PACIFISM. "Opposition to all military ideals, preparedness, war, and so on" (Handbook). Christian pacifists vary in the application of the principle, but in general they believe Christ's teaching, such as that in Mt. 5:38-48, forbids believers from becoming involved in any form of violence or warfare, even for the protection of one's property and country. This is a misunderstanding of the Bible's teaching. It is clear that God was not pacifistic in the O.T. He is called "a man of war" (Ex. 15:3), and His wars against the wicked are recorded throughout the Scriptures. In the last days God will call for the nations to come to war (Joel 3:9). The Bible does not forbid Christians to defend their lives, loved ones, property, neighbors, and the weak (Ex. 22:2-3; Job 29:12-17; Lk. 22:36). The Bible also does not forbid Christians to participate in police and military service. God has ordained civil government and has ordained that government "bear the sword" (Ro. 13:3-4; 1 Pe. 2:14). This certainly involves violence, and the Christian law enforcement officer or Christian soldier is not disobeying the Scripture when he has to be involved in violence in connection with his official duties.
John the Baptist's warning to the soldiers that they "do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely" (Lk. 3:14) forbade violence initiated from personal animosity and cruelty. For a soldier or law enforcement officer to hurt or kill a man in the line of duty is sometimes required and is not forbidden by Scripture. For that same soldier or officer to perpetrate cruelty for meanness' sake is condemned by Scripture. The Christian soldier or law enforcement officer will be characterized by a kind, gentle demeanor, but he is also ready and willing to exercise force when required. We would also say that there are many difficult decisions in this realm. To what extent should the Christian obey or enforce unrighteous laws? We can give no exact answer to that, for we serve imperfect governments in this present world, and the laws we are called upon to obey are far from Bible-based. It is clear that a line must be drawn somewhere. To say that the Christian soldier or lawman is not forbidden to use force in the line of duty does not justify the Nazi soldier who operates a gas chamber, or the policeman who closes down a church. Many hard decisions must be made in this realm. [See Kill
PRESBYTERIAN. "Originating between 1534 and 1560 with the Protestant theological program of John Calvin in France and Switzerland, Presbyterian refers to a church governed by presbyters (representatives). This denomination places great emphasis on the theology of God's sovereignty over the world and people's lives. ... Calvin (1509-1564) was French and trained in the law. Turning to theology, his keen legalistic mind and lust for freedom from the rigid, confining forms of Roman Catholicism drove him as a fugitive to Geneva, where he quickly grasped the reins of leadership in the Reformed sector. Resolute and often harsh with his opponents, he established his theological system in the Swiss capital, making it, according to Macaulay, the `cleanest and most wholesome city in Europe.' Calvin's whole thought revolved around the concept of sovereignty: `The sovereignty of God in his universe, the sovereignty of Christ in salvation, the sovereignty of the Scriptures in faith and conduct, the sovereignty of the individual conscience in the interpretation of the will and Word of God'" (Handbook).
"Strictly speaking, John Calvin did not found Presbyterianism; he merely laid the foundations upon which it was constructed--in Switzerland, Holland, France, England, Scotland, and Ireland: From France came the Huguenots, and by 1560, there were in that country 2,000 churches of Presbyterian complexion; the people of Holland established the Dutch Reformed Church; British Presbyterians gained courage in their struggle against `Bloody' Mary Tudor; and from Scotland came the Covenanters and John Knox" (Ibid.).
The doctrine of Presbyterian churches is traced to the Westminster Assembly which was held in England from 1643-48. This assembly of ministers was called by the English Parliament to establish a government in the Church of England which would do away with bishops. There was a tremendous disgust at that time with the king, Charles I, who had succeeded James I of King James Bible fame. One of the chief products of this Assembly was the Westminster Confession of Faith, which, embodying the teachings of John Calvin and his successors, expressed the doctrinal platform of Presbyterians in England, Scotland, and America. This Assembly also produced a Shorter and a Longer Catechism, which, together with the Westminster Confession, are called the Westminster Standard.
