A Tale of Two Overtures
Or One Overture in Two Denominations, by Brad Isbell
Two years ago the PCA was trying to clean up the mess that Revoice and Side B made. This led to overtures—lots of overtures—concerning sexuality. One (which failed in the Overtures Committee, prevailed on the assembly floor by way of a minority report, and then failed to receive the requisite 2/3 of presbyteries’ approval) has found new life in an unexpected place: the upcoming Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) General Assembly.
The failed PCA amendment read as follows:
BCO 7-4. Men who describe themselves as homosexual, even those who describe themselves as homosexual and claim to practice celibacy by refraining from homosexual conduct, are disqualified from holding office in the Presbyterian Church in America.
The new EPC overture (which would add a section “c” to their book’s chapter 9-3:
Men and women who identify as homosexual, even those who identify as homosexual and claim to practice celibacy in that self-identification, are disqualified from holding office in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.
Notice the similarity? Notice the near-identicality? What if we told you the trigger for both overtures was the same? It is our understanding that the former PCA (now independent) teaching elder around whom the Revice/Side B controversy swirled may now be seeking to join the EPC.1 Some say this and other sexuality-related EPC overtures are a response to that possibility. Wouldn’t it be interesting if the EPC passed the amendment that the PCA could not?
Actually, all of this is understandable if you remember that the churches that formed the EPC fled the PCUSA which was rapidly becoming (and now is) a fully-affirming denomination. An EPC friend says the attitude of many in the EPC is “We went through a war to get out the PCUSA and we aren't doing this again.”
There are at least six Side-B/sexuality-related proposals before the EPC GA. See the public documents here and here.
The EPC General Assembly meets June 18-20 in Cordova, TN.
NEW INFORMATION: That the case of Greg Johnson and Memorial Presbyterian Church in St. Louis are in view is confirmed by at least one overture: https://epc.org/wp-content/uploads/Files/2-What-We-Do/2-General-Assembly-Meeting/2024/OtherDocuments/OriginalOvertureLetters/Proposed-Mid-America-Overtures-to-GA.pdf This is not to say that Johnson and Memorial are the impetus for all of the sexuality-related overtures before the EPC.
So if this passes, it seems to me that any person saying they are an abstaining alcoholic should also be barred from the pastorate. Maybe it’s a matter of how we are defining/ using terms here.
ok, i understand that the PCA failed to get the 2/3 vote on amending BCO 7-4. without getting into the weeds, is it now dead or can it survive and be passed by some means?