If the leaders of the Presbyterian Church in the United States (Southern) have any deep concern about a possible second round of desertions by conservative congregations in the months ahead, that concern was little in evidence last month when 214 delegates met in Montreat, North Carolina to chart the denomination’s course in missions for the coming decade.
The PCUS General Assembly of 1976 had asked for the consultation and had set up a task force headed by Herbert Meza, a minister from Washington, D.C. The assignment for the consultation was to examine priorities and make proposals for the church’s mission task. Faced with a 15 per cent decline in the last ten years in the dollar value of giving for its programs, the General Assembly had specified that the consultation be “broadly representative of viewpoints and constituencies within the church.”
With that in mind, the PCUS hierarchy could hardly ignore the fact that some strongly evangelical congregations—including the large Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church of Fort Lauderdale, Florida—had voted to withdraw from the denomination in the weeks just before the consultation, and that other conservatives would be looking to Montreat for signs of conciliation.
There were a few. A theological preamble was hastily added to the informal outline distributed at the start of the consultation. Also added was a statement on “Proclamation” that helped balance an original list of priorities devoted almost exclusively to social action.
Evangelicals were heartened too by the consultation’s suggestion that the denomination capitalize on its “Sun Belt” location by devising strategies for planting new congregations in this rapidly growing area of the country. Urban areas are to get special attention. Also encouraging to conservatives was a ten-point proposal on evangelism.
But conservatives were frustrated in their efforts to clarify statements implying that all human beings—professing Christians or not—have already been reconciled to God. Nowhere were they able to get the consultation to include any reference to the “2.4 billion people still without Christ.”
The give-and-take came as delegates worked on two major documents: “God’s Claims,” a seventeen-page summary of Christian principles and priorities in a world plagued by injustice and inequality, and “Mission Proposals,” suggestions for action at all levels of church life. The documents will be considered at the Church’s General Assembly to be held in June in Shreveport, Louisiana.
These two statements were shaped at least as much by the fifty-five non-PCUS delegates as by the church’s own representatives. There were thirty-three invited representatives from overseas churches and twenty-two others from various U.S. organizations, and they had full voting privileges.
The part played by outsiders showed that the PCUS was taking seriously the advice of its last consultation on mission, held at Montreat in 1962 (see November 9, 1962, issue, page 31). The subject then was the partnership in mission of other churches, especially those overseas, on an equal basis. This time that partnership seemed to be an accepted operating principle.
The consultation management succeeded in its efforts to assure a hearing for all parts of the church. “I expected a railroad job,” said missionary surgeon David J. Seel of Korea. “But this has been an open affair.”
However, conservatives discovered that the opportunity to be heard was not enough. In at least three significant tests they were decidedly outvoted. Sometimes they were able to muster only a dozen votes.
The first test came when guest delegate Jonathan Chao, dean of studies at the Hong Kong Graduate School of Theology, proposed an addition to the church’s description of its mission as “discerning what God is doing in the world and joining Him in that work.” Chao suggested that the phrase “in the light of Scripture” be added after the word “discerning.” The proposal was overwhelmingly defeated.
Halfway through the consultation, some delegates argued strenuously for at least a token reference to the Westminster Confession of Faith in the final document. Instead, each section of the “Claims” paper focuses on an excerpt from the PCUS “Declaration of Faith,” which last year failed to replace Westminster as the denomination’s primary doctrinal statement.
Observing the refusal to refer to the historic confession, Ryuzo Hashimoto of the Reformed Church in Japan commented, “PCUS throw away jewel, keep stone.”
Most distressing to many conservatives, however, was the consultation’s willingness to accommodate a universalist view when it turned down a suggestion by Arthur F. Glasser of Fuller Seminary’s School of World Mission. The subject was a new outreach to the Islamic world, and Glasser argued that the concepts of “discipling” and “baptism symbolizing a transfer of allegiance” should be included. But the consultation settled on calling for “an authentic Christian witness to Muslims” after hearing Lawrence H. Richards. PCUS missionary to Lebanon, say: “Jesus is present in Islam, and we should embrace Muslims as brothers.”
