In every age of the world there have been those who suffer for speaking truth to power. Religious leaders are fond of evoking the images of the martyrs to frame themselves as victims, making it all the more egregious when they themselves use their authority to quash those who challenge them with honest words. “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof […] Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
It may be small comfort, but I hope you can take reassurance from standing with those holy people who valued truth above all else.
I've clung to that verse for years!! YEARS and years.
You'd think it would be a small comfort--but it is in fact an immense comfort, an enormous comfort, to stand in a place where my conscience is clear, I know what is real, and I am no longer invisible to either myself or to those closest to me. Integrity is irreplaceable. There is no substitute for it. Not all can freely or safely embrace it--but I will always recommend its ultimate worth to those who can.
Thank you, as ever, for your solid and dependable encouragement and support, Michael!
I attended a pca church for three years back in 2010-13. In fact, it was one where one of the men you mention attends, and he and i are friends. I believe you have been done a disservice, and it grieves me seeing how deep these problems can cut, to where even a man I respect and care for can have feet of clay that does such damage.
I did not continue pursuing a ministry in the pca when we moved for some of the underlying reasons you point out. The narrowness and ideological inflexibility of conservative reformed denominations was not at all attractive to me, and I knew I couldn’t flourish in a tradition that was so rigid and with such an undealt with history of control and obfuscation. And the pca is the “liberal” one of the NAPARC churches. As time has gone in I have also seen that keeping women from positions of public ministry and authority had actually been quite damaging to several traditions.
The issue you’re outlining above is just another sign of the insularity of so many churches. Not allowing an unbeliever to bear witness is alarming. It’s almost a tacit rejection of their image-bearing status. I imagine it comes out of kuyperian, wilsonion, van Tillian theonomy theology that says unbelievers can’t be witnesses because they don’t see “with the eyes of faith,” and unfortunately if that is the case than it is a sign of the utter intellectual bankruptcy of the pca, as well as, as you say, a move to maintain tight control over any narrative. And that is awful, whether done by a government, a spouse, or a church body.
Thanks for your commentary on this, I didn’t know it was happening but am...not happy, but glad to know I suppose?
Carter--wow. Thank you. Thank you so, so much, for this validation and encouragement. Thank you simply for *listening*. Thank you for caring. That you for being willing to accept hard truths. Thank you for so clearly and uncompromisingly re-articulating what I'm getting at!
And thank you for simply wanting to know. For wanting the truth. It's the whole reason why I'm here, writing this. It means the world.
In every age of the world there have been those who suffer for speaking truth to power. Religious leaders are fond of evoking the images of the martyrs to frame themselves as victims, making it all the more egregious when they themselves use their authority to quash those who challenge them with honest words. “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof […] Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
It may be small comfort, but I hope you can take reassurance from standing with those holy people who valued truth above all else.
I've clung to that verse for years!! YEARS and years.
You'd think it would be a small comfort--but it is in fact an immense comfort, an enormous comfort, to stand in a place where my conscience is clear, I know what is real, and I am no longer invisible to either myself or to those closest to me. Integrity is irreplaceable. There is no substitute for it. Not all can freely or safely embrace it--but I will always recommend its ultimate worth to those who can.
Thank you, as ever, for your solid and dependable encouragement and support, Michael!
I attended a pca church for three years back in 2010-13. In fact, it was one where one of the men you mention attends, and he and i are friends. I believe you have been done a disservice, and it grieves me seeing how deep these problems can cut, to where even a man I respect and care for can have feet of clay that does such damage.
I did not continue pursuing a ministry in the pca when we moved for some of the underlying reasons you point out. The narrowness and ideological inflexibility of conservative reformed denominations was not at all attractive to me, and I knew I couldn’t flourish in a tradition that was so rigid and with such an undealt with history of control and obfuscation. And the pca is the “liberal” one of the NAPARC churches. As time has gone in I have also seen that keeping women from positions of public ministry and authority had actually been quite damaging to several traditions.
The issue you’re outlining above is just another sign of the insularity of so many churches. Not allowing an unbeliever to bear witness is alarming. It’s almost a tacit rejection of their image-bearing status. I imagine it comes out of kuyperian, wilsonion, van Tillian theonomy theology that says unbelievers can’t be witnesses because they don’t see “with the eyes of faith,” and unfortunately if that is the case than it is a sign of the utter intellectual bankruptcy of the pca, as well as, as you say, a move to maintain tight control over any narrative. And that is awful, whether done by a government, a spouse, or a church body.
Thanks for your commentary on this, I didn’t know it was happening but am...not happy, but glad to know I suppose?
Carter--wow. Thank you. Thank you so, so much, for this validation and encouragement. Thank you simply for *listening*. Thank you for caring. That you for being willing to accept hard truths. Thank you for so clearly and uncompromisingly re-articulating what I'm getting at!
And thank you for simply wanting to know. For wanting the truth. It's the whole reason why I'm here, writing this. It means the world.