BaylyBlog: Out of our minds, too...

Serving Christ in Cedar Rapids, Iowa...

(Tim) Two weeks ago, our high school men and women went over to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to serve those trying to recover from the terrible flood the community suffered last year. Led by their youth workers, David Abu-Sara, Veronica Allen, Abram Hess, Emily Hess, and Ryan Schnitzer, they returned reporting that the governmental authorities were not particularly helpful to the residents, being better at red tape than getting things done.

The work done by the group was coordinated by church planters, Jeremy Knapp and Michael Langer, of One Ancient Hope (PCA). Our men and women were given a place to sleep in the basement of Hope Evangelical Church (PCA).

The Iowa Independent ran an article on the post-flood political problems and our group made the blurb under one of the pictures...

Over there...

(David) I've known that the PCA's missions arm (MTW) has worked in cooperation with at least one egalitarian national church in Europe for several years now. I hadn't known until Douglas Wilson brought it to light in this post that our engagement with this particular body has led to our giving it a newly-planted church so that it could immediately place a woman pastor (and her husband) in its pulpit.

Tim's and my dad once wrote that Billy Graham's practice of delivering new converts to Roman Catholic churches for discipling was like Christ giving His disciples to the Pharisees for training. Despite what I'm sure are similarly noble intentions, aren't we doing essentially the same thing in the PCA here?

Jerram Barrs has done research; he's so brave; he's my man...

(Tim) It's a great help to have Jerram Barrs continue at his post at Covenant Theological Seminary. But not for the reason you'd think.

Rather, because having him such a prominent voice representing Covenant's commitments and vision gives fair warning what kind of education men and women don't get there...

Complaint against Metro New York Presbytery filed with General Assembly's Standing Judicial Commission...

(Tim) Since Metro New York Presbytery chose not to grant three of the four amends sought by those filing a complaint against her previous action by which she endorsed woman deacons and men and women serving together in the diaconate, without sexual distinction, the presbytery has now been taken before the Presbyterian Church in America's highest court, General Assembly's Standing Judicial Commission.

Here is the text of that complaint as it was filed.

Let us pray that God blesses the hard work these men are doing for the purity and peace of Christ's Bride, and her faithful witness to a world that hates biblical sexuality.

* * *

Complaint

TE Mark Robinson, et. al. vs. Metropolitan New York Presbytery

And now, this 4th day of June, 2009, come TE Mark Robinson and RE James Macbeth and complain against the action of the Metropolitan New York Presbytery (the “Presbytery”) taken on May 8, 2009 in denying certain amends requested in the complaint filed against the Presbytery by the complainants hereto on April 10, 2009.

The complainants allege that the Presbytery erred in denying TE Mark Robinson and RE James Macbeth’s requested amends and in so doing condoned substantial and continuing violations of certain provisions of the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church in America (“PCA”), especially those touching on the office of deacon and diaconal ministry. In support of said complaint the following is set forth...

Gratitude for the faithful men who are fighting against the egalitarian feminist attack upon God's Fatherhood...

(Tim--Partly in an effort to take into account some of the comments, I've changed this post substantially this Saturday evening. If you'd read it before, you might want to read it again.)

For years it's been clear the egalitarian feminist attack upon reformed ecclesiastical communions has not been content to limit itself to the Christian Reformed and Evangelical Presbyterian Churches, but is increasingly focused on our own Presbyterian Church in America. This became obvious to me while serving on our General Assembly's Ad Interim Study Committee on Women in the Military. The arguments I heard then concerning the meaning and purpose of sexuality were absolutely abysmal--particularly those emanating from sophisticated teaching elders who saw themselves as God's gift to the PCA provided to aid their country bumpkin colleagues at rural, small town, and southern churches in learning how to contextualize the Gospel within this postmodern world.

As I listened to them carefully, it was evident the sound bites they employed in denying the truth or application of God's order of sexuality everywhere but inside the elders meeting and pulpit Sunday morning perfectly reflected arguments I'd heard in prior years at presbytery and general assembly levels in the mainline Presbyterian Church (USA). You know: slavery, cultural context, wife abuse, barefoot and pregnant, you can't turn back the clock, people will laugh at us--that sort of thing.

Then, of course the conservatives had their own reasons for not standing in the gap, opposing the feminist heresy. There was that old battle axe of Southern Presbyterianism, the spirituality of the Church, that conveniently kept many from feeling any responsibility to oppose our civil magistrate sending off our mothers and sisters and daughters to die for us on the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq. And there was also the federal vision to deal with--that issue alone took so much time and energy there was little zeal left for contending for God's order of sexuality.

Teach us to number our days: Rev. Dr. Larry Allen, 1953-2009.

(Tim) Late last night, David forwarded an e-mail that my longtime friend, Larry Allen, had died. It was a sudden death with no prior warning. Larry was on the phone with a co-worker and friend, laughing, and then God took him. The cause of death is unknown.

For seven or eight years, I served on the board of Presbyterians Pro-Life with Larry and that's when I knew him best. Being a witness for the unborn in the Presbyterian Church (USA), a pagan denomination where, as early as 1983, official denominational documents said that abortion "can be an act of faithfulness before God," meant the entire time we were at denominational meetings and general assemblies we suffered the most vile opposition. Everything short of physical attack.

Larry cared very much about the weak and oppressed, being pleased to humble himself in his association with the despised work of speaking up for the unborn. And in speaking up for them, he wasn't simply associated with God's "Yes" in supporting crisis pregnancy centers (which he did); he also said God's "No," preaching and teaching and calling us to repentance for our cruelty in slaughtering our little ones.

Fear of judgement is God's gift to pastors and elders...

(Tim) Church of the Good Shepherd hosted Ohio Valley Presbytery for our Spring Stated Meeting a week or so ago. Here are my sermon notes...

"Right-sizing" at Covenant College...

(Tim) A few news items related to the PCA's Covenant College. First, Inside Higher Ed ran an article a couple months ago titled "Broken Covenant" which reported on Covenant's financial crisis and the initiatives being planned by Covenant's administration in response to that crisis. Those initiatives include downsizing of academic programs and staff (labeled "right-sizing" by Covenant's President Nielson), along with spending $500,000 for a new building and to beef up athletics--both efforts to attract more students...

The state of the PCA union: woman deacons and the local option...