Conservatives at Montreat spent more time challenging the consultation on economic issues than on theological ones. In doing so, they took issue with an impressive and eloquent cadre of Third World spokesmen. William Watty of Kingston, Jamaica, set the tone for that group when he said, “Until North Americans are willing to follow Christ’s example of impoverishing Himself to reach the world, they will neither get nor deserve a hearing for the Gospel.”
The consultation heard similar sentiments from E. A. A. Adegbola of Ibadan, Nigeria, representing the Institute of Church and Society; from C. Rene Padilla of Buenos Aires, Argentina, of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students, currently teaching at New York’s Union Seminary; and from Sergio Arce, moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Cuba and probably the first Cuban churchman to address a U.S. audience since Fidel Castro assumed power.
Capitalistic exploitation of Third World countries was the main theme, and the consultation stopped just short of explicit condemnation of the free-market economy. Some Third World delegates were dismayed when the final papers attributed that somewhat harsh evaluation only to them, while the consultation itself called meekly for “sensitization regarding how present economic systems affect people.”
One African delegate said the consultation was equivocating in taking such an approach, and many North American delegates agreed. But the body was also encouraged toward caution by Richard-Louis Grosse, an economist from Savannah, Georgia, who said that both the Soviet Union and the OPEC oil-producing countries are more exploitative than the United States. Grosse called the accusations against capitalism simplistic and said that to adopt them would “alienate the people of our churches—and would be incorrect.”
The consultation did affirm, however, that “Christ calls us to dissent from our present lifestyles” and to “help in creating the political will for a new international order.”
The longest sections in both the “Claims” and the “Proposal” papers deal with justice and equality. A parallel emphasis on stewardship appeared to please all factions of the consultation.
Also popular—for varying reasons—was a section of the “Claims” paper indicating the PCUS’s desire to mend its century-old schism from the United Presbyterian Church and even to turn a friendly face toward the Presbyterian Church in America, which was the result of a 1973 PCUS split.
Conference organizers would not speculate publicly on the reception their work might get from the General Assembly.
“It’s really not so important that what we said proves to be a reflection of the church,” said one spokesman for the task force, “as it is that we have passed on to the assembly what we think God has been saying to us. I think the product of this consultation has been faithful in that way.”
In Advance Of the Storm
Some 400 determined United Presbyterians beat a snowstorm to Chicago one Monday last month and got down to business before O’Hare Airport’s runways were closed. They came from all across the country to work for defeat of a task-force recommendation (see February 10 issue, page 48) that would allow homosexuals to be ordained.
The group, mostly ministers, came from 130 of the denomination’s 153 presbyteries. Their diversity was not only geographical but also theological. Said one participant: “We must let it be known that those present in Chicago were not just a bunch of evangelicals doing their thing; we represent a broad cross section of the church.” What united them was the hope that in May the denomination’s General Assembly will agree with the task-force minority that the church constitution precludes the ordination of homosexuals.
The focus of attention was “The Chicago Plan,” the name given to a document drafted last November by sixteen prominent Presbyterians. At that time the sixteen hoped to influence the majority in the task force. After that attempt failed, they invited more than 400 others to join them in Chicago to plan for the defeat of the task-force recommendations at the General Assembly in San Diego.
The organizers describe “The Chicago Plan” as a “thorough, comprehensive strategy to consolidate the voice of the majority of Presbyterians.” One speaker, Donald M. Williams, suggested that the task force, which voted 14 to 5 in favor of the ordination of homosexuals, and the Advisory Council on Church and Society, which voted 12 to 3 to recommend the task force’s report to the assembly, were not representative of the church. Williams, a lecturer at Claremont Men’s College in California and an adjunct professor at Fuller Seminary, urged the participants to get their local sessions (church governing boards) and presbyteries to adopt resolutions backing the position of “The Chicago Plan.”
