Gospel Riot: 12. Civil Disobedience with Robert McCurley on Apple Podcasts
Show Gospel Riot, Ep 12. Civil Disobedience with Robert McCurley - Jan 11, 2021
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Amen! Well said. Our congregation never stopped meeting and our God has preserved us from both the ravages of the virus and the harassment of the authorities. For these mercies, we are immensely grateful.Our decisions as a congregation (session) to maintain inviolate our AM and PM worship has been because of what Scripture teaches, and what the WCF states, 23:3, even in the American version as our Confession. The state's regard of Christ's stated worship as "nonessential" is the equivalent of ancient Rome regarding Christianity as an outlawed religion. Our response should be to make the query: "How is that opinion relevant to my devotional duty?"
I think it proper to say to any church that has done differently from yours (or mine): that any well-thought-out decision, driven by first commitment to Christ and also by contextual exigencies, should not be condemned. I do not condemn them, but I hope their decisions are made not primarily out of fear of men or nature, but God.Amen! Well said. Our congregation never stopped meeting and our God has preserved us from both the ravages of the virus and the harassment of the authorities. For these mercies, we are immensely grateful.
There is a difference between being physically prevented from going to church, like a snowstorm or hurricane, or if the building is on fire, and shutting things down "because someone might get sick."There is a good bit that I liked in this, but I’m not quite as enthusiastic about it as others. He grants that there is a possible situation in which a plague could in fact cause a church to shut down. If that’s the case then I don’t understand how one gets to “is it not honoring to Christ to die at church?” if one knew a plague had the potential to wipe out mass numbers of people. Further, he grants that it’s possible to cancel services in a snow storm. Why? Is it not more honoring to Christ to die on the way to worship than to stay home? Were sessions sinning if they shut down for any period? What if church kept meeting but certain members stayed home because they had health concerns?
We all agree there is a point where cancelling services for some reason might be inevitable, so I am afraid that some of the strong language binds people’s consciences. For instance, a man under care of the US presbytery of the FCC publicly told people that if their congregation shut down for any period of time and did not repent (not just re-open, but publicly repent for closing) they ought to leave that church. From my point of view that’s incredibly dangerous, especially when it was almost universal for FCC congregations in Scotland to shut down for a time.
Yes, I completely agree. We have held our position while also endeavoring to do all that we can to maintain gospel-unity with those churches and brethren who do not share our convictions on this matter. And thankfully, this is another way God has been merciful. Both within our church and with those churches we hold communion, the unity of the Spirit has been maintained.I think it proper to say to any church that has done differently from yours (or mine): that any well-thought-out decision, driven by first commitment to Christ and also by contextual exigencies, should not be condemned. I do not condemn them, but I hope their decisions are made not primarily out of fear of men or nature, but God.
We have not sought any public attention, nor advertised ourselves as the church-resistant. We have tried only to keep our eye on the ball. We tried to make all our members comfortable, without compromising. We closed down our own "non-essential" activities during times of greatest public restrictions. But we don't consider the dutiful assemblies of the church to be such.
Our elders have informed themselves, as the government officials they are, using many resources not limited to secular government outlets (but not ignoring them either), in order to make wise and prayerful decisions about the proper actions of the church, and concern for the wellbeing of its members, attendees, and connections.
As a man under care of the US presbytery of the FCC, I disagree with what you report that some unnamed man under care of my presbytery "publicly told people." I seriously doubt whether any officer in my presbytery would agree with that perspective, and I certainly don't think that Rob McCurley would want to bind anyone's conscience to it.We all agree there is a point where cancelling services for some reason might be inevitable, so I am afraid that some of the strong language binds people’s consciences. For instance, a man under care of the US presbytery of the FCC publicly told people that if their congregation shut down for any period of time and did not repent (not just re-open, but publicly repent for closing) they ought to leave that church. From my point of view that’s incredibly dangerous, especially when it was almost universal for FCC congregations in Scotland to shut down for a time.
As a man under care of the US presbytery of the FCC, I disagree with what you report that some unnamed man under care of my presbytery "publicly told people." I seriously doubt whether any officer in my presbytery would agree with that perspective, and I certainly don't think that Rob McCurley would want to bind anyone's conscience to it.