“God alone is Lord of the conscience.” That’s the bedrock upon
which Presbyterian polity rests, and it’s always good to hear it articulated at
General Assembly. This morning I am sitting in committee 11 – social justice
issues.
The committee is holding hearings on about 20 different pieces of
business over two days. The day begins with open testimony. Dozens of people
sign up to speak to the committee on the array of concerns on its docket. Anyone
can sign up to speak – Presbyterians, non-Presbyterians, people of any faith or
of no faith – because we believe that the church must listen to the world.
We also believe that God alone is Lord of the conscience – that no
institution can stand between an individual and their conscience nor compel any
individual to proclaim a belief they do not sincerely hold.
So we just heard back-to-back testimony from a doctor who is a
woman speaking against an overture on religious freedom that, she feels, would
require her to act against her convictions or be labelled a sinner by her
church. She was followed by a pastor, also a woman, who shared the story of her
ectopic pregnancy. Their views on abortion – and, probably, a whole lot more –
were diametrically opposed, but they both were free to tell their stories, to
speak their truth.
Now the church, embodied by the 50 or so individual members of
committee 11, must discern the church’s truth. Moreover, whatever truth the
committee discerns today (and the full assembly discerns later this week)
individuals within the church will be free to follow their consciences; indeed,
within our polity, individuals are called to follow where the Lord of
their conscience leads. In that following lies salvation.
The challenge, of course, lies when faithful folks feel led in
contradictory directions. The work of the church comes in working out our
salvation together day by day in fear and trembling.
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