Post

https://twitter.com/realDerekUtley/status/1402098417749446659

More from @thisisfoster

Michael Foster

@thisisfoster

Jan 28

1/ Turns out that the #SavethePCA cause was ahead of the curve....

Here is the first of many overtures that the progressives in the PCA are working on to move forward their Function Female Officers goals...

This overture, which just passed Metro Atlanta Presbytery of the PCA by roughly a 70–30 margin, is framed as a call for “flexibility” on the diaconate because, they claim, Scripture gives us “very little data” about the office.

On paper, it insists it is not revisiting ordination or church office. In practice, it rewrites the BCO to allow Sessions to label women “deacons,” place them in the diaconate, and normalize a mixed-sex diaconate across the PCA.

The argument is built on three claims:

(1) the Bible is unclear about deacons,

(2) the Westminster Standards don’t define the office, and

(3) Christian liberty therefore requires institutional diversity.

That framing directly contradicts the assumptions and practice of the Westminster divines, who treated the diaconate as a real church office tied to qualified men, even if not as heavily elaborated as the eldership.

What it recommends

It amends the BCO so that Sessions may choose between:

• only ordained male deacons,
• male deacons plus women called “deacons,” or
• a fully unordained diaconate of men and women called “deacons.”

Once adopted, the PCA constitutionally enshrines women in a titled diaconal office, even while verbally denying they are “officers.”

This is not a neutral “local option” clean-up. It is a strategic redefinition of the diaconate that embeds women into an office category the church has historically reserved for men. Whatever the stated assurances, this is exactly how male-only offices get eroded: start with deacons, normalize the language, shift expectations, then move upstream.

This is about female ordination.

2/ BTW, they edited their overture to be more conservative because they know there is one on the way that is pushing for an ordained female diaconate.

They are coming at this from every angle to get FFO passed, and a lot of teaching elders, even conservative ones, are in denial of what is happening ("It's not that bad," "I've been at this since you were a kid, sport.").

We warned last summer. They are going fight to enshrine their practice, and the good ole boys will let it happen if you don't light a flame under them.

3/ I got the exact vote: 52 to 30. They put up a good fight.

Read 4 tweets

Michael Foster

@thisisfoster

May 17, 2023

1/ “Are you patriarchal, complementarian, or egalitarian?”

Well, it depends what is meant by these terms.

If by patriarchal you mean God uniquely designed men to be the leaders in society, then I’m patriarchal.

2/ If by complementarian you mean men and women complement each other through different roles God assigns to them per their sexual nature, then I’m a complementarian.

3/ If by egalitarian you merely mean both men and women were equally made in the image of God, then (believe it or not) I’m an egalitarian.

Read 5 tweets

Michael Foster

@thisisfoster

Apr 4, 2023

1/ A thread for parents in the trenches.

I got this text:

"Do you have a recommendation for helping a preteen w/ porn addiction? Sad question, I know."

Here was my reply...

2/ Tell them that you love them, aren’t ashamed of them, and that this is temptation that you have had to overcome.

Tell them they can do the same. Then pray with them.

3/ Warn them.

Tell them that porn is bad for them spiritually, physically, and relationally.

And then explain how.
Be detailed without being crass.

Read 7 tweets

Michael Foster

@thisisfoster

Feb 19, 2023

1/ Do you pray enough?

I think I hate that question.

Why? Because it is so unhelpful.

How much prayer is enough?
How do I measure that?
What’s metric?
Is it quantitative or qualitative?
How can I know?

2/ Is it just about minutes or hour spent in prayer?

Is it about the majesty of your prayer language?

Is it about the number of people or countries or situations you pray for?

Is it about powerfully feeling the presence of God in prayer?

What’s the metric for praying enough?

3/ I also don’t like it because it tends to merely generate guilt.

Now guilt has its place in the economy of God.

But even then guilt is a momentary motivator. It’s like a spark that starts a fire but it, in of itself, can’t keep it going.

Read 8 tweets

Michael Foster

@thisisfoster

Feb 19, 2023

1/ Everyone keeps asking about the vival that's happening at East River Church.

It's true that for the last 2+ years people have been gathering every week to…

2/ …praise God, confess their sins, be assured of their forgiveness, sit under the preaching of the Word, enjoy the Lord's Supper as a family, and be sent out back into their daily responsibilities with the blessing of God.

And here's the kicker…

3/ …they aren't just gathering. It's an important part of it but it's also a springboard to help them to aspire to live quietly & to mind their own affairs & to work with their hands, as Paul instructed us, so that they may walk properly before outsiders & be dependent on noone.

Read 4 tweets

Michael Foster

@thisisfoster

Feb 15, 2023

1/ This is about localism.

There is a sort of formalism I see among many reformed folks.

I think of it as labelism.

That’s not a real word but it captures the “check the box from a distance” attitude.

I have a particular growing subsection of reformed folks in mind...

2/ They tend to fall into one of two categories:

Category 1 - They spend a lot of time on social media consuming reformed content or debating issues popular in all the various reformed niches.

Or...

3/ Category 2 - They came to their reformed convictions mostly from online content and largely independent from their local congregation

Basically, their labelism is a series of words or phrases that work as a litmus test for the quality of a church.

For example...

Read 11 tweets

Share this page!

Enter URL or ID to Unroll

Michael Foster

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

More from @thisisfoster

Michael Foster

Michael Foster

Michael Foster

Michael Foster

Michael Foster

Michael Foster

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Send Email!