(Tim) Along with several others, Ruling Elder Brian Eschen of Northern California (NorCal) Presbytery submitted a complaint which was one of two filed against the recent action of his presbytery approving unordained male deacons serving alongside female deacons, without sexual distinction.

The proposal adopted by NorCal Presbytery is the same proposal recently adopted by Metro NY and Metro Atlanta (Perimeter) Presbyteries.

In response to another complaint filed against Metro NY Presbytery, last week the presbytery rescinded the proposal, but granted only one of five amends. It may be further amends will be granted as time passes, but the well-established practice within the presbytery's bounds of non-conformity to Scripture and the PCA's Constitution leave some doubtful any further amends will be granted without formal discipline applied from the national level of the denomination.

After voting down an overture on woman deacons that would have put the presbytery on record as submitting to the PCA's Constitution and Scripture, two other proposals were voted on, with the pro-woman deacon proposal adopted by NCal and Metro NY getting 19 votes and another proposal presented to the presbytery by Steve Smallman and Phil Ryken that supports Tenth's current practice of women deaconesses getting 23.

The Ryken/Smallman proposal was acted on with the understanding that Steve and Phil would come back to the Presbytery's May stated meeting with their proposal perfected for final action. Then, the matter was tabled.

So New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and San Francisco continue to be the geographical centers of egalitarian feminist practices and initiatives within the PCA related to the removal of sexual distinctions in the office of deacon. Men from these presbyteries worked together toward the adoption of the same document (although there were some regional differences in their approach).

Although some would cavil at this, the rejection of the Book of Church Order at the heart of this proposal and the presbyteries' recent actions seems self-evident and would appear only to be remediable by changes to the BCO. It's also clear that, at the present time, the main thrust of these co-belligerents is not seeking redress at the national level. Rather, for the time being they appear to be turning aside from changing the Book of Church Order nationally or denominationally.

Their proposal and work seem to be moving toward a local option strategy similar to the strategy adopted by the pro-sodomy lobby of the PC(USA)...

A parable for those with disciplinary authority over NCal, Atlanta, and Metro NY Presbyteries...

(Tim) We've all been through it many times, with many different families. Struggling to survive, financially, and no high salary on the pastor's conscience keeping him from asking the Lord for His provision, one of the few wealthy families the church has managed to get bonded within her fellowship becomes an increasing problem and it becomes apparent the only answer is formal discipline.

The years past are littered with informal discipline: many pastoral visits to the home, pastoral counseling sessions, post-small group exhortations from fellow believers, deacons, and elders; the wife has had the sweetest and wisest Titus 2 women go aside with her to entreat and exhort her concerning the damage her sin is causing to her own home and the Household of Faith. But all the informal, quiet, gentle ministry has been to little avail.

The family's wealth has complicated matters beyond the simple question of the church's fiscal solvency. The pastor and elders wonder--at first privately, but then openly in elders meetings when harm the family has caused others in the flock is on the agenda--how the congregation and community would be able to understand the discipline of such a beautiful and gifted and (shall we say rich?) family. No one would deny the family's generosity has been used by God to strengthen the fellowship. They have been a blessing in many ways and are loved for it. But also for who they are: hospitable, kind, loving, generous.

Of course, the wealth also has been a key contributor to their failures. There's been a bodaciousness to the sin that's seemed to have its origin in the pride of wealth. But as the private admonitions have failed to produce any substantive change, the family's wealth and resources have continued...

New York Presbtery responds to complaint by rescinding previous action...

(Tim) Meeting earlier today in the offices of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Metro New York Presbytery responded to a complaint filed by five members of presbytery by rescinding her previous (March 13, 2009) action.

The previous action of presbytery had been taken at Metro NY Presbytery's March 13th stated meeting, and it consisted of the presbytery endorsing the practice of churches not ordaining male deacons and having female deacons serve alongside those unordained male deacons, without sexual distinction.

Today's rescission carried by a large majority.

Woman deacons and the PCA: Overture rejected by Philadelphia Presbytery...

(Tim) Philadelphia Presbytery will be meeting in May, just prior to General Assembly. Whether the presbytery will put back on the table its commitment to allowing woman deacons within its bounds remains to be seen. Meanwhile, back in March, Philadelphia Presbytery (PCA) rejected the following overture submitted by the Session of Crossroads Community Church (PCA). The overture was presented to presbytery by Crossroads' pastor, Timothy Witmer.

After the moderator declared the overture defeated, Crossroads' commissioners moved that a roll call vote be taken. Roll call votes are the means by which the members of a presbytery record their votes personally, name by name, for public scrutinty and an historical record. In this case, a roll call vote would have provided a way for the members or officers of a congregation to know how their pastor(s) or commissioner elder(s) voted.

The presbytery then went on to vote on the text of two other documents promoting woman deacons...

Please pray for Metro NY Presbytery, today...

(Tim) Metro New York Presbytery is meeting today and will respond to the complaint filed against her recent action by which she joined Northern California Presbytery (and more recently, Metro Atlanta Presbytery) approving churches not ordaining male deacons and having female deacons serve alongside those unordained male deacons, without sexual distinction.

Please pray for the men of this presbytery, that God would lead them to sincere repentance.

Woman deacons and Northern California Presbytery: Complaint filed...

(Tim) Here is the full text of one of the two complaints that have been filed against the recent action of Northern California Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in America--the action by which Northern California Presbytery approved not ordaining male deacons and having female deacons serve alongside those unordained male deacons, without sexual distinction.

If you find any error where I have not reproduced the complaint accurately, please send me an e-mail at tbbayly at gmail dot com. Thanks...

Woman deacons in Northern California Presbytery: account of recent actions...

(Tim) Here's an account of recent actions within Northern California Presbytery leading up to their March stated meeting action approving the practice within her bounds of withholding ordination from male deacons and affirming male and female deacons serving together without sexual distinction. This account was written by Ruling Elder Brian Eschen, one of the men who, since, has filed a complaint against his presbtyery for their action.

The text is Elder Eschen's, and I have not confirmed it for accuracy. If readers find errors, please correct them in the comments section or send me an e-mail at tbbayly at gmail dot com and I'll work to change the text as seems best. It must be emphasized that these are not approved minutes, but rather one man's narrative of the events leading up to the complaint. As such, they have all the strengths and weaknesses of narrative as opposed to approved minutes...

Woman deacons and the PCA: a time for laughter...

