Written by David P. Cassidy |
Thursday, August 3, 2023
Overture 23, however, provides a unique opportunity to unite around language that avoids the unclear and potentially harmful while humbly and joyfully affirming the Biblical standards for sexual holiness we expect from the Officers of Christ’s Church. I was delighted to vote in its favor, will work with others for its passage in our Presbyteries, and hope for its adoption by the Fifty-First General Assembly.

For the past several years, the PCA has been embroiled in debates about, studies of, and Overtures concerning a whole array of issues surrounding human sexuality. That’s hardly unusual for ecclesiastical communions these days. After all, these are difficult and contentious matters, and our perspectives are often shaped by personal experiences and backgrounds as varied as the creatures in the sea – and sometimes just as frightening. Such debate and dissension can be an understandably wearying process to go through. That’s aggravated by the fact that we are by nature an impatient people, made even more so by the speed of technology. We stand in front of microwaves muttering, “C’mon already.”
Yet we really should rejoice in the debate and the process. Through it all, we can grow in our capacity to listen to one another, learn from each other, and – as we all wish to do – accomplish the work of the Church in such a way that her understanding, holiness, witness, and mission are strengthened for God’s glory. We need each other to free one another from the captivity of our lack of knowledge, our misgivings, fears, parochial prejudices, and even our wounds. In the end, attentive and patient work with one another can eventually yield peaceful fruit and deeper maturity. I think that’s the outcome we see in the success enjoyed by Overture 23 at our recent General Assembly.
By a vote of 1673-223, the Fiftieth General Assembly of the PCA overwhelmingly approved Overture 23 submitted by the Mississippi Valley Presbytery. There is much in it to commend to our churches, leadership communities, and Officers, and as a testimony to the wider communion of Christ’s Church. The Overture addresses the Biblical mandate for all of our Deacons and Elders to be above reproach in sexual holiness, not only in their conduct but also in their teaching and public declarations concerning the Church’s doctrine on sexuality.
The Apostle Paul was understandably concerned about Christians learning to follow Jesus in the path of holiness as his disciples. He emphasized it, especially with the fledgling churches in his mission in the Roman world. The Classical world was a society that displayed a sexual ethic vastly different than one reflecting God’s love and kindness. Rooted in power and often characterized by both brutality and hedonistic pursuit of mere pleasure instead of love, the Roman world’s views stood in need of a great sexual revolution. That certainly arrived with the Gospel.
The Roman view gave men free rein to explore their sexual appetites but greatly restricted and frequently denied a woman’s high place in marriage, giving them no authority in their sexual relationships with their husbands (and in virtually no other way either). Both male and female slaves, including young boys and even children, were viewed as degraded objects provided for the pleasure of owners and superiors. On the other hand, Christian teaching viewed all people as God’s offspring to be honored and loved. Sexual license, the abuse of power, and the dishonoring of any through sexual exploitation were steadfastly opposed by Christian teaching. Ancient Christians recognized every person as an image-bearer of God and acknowledged that a Christian’s body is a sacred space, the Temple of the Holy Spirit.
Our approach to sexuality originates in God’s good creation of all things and in his redemption of the world from our fall into sin, joining believers by the Spirit to his Son. Referring to creation, Jesus taught that our sexual union is a gift between men and women in a life-long covenant marriage bond protecting wives from abandonment and improper divorce by unfaithful husbands. He also upheld the Law, highlighting and emphasizing not only the necessity of our external conformity to it but also our need for cleansing from every internal disordered desire that does not submit to it (see Matthew 5-7 and 19).
The Apostles preserved and applied Jesus’ teaching, urging the ancient Christians to abandon their conformity to long-held cultural norms of power and pleasure and to be instead transformed by God’s grace, embracing mutual respect between husbands and wives, chastity as singles, and purity of heart in all things.
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Written by David P. Cassidy |
Friday, June 16, 2023
While the Alliance is deeply committed to the original mission of the PCA, its members are equally convinced that a business-as-usual approach will not be an adequate response to the current crisis, and the time has come for us to fashion new structures that more adequately serve the established mission.

“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” – John 12:32
The Alliance for Mission & Renewal (AMR or the Alliance) is dedicated to:

assisting and encouraging churches, ministries, and leaders in the work of preserving and preaching the ancient, unchanging Gospel of Jesus Christ in the current culture;
equipping God’s people for mission in daily life;
and seeking the good health and unity of the Church in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) and our towns, communities, and cities.

