New Warhorn Media post by Tim Bayly:
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What reformed men here in the US have been demonstrating for many years is their intense hostility to disciplining anyone other than those who call for discipline. It is simply their coverup of choice to regularly pass statements—statements which usually say things their confessions already said which are things Scripture also already says. (Tim Bayly)
This statement is sadly true and has been embedded within the heart of the debate about passing the overtures at the presbytery level. What may have felt encouraging in the moment of July 2021 because something happened looks different as time passes, the reality sets in, and the nuanced articles come out encouraging people to vote against the overtures. The overtures must pass votes at 2/3 of the presbyteries in order to then be voted on at the next GA. Yet all this action only makes them part of the BCO. As Tim states, this does not guarantee adherence or discipline coming from them. With the SJC ruling on Missouri presbytery now being functionally touted as an exoneration of Johnson and Revoice ideology, the overtures may be too little too late.
But it is interesting to see that Tim’s statement alludes to one of the fundamental divides in the debate over the overtures. Are they necessary? Redundant? Is there not enough in the current confession/standards to deal with this whole Side B problem? This inherent issue with the overtures has caused consternation for conservatives wanting to see something formal happen on this whole Revoice question. In one debate over this issue, an insightful RE asked that if the current standards were enough to deal with the Side B problem then why haven’t they to this point? The elephant in the room, of course, is agreeing to the standards and enforcing the standards are two different matters.
For those interested in keeping up, there have been plenty of pieces published on The Aquila Report. And here is a link to the current tally of PCA presbyteries that have voted on the BCO changes.
I don’t remember which is which, but it’s interesting to note how close the voting is so far, with one of them barely passing and the other barely failing (again, so far.)
Overture 23 is the one specifically against self-identified gay Christian or SSA Christian pastors being ordained.
Overture 37 is more generally about presbyteries and churches examining candidates on notorious offenses. It includes language about SSA but is not limited to it.
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The new Moderator of our presbytery has scheduled an informal meeting to discuss the proposed changes. It will be tomorrow (Thursday) evening, rather than on a Saturday, rendering it impractical for REs like myself to attend since the location is nearly an hour away, not considering the traffic, which will be terrible on a weekday evening.