(Tim) Knowing some won't persevere through the polity part of his most recent post, I'm pulling the closing paragraphs up here on the main page so readers won't miss the part that made me laugh out loud:

The idea bruited about by Redeemer NY, et al, that the Biblical role of deacon is only one of service, never one of authority or power, deserves nothing more than a loud raspberry followed by a hyena cackle every time it rears its speckled face.

• "There is no authority in the Biblical definition of diaconal office--it's merely one of service. (But the title, man, is precious, and we're gonna fight over who gets to wear it.)"
• "To be a deacon is simply to be a servant of others and the Church. (And how can we expect our women to serve if they don't receive this lowly title?)"
• "There's no leadership in diaconal office, only service. (And you'd better not deny women the onerous duty of serving.)"

Down the deaconess rabbit hole...

(David) I've been avoiding the deaconess issue for weeks now out of a desire to maintain a statin-free healthy blood pressure. There's a great big sucking rabbit-hole for obvious truth when it comes to this issue.

For instance, having had my attention directed to the Puritan Board by my brother's previous post, I found a woman there who claims to be non-egalitarian calling for Tim's defrocking because of his posts on the PCA and Redeemer. It's not surprising that a woman would suggest this. It is surprising that this kind of womanly pronouncement seems not-entirely-unusual in a venue dedicated to the preaching and practice of the Puritans. I had reason several years ago to ask another woman how her comments about a pastor on the Puritan Board accorded with her professed complementarianism. Very well, she responded, going her merry way.

Perhaps we should be glad to note that the keepers of the Puritan Board are not very, ahem, Puritanical in their approach to such matters.

Moving further into the rabbit hole...

Two bald-faced lies proponents of ordained/commissioned women deacons (or, conversely, unordained male deacons) can't be permitted to continue to mouth:

First, though the BCO contains much that is non-Scriptural wisdom, nowhere does the BCO--or any denomination's constituting document--come closer to a principled stand on Biblical truth than in the areas of the sacraments and of church officers and government.

The necessity of self-criticism...

(Tim) There's an excellent online community called the Puritan Board (just to the left) where discussions have been carried on, recently, concerning a couple posts, here. Predictably, The longest discussion focused on the Complaint filed against Metro NY Presbytery after their recent adoption of a position contrary to the PCA Book of Church Order--namely, approving the practice within her bounds of withholding ordination from male deacons and affirming male and female deacons serving together in diaconal ministry without sexual distinction.

The apologist for Redeemer's practice frequently posting here under the name "Mason" has been active in the discussion there, also, but with a somewhat different posture. You don't need to be a member of the Puritan Board to read the comments and I encourage our readers to note the common sentiment expressed that Metro NY, Redeemer, and other churches, presbyteries, and elders taking similar positions may need to be questioned concerning their practice.

More interesting to me, though, is the discussion recently put on ice by the Puritan Board's moderators because it was getting warm. Started by a man who posts under the nom de plume, Pergamum/MacDaddy, he wrote:

Article about the PCA

---

Is this a good article, bad article, accurate, inaccurate?

BaylyBlog: Out of our minds, too...: The demographics of the PCA: Follow the money...

__________________
Pergamum

Interesting discussion, and a couple noteworthy things:

First, even reformed men seem to have fallen into the pomo trap of thinking they can reason while avoiding generalizations...

A reformed congregation that doesn't use grace to silence the fear of God...

(Tim) Conrad Mbewe serves as the pastor of Kabwata Baptist Church in Lusaka, Zambia--one of the more vital reformed witnesses the Lord has raised up in our time. The congregation is known for reaching into the dregs of society in a non-patronizing way, doing frontline evangelism, training pastors at a pastors college they sponsor, planting churches around the country, etc. As I said, the Lord's presence and blessing are obvious to those familiar with the congregation. This is a reformed congregation with a large heart, no censorious spirit, expansive in its witness and hopes, and living in the fear of God.

Maybe that's the thing that most strikes me about Pastor Mbewe and his people: they have not used reformed doctrine as a pathway to cheap grace that silences the fear of God. Everything is not "grace, grace, grace" to them. Their harp of ten thousand strings does not harp on that one string so long.

This is a test. Read through Kabwata's prayer letter noting the parts we must admit would never be written; or, if written, never quite make it past the editor's keyboard of our own churches' newsletters. To help with the task, I've put several in bold italics.

If the letter piques your interest, here's Pastor Mbewe's blog where you'll find a truly Biblical apostolic African voice.

* * *

KABWATA BAPTIST CHURCH PRAYER LETTER

“Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

March 2009

Dear brothers and sisters,   

We open this prayer letter with the words of Scripture, “Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him” (Psalm 126:5-6). That is our testimony as a church as we review the last few months of the year 2008, including the first few months of this year.

MEMBERSHIP
The year 2008 was full of tears, as we lost precious church members who graduated from the church militant to the church triumphant. We also wept much over the excommunications that were necessary in order to avert the judgment of God upon the church...

Woman deacons and Metro NY Presbytery: Complaint filed...

(Tim) Here is the full complaint filed against the recent action of Metropolitan New York Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in America--the action by which Metro NY Presbytery approved not ordaining male deacons and having female deacons serve alongside those unordained male deacons, without sexual distinction.

This complaint has been distributed to Metro NY Presbytery's presbyters.

Note that the complaint deals with both substance and process. The lead complainant, the Rev. Dr. David Miner, is the Stated Clerk of Metro NY Presbytery.

* * *

[NOTE FROM TIM BAYLY: For the blog, I have not been able to retain the pagination. Otherwise, the formatting should be precisely the same as the complaint itself. If you find any error where I have not reproduced the complaint exactly as is, please send me an e-mail at tbbayly at gmail dot com. Thanks.]

* * *

Complaint

TE David Miner, et al. vs. Metropolitan New York Presbytery

And now, this 10th day of April, 2009, come TE David Miner, RE Wade Speas, RE James Macbeth, RE Walter Morris and TE Mark Robinson and complain against the action of the Metropolitan New York Presbytery taken on March 13, 2009 in adopting the resolutions contained in that certain document entitled “A Proposal to the Metropolitan New York Presbytery Regarding Women in Diaconal Ministry” and dated as of March 13, 2009.

