Dr. John Gerstner, in evaluating a preliminary draft of the Confession of 1967, labeled it "the greatest doctrinal disaster in the history of Presbyterianism" and a "slander to our Presbyterian fathers." But when he later focused on the change in the subscription vow as approved by the General Assembly of 1966, he claimed that the intent of that Assembly made the "instruction and guidance" to be "tantamount to believing what is catholic, evangelical, and reformed in the Book of Confessions." That eliminated, he reasoned, the neo-orthodox elements of the Confession. Gerstner concluded that the new vow rendered the UPCUSA, "in its officially subscribed documents, more catholic, evangelical, and reformed than ever before.” In the late 1960’s Dr. Gerstner stayed in the UPUSA. One could question why he did so, and I am sure many have, but in good conscience he stayed as a minister of the Gospel of Christ Jesus.

Again we read these words of Dr. John Gerstner, a former Professor at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. They ring with the same truth and urgency today as when they were delivered more than a quarter of a century ago on February 19, 1981: ”Almost all who have examined and approved this manifesto have been in the United Presbyterian Church for a long time, some in the ministry for 40 years and more while we have seen our mother, our church, slowly dying. We have stayed all the more determinedly by her side to prevent the disaster if we could. It has been shown now that we cannot do so. Our mother, our church, has died. We must bury her, unless under God, this General Assembly raises her again from the dead. This we most fervently pray will be the case. It is utterly impossible for the United Presbyterian Church to profess the Christian religion and at the same time to authorize demonstrated unbelievers in the Christian religion to serve in her ministry. This is intolerable and if a church persists in it, it ceases to be a church of Jesus Christ. We are not to come out and separate from a professing Christian body until Christ leaves that body. When that body rejects Christ’s authority and His doctrine can He any longer consider that body His? Many once noble churches have fallen away and have had their candlestick removed. It seems to us that Christ is about to do the same with our own United Presbyterian Church.”

Dr. Gerstner, a conservative Christian stayed in with the liberal Presbyterian Church for years and years when many left long before he did. His writings have many times been seen on the Highway Discussion Board as thoughts to be recognized. Like Dr. Gerstner, I am not in favor of leaving the PCA at this juncture, and certainly not because of Dr. Elliott’s words posted on the Highway Discussion Board. From his website Teaching The Word Ministries, Dr. Elliott makes this statement, “What a pathetic sight the PCA has become - especially its so-called conservative faction. If men of this mindset had been given the job of fighting the Nazis seventy years ago, we would all be speaking German today.” That statement by Dr. Elliott is actually saying God has less control than mankind. I do not know you or your elders, but I do not believe your elders are “pathetic” in their oversight of the local body of Christ. I ask you to consider going to you elders and enter into a discussion about your biblical understanding of Biologos. “If in good conscience you believe they are not listening to you or they agree with the teaching of Biologos, then you will need to take someone else with you and explain why you believe Biologos is not in harmony with the Bible. If they still do not listen to you and your concerns then you need to elevate your concerns to Presbytery. Our God is not distant, or away on a short vacation, or asleep, or not active in every square inch of the cosmos. “All mankind will come and bow down before him” ….. even the creators of Biologos or any unbiblical aspect of the PCA, OPC, OCRC, CREC, RBC, URC, PR, ERPC, etc.