Some of you who read this blog are not Presbyterian, and I try to avoid boring you with too much PCUSA stuff. However, last week, a book called Christian Faith and the Truth Behind 9/11: A Call to Reflection and Action. It is a conspiracy theory that says President Bush planned the events of 9/11 so he could make the case for war in the Middle East. It was published by the John Knox Press, which is part of the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation (PPC). The PPC is not under the direct authority of the denomination (about what it publishes) but operates as a partnership with other publishers and has our name. You can read about the story in Christianity Today.
Yesterday a new event emerged. Within our Presbyterian system, a congregation's real estate and assets are supposed to revert to the presbytery if a congregation should decide to leave the fold. Many more conservative and Evangelical congregations are very unhappy with the state of affairs in the denomination and have considered leaving. Denominational lawyers have selectively and confidentially released some recommendations to specific presbyteries about what to do if a congregation decides to go with its property. You can read that story at the Presbyterian Layman. I particularly like this profiling advice once you get the "schismatic" congregation in court.
Try to get the case before a judge whose religious affiliation (specifically, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Methodist and Roman Catholic) would make him sympathetic to the property claims of hierarchical denominations. "For a judge from an Episcopal system (Catholic and Episcopalian), it is very helpful to say, 'The presbytery is the bishop.'" The recommendation warns against going before a Baptist judge.
So I want my Presbyterian friends to know I know what is happening. For reasons of my own, I choose not to say much about either story at this time. However, since I have your attention, I did want to draw your attention to my forthcoming book to be published by the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. It is called The PCUSA and the Truth Behind the New Wineskins. It is an investigative book that reveals how New Wineskins is really a front organization of the Stated Clerk's office to identify schismatics. 🙂
Leave a Reply