Introduction

The Metropolitan New York Presbytery (the “Presbytery”) erred in adopting a March 13, 2009 resolution that affirmed as not in violation of the Book of Church Order (the “BCO”) the current practices among churches within the Presbytery of (i) abstaining from ordaining deacons while permitting men and women described as deacons or deaconesses to “serve as equal partners in diaconal ministry” and (ii) commissioning deaconesses to serve alongside ordained male deacons as “equal partners in diaconal ministry.”  Despite conceding “certain tensions” between these current practices and the BCO, the Presbytery nonetheless approved them...

Woman deacons and Rocky Mountain Presbytery: short and sweet submission...

(Tim, w/thanks to Dominic) Yesterday, Rocky Mountain Presbtyery (PCA) adopted a resolution that makes it clear they will require men serving within their bounds to submit to Scripture and the Book of Church Order in the matter of the diaconate. Unlike the document developed and circulated around the country by those working against the Book of Church Order to seek acceptance for unordained male deacons working alongside female deacons, without sexual distinction, this document is short. It's straighforward. It's simple.

But then, obedience and submission usually are.

For the record, then, here's Rocky Mountain Presbtery's public commitment to faithful doctrine and practice...

Woman deacons and Metro NY Presbytery: Signatories to proposal admit "certain tensions" between their proposal and PCA Book of Church Order...

(Tim) Back on November 7, 2008, Metropolitan New York Presbytery held its 60th stated meeting at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan. Around fifteen minutes prior to adjournment, the Rev. Dr. Craig Higgins asked for permission to hand out a two page document titled, A Proposal to the Metropolitan New York Presbytery Regarding Women in the Diaconal Ministry.

The Proposal had not been on the docket for the meeting, hence Teaching Elder Higgins' request for permission to distribute it.

The Proposal had not been e-mailed to members of presbytery prior to the meeting, although Tim Keller, along with a number of fellow presbyters, had signed the Proposal prior to that meeting.

Since the Proposal was not distributed until the end of the meeting, a large proportion (maybe up to half) the presbyters had already departed.

The Proposal's signatories admitted there were "certain tensions" between the PCA's Book of Church Order and what they were here presenting...

Woman deacons and the PCA: earlier today, Atlanta jumps on the northern bandwagon...

(Tim) Two weeks ago, I wrote: "Places like New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and San Francisco will push for a liberalizing of the laws and practice of the PCA related to sexual matters, as we now see from 3 of those 4 metro areas in the documents related to woman deacons they've adopted in the past month."

Well, as of the meeting of Metro Atlanta Presbytery earlier today, make that 4 of 4.

The same position statement acted on by Northern California, Metro New York, and Philadelphia Presbyteries has now also been presented to and adopted by Metro Atlantic Presbytery. Although they changed some of the prefatory wording, they approved essentially the same document approved by Northern California and Metro New York Presbyteries.

In response, members of Northern California and Metro New York Presbyteries have filed three different complaints against their own presbyteries.

Let's pray there will also be a teaching elder or ruling elder in Metro Atlanta Presbytery who will file a complaint against his presbytery's action taken earlier today...

Woman deacons and the PCA: Bryan Chapell, Joe Novenson, and Tim Keller...

(Tim) From all the facts surrounding Metro New York Presbytery's recent formal approval of unordained male and female deacons serving together in her churches, without sexual distinction, what's the most noteworthy detail?

That the presbytery was informed that Teaching Elders Bryan Chapell and Joe Novenson, in agreement with TE Tim Keller, also did not think the presbytery should overture General Assembly with the proposal.

Woman deacons and the PCA: reading Tim Keller between the lines...

(Tim) In the article he wrote for the PCA's denominational magazine byFaith, Tim Keller gave his rationale for supporting... Well, exactly what?

Actually, he spent his entire article making elaborate arguments for what our Book of Church Order already permits.

Surprised?

Well, read what he wrote for national consumption and you'll see what I'm saying. Tim says he doesn't want women ordained to the diaconate.

So what's the big deal?

I'll let you in on a little-known fact not mentioned in the article: Tim and his session refuse ordination to the male deacons of their church.

Throw in that small fact and Tim's writing for the denominational magazine takes on an entirely different significance. Throw in that large fact and we realize the significance of Redeemer's mantra, their operative rule about all things sexual:

A woman may do anything a non-ordained man may do.

Since a woman may do anything a non-ordained man may do, they stopped ordaining deacons.

So now, as Deacons, women and men are both free to do the same things. Or, as unordained Deacons, women and men are free to do the same things. Or, as members of the Diaconate Team, women and men are free to do the same things. Or...

Whatever.

Wouldn't it have been helpful if Tim's article had mentioned the fact that Redeemer no longer ordains their male deacons?

Think about it: female deacons can do anything male deacons can do.

That is, after you've stopped ordaining your male deacons.

A breach with the Church fathers combined with no work of contextualization...

"Women at Redeemer will be free to use all the gifts, privately and publicly. There are no restrictions on (women's) ministry at all." -Keller/Redeemer

(Tim) In what was billed as a debate, but turned out to be more a love-fest between Tim Keller and Lig Duncan in the PCA's deniminational magazine byFaith, Tim gave his rationale for something approximating his church's practice of woman deacons. If readers take Tim's piece at face value without comparing this public argument with what Tim writes and does in his local church, everything will be muddied and obfuscation will win. The obfuscation may be unintentional or inadvertent, but it will win.

Thus it is that the article must be interpreted in the larger context of Redeemer's structure, words, and actions.

The operative rule at Redeemer with regard to all things sexual is, "A woman may do anything a non-ordained man may do." So the working out of Redeemer's theology of sexuality is that women at Redeemer are allowed to teach and exercise authority over men everywhere and always except from the pulpit Lord's Day morning and in any way reserved for the elders as they exercise something they call "teaching authority." But whatever this "teaching authority" is, it's not when women teach Scripture to men because that precise thing they explicitly allow:

"In a nutshell, our position is this: whatever a non-ruling elder male can do in the church, a woman can do. We do not believe that I Timothy 2:11 or I Cor.14:35-36 precludes women teaching the Bible to men or speaking publicly. To 'teach with authority' (I Tim.2:11) refers to disciplinary authority over the doctrine of someone. For example, when an elder says to a member: 'You are telling everyone that they must be circumcised in order to be saved--that is a destructive, non-Biblical teaching which is hurting people spiritually. You must desist from it or you will have to leave the church.' That is 'teaching authority'--it belongs only to the elders. Thus, women at Redeemer will be free to use all the gifts, privately and publicly. There are no restrictions on ministry at all...

