Here's an update on the Atheist Church Member, Robert Jensen, the guy who joined St Andrews Presbyterian Church in Austin without professing belief in God, Christ or much of anything else. Jensen is back with another internet article: "Finding My Way Back To Church...And Getting Kicked Out." (Hat tips to A Classical Presbyterian and Presbyweb for the link.)
Some of you will recall the fuss that ensued last spring when he published "Why I Am A Christian Sort of" in the Houston Chronicle (still available on the web here). The fuss resulted in an investigation by Mission Presbytery which instructed St. Andrews to remove Jensen from the membership rolls and transfer him to the "baptised" list. Jensen was baptised as an infant, apparently. Classical Presbyterian reports that the session and pastor of St. Andrews have refused to comply and filed a complaint with the Synod of the Sun to set aside that determination, so the saga continues in Central Texas.
CP has some good observations about Jensen's latest publication in the post I linked above. Now that I've read "Finding My Way etc", I would not be surprised to see it turn up again in the Houston Chronicle or another major newspaper. Recall that Jensen is a professor of journalism and knows exactly how to write and position an article in order to have it picked up by mainstream sources, just as he did with "Why I Am A Christian Sort Of ". No one can accuse Jensen or Rev. Jim Rigby, the pastor of St. Andrews, of seeking to avoid publicity.
Jensen deliberately obscures the fact that no one is asking him not to attend or participate in the life of this church. He's no fool--he's had enough background in the church to know that belief in Christ is a prerequisite for membership. Perhaps he is sincerely seeking faith and one can pray that he may find it. But it doesn't seem likely with mentors like Rigby who seems to have a martyr complex and is failing in his duty to properly teach and mentor both Jensen and the church.
Confession of belief in Christ is the historic test of church membership or of self-identification as a Christian. It's nothing new. So what is the point of this foolish ecclesiastical legal jousting? Is it to expand the "inclusiveness" of the church? Is it to test the will of presbytery and the synod to enforce the Book of Order? Is it self-dramatization?
Whatever it is, the PCUSA cannot and must not back down on this case, even at the cost of ridicule from the secular press.
5 comments:
Preach it, sister and hold the line1
Several churches I know of, (PCUSA and not)have an official designation "friend of the church", for folks who want to make a public commitment to the church community but are not able to profess faith in Christ as Savior. This includes Jewish/Hindu/Muslim spouses of members, as well as skeptics and seekers like Mr. Jensen. I'm not completely sure how I feel about that--but maybe this is a good middle course between accepting members who really don't meet the standards for membership and having no way to honor the journeys of those who are part of the church community in important but different ways.
Thank you for sharing this story. And I agree wholeheartedly with you.
Speaking as a member of the General Council of Mission presbytery, we gave this church the middle-ground option of his being on the baptized role--and the church spurned our gracious compromise offer.
We are now going to the Synod PJC over it.
A Christian Chruch is meant to be a place where like minded believers can come together and worship God and strengthen one another in the faith. Adding non-believers into the fold creates a continual Mars Hill environment were "Amen's" are always met with "Yeah, buts". What is gained by having an athiest in the midst except to creating an evironment of dessention and doubt. I pray for the children of that church.
Post a Comment