The Westminster Confession, while containing statements which the Bible-believing Baptist must reject, exalts the Bible and Jesus Christ in a particularly precise and comely manner. Other denominational confessions have borrowed heavily from the Westminster in many cases. Consider some excerpts:
Under the name of Holy Scripture, or the Word of God written, are now contained all the Books of the Old and New Testaments, which are these: [here are listed the 66 books of our English Bible]. All which are given by inspiration of God, to be the rule of faith and life. ...
The authority of the holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed and obeyed, dependeth not upon the testimony of any man or church, but wholly upon God (who is truth itself), the author thereof; and therefore it is to be received, because it is the word of God.
We may be moved and induced by the testimony of the Church to an high and reverend esteem of the holy Scripture, and the heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the doctrine, the majesty of the style, the consent of all the parts, the scope of the whole, (which isto give all glory to God), the full discovery it makes of the only way of man's salvation, the many other incomparable excellencies, and the entire perfection thereof, are arguments whereby it doth abundantly evidence itself to be the word of God; yet, notwithstanding, our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth, and divine authority thereof, is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit, bearing witness by and with the word in our hearts.
The whole counsel of God, concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man's salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men. ...
The Old Testament in Hebrew (which was the native language of the people of God of old), and the New Testament in Greek (which at the time of the writing of it was most generally known to the nations), being immediately inspired by God, and by his singular care and providence kept pure in all ages, are therefore authentical; so as in all controversies of religion, the Church is finally to appeal unto them. But because these original tongues are not known to all the people of God, who have right unto and interest in the Scriptures, and are commanded, in the fear of God, to read and search them, therefore they are to be translated into the vulgar language of every nation unto which they come, that the word of God dwelling plentifully in all, they may worship him in an acceptable manner, and through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, may have hope.
The supreme Judge, by which all controversies of religion are to be determined, and all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of men, and private spirits, are to be examined, and in whose sentence we are to rest, can be no other but the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scriptures.
Consider the Westminster confession pertaining to God:
There is but one only living and true God, who is infinite in being and perfection, a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions, immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, most wise, most holy, most free, most absolute, working all things according to the counsel of his own immutable and most righteous will, for his own glory; most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; the rewarder of them that diligently seek him; and withal most just and terrible in his judgments; hating all sin, and who will by no means clear the guilty.
Of the Trinity:
In the unity of the Godhead there be three persons, or one substance, power and eternity; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. The Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Ghost eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son.
I would also note that the Westminster Confession had many statements purposefully refuting Roman Catholic heresies. It contains a statement denying the inspiration of the Apocrypha. It also identifies the Catholic pope with the antichrist. "There is no other Head of the Church but the Lord Jesus Christ. Nor can the pope of Rome, in any sense, be head thereof: but is that antichrist, that man of sin, and son of perdition, that exalteth himself in the church, against Christ and all that is called God" (Westminster Confession of Faith, chapter 25, section 6).
During the period in England's history in which the Westminster Confession was being defined, a civil war was waged against the British crown. Oliver Cromwell, a calvary commander who led the opposition forces, ousted the king and attempted to establish a Commonwealth in England in the late 17th century. These efforts failed, and the monarchy was re-established. Charles II came to the throne, and bitterly persecuted those who dissented against the status quo in the Anglican Church. Charles II was followed by the harsh reign of "Bloody Mary," and tens of thousands of Presbyterians and Puritans and independents fled to America in the ensuing years, where they established their churches without fear of harm.
The Westminster Confession reflected John Calvin's system of predestinarian theology which has been summarized in five points by the acronym of TULIP: Total depravity of man, meaning man is incapable of responding to the Gospel; Unconditional election, meaning God chooses which men will be saved and which men will be lost; Limited atonement, meaning Christ died only for those who will be saved; Irresistible grace, meaning the sinner cannot resist God's call to salvation; and Perseverance of the saints, meaning those who are saved will hold out faithful to the end.