PCA and woman deacons: N. Calif., Philadelphia, and Metro NY Presbyteries act on identical proposal; 3 complaints filed...

(Tim) In the past month or two, members of three presbyteries have made a concerted effort to get their presbyteries to adopt an identical proposal endorsing unordained women and unordained men serving together "as equal partners" in the diaconate.

Each of the presbyteries was called to endorse the following declarations concerning the propriety of woman deacons serving within the PCA:

Therefore, be it resolved that (Metro New York, Philadelphia, or Northern California) Presbytery;

Acknowledge that ministers or sessions may hold and practice the following views ...while being “in conformity with the general principles of Biblical polity” (3rd ordination vow, BCO 21-5 & 24-6).

1. Only men are ordained as deacons and they conduct the diaconal ministries of the congregation.

2. Only men are ordained as deacons, yet Sessions select and appoint others--men and/or women--to assist the deacons in their work.

3. Only men are ordained as deacons and women are selected and appointed by the Session to serve as deaconesses who assist the male deacons.

4. Only men are ordained as deacons, yet the congregation elects women with the approval of the session to serve as deaconesses who assist the male deacons.

5. Men are ordained as deacons and women are commissioned as deaconesses without ordination, though both the men and the women are elected by the congregation and serve as equal partners in the diaconal ministry.

6. Both men and women serve as equal partners in diaconal ministry and are often described as “deacon” or “deaconess” though no one is ordained to this ministry.

The proposal was eventually displaced by another proposal submitted to Philadelphia Presbytery by Steve Smallman (former member of the RPCES study committee headed by Jim Hurley that overtured Synod in favor of woman deacons) and Phil Ryken (Sr. Pastor of Tenth Presbyterian).

Northern California and Metro New York Presbyteries adopted the proposal.

Although the original proposal called for Metro New York Presbytery to overture General Assembly with these six declarations, Tim Keller (who was a signatory to the proposal) specifically recorded that he did not agree...

Woman deacons and unordained male deacons are only a Trojan Horse within the PCA...

...no opinion can be either more pernicious or more absurd than that which brings truth and falsehood upon the same level, and represents it as of no consequence what a man's opinions are. On the contrary, we are persuaded that there is an inseparable connection between faith and practice, truth and duty. Otherwise it would be of no consequence either to discover truth or to embrace it.

(Preliminary Principle Number Four, 1788 Synod of New York and Philadelphia, 1789 General Assembly; 1973 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America)

(Tim) If a pastor were embarrassed by the Biblical doctrine of sexuality; if he believed God's prohibition of woman exercising authority over man was a hindrance to the furtherance of the Gospel, and that to align himself with it would harm his ability to reach out to the arbiters of culture, winning some for Christ and His Kingdom; if he felt it wise to adopt a halfway covenant on sexuality and so he stood midway between the sexual anarchy of egalitarian feminism and the father-rule created and decreed by God in the perfection of Eden...

Let social justice begin in the House of the Lord...

(Tim) A month or two ago during a Lord's Day sermon, I mentioned the prevalence rate of abortion in our churches and how many of us are likely to be stained by this bloodshed of innocents. My purpose was to call us to self-examination and repentance, then faith in the saving work of our Lord Jesus Christ Who came, not for the righteous, but sinners. Afterward, one soul confessed to me privately that he thought he'd likely been complicit in the murder of a child of his, and he expressed deep love for the tender mercy of the Lord to him, a sinner.

This past Lord's Day, Easter 2009, Redeemer in Manhattan had a similar testimony during their worship service. Praise God that the Holy Spirit is awakening our hearts to the cries of the widows and orphans in their distress among us, and that we are responding with both repentance and faith.

PCA and woman deacons: Please commend your convictions to us, Northern California Presbtery...

(Tim) Under the post titled, "Woman deacons in the PCA's Metro NY Presbytery: liberal deform is predictable," several questions were asked that seemed worth answering in a main post. Here then are the questions, followed by responses:

* * *

Question: What is the typical composition of a PCA presbytery?

Answer: Since I'm not the Stated Clerk of the denomination (who has all the stats in his office), I can't answer your question, other than by personal impressions gathered from conversations as well as attendance at both my own and other presbyteries' meetings. It would be my sense that the more southern and rural the presbyteries are, the greater the participation of ruling elders proportional to teaching elders (pastors). In the past week I've heard from one man down south that some of the southern presbyteries have nearly 50/50 teaching/ruling representation. But across the denomination, this is a constant integrity issue given our community's deep commitment to the parity of ruling and teaching elders. We work at it, trying various schedules and enticements to get more ruling elders to serve as commissioners, but little changes long-term. Why?

It would be impolitic to have a public discussion of this, I think, so I'll leave it for now.

Back to the larger issue...

Back to Metro NY Presbytery, though: their stats are exceptionally dismal. And, as I see it, what those stats reveal is part and parcel of Metro NY Presbytery's susceptibility to the sort of Biblical, theological, and polity error they as a presbytery have now adopted at their most recent March 13, 2009 Stated Meeting.

An explanation: in the past few weeks, the same twenty-one page document titled A Proposal to the ____ Presbytery Regarding Women in Diaconal Ministry was presented for adoption by Northern California, Metro New York, and Philadelphia Presbyteries. Adoption carried in Northern California and Metro New York Presbyteries, while Philadelphia took a...

Woman deacons in the PCA's Metro NY Presbytery: liberal deform is predictable...

(Tim) Here are a few details gleaned from the roll of two recent meetings of Metropolitan New York Presbytery (PCA). Both presbytery meetings were held in the offices of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Manhattan, where Tim Keller serves.

First, the roll of Metro NY Presbytery's November 7, 2008 meeting records:

• Metro NY Presbytery has 82 pastors (TEs) and 24 churches
• Of those 82 pastors (TEs), 15 labor out of ecclesiastical bounds, 2 are honorably retired, 7 are without call, 1 is a church planter, 2 presbytery evangelists, 2 missionaries, and 10 organizing pastors (these men serve non-particularized churches with no local session or elders)
• Of the 82 pastors (TEs), 39 are not serving as pastors of a PCA church led by its own ruling elders (REs); thus 39 TEs do not work in yoke with ruling elders leading their own congregation
• Only 43 out of 82 pastors are serving a PCA church led by its own pastor and ruling elders
• Of these 43 pastors, 18 are Assistant Pastors while only 3 are Associate Pastors; the key distinction between Assistant and Associate Pastors--the distinction whose significance is not lost on any Senior, Associate, or Assistant Pastor in the PCA--is that Assistant Pastors are only called by, and serve at the will of, the Senior Pastor/Head of Staff and the Session he moderates, while Associate Pastors are called by, and serve at the will of, the congregation; in other words, Assistant Pastors come and go whereas Associate Pastors stay for a while (both pastors I serve with at CGS are Associate Pastors and I'd have a hard time convincing the congregation to let them go.)
• Of these 43 pastors, 7 serve Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan
• Of the 7 pastors serving Redeemer in Manhattan, Tim Keller is the only one with a call from the congregation; the other 6 pastors are all Assistant Pastors

You sit here in a good place...

