Tydens die GKSA sinode 2012 (Agenda 16.5, bl.88) is volle ekumeniese bande gesluit met die PCA (Presbyterian Church in America). Hier is ‘n deel van hul geskiedenis:
“Organized at a constitutional assembly in December 1973, this church was first known as the National Presbyterian Church but changed its name in 1974 to Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). It separated from the Presbyterian Church in the United States (Southern) in opposition to the long-developing theological liberalism which denied the deity of Jesus Christ and the inerrancy and authority of Scripture. Additionally, the PCA held to the traditional position on the role of women in church offices.
In December 1973, delegates, representing some 260 congregations with a combined communicant membership of over 41,000 that had left the PCUS, gathered at Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama, and organized the National Presbyterian Church, which later became the Presbyterian Church in America.
… The PCA is one of the faster growing denominations in the United States, with over 1700 churches and missions throughout the USA and Canada. There were over 335,000 communicant and non-communicant members as of December 2000.”
Laasgenoemde getal het aangegroei tot 346 000 in 2010. Net nog ‘n bevestiging dat gereformeerde ortodoksie kerkgroei bring, deur die Here se genade.
Dit beteken egter nie dat daar nie probleme is in die PCA nie.
Soos met die GKSA deur sy Ordevoorstel, erken die PCA ook die onderlinge verdeeldheid en verskille in hul kerkverband wat die eenheid versteur, en dat dit aandag moet geniet.
Die PCA het ook, soos die GKSA nou beplan het om te doen, ‘n ‘PCA Strategic Plan’ ontwikkel wat in 2010 aanvaar is. Deel van daardie plan is om gesprekke te voer oor die onderlinge verskille.
Die afgelope week het so gesprek glo plaasgevind, en baie lidmate is ongelukkig oor die geheimhouding daaragter, want almal se sienings kan weergegee word wat in die gesprek genoem is, maar hulle name mag nie genoem word nie.
Sien die volgende webblad wat vertel van hierdie gesprek/vergadering wat plaasgevind het, asook veral die bespreking in die ‘comments’ afdeling wat daarna volg:
PCA “Meeting of Understanding” held in Atlanta
Hier is ‘n paar aanhalings:
“ByFaith is reporting that a meeting called by Dr. Roy Taylor and other “denominational leaders” met this past Tuesday in order to “discuss charitably and forthrightly the cause for conflicts in the PCA that hamper our ministry and unity.” The meeting was held under Chatham House rules, which means that you can mention what was said but not who said it.”
“One of the themes of the 2010 PCA Strategic Plan was the necessity for civil conversation,” Taylor said.”
“50 PCA pastors as well as coordinators and presidents of the PCA’s permanent committees and agencies attended.” I assume the 50 people present were males, but what is being reported is not office bearers executing their office like men (1 Cor. 16:13). It sounds like a bunch of whiny girls complaining that they are called names on the playground. Don’t like being called a heretic? Don’t preach or practice heresy! Don’t like theological precision? Go find a denomination that isn’t theologically precise (http://www.ucc.org/)!”
“There’s a lot of truth to the statement that denominations start ordaining women when the men in office are already acting like women. There’s a huge difference between viewing the church as needing leaders who are nuturing and loving mothers caring for sometimes frustrating children and viewing the church as soldiers of the Lord fighting against Satan and his minions. The talents and experience needed to be a nurturing mother, while certainly important, simply are not those needed to run a church.
“The reality is that many seminaries tend to feminize potential ministers. That may be unavoidable in our current ecclesiastical environment. But what about the elders? Is perhaps a major part of the PCA’s problem that most churches don’t have elders who care enough to attend general assembly? Is it possible that elders conferences calculated to get elders involved in the ecclesiastical battles are the key to solving a problem that the ministers simply cannot solve given the current “culture of niceness” that prevails in too many church circles? … I would not want to intrude myself into office in a denomination where I disagree with parts of the confessions of the church. It would be nice if these PCA leaders had similar convictions and joined churches where their disagreements with the confessions would not be a problem.”
“We already decided how closely we are going to adhere to the Standards when we allowed for exceptions to the Confession. No longer are we a denomination that is reformed, but reformed-esque. The point of the Confession and adherence to it is that we would all agree and be united, but now we are divided because we don’t agree on the Standards anymore (i.e. the word STANDARD). We don’t have a standard anymore. When Presbyterians, Independents, Episcopalians, and Erastians can agree on the Westminster Standards and unite around it as a summary of Scripture and we cannot, we are divided and not reformed.”
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