Gender Confusion & the PCA: SJC finds MNY presbytery has more work to do to correct errors
The SJC notes Metro New York Presbytery (MNY) has begun to correct its errors stemming from a woman in the pulpit at Trinity Pres in Rye, NY, but notes MNY's actions thus far are "clearly inadequate."
On “Reformation Sunday” in 2021 a priestess in The Episcopal Church took the pulpit at Trinity PCA in Rye, New York where Craig Higgins serves as senior pastor. The lady paused after reading a portion of Scripture and promising to return to read the rest of the pericope at the end of her “teaching,” she said with a smile.
She went on “teaching” for quite some time. She talked about sin and the grace of God, she warned about self-righteousness and resentment, she asserted American Christians should pay more attention to the teachings of the “Calvinist theologian Karl Barth,” lamenting that Barth’s theology has not caught on in American Churches, and she extolled the freedom that is found in Christ alone to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
News of what had taken place at Trinity PCA in Rye, NY scandalized many in the PCA.
When a ruling elder from another presbytery raised questions as to how such a thing could be done in a PCA Congregation, the Metro New York Presbytery (MNY) investigated. The representatives of the Session and TE Higgins asserted they take no exceptions to the relevant portions of the Standards related to whether a woman may preach in public worship. The presbytery then closed the investigation without finding any basis for charges.
When the Review of Presbytery Records Committee (RPR) of General Assembly examined the Minutes of MNY on this matter, many members of RPR were puzzled as to how MNY arrived at its conclusions. Accordingly and with only one dissenting vote, RPR recommended the matter be referred to the General Assembly’s Standing Judicial Commission, since there appeared to be particularly glaring violations of the PCA Constitution in this case.
Earlier this month, the SJC’s ruling was sent to the parties. TE Stephen O’Neill was one of the faithful elders who helped present the case of RPR before the SJC and he joined the podcast to discuss the ruling of the General Assembly in this matter.
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The SJC is to be commended for its work on this case. The SJC clearly performed a thorough analysis of what MNY Presbytery has both done and left undone. The Commission expressed awareness of steps taken already by MNY presbytery to correct the delinquencies in this matter. But the SJC also noted what the MNY presbytery has done so far is “clearly inadequate.”
While there is likely no disagreement on the SJC as to whether “a woman preaching in the pulpit of a PCA Church, before a PCA Congregation, in a PCA Worship service shall be considered a ‘grossly unconstitutional proceeding’” as RE Melton Duncan put it in his dissent, the last few pages of the SJC decision seem to take issue with the procedure followed by the General Assembly in this matter:
As the Commission was assigned this matter by the General Assembly, we took up the matter and dealt with it. At the same time, we question the constitutionality of the Assembly’s referral in this case and wish to take this opportunity to explain why we are dubious about the Assembly’s action (p. 4).
It is curious the SJC would express disagreement with the General Assembly as to whether such a matter is truly “grossly unconstitutional” when the Assembly determined the report concerning MNY was credible by referring the matter to its own judicial commission. As TE O’Neill noted in the episode: what report could be more credible than a Presbytery’s own minutes? The concurrences and dissents related to this decision will make for fascinating reading.
The Assembly seemed to agree that what had taken place in Metro New York Presbytery was more than (merely) a “serious irregularity,” (RAO 16) but an “important delinquency” that was “grossly unconstitutional” (BCO 40-5).
Nonetheless the SJC made a strong decision that seems to specify certain clear and specific steps Metropolitan New York Presbytery must take in order to redress this error and report those steps to the General Assembly’s Review of Presbytery Records Committee this year.
More Westminster Standard Podcast Content…
An interview with TE Nathan Newman regarding the PCA’s Humble Petition; how did the commission do its work and what remains to be done by Sessions and Presbyteries? Listen on Spotify, Google, or iTunes.
Repenting of Revoice: in a ‘crossover episode’ with TE George Sayour’s Presbyterian & Reformed Churchmen Podcast we talk with RE Charles Higham about his recent turning away from support of Revoice and the present danger to the PCA by those who continue to advocate for latitude in the PCA to include the Saint Louis Theology. This episode will be released later on our feed, but you can find now it on the P&R Churchmen via iTunes, Spotify, or YouTube.
Next week Ann Biese, Sarah Morris, and Zack Groff join the program to discuss the phenomenon of MTW Missionary Sarah Young’s Jesus Calling book and consider why this book has become so popular as well as why so few men in the PCA were willing to speak out against what the ladies on the panel called, “occult,” “new age,” and “close to blasphemy.” Please look for it on March 4!