web site. Please read that, and then this theological addition.
View ArticleBY GRACE ALONE
Grace runs deep in Scripture, in the Reformed tradition, and in the hearts of Presbyterians.
View ArticleRESPONSE TO ARLO DUBA’S ARTICLES
There is much that I can agree with in what Prof. Arlo Duba says in the two articles posted in the Outlook.
View ArticleCrossing the Bridge Together: Telling Our Story When We Have to Say Yes or No.
In his book Becoming a Blessed Church, Graham Standish points out that while the Presbyterian deliberative process produces measurable results, it has failed the church precisely at the point where...
View ArticleFidelity-chastity on the ropes, nFOG holds slim lead, Belhar teeters: An...
UPDATED APRIL 19, 2011 – The Presbytery of deChristo voted on Saturday to a 62-62 tie – which counts as a collective “no” vote – becoming the third presbytery to turn away from supporting elimination...
View ArticleAn Open Letter to the Presbyterian Church from one of your baptized kids
Grace and peace to all of you. I was baptized as an infant at First Presbyterian Church, Billings, Montana. I was taught faith, Scripture, the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and confirmed at...
View ArticlenFOG heads down to the wire, Belhar struggles for breath: An update on...
UPDATED MAY 17, 2011 – Now that Amendment 10-A has accumulated a majority of affirmative votes to assure adoption, attention focuses upon the ratification votes for the New Form of Government (nFOG)...
View ArticleCHURCH LEADERS QUIET ON MAJOR ISSUE
I am disappointed that the 25 moderators of previous General Assemblies who wrotea letter posted on the Outlook's website have not been speaking out in regard to thetheological problems and...
View ArticleNewFOG: Too Much Change, Too Much Uncertainty, Unintended Consequences,...
Although I had not planned to write in opposition to newFOG, I have decided to do so now . There were two tipping points for me:
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