Some participants had another strategy. They planned to try to influence the choice of commissioners (delegates to the assembly) in the presbyteries that have not yet elected them. It was reported that in many presbyteries where commissioners have already been elected, candidates were questioned about their views on the homosexual issue before the vote. When Pittsburgh Presbytery was choosing its twenty-two representatives in January, all but one of the nominees declared themselves opposed to the ordination of homosexual. The exception was James E. Ray, colleague of a member of the task-force majority. He was then defeated by John Huffman, the pastor of Pittsburgh’s First Presbyterian Church, who was nominated from the floor.
While Pittsburg, Presbytery has been recognized by many Presbyterians for years as a bastion of conservatism and not a typical presbytery, some observers think that the make-up of its San Diego delegation suggests the outcome of the vote. Most participants in the Chicago gathering seemed to doubt that the General Assembly would endorse the task-force majority’s report. What they are working for is the adoption of the minority’s recommendations. Also under consideration is the possibility of proposing a constitutional amendment that would explicitly forbid ordination of a homosexual.
The keynote speaker at the meeting was Ernest Lewis, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Evanston, Illinois, who cautioned against “overreacting, overkill.” He warned that such a response could do more damage than the task-force report itself. The majority report must be defeated, he suggested, “because of love—for God’s Word, for the homosexual, for the community of faith.”
Down the Ladder
Stanley R. Rader, 48, long considered to be number three in the Worldwide Church of God hierarchy, has announced he will “no longer serve as a director and officer of the church and Ambassador College.” Officially, Rader was vice-president for financial affairs, but he was generally thought to be the top aide to WCG founder Herbert W. Armstrong and to outrank all church officials except the eighty-five-year-old founder and his son, Garner Ted Armstrong.
The church’s Worldwide News reported that Rader “will continue as an independent senior consultant, similar to the post he held before 1975.” (Even though he had worked for Armstrong for nearly twenty years, Rader, formerly a Jew, did not officially convert to Armstrongism until 1975, when he was baptized in Hong Kong.) Rader was quoted as saying that he had “considered this resignation for some time” since in recent years he had “minimal involvement with the day-to-day administration of the church and college.”
Close observers believe, however, that the resignation was forced—the outcome of a power struggle between Rader and the younger Armstrong. In January the senior Armstrong told a large crowd of ministers and their wives that “day-by-day administration and execution of policy decided by me has been delegated by me to my son Garner Ted Armstrong.” Three weeks later Rader’s resignation was announced.
Rader’s association with the movement began in 1956, when he was hired as tax advisor. Later, after he graduated from law school, he became legal counsel to the church and college. Since 1968 he has been “a constant traveling companion and personal aide to Mr. [Herbert] Armstrong … some years spending as many as 300 days abroad with him,” said the announcement. Robert Kuhn, assistant to Garner Ted Armstrong, explained in a telephone interview that Rader has not in fact served as financial vice-president during the past three years even though he has held the title. The title will now go to Ray Writ, who, said Kuhn, has been performing the functions of the office.
Rader is expected to keep one assignment for the present. He will continue to be a vice-president of Ambassador International Cultural Foundation. Kuhn, too, is a vice-president of the foundation.
JOSEPH M. HOPKINS
Straight Sharing With the Revelers
The crowd was off at the annual New Orleans Mardi Gras carnival this year. Thousands of would-be revelers were snowbound in northern and eastern cities. But two groups showed up in greater numbers than ever: the Christians and the homosexuals.
About 300 young Christians traveled to New Orleans to take part in a coordinated outreach to Mardi Gras visitors, estimated to number a million this year. They came from the Christ for the Nations Institute in Dallas; the International Bible College in Austin, Texas; Jesus People, U.S.A., in Chicago; Resurrection City, Berkeley, California; and Agape Force, Lindale, Texas. Gospel recording artist Danny Taylor and a Dallas music group called “Street Level” also participated.
