wfn.org | Rogers defends GA actions in visit to Presbyterian Mariners family

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Note #6789 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

conference
15-August-2001
01274

Rogers defends GA actions in visit to Presbyterian Mariners family
conference

by Ken Little
Presbyterian Mariners

MANHATTAN, Kan. - The Rev. Jack Rogers, moderator of the 213th General
Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) brought his observations about the
state of the church to Presbyterian Mariners at their recent 63rd annual
family conference.

Presbyterian Mariners is a congregation-based program of family ministry in
covenant relationship with the Congregational Ministries Division.

"Peace in Families: A Gift of Shalom" was the theme for the 2001 conference.
Workshops, group activities, and worship were built around this theme.
Conference resource leader was The Rev. Sasha Makovkin, a potter and
theologian who explored the theme while sitting at his potter's wheel. The
conference program included workshops for adults and a complete program for
children and youth, in addition to family activities and vespers. The
conference was held on the campus of Kansas State University here July
15-19.

Rogers and his wife Sharon stated emphatically that they wanted to be with
the Mariners and the group was first on their list for the many trips they
will make this year. Sharon noted their strong commitment to family and
marriage. She reported they were the parents of three sons and had three
grandchildren.

Rogers said the conference theme is a message the whole church needs to
hear. It was his observation that the recently concluded General Assembly
was conducted in a cordial and collegial manner.
However, he charged, the media reported something completely different that
focused on the differences and conflicts that were present, but did not
dominate the meeting.

One of the messages he believes the media blurred is what the assembly said
about the role of Jesus in salvation. Rogers said the group confessed two
beliefs:

* That Jesus is our Lord and Savior
* That Jesus is the unique authority and for us the only means to salvation.

What the Assembly refused to do was place limits on the grace of God to
extend salvation by other means, Rogers said. The media blew this up to mean
"Presbyterians believe Jesus is not the only means to God."

That's not what we said at all, according to Rogers. "We simply said," he
insisted "that we are not God and we don't know what the mind of God is on
this question. We do know that our salvation is in and through Jesus
Christ."

Rogers encouraged Mariners to be active and informed on the controversial
issue of ordination standards headed for Presbytery vote this year.
The change in the Book of Order, if affirmed, returns the denomination to
our historical position of letting local governing bodies that ordain people
to create their own standards. "Candidates will be considered as
individuals," he said.

He noted that for 200 years good, faithful Presbyterians believed that the
Bible sanctioned slavery, but we changed our minds on that. The same was
true for how the church viewed the role of women in the life of the church,
but we changed our minds on that. "Ultimately, I believe we will change our
minds on this issue, too," he said.

When the Assembly voted to send the measure to the Presbyteries, he said, "I
rejoiced with those who felt a great injustice might be lifted and wept with
those who felt the church had violated a fundamental belief."

The Moderator noted that we have been trying to legislate a solution to the
ordination standards dispute at the national level for 25 years without
success. "Ultimately," he concluded, "it will be education, not legislation
that resolves these issues."

During a question and answer period, Rogers was asked about the declining
membership of the PC(USA). He noted that last year membership declined at a
steeper angle than in the recent past and this was disturbing.

He said if he had the answer to this problem, he could bottle it and become
a rich man. He did note that while Presbyterians are not good about opening
the front door, we are even worse about closing the back door.

Rogers said that if we could just keep our own children in the church, our
membership would not be declining.
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