{"id":551,"date":"2008-10-02T01:01:01","date_gmt":"2008-10-02T01:01:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2008\/10\/the-pcusa-and-church-property-part-11.html"},"modified":"2008-10-02T01:01:01","modified_gmt":"2008-10-02T01:01:01","slug":"the-pcusa-and-church-property-part-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/10\/the-pcusa-and-church-property-part-11.html","title":{"rendered":"The PC(USA) and Church Property, Part 11"},"content":{"rendered":"

Part 11 of series: The PC(USA) and Church Property
\n<\/em>Permalink for this post<\/a> \/ Permalink for this series<\/a>
\nIn my last post I summarized one action of the 2008 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA). The Assembly voted in favor of a Resolution 03-21, which authorized the denomination to help pay for lawsuits pitting PC(USA) presbyteries against churches and\/or denominational bodies of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. The churches in the lawsuits are congregations that have left the PC(USA) for the EPC, and that are trying to keep their church property. Because the resolution was amended so that the funding for the lawsuits would come from special gifts only, the resolution lost its teeth. Nevertheless, it made a strong symbolic statement of the will of the General Assembly on the matter of legal battles associated with church property.
\nAs I mentioned in my last post, I disagree strongly with this action of the General Assembly. There are many reasons for my disagreement, including:<\/p>\n

1. While the PC(USA) is cutting funds for essential ministry and mission, it seems ludicrous to devote funds to lawsuits over church property. This remains true even if those funds are from special, dedicated gifts. The General Assembly should be directing giving to evangelism, church planting, doing justice, and caring for the poor — not to suing fellow Presbyterians.
\nIn fact, what actually happened at the General Assembly is even more unsettling. Though I was not there at this time, one of my blog readers was present. He describes the context<\/a> for the vote on Resolution 03-21 this way:<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/blockquote>\n

[R]right before GA took up this overture, we saw a video presentation about the horrors of pastoral sexual abuse at a mission in San Francisco. Generations of young men had been abused. We were asked to give San Francisco Presbytery $100,000 to help defray the massive counseling costs for these victims. We voted it down. In the next item of business, we authorized $2,000,000 for lawsuits. I have never felt so heartsick in my life.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I can only shake my head with wonder and sadness.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

2. The PC(USA)\u2019s understanding of the Church of Jesus Christ does not hold that only PC(USA) churches are truly and correctly ministries of God\u2019s kingdom. We acknowledge other denominations and believe that God is working in and through them. Thus it is fully consistent with our basic theology to allow that some PC(USA) might be better served to be aligned with other denominations. We have no inherent theological reason to insist that churches and church properties must remain in the PC(USA).
\n3. When PC(USA) churches and governing bodies engage in lawsuits with other churches or denominations, this make a horrendous public statement about our values, theology, and utter lack of grace or charity. Nothing would confirm a cynic\u2019s view of the church more than seeing churches and church bodies using God\u2019s money to sue each other.
\n4. The damage to congregations when churches and church bodies sue each other is major. Out of pastoral concern for the people involved, we should make every effort to refrain from such lawsuits.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

5. I want to reiterate a point I made earlier in this series. Is it ever right for some of Jesus\u2019 people to use Jesus\u2019 money to sue others of Jesus\u2019 people over who gets to use Jesus\u2019 property?
\n6. My strongest reason for disagreeing with the action of the General Assembly is that it is contrary to Scriptural teaching. Though there is not place in the Bible that directly addresses the case of churches suing churches, we do find an analogous situation in 1 Corinthians 6. Here is the passage:<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/blockquote>\n

