Repent and Spin No More

Plumb Line Response
to Letter from Stated Clerk and Moderator

By the Editorial Board, Presbyterian Plumb Line

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall;
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men,
Couldn’t put Humpty together again

The story of Humpty Dumpty accurately describes the state of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. After a divisive and disastrous vote by the 46th General Assembly to allow the ordination of celibate homosexuals, the Stated Clerk and Moderator are now attempting to spin the story with an open letter assuring us that all is well and that the EPC has actually strengthened its ordination standards.

The truth is that the EPC has experienced a severe fracture and is facing a potential major break. Here are the facts:

1. By a 57-43% vote, commissioners approved the Ad Interim Committee’s revised Pastoral Letter on Human Sexuality whose “Counsel to Pastors, Sessions and Presbyteries” left the door open to the ordination of individuals “presently experiencing SSA.”
2. By a vote of 60-40%, commissioners rejected an overture amending the Book of Government that would have shut the door to the ordination of those “presently experiencing SSA.” When offered a stronger ordination standard, it was rejected.
3. The approval or rejection of the descending overtures on G.9-3 coming to presbyteries in the coming year will have no impact whatsoever on these two milestone votes.

The open letter from our Stated Clerk and Moderator attempts to explain away the controversy as a misrepresentation of the General Assembly actions. However, this is simply not credible. The Stated Clerk and Moderator may try to put the EPC back “together again,” but the damage has already been done. Since the General Assembly adjourned on June 19, churches have started the dismissal process as provided by the Book of Government. The Plumb Line did not create this controversy but has merely provided factual and Biblical analysis of what happened at GA and the response of many churches that are planning to leave. This is not advocacy, it is reporting.

Attempting to spin and minimize the doctrinal error that has led us into discord and division is an exercise in denial. To suggest that there is no cause for alarm, and that those who voted against the Ad Interim Committee recommendations are simply misinformed is an insult to the intelligence of seven former EPC moderators, two former stated clerks, and Missionary Andrew Brunson — all of whom opposed it. Yet again, this letter fails to address the Biblical and confessional issues we have raised: that ordination is not a right but a privilege, and that homosexual desire is unnatural and disqualifying. All of this is glossed over with the excuse that we are all sinners and sanctification is imperfect. And we are still mystified by claims at GA that the EPC already has SSA ministers in her ranks. If this is true, repentance is in order.

Those of us who believe that ongoing experience of unnatural desires (homosexual lusts) disqualifies one from church office believe the majority of GA commissioners embraced serious doctrinal error which dishonors Christ. That some cannot in good conscience continue in the EPC should not come as a shock to those who have been following discussions over the last two years.

Now that 57% of the General Assembly has voted in favor of leaving the door open to celibate homosexual ordination, the implementation of this new policy remains to be seen. The ultimate “practical” issue that never gets addressed is who makes the decision and how the standards are applied. Members of the AIC will not be making the decision using their good intentions and confused understanding of the Confession. Presbyteries will make the decision using their individual interpretations of the documents. You don’t need a triple-digit IQ to recognize the likelihood that the New River Presbytery will view the documents differently than Mid-America Presbytery. Proof of this is found in the sharp divide that exists within the denomination as shown by the vote at GA. “Clarity” will exist only in the eye of the beholder, not the documents. To serve as a useful and meaningful “standard” the rules must be clearly understood and uniformly applied. Lacking a clear and coherent standard, we will quickly find ourselves in chaos and confusion, much like the Tower of Babel.

Immediately after the vote on AIC recommendations at the 2026 GA, commissioners on both sides acknowledged that this was a sad day for the EPC. There was no victory lap but a sorrowful realization that a tragic car wreck had just happened with heartbreaking repercussions for the EPC’s future.

But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember then from what you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. (Revelation 2:4-5)