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To:Lyndon Dolms From: Richard Bacon
Subject: RE: Winter Presbytery Meeting and Separation Issue
Cc:, Jerry Crick, David Seekamp
Bcc: Tim Worrell
Lyndon,
>As we understand their positon, such was their view of *the true
>religion.* These were the fundamentals of the true religion, and to depart
>from them was to put oneself or ones church outside the pale of the
>visible church. Thus, the necessity by application (if we would follow
>the original intent of these confessional standards) of separating from
>all such churches who walk not according to the tradtions of the apostles
>which have been faithfully passed on to us through our presbyterian
>forefathers in the faith. If we should separate from and not even have
>fellowship with individuals who walk not according to the tradition of the
>apostles, how much more we must separate and not have fellowship with
>those churches that do not walk according to apostolic tradition (which is
>what the Westminister Assembly designated "the true religion") for
>corporate apostasy from the tradition of the apostles is only a further
>and more grievous aggravation of the personal apostasy to which the
>inspired writers refer.
>
>These we believe to be a brief summary of our standards which warrant our
>counsel to these families to separate from these churches until such a
>time (which we fervently pray will soon be realized) as these churches
>return (by God's grace) to "the true religion" from which they have
>departed. This we humbly offer as our justification in giving such
>counsel to these families.
Is this then the overture which your session wishes to bring to Presbytery?
We have requested, via Dave Seekamp the clerk of presbytery, that a formal overture be drafted and sent to Presbytery for purposes of both debate and either passage or non-passage. The only such communication we have received to date in response to that (of which I am aware) is a promise to send a booklet by W.J. M'Knight. I do not think Presbytery has received a formal overture, even though Presbytery was postponed for a period of 60 days in order to allow your session sufficient time to draft one and for all interested parties within presbytery to have time to read it reflectively.
My personal opinion (and I emphasize that it is a personal opinion -- I do not wish to arrogate the prerogatives of Presbytery) is that the counsel you have given to Mr. Birger is hasty and does not take all factors into consideration. I happen to have copies of much of the correspondance that took place between Mr. Birger and his session and I am convinced that the session was very much interested in seeing further reform in the church.
Additionally, in my opinion, Mr. Birger's rhetoric moved well out of the realm of gentle entreaty following Thanksgiving of 1995, at which time I understand he visited Jim Dodson -- a man who has no standing in the visible church of Christ.
Btw, with which Presbytery does Fred Dilella, whom you described as a "presbyterian minister" have his credentials? The last I heard he had seceded from the PCA. Are his ministerial credentials presently with another presbyterian body?
Dick Bacon
dbacon@airmail.net
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