Woman Ministers

It is gratifying to see that there are some other ministers in PCI who are prepared publicly to endorse the stand taken by the Portadown minister who believes that it is wrong to have a woman in the ordained ministry. It is interesting that those who do not agree with woman ministers and who wish to defend the biblical position, appeal to the man-made and ever-changing Code of his church and then to Scripture, revealing a mindset.

If Scripture is the supreme standard of the Presbyterian church, why do ministers make every effort to abide by the Code, especially when it contravenes Scripture? Why is the Code, in practice, the supreme standard of PCI, whereas in theory only, and on paper, it is the Scriptures? It is somewhat hypocritical to claim allegiance to God-given Scripture, while in practice everything is done in accordance with the man-made Code, even where it contradicts Scripture.

The PCI General Assembly has held Scripture as its supreme standard since 1840, yet look at the way liberalism has dominated, and still dominates, that church’s life. Unfaithfulness to the Gospel is synonymous with PCI in many minds, despite the number of faithful ministers that are in it. Because the supreme and subordinate standards of the church have not been taken seriously within its life, error has taken root and will now be almost impossible to eradicate. To what end then are ordinands, ministers, and elders subscribing the Westminster standards?

A minister is less than clever when he tells us that as long as his church “holds to the Word of God as its supreme standard, … there is still hope….”

But this is like saying that so long as a man has a licence to drive, it matters little how he drives; or while a couple possess a marriage certificate, they can then live as they please.

This is ridiculous in the extreme. The sorry fact is that the law of the land can be invoked against those who break traffic laws or who infringe marriage laws, but the law of the church cannot be invoked when a minister neither believes nor preaches the Gospel. A Presbyterian minister can hold that all men will eventually be saved – a belief that contravenes Scripture – and yet be honoured by that church! S/he can hold that all religions and all sorts of religion, even false religion, lead to God, yet be promoted within the church! Many hold to theological liberalism, yet this is acceptable by the church at large.

Having a “paper confession,” as Dr D. M. Lloyd-Jones put it, is a dangerous thing, and to say that while it remains in place in a church, there is hope. Ministers who believe this have thrown out a vital life-line to their liberal colleagues who can now do as they please in terms of theological pluralism, ecumenical development, inter-faith activities, the undermining of moral standards, etc. The reformed men within the church will still remain within it because the “paper confession” is in place. The liberals and ecumenicals can now have a field day as they continue to undermine the Gospel, and the conservatives will hold their peace, tolerate them, welcome unconverted male ministers into their pulpits without a twinge of conscience, all in a bid to be seen by the establishment as ‘good churchmen.’

Despite possession of the Scriptures and the Westminster standards, PCI still does not know what the truth is! Am I wrong in this? Answers please.