At the intersection of truth, vision, and ethics, movements can be born that offer the opportunity for sustained and sacrificial commitments that create lasting institutions which embody and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ with compelling grace and truth. Given our current cultural moment, it is time for us to consider again how we do this for the sake of the Church and the Gospel.
Broadly considered, Western culture is significantly shifting from a society with many shared core beliefs to a more radicalized one marked by deep fragmentation and tribalization. This emerging cultural reality is characterized by continuous tremors in several areas resulting in one seismic shift. Consider the cultural changes in:

anthropology, including sexuality, gender, personhood, family, and marriage;
epistemology, including the notion of whether transcendent knowledge and truth are possible at all;
geography, in which particular groups and individuals that align with one another move to either urban or rural environments to preserve their values and resist those who do not share them;
community, in which a more diverse people speak into the broader societal story, and we honor their unique contributions and receive their gifts instead of rejecting or demonizing them; and
communication, in which we access and disseminate information at unprecedentedly high speeds, but our trust in the veracity of the information is shallow, and the use of the information to promote harm rather than harmony is widespread. Information — or at times, disinformation — has often been weaponized and used as propaganda to intimidate, silence, and censure others.

This emerging transformation impacts every level of and all sub-communities in our society. Those who serve in medicine, news media, educational institutions, religious bodies, government agencies, and commerce encounter a deep and divisive cynicism that has undermined public trust and continues to erode the foundations of public peace.
The Church will navigate the impacts, but there are obstacles. Some of those obstacles are generated from within the Church. For example, we believe that the Church of Jesus Christ should graciously step into this societal confusion with the hope of the Gospel and serve as an instrument of peace. Yet, with sadness, we note that the current Church is wracked with painful revelations of sexual misconduct and abuse that undermine the credibility of its claims. So internal obstacles (both individual and systemic) slow our progress. While it’s urgently needed, change may take years to embrace.
In recent years, numerous studies have noted the steep decline in public worship attendance, the shrinking number of young people who identify as Church members (even when they continue to describe themselves as Christians), and more and more people who are deconstructing their faith and commitments, some turning from the Christianity altogether.
The PCA Is Not Immune
The PCA exists within the context of this cultural shift and has struggled to navigate these unsettling times of realignment. Consider:

We have frequently found ourselves divided more by the issues in our culture and what is regarded as a faithful and healthy response to these matters than by the Westminster Confession of Faith.
Our communication is sometimes marked by the same intemperance and callousness that we find in any censorious tweet or vlog from a secular standpoint.
We have struggled to agree on adequate and precise language to describe matters regarding human sexuality.
We struggle to understand how best to address and secure the further flourishing of women serving in Christ’s Church.
Promoting justice, healing, and truth is always deeply important, and yet we also have witnessed abuses of power and wrongdoing within churches and among pastors.
We all remain profoundly and prayerfully concerned about the possibility of theological declension as we minister in our culture and its changing nature, and we must continue to emphasize the challenging call to clarity and charity.
We eagerly seek ways to not only preserve the Faith for the rising generations in our churches but also to proclaim the Gospel boldly and lovingly in a society that views Christianity as not merely irrelevant but potentially dangerous and harmful.

In the face of these realities, we still maintain hope. Christ has promised to build his Church and has sent the Holy Spirit to guide, preserve, and empower her for the mission she’s been given. The Gospel remains the power of God that saves, and this efficacy is not diminished by our weaknesses and struggles. Church history is filled with seasons of far greater sorrows and challenges, and at every step, our faithful Savior has led his Church to fruitful and faithful paths. We believe he will continue to do so as we humble ourselves, turn from sin, and seek his face.
Though we don’t have all the answers, the AMR is working on a way ahead for a peaceful and yet disruptive witness in our fragmenting society, ready to partner with and learn from other Christians who are also working on the needed paths for the Church to be faithfully present and effective in its mission. The Alliance believes that a crucial component in this work of renewal is a recovery of and fresh declaration of the original intent of the founders of the PCA.
The mission of the PCA has been described in these terms:

Faithful to the Scriptures,
True to the Reformed faith, and
Obedient to the Great Commission.

This remains the summary of our shared purpose. How do we fulfill this commitment in the aftermath of a cultural earthquake unsettling all around us and among us?
While the Alliance is deeply committed to the original mission of the PCA, its members are equally convinced that a business-as-usual approach will not be an adequate response to the current crisis, and the time has come for us to fashion new structures that more adequately serve the established mission.
To that end, The Alliance for Mission and Renewal works for the unity, faithfulness, and flourishing of the PCA. We want to see a denomination characterized by:

Firmly standing on the inspired, infallible, and inerrant Scriptures;
Boldly proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ to all people in all places;
Faithfully holding in good faith to our confessional standards;
Humbly recognizing how our doxological diversity is critical to our mission and leadership;
Earnestly welcoming, valuing, and co-laboring with our sisters in Christ as they serve the Savior;
Joyfully embracing our universal connection with Jesus’ Church to maintain the unity of the Spirit with all who proclaim the Gospel;
Gratefully deploying the treasures of our Reformed theological tradition in the service of the Church; and
Purposefully focusing on making new disciples so we maintain and proclaim a visible and viable witness to the Gospel.

Each of these characteristics keeps with the original vision of the PCA and is critical to its future fruitfulness. The Alliance rejoices in the treasures of our Reformed tradition, and it seeks to discover a path with more cooperation and a unified and effective Gospel witness in our society. Please pray for us and for God to be glorified through the growing fruitfulness of the Gospel in our work.
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