Sound The Trumpet : Church Divisions Now Resulting in Those Holding to Biblical Truths Being Asked to Leave

Must Listen

Must Read

What Art Thinks

Pre-Millennialism

Today's Headlines

Sorry... Not Available

Locally Contributed...

Audio

Video

Special Interest

Daily News

22219

“Church Divisions Now Resulting in Those Holding to Biblical Truths Being Asked to Leave”
by Prophecy New Watch
June 13th, 2014

Divisions seem to be emerging in Christendom within Scotland, over the positions taken by the Church of Scotland over certain scriptures relating to the role of women in church and the acceptance of homosexual clergy, with allegations of intolerance being made by the opposing parties towards each other in relation to these topics.

The Church of Scotland, also commonly known or referred to as the Kirk, is essentially Presbyterian, as distinguished from the Church of England or the Scottish Episcopal Church. It holds it’s General Assembly every May.

Pastor Jon Gleason of the Free Baptist Church of Glenrothes recently provided his views in an article for mindrenewers.com, stating that those who hold to Scripture were reportedly labeled “intolerant”, “not nice,” “grumbling grunters”, practicers of “antiquated gangsterism” and “oddballs” who need to “put their toe to the Church of Scotland’s line or get out.”

According to Pastor Jon Gleason, the bone of contention is that those thus named or labeled have committed the crime of believing, and insisting on adherence to the following Scriptures:

• But I suffer (permit) not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence (I Timothy 2:12).
• A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife…. (I Timothy 3:2).
• One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity (I Timothy 3:4).
• For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee: If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly (Titus 1:5-6).

David Lacy, former moderator and Very Reverend of the Kirk, was reportedly upset that the outgoing moderator of the Kirk, Mrs. Hood (also titled Very Reverend) was told that she was told she wouldn’t be welcome to preach in some parishes. Pastor Gleason reported that “Mr. Lacy wants us to know this is “blatant disobedience” and “a slap in the face to the court” …“Those ministers and elders who break the law of the Church should be taken to task by the local presbytery and if they don’t obey their presbytery it should come to the Assembly.” Mrs. Hood reportedly said there were 20 to 30 (out of 1400) parishes that have no woman elders — and “that’s too many.”

Pastor Gleason countered in his article: “And if we are going to talk about “blatant disobedience,” what about disobedience to the Lord and His revealed Word? Instead of “putting their toe to the Church of Scotland’s line,” shouldn’t a spiritual leader want people to “put their toe to the Lord’s line?”

Maybe instead of worrying about a “slap in the face” to a court controlled by religious political power-grabbers, one should think about the “slap in the face” to centuries of believers. They sacrificed and died to hold to the Word of God and deliver it to those who came after, and now those who allegedly follow in their footsteps toss it on the scrap heap. What about the “antiquated gangsterism” of threatening to use the General Assembly to force people to abandon the Bible?”

Pastor Gleason asserts: “If you care about Scripture, you have to get out. It is way past time to get out.” He says that indeed thousands have already left in the last year, and suggests that in five to ten years, the next divisive issue may well be around "not having enough parishes that have homosexual ministers/elders. Before long, those who don’t want to accept them will be told to get out.”

A similar article appeared in the Presbyterian Plodder, in which Robert Walker states: “In what appears to be a carefully planned and co-ordinated attack on evangelical ministers the Church of Scotland has issued a call for discipline of those congregations and ministers who do not ordain women to eldership or support women in ministry. The Kirk is urged to “crack down on sexist local church leaders”, and they themselves are urged to leave because their presence is a threat to peace and unity and they cannot be tolerated in a broad church".

Walker alleges that the widespread Scottish press coverage of the Church of Scotland leadership was deliberately planned and timed to happen two days before the debate on active homosexuals in office. He further states that “those who are most vocal in opposing the acceptance of practicing homosexuals in office and the proposed removal of such behavior from the possibility of Biblical discipline are also those who maintain a Biblical position on women in office. At one swoop their removal would remove a core of resistance to the gay agenda”.

Indications are that although homosexuality is currently generally understood within Christendom to be unBiblical, perverted and immoral since the Bible is very clear on the subject. In such cases, a departure from categorical Biblical truth and standards is a move towards heresy and apostasy. However the issue of whether women should be allowed to preach seemingly represents more of a grey area – at least in the minds of many Christians.

Opponents of women preaching or speaking in Church say that the scripture stating: “But I suffer (permit) not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence (I Timothy 2:12) needs to be taken and applied literally. An example is Michael Houdmann writing in Got Questions.com, supporting this position and providing explanations based on various scriptures.

Others such as J. Lee Grady beg to differ – in an article on the subject in Christdrivenwomen.com, Grady interprets: ‘”Many Bible scholars believe Paul was dealing with a serious heresy problem in the church at Ephesus when he wrote 1Timothy 2:12. Certain female teachers were spreading dangerous gnostic fables, and in some cases they were suggesting that women are superior to men or that Eve was created before Adam. Paul commanded Timothy not to let these women spread their doctrines. Yet we know that he was more than willing to let trained, Bible-believing women teach--since he commends such female ministers as Phoebe, Junia, Priscilla, Tryphena and Tryphosa.”

The Church of Scotland divisions around gender ministers would then seem to be a microcosm of a larger division on the subject. Based on their respective interpretations of scripture, some churches are happy to ordain women pastors and elders, while others are not, and yet others favour the hybrid model where women are allowed to lead in various capacities but not to preach.

What is clear is that Christian unity must be based on truth, and truth must be shared in love – yet never compromised for the expediency of acceptance by man. As Peter and the other apostles said, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13