Thread by @JeridEvan

This is a valuable thread concerning "identity" - Dr. Swain looks at two different ways this happens - evaluative and classificatory. In the former, a person who identifies in a certain way is simply evaluating themselves, seeing who they are; in the latter, they are categorizing

https://twitter.com/scottrswain/status/1511402553287786500

...themselves. Read the thread. My critique is that the concerns about identity that the #PCAGA has been dealing with relate to church officers. They are public figures, and so the way that they are heard is even more important than what they intend to say.

The words of a pastor or elder as he teaches are critical to salvation. They cannot be sloppy or misunderstood, even if the misunderstanding is the fault of the hearer. An example or two...

James 2:24 says, "You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone." What would we say about a pastor who made this a major centerpiece of his teaching? He regularly makes a point to say in various ways, "remember, we're justified by works!"

We would call him to account for his poor teaching. We wouldn't allow it. Sometimes the Bible can be quoted, and sometimes it really needs to be taught.

Or he went with 1 Peter 3:21, and frequently said that "Baptism saves you." He doesn't teach it or let people know what he means by that, he just says "baptism saves." Full stop. That is not going to go well for anyone, because we need to be taught such things.

One time after saying the Apostle's Creed, a woman said, "I don't like that, I'm not Catholic." Of course I taught her what the word "catholic" means, and that it doesn't refer to the Roman Catholic church.

In the same way, if a man tells people that he's gay, he's teaching them, and they understand this, in America 2022, as a classificatory statement. He might not intend to say so, but that's how it's received by all but the most erudite and nuanced academic types.

This is why REs have been against ReVoice with such strength. They're not as "nuanced" as the seminary-trained TEs. This is good, because the way that REs hear it is how the culture hears it.

I'm generalizing of course. Our REs are wise and godly, and most are very well educated. but that education is not from an academy, but from rigorous self-study and eager learning. The academy creates the endless nuances, the ones who will eve use the word "classificatory."

[*even use the word] I mean, you probably didn't even know that classificatory was an actual word, even though you can figure out what it means pretty quickly.

A Pastor who says that he's "gay" or "homosexual" is telling the world his classification, even if that's not what he intends to do. And if he can't see that, his theology might be on point but his cultural literacy is in the toilet.

So while I appreciate the distinction that @scottrswain brings to the table; there's value there for sure. But I hope that the PCA will be committed to *first* considering our public witness. The world is watching, and it won't make any such distinctions. /fin