Tradition has it that on this day, October 31, in 1517, Martin Luther posted on the Castle Church door in Wittenberg, Germany his “Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences.” This invitation to scholarly debate is now commonly known as the “95 Theses” and is considered a pivotal moment in the Protestant Reformation.  (More information on the 95 Theses from Wikipedia)

This was an academic and scholarly document, no question about that.  Luther was a theology professor and wanted to debate theology.  And this was not mainstream theology.  Luther was directly challenging the church doctrine of the day, a doctrine that had economic implications for the church.  But while he was challenging the church doctrine and theology, at this point he was not challenging the existence of the church itself.  In an effort to preserve the status quo the “powers that be” realized the threat this posed to them, their authority, and their way of life.  As events unfolded the stakes were raised and a renegade branch of the Roman church split off to form what is today the Lutheran Church.  It is interesting to note that probably the only reason that Martin Luther did not meet a swift and sudden end was that in God’s providence there was a political structure in place that chose to, and was able to, protect him.

Fast forward to today:  Yes, I have structured this commentary to have direct parallels to the current crisis, and yes I deliberately use that word, in the PC(USA).  When the 217th GA passed the PUP report and the new Authoritative Interpretation, I had hoped that the polity and theological issues would play themselves out decently and in order.  I had hoped and prayed that members, churches and presbyteries would take a step back and make it happen that “nothing had changed.”  Instead, as we have seen, the AI has raised a significant level of distrust in the “powers that be.” (Yes I know, we are Presbyterians and the “powers that be” are supposed to be us as presbyters.)  And the gang in Louisville isn’t doing us any favors by having file cabinets full of legal memos and actively helping synods and presbyteries pursue civil litigation against congregations.  In the last two weeks I have had several conversations with people, sessions, executives, and other officers and much of what I have been hearing makes the PC(USA) sound like an inverted triangle with the mission and the program on the overloaded top coming down to the “people in the pews” rather than the church being founded on a base guiding and doing mission.  The PC(USA) may win the battle but lose the war.

In this press for invoking the trust clause to protect property and per capita I close with G-3.0400 from the PC(USA) Book of Order:

The Church is called to undertake [its] mission even at the risk of losing its life, trusting in God alone as the author and giver of life, sharing the gospel, and doing those deeds in the world that point beyond themselves to the new reality in Christ.

Happy Reformation Day