We must hasten to say that the Westminster Confession's teaching in these areas is contrary to the plain statements of the Word of God. The Calvinist wants to have a big God, and I am all for that. I am thankful for men who want to exalt God in an man- exalted hour. The Bible presents us with a BIG God and a little man, and I believe in that. I serve and worship a BIG God. He sits as King forever. He does His will, and no one can stay Him. No one can question His will; no one can thwart His will. He says, "My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure" (Is. 46:10). Indeed, He will. He is Almighty God, and He is to be exalted.
It is wrong, though, and a very strange thing, indeed, to define a doctrine of the sovereignty of God which goes counter to what that God has said about Himself! The Westminster Confession says, "By the decree of God ... some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting life, and OTHERS FOREORDAINED TO EVERLASTING DEATH. These angels and men, thus predestinated and foreordained, are particularly and UNCHANGEABLY DESIGNED; and their number is so certain and definite, THAT IT CANNOT BE EITHER INCREASED OR DIMINISHED. ... they who are elected ... are effectually called unto faith in Christ ... NEITHER ARE ANY OTHER REDEEMED by Christ, effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified, and saved, BUT THE ELECT ONLY." This is erroneous human philosophy, and it makes out God to be a liar, but the Bible plainly says salvation is for whosoever will (Jn. 3:16; Re. 22:17). The Bible repeats this and repeats this and repeats this. The Bible says Christ "gave himself a ransom FOR ALL" (1 Ti. 2:6). He purchased even wicked false teachers who are lost and on their way to Hell; when these men deny the biblical Jesus Christ, the Bible says they deny "the Lord that bought them" (2 Pe. 2:1). He bought them, though they are damned and on their way to Hell! Away with any man-made doctrine of limited atonement.
The Westminster Confession says those who are saved are "effectually called unto faith in Christ." This means God's call to salvation is irresistible, but the Bible plainly says that God's call CAN be resisted. The Lord Jesus Christ wept over Jerusalem and testified, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not (Mt. 23:37). He would; they would not. There is no irrestible grace here. He said to the stubborn Pharisees, "And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life" (Jn. 6:40). He would have given these lost men life, but they would not come. He would; they would not. There is no irrestible grace here, either. That God's grace can be resisted and refused is a matter of Scriptural record from Genesis to Revelation. Cain refused God (Ge. 4:5-16); men living during the Great Tribulation will also refuse God (Re. 9:20-21; 16:9,11). Men have been foolishly refusing and rejecting God's call for the entire, wretched, 6,000 years of human history.
Away with any man-made teaching which denies these plain statements of Scriptures. Someone might say, "I can explain those Scriptures." Away with that, too. I don't want anyone explaining away the plain teaching of the Word of God. The Bible requires careful interpretation, it is true, but if we can't take the Word of God at face value, in context, there is no way we can dogmatically know what it is saying.
I have a big God, a sovereign God, but I am neither Calvinist nor Arminian. The Bible says God would have all men be saved. I believe that. The Bible says man can say no to God. As amazing as this seems to me, I believe it. If God wants to give man the potential to resist Him and to reject Him and to say no to Him, who am I to say this detracts from His sovereignty or makes Him any less Almighty God? It does not detract from His sovereign power one iota. [See Atonement, Eternal Security, Gospel, Grace, Overcome.]
Presbyterian church polity. The presbyterian form of church government "is based on the principle of representative government and of one spiritual order which is vested in the presbyters. A series of ascending judicatories--session, presbytery, synod, and general assembly--exercise government ... ruling and teaching elders chosen by the local congregation have spiritual responsibility over the people. Elders also represent the congregation in higher church bodies--presbytery, synod, and general assembly" (20th-Century). We should also note that there are a few fundamental Presbyterian congregations today which believe more strongly in the independence of the local assembly and which maintain rule by a plurality of elders but do not recognize the authority of presbyters outside the assembly.
