Covenant Joel
Puritan Board Sophomore
If you're interested, fill out the survey on intinction here:
http://byfaithonline.com/byfaith-survey-is-intinction-appropriate/
http://byfaithonline.com/byfaith-survey-is-intinction-appropriate/
Survey on Intinction Now Available on ByFaithOnline
- Thread starter Covenant Joel
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Unoriginalname
Puritan Board Junior
Are you only supposed to fill out the survey if you are an elder?
Covenant Joel
Puritan Board Sophomore
I don't think so. Though one of the survey questions asks how you would vote if it came to your presbytery. But nothing in the instructions says you need to be an elder.
Unoriginalname
Puritan Board Junior
That was the question that had caused me to question the intended audience of the survey.
Scott1
Puritanboard Commissioner
I'm not sure that it is the place of a denominational magazine to unilaterally poll a matter of doctrine, one specifically given to Ministers (Word and sacrament). Add to that the very limited circulation of the magazine. Not sure what guided their development of the questions, under what supervision, or even what the purpose intended was. The spiritual court did not authorize a poll. Did an employee of a denominational agency just unilaterally decide to this?
Backwoods Presbyterian
Puritanboard Amanuensis
There is also no filter on this survey. Anyone can take it.
Covenant Joel
Puritan Board Sophomore
I think it best not to speculate about the intended purpose/agenda/etc behind the survey. If you have thoughts, there's plenty of spots on the survey to give them. One of the things that I wrote is that I thought it would be more helpful (than a survey) to have a video roundtable of several proponents/opponents discussing the issue so that we could see the best theological/exegetical approaches to the question.
Scott1
Puritanboard Commissioner
The problem is this is not the way doctrine is determined in Christ's church. An open survey (we don't even know it is restricted to Christians, let alone PCA, let alone people who even understand the issue). The proponents/opponents are in the Scripture, look at the Lord's instruction to His people of separately contemplating His broken body and shed blood.
If it's a theological debate, we don't have a pop forum survey to decide.
This is business of a church council, spiritual court, General Assembly, not one of popular (lay?) (nonreformed?) (unbeliever?) (uniformed?) opinion.
In the Presbyterianism, elders are called and qualified to determine this, not surveys of magazine readers.
Who authorized this?
This is a complete waste of time.... and harmful.
If it's a theological debate, we don't have a pop forum survey to decide.
This is business of a church council, spiritual court, General Assembly, not one of popular (lay?) (nonreformed?) (unbeliever?) (uniformed?) opinion.
In the Presbyterianism, elders are called and qualified to determine this, not surveys of magazine readers.
Who authorized this?
This is a complete waste of time.... and harmful.
Covenant Joel
Puritan Board Sophomore
It may be a waste of time. It is not taking away from the work of the church. It's a survey, merely to get some comments on what various people across the PCA think about the issue. I would imagine they will put together an article based on responses that suggests some of the reasons people are for and against the issue of intinction. I don't think we need to read some attempt to supplant the working of the church into this.
All that is not to say it isn't a waste of time. It likely won't have any significant impact on the discussion at all, which is probably another reason we shouldn't get too hot and bothered about it.
interalia
Puritan Board Freshman
It's a survey to garner opinion from those who choose to participate; not a coup. I think several of you are reading/inferring far too much into this. The organizers lack authority since they do not consitute a church court, but there is no prohibition on the gathering of (flawed) data and (perhaps valuable) opinions.
Scott1
Puritanboard Commissioner
Is this how the Apostle's did it?
An additional problem is this is a denomination magazine, one that has a very limited circulation even within it, paid for by tithes and offerings, and there is a constitutional amendment before the spiritual court.
We don't need "opinions" of who knows who to decide a matter before the spiritual court.
How is a layman going to direct how the Lord's Supper is dispensed?
Who authorized this use of denominational funds?
Scott1
Puritanboard Commissioner
It sure is, this is being paid for by our tithe money, and under apparent quasi-judicial authority.
Then what were its planners intending it to do?
Is it designed strictly to sow controversy and division in order to sell a few more magazines?
Edward
Puritanboard Commissioner
It's my recollection that the magazine is now free, as they couldn't sell enough to maintain ad revenue.
Covenant Joel
Puritan Board Sophomore
Still not sure how that takes away from the work of the church. ByFaith's mandate, as I understand it, is to keep PCA churches informed and connected on things of interest in the denomination. I would think that this fits that bill. It would be quite different if they posted articles only in favor of one side pushing an agenda.
I'm not saying they didn't want it to have an effect. They probably do. I just don't know that it will, because I doubt it will be that widely taken or read.
That seems like quite an impugning of motives to them. I think we should just all calm down about this. They put out a survey. If you don't think they should, then write them and tell them so.
Scott1
Puritanboard Commissioner
Because it is the job of General Assembly to determine matters of doctrine and practice, particularly that of ministers of word and sacrament (teaching elders) as a spiritual court, not be means of a pop "survey" of who knows who by a denomination agency, acting unilaterally.
This is particularly true when a constitutional matter is pending before the spiritual court.
Scott1
Puritanboard Commissioner
You illustrate the problem, who is "they" and on what authority do "they" seek to influence or control discussion of a spiritual court by means outside of it.
Thread closed. If you don't like the idea of the survey, let byfaith know.
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