By Peter Larson
TE, Midwest Presbytery
The slogan for the 46th General Assembly of the EPC was “Better Together,” with many fervent appeals for peace and unity. And yet, the Assembly voted to approve the ordination of celibate homosexuals — an action that threatens to divide the denomination.
By a majority of 57 to 43 percent, the Assembly voted to approve a Pastoral Letter presented by the Ad Interim Committee on Same-Sex Attraction. While the letter did not endorse gay marriage or homosexual behavior, it opened the door to ordain those who struggle with same-sex attraction as long as they are celibate, repentant, and seeking to mortify their sin.
For many in the EPC, the ordination of homosexuals violates Biblical teaching, confessional standards, and the historic Christian faith. In the months leading up to General Assembly, more than 340 Ruling Elders and Teaching Elders signed a “Red Line Statement” declaring that they would not accept the ordination of homosexuals, celibate or not. The Red Line Statement was signed by seven former moderators and other legacy leaders in the denomination, including Jeff Jeremiah, the former Stated Clerk of the General Assembly.
When the vote was announced, there was no cheering or applause. However, those who opposed the Pastoral Letter reacted with grief, tears, shock, and disbelief. Almost immediately, many churches began making plans to leave the EPC. Bonds of unity and fellowship that existed for decades seemed not only strained but broken.
Been There, Done That
As I listened to the debate, I had an overwhelming sense of déjà vu – that I had seen this all before. Seventeen years ago, I helped lead my congregation into the EPC to escape from the homosexual agenda that infected the PC(USA). Now, I was witnessing the very same thing in the EPC General Assembly: the same specious arguments, the same evasive answers, the same non-Biblical terminology and the same clever theological subtleties that were used to undermine the Biblical foundation of the PC(USA).
A delegation of nine elders from three EPC churches in Puerto Rico traveled to General Assembly to voice their opposition to the AIC Report. One of the Puerto Rican pastors, Juan Rivera, told GA commissioners how these three churches had lost everything when they left the PC(USA). Rivera warned that if the EPC approved homosexual ordination, all of the Puerto Rican churches might exit the EPC.
When the Pastoral Letter was approved, the Puerto Rican delegation was devastated. Asked where they would go if they left the EPC, one female Ruling Elder said, “I am willing to give up my ordination and become a complementarian, if that is what I must to do for the good of the church. The main thing is that we remain faithful to the Bible.”
Those who spoke against the Pastoral Letter included TE Andrew Brunson, a missionary and church planter who was imprisoned in Turkey for two years for his faith. Brunson warned that the LGTBQ agenda is one of the main “wedge issues” that is being used to divide and destroy the church in America.
“I’m afraid this will open a door that we will all regret, and once opened, we will not be able to close it,” Brunson warned.
Don Fortson, Professor of Church History and Pastoral Theology Emeritus at Reformed Theological Seminary and author of the official history of the EPC, told the assembly that to ordain homosexuals — celibate or otherwise — would go against the Church Fathers, Reformers, and 2,000 years of church history.
“This is a Trojan Horse,” said Fortson. “It looks like a fine gift, but on the inside is an enemy that will destroy us.”
Bob Flores, a former federal prosecutor in Manhattan, described how he had prosecuted thousands of cases involving homosexuals who committed sexual abuse of children and how many of these convicted felons had been homosexual clergy. Flores also warned that congregations could face a wave of litigation by homosexuals alleging hiring discrimination if the Pastoral Letter became an official document of the EPC.
Yvonne Chapman, a professional trial lawyer and former moderator of the EPC Permanent Judicial Commission, warned that by ordaining celibate homosexuals the church would endanger children and youth, and pleaded with commissioners to think first about the safety and welfare of children in the church.
TE Nate Atwood, a former EPC Moderator, told commissioners that the Bible identifies homosexuality as not only sinful, but unnatural and contrary to God’s design for creation — as are incest and bestiality. Atwood described his own experience of serving in three churches where the senior pastors had been secretly homosexual.
“In every case, it ended in disaster,” said Atwood.
Revisionist History?
In response, proponents of the AIC Pastoral Letter claimed that homosexuality is no different from other sins, that all of us are sinful, that sanctification is progressive, and that we must avoid setting a standard of moral perfection for ordaining church officers. One member of the AIC, speaking at a lunchtime meeting held during General Assembly, stated that the EPC has always ordained celibate homosexuals since its inception.
That claim was refuted by two former Stated Clerks of the General Assembly, Ed Davis and Jeff Jeremiah, who combined served the EPC for 34 years.
“In response to the absolute absurdity of a claim like that, know that it is erroneous,” said Jeremiah, quoting from a statement written by Davis.
“The history of the EPC is being rewritten,” Jeremiah told the assembly. Referring to the 400 churches that fled the PC(USA) to join the EPC, Jeremiah noted: “All of those churches shared one thing in common; they wanted to escape from the homosexual agenda of the PC(USA).”
Those who argued in favor of ordaining celibate homosexuals seemed to be using a peculiar and convoluted logic: that same-sex attraction isn’t really homosexuality, and that a little homosexuality isn’t harmful. Of course, that is like a doctor telling you that a little cancer isn’t harmful, as long as it hasn’t metastasized and spread to the whole body. The truth is that cancer is deadly and there is no “safe” amount of cancer.
