Unless you are an uberPCUSA geek, you may have missed an April Fool's Day joke yesterday. Our Moderator, Bruce Reyes-Chow announced on facebook that he was leaving the denomination. Now, most people would immediately shrug this off as an obvious prank, but given that Reyes-Chow has been surprisingly frank about his struggles with the issue since taking over as Moderator, it didn't seem that far-fetched.
He quickly put the word out that it was a joke, and reiterated his love and support for the Presbyterian Church (USA). In doing so, he referenced a couple of his earlier blog posts on the subject, which I found enlightening. First, he gave his "Top Ten Reasons to Stay in PCUSA", and then he went on to link his blog entry for a week or so ago entitled "Stay, Leave, Return, or Hold"
Both of these articles are relevant to our church (little "c") as we are in this transitional period. Do you ever think you might leave the church? Do you ever think others might? If so, what would it take? Isn't this something we should talk more about, as it is a very human emotion? Or should we just bury our feelings and hope for the best?
I'll tell you what I think - I don't think I would leave our church (little "c" again) over a position our church took on a theological or political issue because the relationships we've built there are too important to me. I do think the Church (big "C") could drive me off, if it lurched backwards in theology or politics to become less reflective of Jesus and his message. Specifically, if our church began to exclude those who are now accepted, or if it began to require pelagiatic emblems of faith or works in order to deserve entry, then I would probably seek another place to call home.
That's how I feel - anyone else thought about this issue?
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