"To be wrong, and to be carefully wrong, that is the definition of decadence." - G. K. Chesterton, A Miscellany of Men
Here we have a wedding ceremony of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Manhattan.
Presiding over the service on the congregation's right wearing a suit is a male pastor (Scott Sauls) who formerly held his credentials in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church--a Reformed denomination that approves of female pastors and elders.
Presiding over the service on the congregation's left wearing a minister's robe is a female pastor.
Wedding ceremonies not being sacramental among us Protestants, one might argue it doesn't matter much if female pastors co-officiate with male pastors...
But then we remember Redeemer has female officers serve the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper alongside male officers. And really, if one were to think Bibically let alone Creation-Orderly about marriage, what are we saying about marriage and authority when we have a woman pastor ministering the Word of God at a worship service ordered for the creation of a new household of faith?
Let me tell you what we are saying: that sex and authority are not linked in any important way, or that the office of pastor is no position of authority. Also that we masters of the universe
As we've said over and over again, Redeemer is not disciplined because at least half of the PCA loves her minced confession. Mission to the World sends the PCA's missionaries to Redeemer to be trained and those missionaries then go out making nice with woman pastors and elders. Bryan Chappel hobnobs with Redeemer's pastor in front of his students at Covenant Theological Seminary and those students go out into the PCA's pulpits having learned not to preach the Law of God concerning our culture's worst perversions of sexuality.
Redeemer has woman officers who teach and exercise authority over men. Redeemer's small groups are led by women who teach and exercise authority over men. Redeemer's deacons are led by a woman who teaches and exercises authority over men. Redeemer's seminar on sexuality is led by a woman who teaches and exercises authority over men. Redeemer has women adminster the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. Here Redeemer has a woman presiding over a wedding ceremony, teaching and exercising authority over men.
Scripture always and plainly addresses marriage exhorting the wife to confess God's Creation Order by submitting to her husband's authority, but in their about-to-be-released book on marriage, Tim and Kathy Keller deal with God's Creation Order in an appendix titled, "Decision Making and Gender Roles."
Not "sex" but "gender;" not "authority and submission" but "decision-making;" not "being" but "roles."
When Martyn Lloyd-Jones sensed the Holy Spirit was specially present in his proclamation of the Word in a particular service of worship, he'd say he'd been given "freedom." What a contrast with Redeemer's pastors who tie up God's Creation Order of Adam first, then Eve, in a straitjacket of cultural conformity.
This is the decadence of the Reformed church today.
(Both of Us, w/thanks to a PCA teaching elder)