In politics, a 57 percent majority is considered a landslide victory. In the church, however, it is a train wreck. A 57 percent majority reveals a complete lack of consensus on a critical Biblical issue. No wise pastor would embark on any serious course of action with such a lack of consensus. Doing so would invite discord and division. The church is not a political institution, but a spiritual institution where every effort is made to preserve the unity of the church.
For that reason, some of us are struggling to understand how the AIC and our national leadership would deliberately lead us into a potential church split. If you see a train wreck coming, you do your utmost to prevent it. Sadly, that did not happen. In the face of so much criticism, warnings, negative feedback, and the Red Line Statement, it seems the AIC and national leadership chose to double down and stay the course.
All of which causes one to wonder: is it worth it? Is this the hill we wish to die on? Is it worth losing dozens or perhaps hundreds of churches? Are we really willing to sacrifice everything on the altar of homosexuality? To many of us, this seems incomprehensible. As shepherds of God’s flock, we should be leading the sheep into green pastures, not into Death Valley.
Which brings us to another question: What do we hope to gain by ordaining celibate homosexuals? Are we trying to gain favor with the world? Are we hoping, perhaps, to attract PCA churches that are more progressive and egalitarian? Are we counting on an influx of progressive churches to offset the loss of churches that will happen in the very near future? If so, that seems like a wild gamble.
As GA was winding down, I ran into a pastor friend who has served the EPC for decades in positions of leadership. I had not seen or spoken to him in a long time. He said to me, “Peter, I don’t think I’ll be returning ever again to General Assembly. The EPC cares about unity, but not about holiness.”
Another Ruling Elder, representing a small church of 50 members, was so grief-stricken by the vote that he was barely able to speak and could not eat lunch. I have spoken with other elders from tiny churches of 20 or 30 who are prepared to leave the EPC — and it all seems so tragically unnecessary.
If there was any doubt about the true intent of the AIC report, it was confirmed the same day when the GA voted to permanently remove the Position Papers on Homosexuality and The Sanctity of Marriage from its historical record. It was explained that the papers were being scrubbed from the record because they had been rescinded by a previous vote of GA. When it was pointed out that there was no record of such a vote in the GA minutes, the chair of the Theology standing committee replied that some people remembered this being the intention of GA, to which the commissioner replied: “If it isn’t in the minutes, it didn’t happen.”
When asked if the papers are now officially rescinded without a vote, the Moderator struggled to give a clear answer.
In addition to approving all the three AIC recommendations, the assembly defeated a substitute motion — the Pacific Northwest Overture — that would have added language to the constitution forbidding any form of homosexual ordination. The substitute motion was based on overtures submitted by five presbyteries.
In general, the vote was conducted fairly. Although there was a last-minute attempt to change the order of the docket, the Moderator agreed to change it back to honor an agreement he had previously made with several churches in a meeting prior to General Assembly. Also, the debating time was cut short by a large number of questions directed from the floor to the AIC members. Although questions are permitted, they ate up the clock and thereby provided more time for the AIC members to rebut and less time for the commissioners to speak. Commissioners who had carefully prepared a three-minute speech were limited to one minute, or did not get to speak at all.
In the aftermath of the vote, many GA commissioners registered a formal dissent, lining up on either side of the podium to sign their names on sheets of paper. The text of one commissioner’s dissent read as follows:
I dissent from 46-26, 46-27, 46-28 on the grounds that they do not conform in my viewpoint to the Word of God and the system of doctrine found in the Westminster Confession of Faith and its Catechisms. I believe the amendments to the Position Paper on Human Sexuality, the Pastoral Letter on Same Sex Attraction and the amendments to the Book of Government lead us away from peace and purity and shatter the unity of the church. According to 1 Corinthians 8, when a more restrictive view (the weaker brother) comes into conflict with a more permissive view (the stronger brother), the more restrictive view carries the day as the stronger yields to the weaker. The exact opposite occurred regarding these recommendations now adopted by the 46th General Assembly of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. My conscience is thus wounded and so I register my dissent.
At the very least, the vote provided clarity for churches that are trying to decide whether to remain in the EPC or not. Following the vote, a group of elders gathered in the columbarium outside of Cherry Hills Community Church — site of the Thursday floor debate — to pray together. A columbarium is a place where the ashes of the dead are laid to rest. It seemed like a fitting place for us to meet as we grieved over the EPC. It seemed like the funeral of a beloved friend.
As we prayed for hope and guidance, I was reminded of the words spoken by the angel at the garden tomb, when all seemed lost and hopeless: “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, He has risen!” Death and resurrection is the pattern for the Christian life, and the promise of new life awaits us.
“Better Together” is a catchy slogan. But it isn’t always true. “Go along, get along” is the way of the world, but it isn’t the way of Christ. The source of our unity is faithfulness to Christ and obedience to His Word. Apart from that, we will fracture and fall apart. Unity is a marvelous thing, but the ties that bind must not be ties that blind. Our primary allegiance belongs not to a denomination or to each other, but to Jesus Christ.
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