There are at least eight Presbyterian denominations in the U.S. The Bible Presbyterian Church is a fundamentalist group with membership of roughly 10,000. It stands for old-line Presbyterian doctrine and is openly opposed to ecumenism and modernism. It's origin is traced to the Fundamentalist-Modernist controversies of the early 20th century. Conservative Presbyterians who were opposed to theological modernism set up their own seminary and mission board to offer an alternative to the ones which had been taken over by liberal thought. The leaders of this conservative movement were brought to trial by the denomination and defrocked. The apostates charged the Bible believers with heresy! The group which subsequently pulled out of the old-line Presbyterian denomination formed two different independent groups: The Orthodox Presbyterian Church, led by J. Gresham Machen, and the Bible Presbyterian Church, led by Carl McIntire. In 1941 the Bible Presbyterians joined with other fundamentalists to form the American Council of Christian Churches in opposition to the liberal National Council of Churches in America. In addition to standing against modernism and ecumenism, the Bible Presbyterian Church (BPC) granted autonomy to the local assembly. Unlike the liberal Presbyterian denominations, each church in the BPC owns its own property and calls its own pastor. In contrast to this, the old-line Presbyterian denomination "entered suits in the civil courts against scores of churches that had withdrawn, and in almost every instance the defending local church lost its property to the denomination. This was in spite of the fact that in most cases the local churches had purchased their property with no financial aid from the denomination" (David O. Beale, In Pursuit of Purity, p. 319).
The Free Presbyterian Churches have a similar heritage. They stand firmly in the old Presbyterian faith, are strictly separated from the apostasy of the hour, hold to the Authorized English Bible, and exercise autonomy of the local assembly. The Free Presbyterians were founded in 1951 in Northern Ireland. There are 17 of these congregations in North America and roughly 100 in the world. The following is from Separated Unto the Gospel, a book published by the Free Presbyterians to explain their position. We reprint these portions especially to show the contrast between old-line Presbyterianism and the modern apostate Presbyterianism represented by the Presbyterian Church USA. We have added headings to the paragraphs quoted:
SEPARATED FROM ECUMENISM: The Free in our name refers to our total dissociation from the major Presbyterian denominations of the world, which have largely repudiated the historic Christian faith. We have no affiliation with the World Council of Churches or any of its international, national, or local organizations. Thus Free speaks of our liberty to stand without compromise for Christ in a day of apostasy.
PROTESTANT: The church [is] unashamedly Protestant. Throughout its history it has stood opposed to the ecumenical movement's efforts to promote union with the Church of Rome, because that church still holds to every dogma that caused the Reformation in the first place.
REFORMED THEOLOGY: In theology the church is Reformed. It stands foursquare in the great Geneva tradition of Calvin, Knox, the English and American Puritans ... The church has always tied its Calvinism to evangelism. It is a prayer church with a burden for the salvation of sinners. Its growth has been through unremitting evangelistic outreach, preaching the gospel `in season, out of season.'
WOMEN PREACHERS: A burning question for many today is whether or not women may be ordained to the ministry of the church. ... A woman is not permitted a pastoral or governmental position over men in a New Testament church. No ministry that places her in such a position is open to her.
KING JAMES BIBLE: In carrying on this preaching ministry the Free Presbyterian Church has, throughout its history, used the Authorized (often called the `King James') Version of the Scriptures. We wish to avoid the confusion that arises from the use of many different translations and paraphrases in church services. We believe the Authorized Version is unrivaled as a translation of the Scriptures and that it reflects the authentic, historic Hebrew and Greek texts that God `immediately inspired, and by His singular care and providence kept pure in all ages' (Westminster Confession of Faith, I.8).
BAPTISM: Historically, the Reformed churches along with the Lutheran, Episcopal. Congregational, and Methodist churches have accepted that pouring, sprinkling, and dipping are all valid modes of baptism. They have also believed that baptism should be administered to believers and to their children because their children are included in God's covenant with His people. ... Over against this view, Baptists and Anabaptists have argued that baptism must follow a personal profession of faith. ... On the mode of baptism, Baptists insist that only immersion is acceptable ... The Free Presbyterian Church ... hereby affirms that each member of the Free Presbyterian Church shall have liberty to decide for himself which course to adopt on these controverted issues ...