When any of you has a grievance against another, do you dare to take it to court before the unrighteous, instead of taking it before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels\u2014to say nothing of ordinary matters? If you have ordinary cases, then, do you appoint as judges those who have no standing in the church? I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to decide between one believer and another, but a believer goes to court against a believer\u2014and before unbelievers at that? In fact, to have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud\u2014and believers at that. (1 Cor 6:1-8, NRSV)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This passage clearly teaches that Christians should not sue other Christians in secular court. Such disagreements should be solved in the Christian community. A wronged party, according to this passage, should choose to be wronged rather than to seek victory in secular courts.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I wasn\u2019t present for the debate in the General Assembly over Resolution 03-21. I don\u2019t know if somebody reminded that Assembly of 1 Corinthians 6. And I don\u2019t know if somebody responded to this point with some biblical justification in favor of PC(USA) lawsuits against other Presbyterians. But the apparently cavalier way in which the General Assembly approved of a resolution that seems, on the surface, to be inconsistent with Scripture is deeply distressing to me. It suggests that the PC(USA) has indeed jettisoned biblical relevance and authority, and not simply when it comes to homosexuality.
\nI should note at this point that the majority of lawsuits between churches leaving the PC(USA) and presbyteries are initiated by the churches. The presbytery is usually the defendant in the lawsuit. I wonder how many churches have wrestled with the implications of 1 Corinthians 6 before they sued their presbytery. And I wonder how many presbyteries grappled with the biblical statement: \u201cIn fact, to have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded?\u201d
\nI have never been directly involved in a church leaving the PC(USA), so I can\u2019t speak from personal experience about why a church would sue its presbytery. But I do know from what several people have reported to me that churches have done this to protect themselves from harsh and vindictive presbytery actions. Some presbyteries, it seems, if they get word of a church discussion of leaving the PC(USA), have threatened to engage in extreme measures to snuff out the conversation. Pastors will be put on leave or removed. Church elder boards will be ousted and presbyteries will take over. It appears that such actions have been encouraged by national leaders in the PC(USA). So, rather than turning to their presbyteries for guidance and grace, churches try to protect themselves from atrocious behavior on the part of their presbyteries.
\nNow I\u2019ve been around the PC(USA) long enough to realize that blame for this sickening situation falls on both sides of the fence. Presbyteries have sometimes mistreated churches and engendered the fear that churches feel. Churches have sometimes failed to honor their presbyteries and done that which is contrary to our Constitution, not to mention Scripture, in their relationships with presbytery leaders. When Presbyterians end up spending tons of money suing each other in secular court, it\u2019s the sad, natural consequence of a long history of relational conflict.
\nBy its vote on Resolution 03-21, the General Assembly not only failed to help heal this conflict, but actually made matters worse. The Assembly encouraged the kinds of lawsuits that are unbiblical, unedifying, and, I would argue, ultimately unPresbyterian. The Assembly poured fuel on the fire of schism, bitterness, and terrible stewardship.
\nBut then, only one day later, the General Assembly weighed in once again on the issue of churches leaving the denomination. And, once again, the Assembly did something stunning. I\u2019ll explain tomorrow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Part 11 of series: The PC(USA) and Church Property Permalink for this post \/ Permalink for this series In my last post I summarized one action of the 2008 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA). The Assembly voted in favor of a Resolution 03-21, which authorized the denomination to help pay for lawsuits pitting…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pcusa-church-property"],"yoast_head":"\nThe PC(USA) and Church Property, Part 11 - Mark D. Roberts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/10\/the-pcusa-and-church-property-part-11.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The PC(USA) and Church Property, Part 11 - Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Part 11 of series: The PC(USA) and Church Property Permalink for this post \/ Permalink for this series In my last post I summarized one action of the 2008 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA). The Assembly voted in favor of a Resolution 03-21, which authorized the denomination to help pay for lawsuits pitting…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/10\/the-pcusa-and-church-property-part-11.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2008-10-02T01:01:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The PC(USA) and Church Property, Part 11 - Mark D. Roberts","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/10\/the-pcusa-and-church-property-part-11.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The PC(USA) and Church Property, Part 11 - Mark D. Roberts","og_description":"Part 11 of series: The PC(USA) and Church Property Permalink for this post \/ Permalink for this series In my last post I summarized one action of the 2008 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA). The Assembly voted in favor of a Resolution 03-21, which authorized the denomination to help pay for lawsuits pitting…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/10\/the-pcusa-and-church-property-part-11.html","og_site_name":"Mark D. Roberts","article_published_time":"2008-10-02T01:01:01+00:00","author":"Mark D. Roberts","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/10\/the-pcusa-and-church-property-part-11.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/10\/the-pcusa-and-church-property-part-11.html","name":"The PC(USA) and Church Property, Part 11 - Mark D. Roberts","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#website"},"datePublished":"2008-10-02T01:01:01+00:00","dateModified":"2008-10-02T01:01:01+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/10\/the-pcusa-and-church-property-part-11.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/10\/the-pcusa-and-church-property-part-11.html"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/10\/the-pcusa-and-church-property-part-11.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The PC(USA) and Church Property, Part 11"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/","name":"Mark D. Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=551"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}