# Session's Response to LC 109 and Jesus Image Question



## Mushroom (Jul 25, 2008)

My Church has an image of Christ as a shepherd standing in a pasture among a herd of sheep with His hands outstretched. In response to the question I submitted, "What is the Church's official position concerning this image in regards to LC Question 109?" I recieved this document as an explanation of their position. It is a Special Committee report to the RPCES 159th General Synod dated may 22, 1981.

This document states the following:



> While portraiture of Christ thus defined is to be avoided, depictions of Christ whose primary function is to represent this or that episode in the life of Christ are permissible. They do not constitute a violation of the Second Commandment, and are in accordance with the Biblical teaching regarding the incarnation.
> 
> Moreover, since the Biblical teaching on the incarnation insists upon taking seriously the full humanity of Christ, pictures of the episodes of Christ's life are not only permissible but desirable. To fail to represent Christ while representing the disciples would present only a Docetic view of Christ, a denial of His true humanity. To fail to represent disciples and Christ in pictorial form would tend to convey the notion that the incarnation wasn't important enough to picture, or that non-verbal representation of the gospel and gospel history is not valid. But to take this position would require us to re-examine our use of such non-verbal symbols as the cross as we make use of them in our sanctuaries and homes.


I have yet to find a scriptural reference to an "episode" where Christ was standing in a pasture among a herd of sheep. Could someone help me with that? Isn't this image a manipulative attempt to engender a worshipful view of our Lord as Shepherd rather than depict an actual episode of His life on earth?

It also states at it's conclusion:



> RECOMMENDA TIONS:
> 1. That synod receive the report with thanks and commend it to presbyteries and sessions for study.
> 2. That synod warn against the violation of the Second Commandment (Ex. 20:4-6 and Deut. 5:8-10) by the worship of visual depictions of Jesus Christ, while at the same time recognizing the legitimacy of usual depictions for other purposes, such as instruction or artistic expression.
> 3. That synod continue the study committee, requesting that it formulate appropriate revisions to L.C. 109 for consideration at the 160th General Synod.
> ...


This may be all well and good for the RPCES, but I am not a member of that denomination, and that would be one reason I would not be. I have yet to find any revision of LC 109 adopted by my denom, the PCA. Anybody able to help me there?

And what would be a biblically and confessionally sound response to this, or should there be any at all. In other words,, should I let sleeping dogs lie?


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## Casey (Jul 25, 2008)

I suppose you could point out that the committee that wrote this report recognized that LC 109 needed to be revised to make it compatible with the position it puts forward. Since the PCA hasn't modified LC 109, it seems the PCA has implicitly denied the conclusion of the report. And so it seems your Session is in contradiction with your church's standards.


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## Backwoods Presbyterian (Jul 25, 2008)

In my humble opinion, that is a terrible document.


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## skellam (Jul 25, 2008)

It appears the heart of the matter lies in what is meant by the 'worship' mentioned in the second recommendation. I think modern Christians tend to view idol worship as something that occurred mostly in ancient Israel such as when they chased after the false God Baal. We often discount our own propensity towards sin in the worship of idols. At what point would this session acknowledge the 'worship' of a depiction or image of Jesus? Only when the someone brings a large picture of Jesus in front of the congregation and bows down before it?

Apart from the issue of worship and what it means, their actions of placing an image of Jesus in the place of worship plainly contradicts LC 109 -- "The sins forbidden in the second commandment are, all devising, counseling, commanding, using, and any wise approving, any religious worship not instituted by God himself; the making *any representation of God, of all or of any of the three persons, either inwardly in our mind, or outwardly in any kind of image or likeness of any creature whatsoever.*"

It seems odd that they would put forth an action of General Assembly from another denomination to support their views when it contradicts the standards of their own church. Does the PCA have a position paper of its own on the subject? Have any of the elders on the session taken exception LC 109 when they took they were examined for ordination?


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## Presbyterian Deacon (Jul 25, 2008)

So your PCA church session is using an old report from the RPCES to support their position? That seems odd to me. What is the history there? Was your church RPCES before it became PCA?


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## TimV (Jul 25, 2008)

> Does the PCA have a position paper of its own on the subject? Have any of the elders on the session taken exception LC 109 when they took they were examined for ordination?



That's the proper methodology. There isn't a position paper that I've seen on the subject, although you could send an email to the Stated Clerk's office in Atlanta to make sure. If there isn't, a simple letter to the Session should sort them out. Get someone you trust with experience in these things from this board to help you compose it via PM.


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## NaphtaliPress (Jul 25, 2008)

If the RPCES had not merged with the PCA (early 1980s) they were on track to adopt a change to LC 109; because of the merger the movement died and there is no constitutional authority to the document. And yes, it is a horrible paper; the original to add insult to injury included an idol in the report. I will not worship where there is something like this; if there is no hope of change, it is reason enough to be gone by next week.


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## CalvinandHodges (Jul 25, 2008)

Not only the above, but you have to remember that Jesus Christ was both fully human *and* fully God. To portray only his humanity is to not depict Him correctly. Thus, they create an idol.

And, of course any depiction of His Deity would be a violation of the 2nd Command.

Blessings,

-CH


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## Presbyterian Deacon (Jul 25, 2008)

NaphtaliPress said:


> If the RPCES had not merged with the PCA (early 1980s) they were on track to adopt a change to LC 109; because of the merger the movement died and there is no constitutional authority to the document. And yes, it is a horrible paper; the original to add insult to injury included an idol in the report. I will not worship where there is something like this; if there is no hope of change, it is reason enough to be gone by next week.




Yes, 
I'm wondering if Brad's PCA church is one of those old RPCES churches. (?) That would explain alot.


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## NaphtaliPress (Jul 25, 2008)

Perhaps; the man mainly responsible I believe for sinking a move to cover any such images for presbytery meetings in the N.Texas Presbytery was RPCES and on the committee that drafted the report when in the RPCES. It was the straw that broke the camel's back for my old church. You can read about the issue in _The Blue Banner_ (Indifferent Imaginations?).


Presbyterian Deacon said:


> NaphtaliPress said:
> 
> 
> > If the RPCES had not merged with the PCA (early 1980s) they were on track to adopt a change to LC 109; because of the merger the movement died and there is no constitutional authority to the document. And yes, it is a horrible paper; the original to add insult to injury included an idol in the report. I will not worship where there is something like this; if there is no hope of change, it is reason enough to be gone by next week.
> ...


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## PuritanCovenanter (Jul 25, 2008)

> "*Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire: lest ye corrupt yourselves, *and make you a graven image, *the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,* the likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air, the likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth: and lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven." Deut. 4.15-19



This is quite an illuminating passage.


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