Dear editor,

It is a shame that at a time when the PCUSA has (again) overwhelmingly affirmed its determination to stand by biblical orthodoxy, the emphasis is not on consolidating that positive gain by acting charitably toward our neighbors and friends of goodwill throughout the denomination. Instead extremist war drums are being beaten in supposed righteous defense of the Sebastian church in a way that more seriously than ever takes us to the brink of schism. This is such a sad mistake.

It is very simple. The Sebastian church case has put the whole Confessing Church Movement in a bad light because their session has not had the decency to recognize that its particular CCM statement overstepped the bounds. As an example of what is not helpful, the Layman's defense has been disingenuous at best, and intentionally misleading at worst. To assert "that Jesus Christ alone is Savior and Lord, that Scripture is the church's highest authority and that God's standards of holiness should not be compromised by changes in culture" (The Layman Online Feb. 21, 2002) is to say what is absolutely true and also what so many of us have been fighting for as a clear and consistent stance in our denomination as a whole! But though the John Adams piece gives the impression this is what the Central Florida Presbytery objects to, that is not the case at all!!!

The heart of the case is that the Sebastian church's session insists on using the charged and historically significant word "infallible" in its statement on Scripture and urges all to work against the election of any to presbyterian office anywhere who do not agree to the use of this word. There must be a clear knowledge, on the part of the session, of the whole history in this denomination of how divisive such an assertion has been and that it has been repudiated not only for that reason but because the use of that word during the past century has more than once been determined to be wrong --inappropriate, wrong-headed, even if well-intended. Persisting to insist on it is indeed 'contumacy.'

Instead of the vociferous calls to arms against presbytery (and all the "higher-ups") ostensibly in support of the Sebastian church and the CCM what is needed is to urge COMPLIANCE with presbytery's reasonable 'request' or the fairly wise but even more sensitive majority in the PCUSA will smell a rat and shift in a way that will give fits to those of us truly supporting our constitution's resounding "Yes" to 'fidelity and chastity' in our reaffirmed ordination standards!

Rev. Robert R. von Oeyen, Jr.
Bethany Presbyterian Church, Staunton VA