Reactions to the Erskine Synod, Part 3

The division between Erskine and the Synod is a bad thing. It has caused chaos on the campus and criticism in the press.


If it were necessary, it would have been worth it. But it was not necessary. Things could have been done more gently and slowly, with greater sensitivity to the people involved.

But it's done, and it cannot be undone. God will work in this situation and bring fruit out of it, regardless. He has set us down this path for a reason, and we need to walk it, seeking His guidance as we go.

On one thing I hope we all agree. We should not let this controversy distract us from the real work of God. Satan, the great illusionist makes us look one way when we should be looking another. Our fallen nature loves a good fight. We love stories with heroes and villains and testosterone-laden calls to battle. But the real enemies are not within our walls. They just outside the wall, egging on dissention and discord within our camp. It's hard to fight each other and love each other at the same time.

So let's ignore the Devil's smoke and mirrors for a while, and remember what we are hear to do.

1. We are here to live under the authority of Scripture. Before I went to Erskine Seminary, I attended a PCUSA seminary for four years. That school was truly liberal. They denied the infallibility and inerrancy of the Scriptures loudly and proudly.

In one class discussion on hermeneutics the professor taught that the Bible was written, not by God, but by fifteen or twenty different "faith communities," each with its own agenda. What was true for one community was not necessarily true to others. According to him, Biblical interpretation meant picking which writings most fit what we thought the Spirit was saying, while ignoring or denying the rest. At that school, the Bible was a kind of do-it-yourself theology kit--a spiritual erector set from which we can construct virtually any doctrine or artifice we wished. The Bible could be made to support whatever was in vogue at the time--women's ordination, gay ordination, Marxism, social Darwinism--whatever. To keep my faith and sanity, I took two sets of notes, one of what the professors said, and another of what I thought about what they said!

I thank God that before I went there, I had attended a genuinely Christian College, where the Bible was taught, and the professors sought to build our faith, not tear it down. I thank God every day for my training in that school. It was what I hope that Erskine will be one day.

Even so, even that Christian college was not perfect. Attending a Christian college is an education in the durability of original sin. We lived in an isolated fortress of Christianity in a pagan world. Our Biblical lifestyle and our fiery commitment to it depended upon us being cocooned away from the world.

If we are going to live by the Bible, why not begin with the parts that the Bible calls the most important--Love of God with all our hearts, and love of our neighbors?

Some groups deny the Bible. Others ignore it. Still others twist it. But the if the Bible isn't stretching us, making us angry, or challenging our beliefs and our actions, we aren't paying attention.

2. We are here to proclaim the Reformed tradition.

The Reformed view of theology is a wonder--beautiful in its simplicity, profound in its implications, wondrous in its depth. Calvin was to Biblical interpretation what Einstein was to physics. His insights into God and the Bible made possible a whole new world in theology, politics, art, and economics.

Lately, there has been a resurgence in Calvinism in America, but not among Presbyterians. Baptists, Anglicans, and even Pentecostals have rediscovered Calvin. But among we Presbyterians we seem to use it more for as a shibboleth to determine who belongs than a living body of theological understanding speaking to our time and culture. It has become a static creed, used to keep the saint in instead of being salt and light to the our lost world.

ARPs hear the Bible and Reformed theology preached. But often we preach it only to the already convinced. We preach it in language that means nothing to people who are not in on Reformed jargon.

In order for the power of our theology to affect the world, people must understand it, an we must understand the people. They don't care about our internal disputes. They care even less about internal disputes from centuries ago. How many churches have been subjected to preaching that refights yesterday's wars, and ignore the very real problems of the people in front of them?

When we get tied up in political and unproductive struggles, we get our eyes off our people.



3. We are to put the Gospel first. While in college I once attended a meeting of the an insightful presentation by Dr. Harold B Kuhn, an evangelical Methodist theologian, on the rise of liberalism in the Methodist Church. When the Methodist Church got its eyes off the Gospel and became obsessed with making a new post-millenial world, they came close to completely wrecking their church. Their goal ceased to be the salvation of Individuals and the saving of souls from hell, but to change the world they lived in now. It wasn't to much to raise the spiritually dead, but to make their coffins more comfortable.

Today Evangelical churches are losing their passion to introduce people to Christ. Megachurches preach a feel-good, positive thinking gospel. The dying mainline preaches social involvement and politics. Much of the conservative church have also been beguiled by the illusion of power politics affords. We've subordinated our spiritual goals for worldly ones, and sought to build institutions before we save souls. If the purpose of the church were to build impressive buildings, then we've succeeded wonderfully. But where are the people?

4. We should love one another.

The mark of true discipleship is not spiritual purity and theological perfection. According to Jesus, it is our love for each other. (John 13:34-35)

We have become more conservative and evangelical and I rejoice in that. But that isn't the all of it. What we do now will determine what kind of Evangelical church we will be? Will we walk the walk, or just talk the talk? Will we behave like Christians, Loving God, the world, and one another? We don't have to agree, but we surely have to treat them as brothers.

We must ask ourselves a burning question, and we must answer. If we disagree, then how will we disagree? Does our disagreement cause us to build each other up, or to tear each other down?