In some ways, it sounds like Mr. Garner should be respected for not wanting to high tail it and run away from the issues at hand, but be willing to stay and face the charges, it says a lot about his character as a man.
It may be a good time for a man in another Church body within the PCA to offer to sit and really talk with him one on one to discuss his personal beliefs, maybe sometime before the hearing in March.
It could be He's following after a man he respects and holds in high regard, more than Christ, which certainly would be causing conflict within himself and he may be feeling caught in the middle of it all, because he did help edit the FV book.
Maybe that should be a question posed to him, are you following after this man because he is your friend and pastor, someone he has known and respected and loved and cared for as a brother for many years, or is this what he really hold's to be true?
Is he afraid of losing this man's friendship and respect, if he departs from his church body?
Many of us have had to make similiar choices, even within our own families, do we depart from their beliefs and go with what we know to be true or do we stay because of the relationship we have with them and a feeling of obligation?
I will keep this man in my prayers, and others in the congregation who may be struggling internally with similiar issues.
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More interestingly, Duane Garner, assistant pastor at AAPC, which bolted to the CREC last month rather than have Steve Wilkins face trial in the PCA, apparently wants to stay in the PCA and labor in the CREC at AAPC. He was turned down by LAP, who tasked Garner to appear at the next meeting to report on the extent of his adherence to the PCA’s constitutional standards. That should be interesting.
For those who don’t know, Duane Garner coedited the book The Federal Vision with Steve Wilkins. As such, one may assume that he holds tightly to the Federal Visionist errors that have been declared out of conformity to the Westminster Standards. I can’t imagine why he wouldn’t flee with the rest of AAPC to the CREC which welcomes and actively advocates these errors.
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Anyway, that is what I get when I read the above comments...which is why I think it may be a wise decision to have someone offer to walk along side him and really talk to him one on one to find out.
How many men stayed in the PC-USA when the churches split years ago, partly because they held a friendship with those who were staying and feeling as if they would be abandoning their family and friends?
How many men here have had to finally leave the churches they grew up going to, and/or were members of for many years all because of the teaching? And yet, they struggled internally for many years with that decision, not wanting to hurt their pastor, or offend their family and friends? It could be that really is what this man is struggling with and why he wants to stay in the PCA...