POB Report, 16 NOV 2009
South Boston
South Boston
I'd like to thank Pastor Rob for his pastoral prayer Sunday, and the other Rob for his extension of Calvin's definition of a true church:
1.Scripture is preached faithfully
2.the Sacraments are administered
1.Scripture is preached faithfully
2.the Sacraments are administered
3.discipline is lovingly maintained, and
4.mission is a priority.
What stands out from this meeting is the lack of #3. Is appears to many that effective discipline in the Presbytery of Boston, at least among the “progressive” elements, has ceased to exist. Various machinations were successfully employed to make discipline the province of a small, appointed group, rather than a faithful, life-restoring part of our path of following Jesus—the Jesus revealed by God through Scripture, not the vague, malleable figure of “progressive” culture.
Even worse, perhaps, was the fate of #4. A prominent “progressive” member repeatedly attacked Garrett for his work for Jews for Jesus. This wasn't an angry, personal assault, but a cold, calm, apparently calculated denial of the importance of “preaching the Good News to every creature.” All this flows from the denial of #1, a God who has revealed himself in a way accessible to every creature, through Scriptures that can be read and understood by everyone, particularly when read in their own language: English, Korean, Spanish, Red Karen, or Kagayanen. I'm grateful that NPC has remained faithful to the Gospel that gives forgiveness from sin—that is, true freedom, which is not captive to the idolatry of “progress.”
Presbytery of Boston v. Jean Southard
