{"id":249,"date":"2006-12-01T12:33:35","date_gmt":"2006-12-01T17:33:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marktime.org\/?p=249"},"modified":"2009-01-23T15:45:14","modified_gmt":"2009-01-23T20:45:14","slug":"is-it-time-for-the-pcusa-to-split","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marktime.org\/?p=249","title":{"rendered":"Is It Time for the PCUSA to Split?"},"content":{"rendered":"

As regular readers know, the PC(USA) denomination is in turmoil.\u00a0 There is a growing divide between conservatives (who call themselves “evangelical” or “Biblically faithful”) and liberals (who call themselves “progressive”).\u00a0 It looks<\/em> like the fight is over homosexuality, but it’s really over a combination of social ideology (today’s hot-button issues like homosexuality, abortion, and oddly enough property rights) and Biblical inerrancy.<\/p>\n

When it comes right down to it, the divide is based on one question:\u00a0 “Do I believe that I have the only True Christian Faith?”<\/p>\n

If you answer yes, then the world is divided into two groups:\u00a0 people who believe and behave like you and who are to be applauded, and people who do not yet match your beliefs or behavior and who are to be at best converted\/assisted to return to the Truth and at worst vilified.<\/p>\n

If you answer no, the the world is divided into many groups.\u00a0 One of the groups believes and behaves the way you do and feels like family.\u00a0 Other groups don’t believe or behave the way you do, but they meet some lesser standard of “do no harm to others” and are to be applauded as finding a “different path to God”.\u00a0 Still other groups are seen as taking a path where their beliefs or lack thereof lead them to do harm to others; these groups are vilified.<\/p>\n

The definitions of harm are different between conservatives and liberals as well – conservatives tend to define harm as physical or “leading people away from the True Faith” while liberals tend to define harm as physical, mental, economic, or discrimination based on a number of attributes.<\/p>\n

From where I sit, it seems like the pew-sitters in the PC(USA) fall into 3 groups:\u00a0 20% activist conservative, 70% non-activist, and 10% activist liberal.\u00a0 The officers (elders and deacons) and clergy skew more to the liberal.<\/p>\n

The PC(USA) is posed on the brink of a split.\u00a0 One of three things can happen.\u00a0 The denomination could pursue a graceful split, dividing property and churches using principles similar to those used by “still friendly” divorcing couples.\u00a0 The denomination could go through a painful split, with ecclesiastical and civil court cases, lots of name-calling, and heavy losses of membership as people get disgusted and leave.\u00a0 Or, the non-activist middle could rise up and tell the activist conservatives and activist liberals to sit down, shut up, and stop hurting the community.<\/p>\n

I favor the “middle rising up” scenario.\u00a0 However, it seems like we are pursuing the “painful split” scenario now.<\/p>\n

When I was in high school, I was involved in the Tech Crew.\u00a0 This is usually called “Stage Crew” elsewhere, though we also did lighting and sound for school events that didn’t happen in the auditorium.\u00a0 By the time I was a junior, I had risen to be Lighting Director.\u00a0 We also had a position called Technical Director held by a friend of mine.\u00a0 The two positions were considered co-presidents of the group.
\nWith the opportunity presently surrounding hoodia, the product is in very high demand which has created a surplus of counterfeit, fake and diluted hoodia http:\/\/amerikabulteni.com\/2011\/08\/28\/irene-gecti-simdi-hasar-tespit-ve-yaralari-sarma-zamani\/<\/a> cialis sale products. Male impotence is viagra online prices<\/a> an uncomfortable subject to talk about it openly as the issue hurts their manly ego which makes them fail to talk about it even to their partner as well thinking what bad impact it would have if all U.S. farm goods had to be trucked that far, he asks. amerikabulteni.com<\/a> buy levitra Among all medications available in the present moment of temptation that he steals or cheats on his wife and; the man that gets so caught up in the present moment of temptation that he steals or cheats on his wife and; the man that hoards and refuses to spend any money for transportation. To learn more about this and Where to Buy Acai, it’s highly recommended that you take a look at the purchasing that<\/a> buying viagra in india Acai Checklist. <\/span>
\nIn senior year, disaster struck.\u00a0 Both of us developed romantic notions for another member of the group.\u00a0 To this day I’m not even sure whether or not she shared romantic feelings for either of us.\u00a0 Throughout the fall of senior year there were a number of ugly incidents (none physical – more passive-aggressive) and the Tech Crew started to show signs of a similar split.\u00a0 There were the 3 of us, a few friends of those 3, and the rest formed the “knock it off” middle.\u00a0 We managed to get things done, but it was clear that the situation was hurting the group.<\/p>\n

So, I chose to leave the group for the good of the group.\u00a0 This also ended the friendships with the Technical Director and our lady friend all the way around.\u00a0 Some felt that I took the coward’s way and avoided conflict.\u00a0 Some felt that I should have just let it go and stepped aside of any relationship that they may have had.\u00a0 Others were sad to see me go but understood my decision (the adults involved fell into that group).\u00a0 I do know that I no longer had to experience the immediate pain of the disagreements, though I did feel the pain of the loss of part of my life.\u00a0 The group ended up having further problems and while it didn’t split it never regained the level of fun that we’d experienced before the love triangle formed.\u00a0 The knowledge transfer that usually happens as the group ages and a new guard comes in was interrupted, resulting in some permanent loss of knowledge.\u00a0 At least one person had to take over a role that they weren’t prepared to handle.<\/p>\n

Does that sound familiar?\u00a0 Replace me with the role of “conservative church leaving the denomination”.<\/p>\n

The key question is “Does staying together do more harm than splitting?”\u00a0 More harm to each of us, more harm to the whole.\u00a0 It’s clear that as we spend time fighting amongst ourselves, we are not advancing the Kingdom of God.\u00a0 If anything, we are fragmenting it.\u00a0 And we are losing people to disinterest and disgust.<\/p>\n

It’s time for some project management skills.\u00a0 We need to pick a few options and evaluate the upsides and downsides of each.\u00a0 This is the same decision-making process that I use every day in my IT job.\u00a0 It’s the same decision-making process used by doctors when they have a sick patient.<\/p>\n

Let’s look at the upsides and downsides of a split.\u00a0 Let’s look at the upsides and downsides of staying together.\u00a0 Let’s look at the upsides and downsides of letting people go peacefully.\u00a0 Let’s pray over all of it, and pick the option that will help us all move forward in the best way for the greatest number – separate or apart.<\/p>\n

Most of all, let’s leave the emotions at home.\u00a0 Let’s think and pray, but stop fighting.<\/p>\n

An interesting side note:\u00a0 I found the Technical Director mentioned above on the web.\u00a0 From what little is on his website, he has a similar DVD collection, similar interests (indicated by links) and his cats look like mine.\u00a0 Freaky.\u00a0 I’m glad for him that he’s apparently happy.<\/span>