MORAL STANDARDS: We believe there are guiding truths in God's Word that not only authorize the kind of standards we have adopted, but necessitate them. ... Gambling is the expression of covetousness. ... Dancing in the modern context is openly sensual. ... our standard [is] abstinence from the nonmedicinal drinking of alcohol. ... Our country is sinking in an ocean of alcohol. ... no divorced person or one married to a divorced person may be elected to the office of deacon or elder. In addition, no Free Presbyterian church may be used for a marriage service involving a divorced person, nor may any Free Presbyterian minister officiate at such a marriage.
HEAD COVERING: The New Testament insists that it [head covering in public worship] is required for women and banned for men. In this age of so-called sexual equality--a misnomer for the philosophy of radical feminism and anti-Christian humanism--this may seem strange.
ELECTION AND EVANGELISM: We have no time for a dead, intellectual Calvinism that refuses to offer Christ freely to sinners with the assurance that `whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved' (Ro. 10:13). Some of the greatest revival preachers in history have been strong asserters of God's sovereignty in salvation, men like John Bunyan, Jonathan Edwards, Asahel Nettleton, George Whitefield, Robert Murray McCheyne, and Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
The Presbyterian Church U.S.A. (PC-USA) is the largest Presbyterian denomination in America, with roughly 3,000,000 members in 11,500 churches. It was formed in 1983 from a merger of the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. and the Presbyterian Church in the United States. These two denominations had resulted from a division along the lines of North and South following the outbreak of the Civil War, and were reunited in the 1983 merger. The Presbyterian Church U.S.A. is modernistic and radically ecumenical. It is a member of the National and World Council of Churches. Like most liberal denominations, the PC-USA has been losing members steadily. The denominations which formed the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. lost 1.3 million members between 1965 and 1992. Membership in the PC-USA has been declining by 30,000 to 40,000 a year.
The PC-USA and Ecumenism. The Presbyterian Church U.S.A. is a member of the radical National and World Council of Churches. Mainline Presbyterians were instrumental in the founding of these liberal bodies in 1948 and 1950. The PC-USA maintains dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church. The ecumenical mindset of the average Presbyterian minister is reflected in an article written by Dr. Richard Lovelace, professor of Church History at Gordon- Conwell Theological Seminary and an ordained Presbyterian Church U.S.A. minister. In his article Three Streams, One River? Lovelace not only cited examples of the fact that Catholics, charismatics and evangelicals are moving closer together--he actually advocates and seeks to encourage such unscriptural unity. ... Dr. Lovelace says that Roman Catholics, Orthodox and Anglicans have much to contribute to the formation of a "united church which is truly Catholic, Evangelical and Pentecostal." In 1986 the PC- USA General Assembly voted to share ministry and sacraments with the Lutheran denominations which formed the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Efforts to absorb Presbyterians with other liberal denominations in the States have been in progress though the Consultation on Church Union (COCU) since 1961. This attempted union of Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Methodists, United Church of Christ, Disciples of Christ, and others has been making steady progress through the years. In June 1993 The PC-USA approved a proposal to enter into covenant communion with the other denominations in the COCU. [See Ecumenism, Lutheran, Roman Catholic Church, World Council of Churches.]