...were Ft. Lauderdale, New York, San Francisco, or Bloomington the Apostle Paul's Athens, he'd focus his call to repentance precisely at our rebellion against the Eternal Fatherhood of God.

(Tim) It's been a long strange trip Tully's been documenting over on his blog detailing the process of his merging the two churches he wanted to serve and becoming the pastor of the new two-become-one Coral Ridge Presbyterian (PCA) Church. I've read thousands of words there and elsewhere, and nary a mention of the need for approval of the call by South Florida Presbytery. As Tully put it, if last Lord's Day's vote on his call was good, it would all be over. Done. Finis.

If the vote is unanimous or nearly so, we move forward. If it’s not, we stop. This is the final step in the process.

Really, Tully? The "final step"?

Well, err; actually not. There is that matter of my examination by South Florida Presbytery that comes two days later. But we all know that's merely a technicality. A formality. A fait accompli. I mean, who's going to say "no" to Billy Graham's grandson or Coral Ridge?

Keep in mind that Tully has been a presbyter for years, now. He knows presbtery's vote is "the final step" that determines whether he and Coral Ridge will "move forward" or "stop."

Two days after it was announced to the world, South Florida Presbytery examined Tully concerning his views and then voted whether or not to permit him to take the pulpit of Coral Ridge...

"World" magazine profiles composer David Canfield, instructor at ClearNote Pastors College...

(Tim; pic by Perry Reichanadter/Genesis Photos) The music critic of World magazine, Arsenio Orteza, just wrote a fine short profile of Dr. David Canfield, one of the elders here at Church of the Good Shepherd. Arsenio originally intended his piece to focus on David's life as a composer of classical music, but David endearingly hijacked the interview to talk about the real love of his life: ClearNote Pastors College where he serves as one of the instructors.

ClearNote Pastors College (CNPC) is a ministry of Church of the Good Shepherd under our umbrella organization, ClearNote Fellowship. In addition to CNPC, ClearNote Fellowship oversees our support of foreign mission work, the composition and recording of music by Good Shepherd Band, the curriculum, pamplets, and books we're hoping to produce; and the planting of churches by CNPC graduates.

Christ the Word in Toledo, Ohio--the congregation served by my brother, David--has a similar ministry called Reformed Evangelical Pastors College. As sister churches, we do the largest part of the administration and instruction at both colleges together. We have had great success using a Polycom videoconferencing system for virtual classroom instruction and our principals, Andrew Dionne at REPC and Stephen Baker here at CNPC, work closely together on curriculum and schedules.

John the Baptist's moral performance narrative...

(Tim: This from and by Eric Wilson)

Scene: Children sitting in the marketplace...

Aaron: As exciting as it's been to see and hear of the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth, I could hardly be more disappointed in John the Baptist, lately. I just don’t understand what he was trying to do.

Bartholomew: Really, it’s not that surprising. He always struck me as caught up in the "moral-performance narrative"...

Another pending elevation to the throne...

(Tim, w/thanks to Dave M.) One of the higher-visibility churches in the Presbyterian Church in America is Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church of Senior Organist, Diane Bish, and the late Rev. Dr. D. James Kennedy. Yesterday, the church's pulpit nominating committee announced it had chosen Billy Graham's grandson, William Graham Tullian Tchividjian, to present to the congregation and Presbytery of South Florida for their approval as Coral Ridge's next Senior Pastor.

Denominational accountability is never rigorous, and rarely even present, when large churches appear on presbytery's docket. But being one of the last ecclesiastical communities confessing submission to the biblical commands concerning sexuality and authority, let's pray the men of the Presbytery of South Florida do due diligence on Pastor Tchividjian's commitment to Scripture...

Rick Warren, Gene Robinson, Barack Obama and the false presence of the Kingdom of God...

When I say to the wicked, "O wicked man, you will surely die," and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require from your hand. (Ezekiel 33:8)

(Tim, w/thanks to Michael) According to the Washington Post, Pastor Rick Warren issued a statement praising President-elect Barack Obama for his selection of Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson to call down God's blessing on our nation and new president during the Inaugural weekend. Robinson, a man infamous internationally due to his promotion of sodomy in the Name of Jesus Christ, is, according to Warren, a good choice because it is one more indication that Senator Obama has a "genuine commitment to bringing all Americans of goodwill together in search of common ground." Warren concludes concerning Senator Obama's selection of Robinson, "I applaud his desire to be the president of every citizen."

It sounds good. I could almost hear myself saying the same. But then you stop to think about it and you realize this is one more step in the silencing of the witness of the Church of Jesus Christ. Such statements are precisely the thing warned against...

Tim Keller addresses abortion...

(Tim) Here's an excerpt from a sermon recently preached by Tim Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. It was transcribed and forwarded by a friend who's attended Redeemer for years. He was encouraged that Pastor Keller touched on this issue in a sermon.

Preached on November 30, 2008, the sermon was titled, "In the Image of God," and the text was Genesis 1:26-2:3.

What happens in a society that got its idea of human rights from a belief in the image of God, that all people are created in the image of God? What happens to that society when as a society as a whole it loses the idea of God? You see, what happens when you have a secular society in which most of the cultural elite say "well, we don't believe in God anymore, and therefore we don't believe human beings were made in the image of God, we just evolved, they are very complex organisms?"

Now, how do you ground human rights in the worth of the individual human being? What does that worth consist of? What makes a human being worthy of rights now that you don't believe in the image of God anymore?

Helpful "Presbyterion" article on Romans 16:1 and woman deacons...