The evangelism effort was coordinated by two New Orleans youth ministers, Eddie Brown of First Assembly of God and Mike Barbera of Trinity Christian Community. Participating groups all handed out the same tract, a folder designed for Mardi Gras. It included the testimony of a black lesbian who became a Christian and other material from national evangelistic groups.
The outreach began five days before Mardi Gras and climaxed on Tuesday night with a twenty-block parade. Although most of the young people engaged in one-to-one street conversation, some specialized in other types of witnessing. Street drama, group singing, pantomime by clowns, and street preaching were used to help draw crowds. Many revelers seemed as interested in what the Christians were doing as in any of the other Mardi Gras attractions.
According to Brown, there were noticeably more homosexuals at Mardi Gras this year. Probably the main gay event was a beauty contest for drag queens.
“I believe the Christian young people showed more compassion this time than ever before,” Brown observed. “There was less judgmental preaching and more effective witnessing.”
Next year will be even better, he says. “In May we’ll have a retreat to start laying plans. We hope to have a thousand young people here in 1979.”
RUTHANNE GARLOCK
New Missionaries For a New Century
No Westerners were allowed to enter Burma to help the Kuchin Baptist Convention celebrate the centennial of Christian work in its area last December. Among the former missionaries who received letters about the observance in northeast Burma’s hill country was Herman G. Tegenfeldt, professor of missions at Bethel Seminary, St. Paul. The following report is drawn from information sent to him.
After a biblical forty days of training, 300 young missionary volunteers fanned out across Kachin. Burma’s northernmost state, last month. Their entry into three-year commitments as unpaid evangelists climaxed the celebration of the one-hundredth anniversary of mission efforts among the Kachin hill people. Early in 1877, Josiah N. Cushing, a Baptist from the United States, and Thra (Teacher) Bogalay, a Karen Baptist from lower Burma, went into the hills near the China border to evangelize. By 1977 the Kachin Baptist Convention had 55,000 members and was the third-largest (behind the Karen and Zomi) Baptist group in the country.
The centennial had long been anticipated, and the Kachins began planning over two years ago. Other Baptists from all parts of the nation were invited, as were all American Baptists who had served among the Kachins. However, government officials said that since no Burmese are allowed to travel abroad to religious meetings, no foreigners would be allowed to come into Burma for that purpose.
The celebration, held December 21–25, brought more than 90,000 people to a temporary “city” erected ten miles from the town of Myitkyina. The vast majority walked to the site; thousands spent ten days or more on the road.
The events began with a procession of thousands of costumed marchers. Leading the procession was ninety-four-year-old Labya De, the oldest living Kachin pastor, who helped Ola Hanson translate the last books of the Old Testament into the tribal language over fifty years ago. As he cut the ceremonial ribbon to open a 15.000-seat tabernacle built by volunteers, a hundred large gongs were sounded. Then the entire assembly shouted, “Karai Kasang a hpung shingkang tut nawng e a nga nga u ga law!” (“May God’s glory endure for ever and ever!”)
In addition to the 300-by-400-foot tabernacle, volunteers had erected a warehouse for food, a dispensary, offices, and a hundred sleeping shelters (thatched roofs over straw laid on the ground). Christians living near the site gave wooden posts, bamboo, firewood, and food. They also oversubscribed by 80 per cent the cash contribution requested of their association of churches. Each Kachin family attending the celebration brought its own cooking pots and prepared its own meals.
Preaching services were held four times a day. There were also dramatic presentations of aspects of the century of Baptist history. A highlight of the celebration was a service in which 20,000 people received communion. Music included singing by a 3,000-voice centennial choir and by choirs from other parts of Burma and processional tunes performed on bamboo flutes and bagpipes. A mass baptismal service was held at a nearby river; more than 6,200 converts were baptized in what may have been the largest baptismal service in Christian history.
Although they are confined by political realities within Burma, the Kachins believe that the celebration marked the beginning of a new missionary era. One pastor predicted that the Kachins, once known as “the wild dogs of the hills,” will be taking the Gospel to many parts of southeast Asia by the year 2027.