The PC-USA and Modernism. The gospel promoted in the PC- USA is primarily a false social gospel. In 1984, moderator Harriet Nelson said, "The Gospel is not just telling people they are saved. It also means meeting needs--things like providing food for the hungry and clothing for the naked." The PC-USA supports all sorts of radical social-political causes in the world, but gives very little to evangelistic work. A survey taken in 1986 revealed that only 5% of the "clergy" and 16% of the membership in the PC-USA believe the Bible is to be taken literally. More than 75% of those polled rejected the idea that those who have not heard of Jesus Christ will be damned. In 1987 the PC-USA adopted a report which says that Christians and Jews worship the same God and that Jews are already in a covenant relationship with God and do not therefore need to be born again through faith in Jesus Christ to enjoy such a covenant. In 1982 the United Presbyterian Church ordained Mansfield Kaseman in spite of the fact that he denied that Jesus Christ is God, that He was sinless, and that Christ rose bodily from the dead. In typical neo-orthodox doublespeak Kaseman said, "I believe in the resurrection without necessarily believing in the bodily resurrection." When asked if Jesus is God, he replied, "No, God is God." Yet the presbytery voted 165- 59 to admit Kaseman to the Presbyterian ministry. Also in 1982 the director of the United Presbyterian missions program, G. Daniel Little, rebuked fundamentalists for supporting creationism, and labeled the literal creation view "denial of the living God" and "calcifying of narrow, outdated views." The "Brief Statement of Faith" approved at the 1991 General Assembly of the PC-USA contained no clear affirmation of the Trinity; made no reference to Heaven, Hell, or the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, but it affirmed sexual equality and environmental concerns. [See Adam, Bible, Inspiration, Evolution, Fundamentalism, Jesus Christ, Resurrection, Trinity.]
The PC-USA and Abortion. The PC-USA is a member of the Religious Coalition for Abortion Rights, which seeks "to encourage and coordinate support for safeguarding the legal option of abortion." Its 1985 Assembly reaffirmed its supported for the right to abortion and determined that no new studies on abortion be undertaken. This was a move to permanently silence abortion opponents within the denomination.
The PC-USA and Homsexuality. A vote to disassociate the PC- USA from homosexual ministries within the denomination failed by a margin of 2-1 at its 1984 Assembly. The PC-USA has a formal policy that allows for homosexuals to be received as members, and even allows for the ordination of homosexuals as long as they do not engage in same-sex relationships. In practice, homosexuals within the PC-USA carry on with their perverted lifestyles, and the PC-USA brings no discipline against them. The committee which recommended the change in homosexual policy in 1991 equated "sexism" and "heterosexism" with "racism" and condemned resistence to homosexuality as homophobia. In 1992 an openly homosexual woman, a divorced mother, was ordained to the Presbyterian ministry. The 1988 assembly of the Presbytery of Genesse Valley, New York, invited the Rochester Gay Men's Chorus to perform a concert. In 1991 the PC-USA filed a "friend-of-the- court" legal brief in support of the attempt to overthrow Kentucky's sodomy law. In 1992 the PC-USA Committee on Educational Ministry recommended that the denomination refuse to allow Boy Scout troops to use church basements to punish Scout for their policy of barring homosexuals from being troop leaders. Erig Graninger, associate general counsel for the Presbyterians, said, "It is not for the state to tell the citizens of Kentucky what their morals should be." Delegates to the 1993 PC-USA Assembly voted to support Clinton's effort to remove the military's ban on homosexuals. [See Sodomy.]
The PC-USA and Feminism. The predecessor Presbyterian bodies which formed the PC-USA have long been involved in feminist causes. The Presbyterian Church in the USA was the first of the mainstream religious bodies to ordain women as ruling elders in 1930. By 1993 PC-USA had 2,419 ordained women ministers. Women were elected to head the PC-USA in 1984 and again in 1989. It is interesting that 61% of PC-USA membership is female. The new Presbyterian hymnal adopted inclusive language for God and deleted "Onward, Christian Soldiers" because of the "military imagery." The PC-USA contributed a grant of $66,000 to sponsor the WCC Re-imagining Conference November 1993, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The most radical forms of feminism and goddess worship were promoted at this meeting. The conference coincided with the midpoint of the Ecumenical Decade of the Churches in Solidarity with Women, an initiative of the World Council of Churches that began in 1988. [See Women Preachers.]
The PC-USA and Paganism. The Utica, New York Presbytery of the PC-USA appropriated $700 to bring a Buddhist monk from Bangkok to Utica to train local Asians in Buddhist doctrine. They said they wanted to protect the Asian culture. The 1992 General Assembly of the PC-USA was opened with a pagan Indian ritual to expel unwanted spirits and attract desired ones. In March 1989, a witch named Starhawk addressed the San Francisco Presbyterian Theological Seminary. She spoke under the auspices of a campus group called the Feminist Perspectives Committee which attempts to raise awareness concerning feminist issues. The witch performed ritual chants as prayers to "the powers under the earth." Starhawk is a licensed priestess of the Covenant of the Goddess. She referred often to the "Mother-Father God," a concept used in feminist theology.
