Jack K
Puritan Board Doctor
We should remember that Presbyterian polity acts slowly, by design. We wish for everything to be done decently and in order, and order takes time. Also, especially where public correction of others who claim the name of Christ might be in order, the ninth commandment requires great care in what we say and how we say it. This cannot be rushed. Fairness to all takes careful research, not broad-brush statements, and is one reason for our typically long reports prepared by committees over the course of a year or (very often) more. The process can be frustrating, but there are good reasons for it.
Adding to this, the sad experiences of the past century have caused faithful Presbyterian institutions to be wary of top-down pronouncements. In both our denominations and our seminaries, we don't want the guy at the top making the rules or setting policies on his own, which is one way liberalism advanced so quickly. Rather, we want congregations, presbyteries, faculties, ruling elders, etc. to be our voice. The structure is such that denominational officials must be careful in how they speak until GA has spoken, and seminary officials must be careful in how they speak until the faculty has spoken. This grassroots consensus takes time, even where there may be broad agreement at the start, especially in an academic setting where concerns for academic freedom must be balanced with concerns for conformity. Remember that forced conformity has been used against faithful men at least as much as it has been used by them, so there are reasons to be careful and not rush to demand conformity.
So, I'm not sure we should conclude that men ought to ignore Presbyterian polity and instead quickly issue their own condemnations via social media, or that the absence of such outbursts means the denomination or seminary is clearly headed in a bad direction. It might just mean we're being good Presbyterians.
Adding to this, the sad experiences of the past century have caused faithful Presbyterian institutions to be wary of top-down pronouncements. In both our denominations and our seminaries, we don't want the guy at the top making the rules or setting policies on his own, which is one way liberalism advanced so quickly. Rather, we want congregations, presbyteries, faculties, ruling elders, etc. to be our voice. The structure is such that denominational officials must be careful in how they speak until GA has spoken, and seminary officials must be careful in how they speak until the faculty has spoken. This grassroots consensus takes time, even where there may be broad agreement at the start, especially in an academic setting where concerns for academic freedom must be balanced with concerns for conformity. Remember that forced conformity has been used against faithful men at least as much as it has been used by them, so there are reasons to be careful and not rush to demand conformity.
So, I'm not sure we should conclude that men ought to ignore Presbyterian polity and instead quickly issue their own condemnations via social media, or that the absence of such outbursts means the denomination or seminary is clearly headed in a bad direction. It might just mean we're being good Presbyterians.