Warring Parents…
A Guest Blog by: Jon Spinnanger
Williamsburg Presbyterian Church, Williamsburg, Virginia
All parents disagree from time-to-time. Some even argue and fight loudly. These disagreements usually take place in the wee hours when the children are supposed to be asleep. But sometimes they wake up and listen, and depending on how old they are, such occasions can be very upsetting. “Are Mom and Dad going to get a divorce? What will happen to our family if they do?” You get the idea. And, for the most part, the kids will never share these feelings with their parents. But they always worry about what might be about to happen.
Let’s pretend that PCUSA Churches and congregations are the kids in this family. Presbyteries, Synods, General Assemblies, and Commissions are the parents. Late-night arguments between them have been going on for some time now, and seem to be getting much worse. So far, mercifully, the parents have stayed together – for the sake of the children. The coming donnybrook – the 219th General Assembly – unfortunately, has the children very worried.
What have the kids and their more traditional parent had to swallow so far to keep the family intact? For openers, the sixth commandment doesn’t really mean what it says, at least with respect to the unborn. Our progressive parent doesn’t care much that the most dangerous place for a baby in America today is in the womb of its mother.
This time, the kids are worried that the plain language of the seventh commandment will be re-interpreted. The kids are worried that their progressive parent will argue that sexual immorality is “no big deal,” and is certainly not an impediment to ordination, while at the same time claiming “our standards have not changed.” The latter, of course, amounts to jettisoning the ninth commandment as well.
Disagreeing parents sometimes forget that while their arguments are taking place the kids are growing up. These young adults invariably begin to figure things out for themselves so they will answer the question about the fundamental principles like – “is the Bible really the basis of our faith, or is God really omniscient and omnipresent, or do the ten commandments really count for anything? – for themselves – an act accordingly.
Sometimes the kids even divorce their parents.
