Loving Discipline: What a Rush!

The LayMAN linked to this article about Rev. Jim Yearsley.



He is the guy that filed a complaint against Rev. Janet Edwards. I found this interesting quote:

Yearsley acknowledges that the Presbyterian Church has changed and evolved over hundreds of years. The organization now ordains women, for example. But he insists that the ruling enforcing marriage between only one man and one woman must always remain intact.

"There's a difference between ordaining women and the idea of God's plan for all of humanity," he said. "It's become a cultural issue. But for us, this about the authoritative word of God, which you can't change to make your desire appropriate."

As I recall the arguments against the ordination of women were also about "the authoritative word of God." I am not sure I can even follow Rev. Jim's logic. But then again, prejudice is rarely logical.

Just for fun, readers might be interested in what Rev. Yearsley wrote about me:


In absolute candor, I could not in good conscience sit down and discuss and worship with some of those in our denomination who proudly and loudly proclaim their apostasy and heresies – and, yet, are permitted free reign to run amok. Just as an example, I have zero interest in anything that John Shuck might have to say on any subject related to faith. He holds ordination as a minister of Word and sacrament and, yet, he publicly makes statements such as this:

"… the bottom line for me is I really don't care what the Bible or Reformed theology says about this or that or if its opinion on this or that is presumptuous enough to tell me how to live my life. I can make my own decisions. …"

He follows that up by saying:

"And this means that … if even 500 verses of the Bible and if Jesus himself proclaimed on the Mount of Transfiguration and if Jesus appeared to me on my back deck in the glory of his resuscitated corpse and stated to me as clearly as the four p.m. sun is hot, that homoerotic love is a sin and that if I support gays and lesbians in their relationships I would join them in the fires of hell, I would look him in his piercing eyes and say (if I had the courage of my convictions): 'Fine then. Send me to your hell. You are wrong, Jesus.'"

I don't want to converse with him, exchange views with him or worship with him. Mr. Shuck seems, on the evidence at least, to be well outside of the Christian faith, to say nothing of our Reformed heritage. Understand that he is just one of many. The list is lengthy. We have people in the Louisville offices of this denomination who embrace and promote pagan ideology in the name of diversity and openness. Recommendation 2 might be viable if we had a common frame of reference to start with. In too many cases, we do not. In an ethical presbytery where our fellowship was truly honored, Mr. Shuck and others like him would be facing discipline.

Jim Yearsley Tampa, Fla.



Golly, what is it about those Rev. Jims and their loving discipline?