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| Wicked Gossip - Part 1 | | Date Created: May 06, 2005, 01:06 PM |
The first one to present his case seems right
until another one comes forward and examines him
- Proverbs 18:17
The Westminister Larger Catechism
Q. 145. What are the sins forbidden in the ninth commandment?Answer: The sins forbidden in the ninth commandment are, all prejudicing the truth, and the good name of our neighbors, as well as our own, especially in public judicature; giving false evidence, suborning false witnesses, wittingly appearing and pleading for an evil cause, outfacing and overbearing the truth; passing unjust sentence, calling evil good, and good evil; rewarding the wicked according to the work of the righteous, and the righteous according to the work of the wicked; forgery, concealing the truth, undue silence in a just cause, and holding our peace when iniquity calls for either a reproof from ourselves, or complaint to others; speaking the truth unseasonably, or maliciously to a wrong end, or perverting it to a wrong meaning, or in doubtful and equivocal expressions, to the prejudice of truth or justice;speaking untruth, lying, slandering, backbiting, detracting, tale bearing, whispering, scoffing, reviling, rash, harsh, and partial censuring; misconstructing intentions, words, and actions; flattering, vainglorious boasting, thinking or speaking too highly or too meanly of ourselves or others; denying the gifts and graces of God; aggravating smaller faults;hiding, excusing, or extenuating of sins, when called to a free confession;unnecessary discovering of infirmities; raising false rumors, receiving and countenancing evil reports, and stopping our ears against just defense; evil suspicion; envying or grieving at the deserved credit of any, endeavoring or desiring to impair it, rejoicing in their disgrace and infamy; scornful contempt, fond admiration; breach of lawful promises; neglecting such things as are of good report, and practicing, or not avoiding ourselves, or not hindering: What we can in others, such things as procure an ill name. Gossip: Can you believe that TE Mark Horne transferred into Missouri Presbytery without being examined by the Candidates and Credentials (C&C) committee? That is outrageous! When I heard that Horne was transferred into MO Presbytery I knew something was fishy. How did that rascal Jeff Meyers manage to pull it off? He must have used his position as the Moderator of the Presbytery to pull a fast one on everyone.
[Let me be clear about something: this gossip comes from people outside of MO Presbytery that have no first hand knowledge of how we do things or what happened with Mark's transfer.]
Answer: The same way I managed to pull off the transfer of all of these men into MO Presbytery without them having to meet with the C&C committee: TE Dan Perrin (Grace), TE Ron Steel (Twin Oaks), TE Norm Reed (Good Shepherd), TE Peter Vaughn (Fellowship Village), and about a dozen other ministers in our presbytery. The fact is: at the same presbytery meeting in which Mark was examined two other men also snuck into the MO Presbytery without C&C committee exams. So what's the deal?
Simply this: it's been long-standing standard operating procedure in MO Presbytery to avoid examining PCA ministers who are transferring into our presbytery. Like it or not, agree with it or not, this is how we have done things for many years. When I transferred in from South Texas Presbytery in 1994 I was not examined by the C&C committee. I went right to the floor of the presbytery at the stated meeting. I was asked a few questions about my paedocommunion exception, but that was it.
MO Presbytery continues to have so many men being examined for licensure and ordination (because Covenant Seminary is here) that the committee decided long ago, with the approval of the presbytery, to allow the C&C chairman to conduct a personal interview (by phone or in person) with the incoming minister sometime before they are put on the docket and then allow the presbytery to examine him as thoroughly as they wished on the floor.
Now, if you think that I tried to take advangage of this "lax" policy with Mark Horne, then you're wrong again. About two months before the presbytery meeting I wrote the chairman of the C&C committee and offered to have Mark come to the committee meeting for an exam. He said it wasn't necessary, and I agreed.
And if you don't know this already, Mark had long, thorough exam on the floor of the presbytery--longer, and more exacting than any other transfer exam I've ever witnessed.
So what of the gossip that Mark was surreptitiously swept into MO Presbytery without being examined by our candidates & credentials committee? And that this was some extraordinary event orchastrated by me? Two words: false witness.
Gossip: But I heard that Mark Horne was secreted in at the last minute. That most men in the presbytery had no idea that he was going to be transfering in, and that that Meyers guy inserted his name into the docket just before the bell to get him onto the floor without anyone knowing. What about that?
Answer: False. I've been accused of surreptitiously engineering the whole thing so no one would know. I did no such thing. Everybody at Providence Church knew we called Mark and there was no gag order issued to the congregation. The Session called Mark on October 31st. We announced it to the congregation on the second Sunday of November. Mark moved up here at the end of November. Mark and I both informed the chairman of the C&C committee about his transfer at the end of November. When our Administrative Committee met three weeks before the presbytery to set the docket, we talked about Mark's transfer. I asked their opinion about it. They all said bring him to the floor.
Oh, I must confess to one very great sin: I kept the information about Mark's transfer off the Internet. I did that, for obvious reasons. But beyond that, it was no secret at all.
Having said all that, I'm sure that some people in the presbytery didn't know about Mark coming to Providence when the docket was sent out a week or so before the meeting. But what's new? Most presbyters don't normally know about men called as pastors to other churches until they read it on the docket. If you're not in the church or friends with people in the church, then you don't ordinarily hear about who's been called until the docket is released. This happens at every single presbytery meeting. Many of us are often surprised about various calls. I can't tell you how many times I've come to an Administive Meeting and found out this or that church calling somebody new. I don't typically learn of transfers and new calls until I get to the meeting.
Bottom line: Mark's call to Providence was not kept secret until the last minute. It was, however, not spread all over the internet so unscrupulous heresy hunters would stay out of our presbytery's business. If that's a sin, then mea culpa. |
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