First Presbyterian Church Joins the Confessing
Church Movement
On Monday evening, August 20, 2001, our Session voted to become a
"Confessing Church." Just what does that mean?
For forty years the Presbyterian Church has been losing members. Many feel we
have become a church more attuned to cultural mores rather than the moral and
ethical principals of Scripture. It seems that we are influenced more by culture
than by Christ.
In 1974 a movement began within the gay and lesbian community and their
supporters to form "More Light Churches." Today 105 churches in 24
states are More Light Churches advocating changing our ordination standards to
ordain homosexuals. A number of More Light Churches filed letters with their
Presbyteries stating they will not obey the provision in the Book of Order that
forbids the ordination of sexually active, practicing homosexuals. This
organization has continually worked to have the PC(USA) set aside two thousand
years of Biblical injunction in favor of modern sociological and scientific
theories regarding homosexuality. These folks were very active and effective at
this year's General Assembly in Louisville.
This movement, however, is merely a symptom of a much more debilitating disease
within the Church. Within the Presbyterian Church (USA) today there are
influential individuals who question the Lordship of Christ, dismiss the
authority of Scripture, and deny the gospel's demand for repentance. These
disturbing developments within the church call for a comparable response.
In April of this year a movement began in the Presbyterian Church called
"The Confessing Church." Pastors, elected leaders, and members of
churches who are concerned about the Church's drift away from our historical
understanding of Scripture as evidenced in our Confessions are saying
"Enough is enough. It is time for us to take a stand."
Three basic questions drove the formation of the Confessional Church movement.
These are:
1. Will our denomination genuinely accept the Lordship of Christ (Phil. 2:11),
or will it instead simply follow the current agenda of contemporary culture?
2. Will our denomination acknowledge the authority of Scripture (2 Tim.
3:16-17), or will it instead base its message on the voice of reason and the
consensus of human experience?
3. Will our denomination accept the call of Christ to "be holy in all
[our] conduct" (1 Peter 1:15), or will it instead arbitrarily seek to
compartmentalize life, as though certain aspects of one's personal conduct
should be exempt from the transforming power of the gospel?
In five months the number of churches whose Sessions have considered these
questions and then elected to become Confessing Churches exceeds 800 churches in
44 states and Puerto Rico. These churches have a combined membership exceeding
266,000. These sessions have responded to these questions with an uncompromising
commitment to the truth. They have accepted the urgent challenge to contend for
the faith.
On Monday evening, August 20, our session voted to join the movement and adopted
the attached resolution. We felt we must take a stand and let our voice be heard
on the issues of the Lordship of Christ, Biblical authority, and the injunction
for all to be holy in all of our conduct.
For the Session of First Presbyterian Church, Hugo, Oklahoma:
S/___________________________ S/________________________________
James Ray, Clerk of Session
Reverend Dr. Edwin D. Bernard