The Good Ship PCUSA – Day 3

The combination of wind and current can make dangerous sailing conditions.

Sailing across the Gulf Stream can be a pleasant, gentle sail or it can be a nightmare! Eboating.com has an excellent article on crossing the Gulf Stream. Think of the Gulf Stream as a river of very warm water flowing through the Atlantic Ocean off the east coast of the US. The Gulf Stream becomes a nightmare when the wind is blowing in the opposite direction that the Gulf Stream is flowing. No sailor wants to be caught crossing the Gulf Stream when these conditions exist.

I believe that the rough waters the Presbyterian Church has been experiencing illustrate this same type of situation. The “current” of our culture is to let anyone believe and do what ever they want. The Presbyterian Church has accepted much of this belief. The PCUSA has drifted away from the foundational beliefs of the Christian faith. We have many in the PCUSA that believe:

· There are many ways to God;

· Sex outside the bonds of marriage is not a sin;

· Jesus was not born of a virgin;

· Everyone is going to be in heaven;

· Jesus had a sexual relationship with Mary Magdalene;

· Jesus did not bodily raise from the dead;

· Etc.

This current is contrary to the wind of the Christian faith and the Holy Spirit.

The Old Testament if full of examples of what happened when God’s people drifted away from the beliefs spelled out by God. God’s judgment was often swift and powerful. God would use prophets to warn the people to return to God—that message would contain a powerful “or else.”

Attempting to cross the Gulf Stream in adverse conditions has caused the demise of many vessels. The Presbyterian Church has been caught in these “unsettled adverse conditions” over three decades and it is taking a heavy toll on church membership, local churches and the denomination. Some churches and members are breaking away from the pack and seeking a church “current” that is flowing in the same direction as the Spirit of God. The denomination is beginning to sink. I do not believe that is it too late for the PCUSA—however, failing to take swift, appropriate action could begin the end of the PCUSA as we know it.