3
As Christians we are able to assert our belief that where we, as humans, fail, God will succeed.
God will not be limited by our shortfalls. If our church becomes fractured, God will restore us to
wholeness. This is our Resurrection theology. The body of Christ cannot be destroyed, ultimately. The
body of Christ will be restored; the body of Christ will live, forever.
Now the Church is the body of Christ. No matter how much we fear we may wound and
destroy the Church when difficult issues are upon us, the Resurrection reminds us that God will restore
that which has been broken.
How exciting it was when the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) was established as a denomination
in 1983! The formation of our current denomination marked the reunion of the Presbyterian churches of
the North and the South. The Presbyterian Church divided in 1861, over the issue of slavery.
In the 1800's the church fought and fractured itself. Presbyterians in that day did not avoid the
difficult issue of slavery. They felt they could not be faithful to their Christian identity if the church
refused to take a stand on the issue of slavery. Unable to resolve their different points of view, the
church, like the nation, pulled apart.
Presbyterians did not avoid engaging in conflict in the 1800's. In the short term, it looked like
they would have been better off if they had never weighed in on the pressing issue of its day. Our
religious fore-bearers appeared to have destroyed the Church. Yet the body of Christ cannot be
destroyed. What humans thought they had killed in 1861, God restored in 1983. The Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.) has been restored to wholeness – it is no longer divided by factions North and South.
Now for those who lived in the interim, for those who were Presbyterians who were members
of the Southern and Northern denominations that preceded our current one, it was as if they were in the
wilderness and the Promised Land would never be reached.
A new resolution was reached only after a series of overtures that attempted to repair the
breach. The Presbyterian Church would not have been restored without repeated calls to resolve its
differences. It took over 100 years to have reunion.
The two churches became one only by engaging in conversations that were oftentimes heated
and discouraging. They had to be honest about their differences, no matter how difficult it was to hear
the rationale of opposing arguments.
As early as 1888, a prominent Presbyterian publicly stated his belief that the church should
tackle difficult subjects. United States President Grover Cleveland spoke at what was then the 100th
anniversary of the General Assembly. He talked about his expectations of the Presbyterian Church, and
he based his remarks on his experience as the son of a Presbyterian minister. (Grover Cleveland’s
father was the Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Caldwell, New Jersey.)
Mr. Cleveland addressed the General Assembly in Philadelphia. It was the Northern Church
that had convened there. Also in attendance that day, however, were pastors and elders from the
General Assembly of the Southern Church. Divided decades earlier, the Church chose to meet together
as brothers and sisters in Christ. We may well imagine that the range of emotions by the commissioners
was extraordinary. Recent enemies were sitting side by side in the name of God. The ability to be in
the same meeting space was cause for hope.
Grover Cleveland capitalized on the moment, and he was realistic with his assessment. He
knew that great divisions persisted among the Presbyterians. They need not fear their differences, he
 |
 |
 |