I ♥ the PC(USA)
I did not grow up in the Presbyterian Church. My family belonged to the Church of Christ (of the early 19thcentury Restoration movements). One of the good things I received from that denomination was knowledge of scripture. They taught me to read the Bible… and I did… and so when what I read there was not in congruence with what the church taught, I felt I could no longer stay in that denomination. After a few years on my own, I began to hunger for a faith community again, and decided to risk testing the notion that the Church of Christ did not have a lock on God. Eventually, I wandered into a Presbyterian Church (a Charismatic one at that) and found my new home there.
Since then, I’ve discovered that even the PC(USA) is not perfect. I guess no denomination is. But this is my faith home, and despite its imperfections, I love the PC(USA).
As we approach the next meeting of the General Assembly, many are worried about our denomination and the proposals that may come from the Assembly. And so I thought that perhaps this was a good time to share the things that I love about our denomination and why I stay despite some decisions that I disagree with:
- We think that Theology Matters. By this I do not mean that there is only one correct theology, but that we value the life of the mind and engage scripture with our minds, seeking to understand it as a whole as well as in its individual parts.
- For us (or at least it seems so to me), the Living Word interprets the Written Word, not the other way around. Just as the first disciples’ experience with the Living Word caused them to radically reform their understanding of the Hebrew Scriptures, so we are constantly being reformed in our understanding of Scripture as we encounter the Lord who lives in the world and among us. For me, this is what distinguishes a confessional church (like the PCUSA) from a dogmatic church.
- We dare to speak truth to power and to challenge injustice. I am proud to be part of a denomination that stood up for civil rights, that spoke against corrupt governments in Central America (even taking our own government to task), that spoke against Apartheid in South Africa and that even now stands with those at home and abroad that experience injustice and oppression.
- We are connectional and ecumenical. Our congregations are connected to one another organizationally and accountability-wise, but also organically and relationally. We are partners in the Kingdom of God. Cherokee Presbytery’s vision statement that was adopted in 2008 highlights the call of God on our lives to be – all of us together – the body of Christ, and to live into this in new ways and to be about ‘one another-ing’ in ways that we haven’t previously.
- We are allowed to work for change, even while we must live with decisions we object to. The first confirmation class I ever taught was during the time that the “Fidelity and Chastity” provision was added to the Constitution. As I was discussing this with the young people, a mutiny erupted. They decided that they did NOT want to join the church… they did not want to belong to any denomination that imposed what they saw as narrow and non-Christ like rules. I shared with them that often the church made decisions that I did not find to be consistent with my sense of scripture, but one of the things I liked about the PC(USA) was the fact that I am granted the right of conscience and can work for change… we do not have an individual that makes decisions for us, but instead we work together to continue to discern God’s wisdom for the church. They thought about it for a while, and finally decided that they could commit to this kind of denomination.
- We don’t have to all agree. My family of origin did not do disagreement well, so one of the joyful discoveries of being in the PC(USA) is that I can love and be loved back by people who do not agree with me on things. My life and faith have been deeply blessed by conversations and debates with my Presbyterian brothers and sisters… I’ve even been known to change my mind on some things!
So there you have it… a few of the reasons I love this denomination. These are the things I hold on to when the waters get choppy. What about you? Why do you love the PC(USA)?
Thoughts & Images from the Heart 
AMEN! I think I am smarter when live in a community of lively discussion – even disagreement. I don’t know everything. Those things I was sure about ten years ago are not so sure for me anymore. When we together made decisions we have a greater chance of approximating truth. Even when I think the community is wrong, I am sure we are better off than if I made my decisions alone.
Having grown up in a VERY small Methodist Church (before it was UMC), I was taught (or at least that’s what I percieved) not to question ANYTHING about my faith. Being Presbyterian for a number of years, I have come to the realization that I can only grow in my faith if I do question myself and what the “world” would have me believe. I have come to the conclusion that the only thing of which I am absolutely certain is that I’m a sinner saved by the Grace of God. Amen!
Gloria… why am I not surprised that you value the ability to ask questions??? You always ask such good ones.
Having lived overseas and been in many so-called Third World countries beginning at age 19, I have found that most often the Presbyterian Church has already been there in ministry, missions of healing, distribution of Scripture, ministries of education, responding to major crises, and participating with other churches and organizations, even governments, helping secure water, peace, healing, legitimate economic growth, evangelism, education, food, storm recovery, and even housing that can take a family beyond a simple cardboard box. I love being part of a church that can say to itself and others that we can share and offer endlessly of oursleves, because we know we have so much more to gain thru Christ in return.
My denomination of origin is a very large and noteworthy one here in the South. A few years ago we began to make some organizational changes of our own, becoming more dogmatic and amending our one “creedal” document to state that only the written Word interprets the written Word, rather than the living Word interpreting the written Word, as you so eloquently shared above. Another amendment stated clearly that there was no place in pastoral ministry for women. I realized it was time to find a denomination that shared my convictions that God calls every kind of person into all types of ministry (even women!) and trusts the guidance of the Holy Spirit to help us understand the truths of Scripture in the world today. Thank God for the PCUSA.