Presbyterians participated in the production of the National Council of Churches inclusive language lectionary, which removed masculine references to God; addressed God as "Father and Mother"; deleted passages which instruct the wife to submit to the husband; changed many words, such as "son" to "child," "king" to "ruler," "kingdom" to "realm"; and added the names of wives to the O.T. genealogies. A paper entitled "Theologies Written from Feminist Perspectives" was distributed at the 1988 General Assembly of the PC-USA. The author, Cythia Campbell of the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Texas, said that many feminists reject the concept of redemption because it "reinforces a notion of human passivity ... and, they question whether the worship of a redeemer who is male is possible or healthy for women." Campbell admits that feminist theology is open to "goddess religion and Wicca, more popularly known as witchcraft." At the 1988 assembly of the Presbytery of Genesse Valley, New York, a liturgy was distributed which had been written by a lesbian Episcopal priest. Included were the words: "We give you thanks, O empowering Mother, for our sisters and brothers in all nations--black, brown, yellow, red, and white; older and younger; richer and poorer; lesbians, gay men, lovers, spouses, parents, children, teachers and learners; workers in many tasks; siblings in a common home."
As we have noted, the PC-USA was a chief sponsor of the World Council of Churches Re-imagining Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in November 1993. A key theme was the celebration of Sophia, the supposed goddess of creation. The conferees joined together in repeating a prayer to Sophia, including these words: "Our maker Sophia, we are women in your image. ... Sophia, creator God ... shower us with your love. ... we invite a lover, we birth a child; with our warm body fluids we remind the world of its pleasures and sensations. ... Our guide, Sophia, we are women in your image. ... With the honey of wisdom in our mouths, we prophesy a full humanity to all the peoples." Korea's Chung Hyung Kyung told the crowd, "My bowel is Buddhist bowel, my heart is Buddhist heart, my right brain is Confucian brain, and my left brain is Christian brain."
The PC-USA and Charismatics. Brick Bradford, general secretary of the Presbyterian and Reformed Renewal Ministries International, estimates that 10 to 15 percent of the Presbyterian clergy are charismatic, but only a handful of their congregations are. Members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the small Evangelical Presbyterian Church support the renewal more so than other Presbyterian denominations, he says (Christian News, May 19, 1986). [See Charismatic.]
The PC-USA and Immorality. Divorce and immorality are rampant in the liberal denominations because there is no clear separation from the world. We have seen the denomination's tolerant attitude toward homosexuality. A report entited "Sexuality, Spirituality and Social Justice" was distributed throughout the PC-USA in 1990-91. It said "the moral for Christians ought not be marriage, but rather justice-love. ... Where there is justice- love, sexual expression has ethical integrity. That moral principle applies to single, as well as to married, persons, to gay, lesbian and bisexual persons, as well as to heterosexual persons." The report indicated that a person can have sexual relations outside of marriage and still be right with God. [See Adultery, Divorce, Fornication, Modesty, Nakedness, Sodomy.]
Presbyterians outside of the U.S.A. Presbyterian denominations in many lands are being absorbed into larger ecumenical bodies. The Presbyterians in India united with Methodists, Anglicans and others to form the Church of South India in 1947 and the Church of North India in 1970. Seventy-five percent of the Presbyterians in Australia united with Congregationalists and Methodists in 1977 to form the Uniting Church of Australia. The Presbyterians in Canada merged with the Methodists, Congregationals, and Evangelical United Brethren in 1968 to form the United Church of Canada. Similar ecumenical accords have happened in Nigeria, South Africa, and Belgium. [See Ecumenism, World Council of Churches.] [For Protestant Reformation see Prophecy, Roman Catholic Church.]