Central Georgia Presbytery Requests the PCA General Assembly to Assume Jurisdiction Over the Missouri Presbytery Issue

Aquila Report ^ | 1/20/2020

[Gamecock]

Central Georgia Presbytery approved an overture at its January 11, 2020 Stated Meeting, placing before the 48th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America a “BCO 34-1 request for General Assembly to Assume Original Jurisdiction in Missouri Presbytery Issue.”

An overture is a means by which a Presbytery can bring a matter to the General Assembly for consideration. This overture will be considered by the 48th PCA General Assembly at its meeting in Birmingham, Ala., June 15-19, 2020.

Overture 2 alleges that “TE Greg Johnson has and continues to teach that Christians can be identified as homosexuals, and that those who experience same-sex temptations are not normally delivered from these, and are not normally changed in nature by the LORD.” It also alleges that the “Memorial Presbyterian Church’s session promoted Revoice 2018, which propagates these doctrines;” and further that “these doctrines are contrary to the clear teaching of scripture with regard to sanctification as taught in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, which states that homosexual identity is past tense for believers.” As a result of these and other listed allegations, the Overture asks the 48th PCA General Assembly to “assume original jurisdiction of the case of the investigation by Missouri Presbytery of Greg Johnson and the session of Memorial Presbyterian Church with regard to theological error and involvement in the 2018 Revoice Conference.”

OVERTURE 2 from Central Georgia Presbytery

“BCO 34-1 request for General Assembly to Assume Original Jurisdiction in Missouri Presbytery Issue”

Whereas TE Greg Johnson has and continues to teach that Christians can be identified as homosexuals, and that those who experience same-sex temptations are not normally delivered from these, and are not normally changed in nature by the LORD; and

Whereas Memorial Presbyterian Church’s session promoted Revoice 2018, which propagates these doctrines; and

Whereas these doctrines are contrary to the clear teaching of scripture with regard to sanctification as taught in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, which states that homosexual identity is past tense for believers; and

Whereas these doctrines are contrary to the Biblical doctrine of regeneration as taught in 2 Corinthians 5:17, which states that those who are in Christ are new creatures, and that the old is passed away; and

Whereas these doctrines are contrary to the Westminster Standards, specifically the Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 13, article 1, which states that the lusts of those who are regenerated and sanctified “are more and more weakened and mortified” and that those so regenerated are “more and more quickened and strengthened in all saving graces, to the practice of true holiness;” and

Whereas TE Greg Johnson and the session of Memorial Presbyterian Church, St. Louis, MO, were investigated by Missouri Presbytery with regard to possible theological error in these teachings, and specifically in regard to the promotion of the 2018 Revoice Conference and its positions on homosexuality which are contrary to the biblical, confessional doctrines as stated above; and

Whereas Missouri Presbytery found TE Greg Johnson and Memorial Presbyterian Church’s session guilty of no gross theological error (as published in its May 18, 2019 report); and

Whereas BCO 34-1 states that two presbyteries may request that General Assembly take up original jurisdiction of a case originally brought before another presbytery; and

Whereas RAO 11 specifies that these presbyteries make this request by means of Overture of the General Assembly; and

Whereas RAO 15-4 and 17-2 would require such an overtured case to be referred to the Standing Judicial Commission for action;

Therefore be it resolved that Central Georgia Presbytery requests that the 48th General Assembly assume original jurisdiction of the case of the investigation by Missouri Presbytery of Greg Johnson and the session of Memorial Presbyterian Church with regard to theological error and involvement in the 2018 Revoice Conference.

[Gamecock]

Companion Thread: The PCA’s Grace Presbytery Rejects the Concept of “Celibate Gay Pastor”

[Gamecock]

GRPL Ping

[kaehurowing]

The homosexual cancer begins spreading into another denomination.

[PAR35]

It turns out that the OPC dodged a bullet by bailing on the "Joining and Receiving".

A lot of the issues in the PCA seem to link back to the RPC,ES.

[strongbow]

PAR 35, its me again from the OPC. It’s hard to keep up with all the repackaged heresy these days. RPC is not familiar to me (republication?) and is ES the Eternal Subordination issue? We are to begin interviewing pastor candidates soon and I want to make sure we don’t step on a theological landmine for our congregation. We have several PCA potential candidates.

[PAR35]

RPC,ES - Reformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod.

Late 1970s - a deal was cut for the PCA, the OPC, and the RPC,ES to unite. Initially, the OPC voted for the merger, but the PCA got cold feet. Then the PCA changed its mind, but by that time the OPC had decided to remain independent.

So the RPC,ES came into the PCA with its deaconesses, and its seminary in St. Louis, and we see where that has led. Now, things might have turned out differently if the OPC had been in the mix to even things out, but it wasn’t, and we are where we are.

As this story shows, there are still a few solid Presbyeries in the PCA, and a lot of moderate ones, but there are real reasons for concern.