Pastor Dan Kiehl's Weekly Letter to the Congregation
September 30, 2020
Dear Oakwood Church Family,
Every so often someone will ask me about the theological direction of our denomination, the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) - "Is the PCA becoming liberal? Is the denomination about to divide?" Usually, they ask because they heard someone else say these things, or, more likely because they read some internet blog that portrayed the situation in our denomination as dire. I thought it might be timely and helpful to give my perspective, for whatever it's worth.
Some of you might still be trying to figure out what a Presbyterian is, let alone the difference between the PCA, OPC, EPC, and PCUSA. Others chose to be a part of the PCA because of its strong credentials as a Biblical, Reformed, Gospel-centered denomination, and are highly attuned to any sign of theological compromise. I myself chose the PCA back in 1992 because I became convinced that it was not only extremely faithful to God's Word but also very healthy in terms of evangelism, church planting, and cultural engagement. I grew up in a very liberal denomination and saw first-hand the emptiness and uselessness of churches that have departed from the authority of Scripture and compromised the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
My overall assessment of the PCA has not changed significantly over the past three decades. I still believe that it is, by far, the most Biblical and most spiritually healthy denomination available. Does it have problems? Sure, every denomination does. Are there some rogue pastors and other leaders who are pushing the envelope regarding what is Biblically acceptable in teaching, ministry, discipleship, and worship? Yes, and some of them are facing scrutiny and possible discipline from their presbyteries.
But the theological difference between the most "conservative" pastor and the most "progressive" pastor in the PCA is tiny compared to the theological differences between pastors in most other evangelical denominations, let alone compared to those in liberal denominations. All PCA pastors are still held accountable to the Westminster Confession of Faith and its Catechisms, a faithful summary of Biblical teaching that was written in the 1640s. There is an internet forum for PCA pastors and elders where they can discuss theological and practical ministry issues, and in that forum, they joke about the differences in PCA leaders as "9.2 leaders" and "9.7 leaders." In other words, if in the church world a "10" would be the most theologically conservative leader and a "1" would be the most liberal church leader, then all of the PCA leaders are somewhere on a spectrum from 9.2 to 9.7.
Much of the recent concern about potential theological drift in the PCA has focused on an annual non-denominational conference called "Revoice" that was hosted a few years ago in a PCA church in St. Louis. Revoice is not a PCA event, but some PCA leaders have been involved with it. The purpose of the organization behind the event is to help individuals and churches to minister to those who profess to be Christians but struggle with homosexuality. Generally speaking, the organization teaches that all sexual activity outside of a marriage between a man and a woman is sinful. However, legitimate concerns have been raised about what some of the leaders in the organization have written about and taught in the seminars regarding homosexual desires and lifestyle. There are some things taught in these seminars that any legitimate PCA leader would clearly reject.
Much of the debate over Revoice is pretty nuanced, so it is easily misunderstood. One of the issues, as I understand it, is the difficult question, "When does temptation become sin?" We know that being tempted by outside enticements to sin isn't wrong (Jesus was perfect and "in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin" - Hebrews 4:15), but lust in our hearts is sin (not just the actions that flow from lust). So when does sin begin - when does a person cross the line from being tempted to actually sinning? Are the homosexual desires themselves a sin? The theological term that this debate has centered on throughout church history is "concupiscence." If you're interested in digging into this a bit further, Kevin DeYoung gave a very helpful presentation on this issue last year - Sin, Shame, and Pain Below the Surface: How to Make Sense of Same-Sex Attraction in the Church (warning - it might make your brain hurt a little, but it's worth it).
Related to this is the question of identity - if a Christian struggles with homosexual desires, are they a "gay Christian?" Is that an appropriate sense of identity, even if you're committed to Biblical teaching on sexuality? After all, we don't talk about "adulterous Christians" or "lying Christians," regarding those who struggle with those particular sins. The Apostle Paul teaches only one identity for Christians - we are all "in Christ".
Some PCA leaders that are sympathetic to the Revoice organization insist that they are not intending to compromise theologically or morally; instead, they say that we need to be better at contextualizing the Biblical Gospel in order to reach people struggling with these sins. Striving to communicate the unchanging truth of Scripture in different ways to reach different people and cultures is important to evangelism and missions. However, the history of the church is full of tragic compromises of Biblical doctrine that began as efforts to contextualize the message.
The fact that a handful of PCA leaders have had some involvement in the Revoice conferences and one of the conferences was hosted at a PCA church has given the impression to many people that the PCA is compromising its teaching on LGBTQ issues and that the denomination is on the slippery slope to liberalism, but that is not remotely true. And the final word for those few leaders who were involved with the Revoice organization and conferences has not yet been determined. The General Assembly was canceled earlier this summer due to COVID-19, but when it convenes again next summer there will be overtures to follow through with church discipline for some of the teaching that was permitted within a particular presbytery.
Each generation of church leaders must fight the good fight, "to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 1:3). The pressure from our spiritually dark culture is great, and Satan is constantly attacking, but our commitment to the full, absolute authority of God's Word must never be compromised. The PCA is facing challenges from within and without, but, from my perspective, it is staying the course. I am thankful to be a part of it.
One final thought - I've not seen any signs of theological apostasy among the PCA pastors in the presbyteries where I have served, but I've seen too many examples of fellow pastors falling into sexual sins and abusive leadership methods that have disqualified them as leaders of churches. Please pray for the pastors and elders of Oakwood, for us to grow in our faith in Christ, in our holiness before Him, and our strength to resist temptation. Nothing paralyzes a church more than morally compromised and disqualified leaders - it's one of Satan's top objectives, along with his efforts to entice us to theological compromise.
