Thread by @CAHutch1990

Y'all, this was just meant to be a whimsical reminder to @BethMooreLPM that she is welcome to join a PCA church any time she likes. But I'm also happy for her to follow her convictions. Or let the Lutherans steal her. I mean, I guess.

But bear with me for just a bit. 1/10

https://twitter.com/CAHutch1990/status/1369388242571849733

I got push back from both sides on this. But give us a little credit. It's not like we (and all denominations) haven't thought this through a bit.

"Secondary" does not mean "unimportant." Check out the Preliminary Principles in our Book of Order: 2/

pcaac.org/bco/

Then read BCO Chapter 2 on the Visible Church and Chapter 57 on church membership. And then for our standards for officers, maybe read chapters 21 & 24.

For extra credit, read Westminster Confession chapter 20 & 25 (Christian Freedom & The Church). 3/

In short, we want to be as broad & as welcoming as the Gospel - so open membership to all believers.

But we also want to be as deep and demanding as Scripture - so maintain our unity by requiring officers to subscribe to a system of doctrine.

It's not 🚀science, tbh. 4/

There are principles here, of ranking doctrines as to importance & function, what JI Packer called, "Trunk, Branch & Twig" truths.

Some things all members must believe (Trunk) while others only officers must believe (Branch). Other things everyone ought to chill on (Twig). 5/

But we realize other denominations will draw the lines differently as they follow their own convictions.

We are actually really, really cool with that. But to us, our lines must reflect a catholicity towards those very churches (e.g. accepting infant baptism). 6/

My college pastor, David Bowen, did his PhD on this:

"Calvin's ecclesiological adiaphorism: distinguishing the indifferent, the essential & the important in his thought & practice."

I own it, but he needs to publish it so please tell him I said so. 7/

trove.nla.gov.au/work/13164769

And I actually wrote a chapter on all this in my little book on humility, Chapter 12: "The Assembly of Fools: Truth, Humility, and Unity."

These are not easy issues. But we have actually tried to think this through. 8/

newgrowthpress.com/rediscovering-…

Secondary issues are not unimportant. But neither are they primary. And it's helpful to have those categories.

Finally, though, I also heard several stories of folks in PCA churches who have been hurt.

Hurt that tertiary matters were made primary. 9/

I don't know these churches so can't speak to them specifically.

What I can say is that our Confession makes plain that God's grace in Christ should always be our central theme.

When we fail you in that, please forgive us. And remember that Christ will never fail you. 10/10

Unroll please @threadreaderapp