(Tim) The Fall 2008 issue of Covenant Seminary's review, Presbyterion, has an article by Covenant's Dean of Faculty, Jimmy Agan, titled "Deacons, Deaconesses, and Denominational Discussions: Romans 16:1 As a Test Case." Dr. Agan works hard not be viewed as putting his finger on the scale of a greatly controverted issue being weighed by our ecclesiastical association known as the Presbyterian Church in America. He warns his readers not to come to any easy conclusions about the meaning of the texts, but he does seem to have a few conclusions, himself, and they are helpful.

First, this from Footnote 29:

While fuller discussion is beyond the scope of the present article, we may at least name two implications... for the office of deacon if the conclusions summarized above are correct. First, it seems that the ecclesiastical title diakonos was chosen not because of its associations with the service rendered by domestic or table attendants, but because it well suited an arrangement in which "deacons" functioned as "agents" in authority over the congregation and under the authority of the elders, at whose behest they carried out a variety of tasks. Second, if deacons were such" agents," we should not speak of the office as one which was (or is) devoid of authority.

It can't be emphasized often enough that, whatever else deacons may be, they are officers and exercise authority over the believers of their church...

A world that is "expanding its acceptance"...

(Tim, w/thanks to Taylor) Well, this one's a gnash-your-teether. It's the account of a man winning the woman's RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship (golf) who's used drugs and knives to alter his appearance so he can pass for a woman.

Really, though, the long drive rules committee has only done for the world of golf what Evangelicals and Emergents are doing for the church. Which is more twisted? A man winning the women's long drive championship or a woman serving the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper?

Yes, indeed, we are a world that's "expanding our acceptance." But what will we do in the end?

Controlled dialog and other oxymorons...

(Tim) Method often tells us as much as words themselves, do. Three cases come to mind.

First, when I had something to correct in what Phil Ryken had written, I wrote him privately asking him to issue the correction himself. He persisted in leaving the matter uncorrected so I took it public. But taking it public, I left the comments open below what I'd written so Phil could explain his words or actions.

When Phil had a complaint against me, though, he took it public first with no prior private e-mail to me. And when he took it public, he refused to allow any responses below what he wrote. Things he wrote were not true but they're likely to be out there uncorrected until the end of time...

The RPCES heritage in the PCA: Jim Hurley, Joel Belz, Will Barker, Steve Smallman, and Dominic Aquila...

(Tim) Because Tim Keller sought to use the RPCES heritage of the PCA as a lever to move us toward woman deacons in his recent byFaith article, I've spent a good bit of time the past few weeks immersing myself in RPCES history on the issue. And in the process, I've come to see the RPCES influences still visible within the PCA today.

Note how influential former RPCES men (Will Barker, Dominic Aquila, and Joel Belz, for instance) and institutions (Covenant College and Covenant Seminary) are among us. How will RPCES history influence PCA actions in the next decade or so?

The personal history we bring to a controversy will bear on our convictions and conduct during that controversy.

For myself, this is certainly true. I'm no charter member of the PCA, nor did I spend any time in the RPCES. (I did in the OPC and the RCA.) My own trajectory, then, was through the UPCUSA and then the PC(USA). With my church, Grace Presbyterian in Pardeeville, Wisconsin, I left the PC(USA) back in 1992, transferring into the the PCA's then-Northern Illinois Presbytery.

If we can understand how this influences my own actions and commitments, the same is true of so-called "charter members" of the PCA as well as RPCES men who were received into the PCA.

To help us get our history right, here are some interesting quotes from the RPCES house publication, Mandate. I've pulled these quotes from a hard copy of the Mandate issued immediately following the 155th (1977) RPCES Synod where woman deacons/officers were definitively rejected by Synod members. At the time, Mandate was edited by our own Joel Belz.

These quotes should be helpful to us as we proceed to have this debate for the umpteenth time, now, within the PCA. It does seem as if we're simply picking up the debate where it left off when Jim Hurley and his troops lost their effort in their former denomination...

Phil Ryken publicly corrects one error, and yet...

(Tim) Today, Phil Ryken publicly repudiated his misquotation of B. B. Warfield in support of woman deacons. From Reformation 21, here's the complete text:

Deaconess Correction

The Reverend Tim Bayly is alleging publicly that I promote women deacons, that I have widely disseminated an error concerning the position of B. B. Warfield on the issue, and that I have refused his personal pleas to correct this error. These allegations are false, as Mr. Bayly should know...

Critique of Pastor Keller's promotion of woman deacons, part 6: RPCES decisively rejected woman deacons...

(Tim) The past couple of weeks, I've spent a great deal of time tracking down the historical record concerning the actions of the 154th (1976) Synod of the Reformed Presbyterian Church Evangelical Synod (RPCES) related to woman deacons.

Why?

Tim Keller wrote an article, recently, for the PCA's byFaith magazine arguing that the PCA should allow woman deacons because, just before joining with the PCA in 1982, the 154th (1976) Synod of the RPCES, "narrowly defeated a motion to ordain women as deacons."

Keller suggests the trajectory of the RPCES immediately prior to her union with the PCA was towards lifting her own restrictions against woman deacons, and therefore this same trajectory should lead the PCA now, thirty years later, to change our polity. Here's how Keller puts it:

A Personal History: In 1982 the Reformed Presbyterian Church Evangelical Synod (RPCES) joined with the PCA shortly after its 154th Synod had narrowly defeated a motion to ordain women as deacons. ...The 1982 PCA General Assembly did not consider the actions of the RPCES Synods to be binding on us, but rather “valuable and significant material which will be used in the perfecting of the Church,” and therefore to be granted respect.

For Keller's argument to work, though, his version of history has to be right.

It's not.

The RPCES did not vote whether to have woman deacons at its 154th (1976) Synod. And when the vote was taken, woman deacons were not "narrowly defeated." The vote was decisive...

Yes, but it leads nowither...

(Tim) Adding to the historical record, here's another article on deaconesses by Princeton theologian, B. B. Warfield. As an explanation for the way we label such things, please note that not all who argue for deaconesses agree with the thrust of Tim Keller and his followers who are seeking to have the PCA change her polity to allow men and women to serve indiscriminately together in the diaconate.

B. B. Warfield here describes the work of deaconesses. And the one thing we can say about deaconesses is that they are not deacons. When Warfield asks "What is a deaconess?" he doesn't respond, "A deaconess is a deacon."

Unordained men and women serving in the same diaconate, on the same deacon board of a church with no distinction in their duties or authority, are what is being sought today by men like Pastor Keller. This is precisely what is contrary to the historic practice of the Church.

