Reformed Presbyterian Minutes of Synod 1993

REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 149ments in the Testimony, Chap. 26, Pages A-91, A-92. They not onlythat it is "altogether wise and proper that Christians refrain from the use,sale and manufacture of alcoholic beverages," but hedge in all possibleuses of different kinds of dangerous substances, including "escape"through them, by the raleof "being careful not to conform to the attitudesand the practices of the world." Your committee, therefore, desires that theSynod adopt and forward the overture contained in Recommendation 6 tothe sessions with the exhortation that the purpose of voting on changes inthe fundamental law of the Church is to bring our subordinate standardsinto greater harmony with Scriptural tmth and order. Therefore, an eldervoting on an overture should, before God, do as much preparation beforevoting as any delegated member of the Synod.RESPONSE TO APPEAL FROM PRESBYTERYOF THE ALLEGHENIESThis report will respond briefly to arguments (written in quotationmarks) contained in the August 5, 1992 appeal of the Presbytery of theAlleghenies to the Synod:1) "Ordination vows should express the faith-commitments of theofficers, not simply promises of conformity." We agree with this, but thevows taken by new ordinands involve not only their faith commitments asindividuals before God, but their faith commitments as members of acorporate covenanted community.2) "Since the promise of abstinence was added to the ordination queriesin 1939, Synod has not issued a substantive, positive argument, based onScriptural exegesis, for the requirement of total abstinence on the part ofofficers." We can agree in part, but under the section "Where Enor HasCome In," Item 1, above, we have argued that appeals have repeatedlybeen made to the Scripture, albeit not satisfactorily to many in the Synodand the Church.3) "Synod has allowed exceptions in the past to the enforcement ofQuery #8." One exception cited, a situation in South China in 1938, wasnot dealing with ordination vows. Query #8, as part of ordination vows,was not yet required then. The declaration made by a North Hills deaconthat in spite of Synod's action, he would no longer promise to abstaintotally, is said to have been reviewed both by Pittsburgh Presbytery andSynod, and no disciplinary action taken. Synod of 1975 apparently enedin not exercising discipline. Nonenforcement of the church's law, as apattern, will result in erosion of the respect due such law and the church'sinterpretation of it, and in "every man (or congregation) doing what is rightin his (its) own eyes." In retrospect, we do not approve of what was doneor not done in this matter in 1975, though two of the committee members