There is a line in an old folk style song: "Did you ever have to make up your mind? Say "yes" to one and leave the other behind. Its not always easy, its not always kind. Did you ever have to make up your mind?"
I find the notion of covenants helpful in theology and in everyday ethics. Covenants bind us to perform some task or keep some relational disposition sound. The basic biblical covenant is from God to His people: (Monergistic) "I will be your God and you will be my people." Simple. To the point. God binds Himself by way of a Promise - seals it in the blood of this own Son. If we grievously deny this Promise or if we cherish it with our whole hearts, it doesn't effect the promise one little bit. We didn't make it, so we can't break it.
Some human covenants are only as secure as the mutual integrity of the parties establishing them. The covenant most close to me is the one binding myself to my wife. For nearly thirty-seven years that bond has remained unbroken. It has been tested by circumstances and by character flaws. The accumulative quantity and the individual qualities of my flaws have, thus far, remained within the boundaries of what my wife will tolerate. Should I stack up enough tension producing sins against our bond, it may not be able to bear the load. It will break. Should one such flaw rise to point of an unbearable tolerance, the bond will (and possibly should) break. "I just can't take it anymore" is the line broke a million marriages.
What is the nature of my covenant promises with the PC(USA)? There are two partners in that pact. Can my vows of ordination be broken by the church? Is my union with the PC(USA) like Christ's union with us. Unilateral? Better, perhaps, to borrow from the language foundational to Reformed Theology. Is my bond with the Church monergistic? That is, dependent upon the work of only one party in the covenant. No, I don't believe so. I think there is an implicit set of promises binding on the PC(USA) in our covenantal relationship. I believe one or more of those promises have been violated by a set of actions taken over time. This offense of conscience is but the most visible infringement on that promise. I need to consider carefully and with set of prayers seeking God's wisdom,what terms necessarily implicit to our vow-bounded <sic> relationship. Maybe tomorrow, I'll try to establish those terms from our confessional confessional standards.
I would gratefully welcome any thoughts you may have to help me clear up my quandary.
1 comment:
I think, Gary, that many of us are in the same situation. This has been, for some time, "the fleece" for my wife and I (that which would indicate a breaking of the covenant) but we have not been able to work through the whys and wherefores. The particular tension right now is, how do I work this through while serving a congregation - not wanting to lead a congregation away - finding that both they and I need to have these discussions...can we have them together or separately at the same time and what might similar conclusions lead us toward? I'm looking forward to your thoughts.
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