For this reason, when we refer to the change in polity sought by Keller and his followers, we call it "woman deacons." Woman deacons are not deaconesses.

If you finish this article more confused than ever, you'll understand the title of this post. Warfield seems to have slipped into an uncharacteristic obtuseness...

Critique of Pastor Keller's promotion of woman deacons, part 6: RPCES father confirms no "narrowly defeated" motion in favor of woman deacons...

(Tim) This is the sixth in a series of posts critiquing an article promoting woman deacons written by Tim Keller for byFaith magazine. (Here are installments one, two, three, four, five, and six.) If you've already read the fifth in the series titled, Critique of Pastor Keller's promotion of woman deacons, part 5: RPCES history in need of correction..., please note this significant statement has now been added to that post:

Researching this matter, I've spoken to one of the RPCES fathers added to the Committee and he's confirmed the record of the Minutes, saying he remembers no vote on women deacons at the 154th Synod, let alone a motion approving women deacons being "narrowly defeated." The matter was recommitted.

It was the motion to add women to denominational boards and committees that was "narrowly defeated."

This is additional corroboration of my contention that, in addition to Phil Ryken, Tim Keller also has been in error in his handling of the historical record as he gives himself to advocacy of woman deacons within the PCA...

Tim Keller and Phil Ryken: mistaken or misleading?

(David) If you've been reading Tim's articles here responding to arguments in favor of women deacons made by Phil Ryken and Tim Keller--and you probably have since you're reading this--you may also have noticed that neither Phil nor Tim has yet responded in any meaningful way to Tim's counterpoints.

That's fine, to a degree. It's these men's prerogative not to engage in endless debate. What's not fine is that part of Tim's criticism of Phil and Tim’s published arguments has to do with their mistreatment of "supporting" texts. I place the word in quotes not because Tim or Phil specifically label them such, but because they use them as such and they're not. The texts don't support the arguments. The texts, upon examination, run counter to the arguments.

Phil Ryken quoting Warfield in support of commissioning women deacons is simply wrong. Tim has shown Phil to be clearly, incontrovertibly, even mind-bogglingly wrong. Warfield would not begin to recognize his position in Phil's argument.

Similarly, Tim Keller's characterization of RPCES history on the issue of women deacons is now also shown to be wrong: factually and historically erroneous, proven false by primary documents.

We all make mistakes in arguments. When this happens an honest man admits it and moves on. Sometimes he moves on by reconsidering a crippled argument, sometimes he moves on with his four-legged stool now simply three-legged.

Critique of Pastor Keller's promotion of woman deacons, part 5: RPCES history in need of correction...

(Tim) The Presbyterian Church in America's magazine, byFaith, recently published an article by Tim Keller arguing that we should change our Book of Church Order to allow woman deacons. We have had a series of posts critiquing Tim Keller's article and this is the fifth in that series. (Here are installments one, two, three, four, five, and six.)

First, this excerpt from Keller's article which we'll see is in need of correction:

A Personal History
In 1982 the Reformed Presbyterian Church Evangelical Synod (RPCES) joined with the PCA shortly after its 154th Synod had narrowly defeated a motion to ordain women as deacons. But the 156th Synod added, “We also remind churches that they are free to elect Spirit-filled women as deaconesses and set them apart by prayer... We affirm the right of a local church to have a separate body of unordained women who may be called deaconesses.” The 1982 PCA General Assembly did not consider the actions of the RPCES Synods to be binding on us, but rather “valuable and significant material which will be used in the perfecting of the Church,” and therefore to be granted respect.

In this first paragraph of his "Personal History," Tim Keller tells us the 154th (1976) RPCES Synod "narrowly defeated a motion to ordain women as deacons."

In fact, the request made by the Study Committee on Role of Women in the Church, that the Synod change its polity to "ordain woman as deacons," received the following response...

Another one bites the dust...

(Tim) Jake Mentzel bought Mark Driscoll's new booklet and reports Tim Keller has waved his magic wand and Mark's now walking around in a trance repeating Tim's mantra: "A woman can do anything an unordained man can do." I'm disappointed.

But really, it shouldn't be too much of a surprise. When they hang out with each other, either Mark's going to rub off on Tim or Tim's going to rub off on Mark. And ninety-nine out of a hundred times, I'd have my money on Tim.

Critique of Pastor Keller's promotion of woman deacons, part 4: Gleason, Keller, and deaconesses in the PCA...

(Tim) On this blog, there's a growing series of posts critiquing an article in byFaith magazine by Tim Keller promoting woman deacons. This is the fourth in that series. (Here are installments one, two, three, four, five, and six.)

Meanwhile, our friend, Ron Gleason, is doing yeoman's work opposing feminism in the Presbyterian Church in America and has undertaken a similar series. So far, he's put up five posts: "The PCA and Female Deaconesses I," "The PCA and Female Deaconesses II," "The PCA and Female Deaconesses III," "The PCA and Female Deaconesses IV," and "The PCA and Female Deaconesses V." They're well worth your time--check them out.

Ron and Tim Keller both got their M.Div.s at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

Critique of Pastor Keller's promotion of woman deacons, part 3: So, are your male deacons ordained?

(Tim) Pastor Tim Keller recently did a piece promoting woman deacons. It ran in the Presbyterian Church in America's byFaith e-monthly. Section by section, from time to time, I'm critiquing parts of Pastor Keller's article. This is the third installment. (Here are installments one, two, three, four, five, and six.) Readers will note I've not cut any of Pastor Keller's text. His words are indented, mine are not.

The Case for Commissioning (Not Ordaining) Deaconesses

by Tim Keller, published in byFaith, Issue Number 21, August 2008

Redeemer Presbyterian in New York City has since its inception commissioned (but not ordained) deaconesses working alongside male deacons in diaconal work. Why do we do this?

The first note struck is misleading. Reading Pastor Keller's words, we're led to believe that Redeemer is living well within the bounds of PCA polity, making a clear distinction between the men and women who serve in diaconal ministry. This is, of course, the one thing necessary in order to submit to Scripture's doctrine of sexuality--that male and female be clearly delineated in anything approximating authoritative function or office. So, according to Pastor Keller's words, here, he's led his congregation to make a distinction between the men and women serving as deacons. The women are commissioned, the men ordained, right?

That's what I thought when I first read the above. Yet in the back of my mind, a little bell was ringing, causing me to wonder if there wasn't some confusion, here...