A Fresh Look at the General Assembly and Christian Nationalism

Order of Service

• Prayer of Invocation
• Sunday School Lesson — General Assembly Report and Christian Nationalism Discussion
• Closing Prayer

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Sermon Title: A Fresh Look at the General Assembly and Christian Nationalism

Scripture: No Scripture text assigned

I. Overview of the 53rd PCA General Assembly

• A. Britt Watson, Drew, Kevin, and Mason attended as commissioners from their church, sending the full allotment of commissioners allowed by their church's size.

• B. The atmosphere was described as a foretaste of heaven — encountering fellow believers, former church members, and fellow Marines from years past, all gathered around a common purpose.

• C. Worship each evening included a mix of hymn styles (orchestral one night, guitar-led the next), liturgical readings, and communion on the first night — all described as orthodox and well-executed.

• D. Mel Duncan was elected moderator and handled proceedings with winsome grace.

• E. The PCA continues to grow: 1,600-plus churches, 400,000-plus members, over 5,700 adult professions of faith in the past year, 150,000 families, $1.3 billion in total giving, and approximately $1.175 million in total benevolences — roughly 10–12% of income directed outward, a sign of denominational health.

• F. Reverend Fred Greco was elected as the new Stated Clerk, praised for his expertise in Presbyterian polity, the BCO, and judicial process.

II. How General Assembly Works — Presbyterian Polity

• A. The structure mirrors federalism: General Assembly relates to presbyteries as the federal government relates to states; presbyteries oversee sessions; sessions oversee congregations.

  1. The slowness of Presbyterian process is considered a feature, not a bug — deliberate and resistant to reactionary decisions.
  2. Monday and Tuesday of GA are committee days, where much substantive work is done before the floor votes.

• B. The overtures process was explained in detail.

  1. Overtures are submitted by presbyteries or committees and reviewed by the Overtures Committee.
  2. If the Overtures Committee recommends the negative, the full assembly cannot reverse that to a positive.
  3. If recommended affirmative and approved by the assembly, an overture goes to presbyteries for a two-thirds ratification vote before returning to GA for a majority ratification.

• C. Minute review and presbyterial oversight were discussed as a current area of tension.

  1. Sessions submit minutes to presbyteries; presbyteries submit to GA review.
  2. Exceptions can be formal (procedural) or substantive (serious doctrinal/disciplinary matters).
  3. Persistent non-compliance can eventually be referred to the Standing Judicial Committee.

• D. Notable business items included:

  1. Overture 37 on female deacons was defeated; eight related overtures were bundled with it, meaning some conservative overtures also fell.
  2. The Danvers Statement on biblical manhood and womanhood (1988) was affirmed as biblically faithful; the close vote was seen as procedural rather than substantive opposition.
  3. A study committee on AI was approved; a proposed committee on critical theory was not approved.
  4. The Directory for Worship interim study committee was given another year to gather feedback — its binding status in the constitution remains an open and important question.
  5. Mission to North America, after years of difficulty, appears to be stabilizing under interim leadership.
  6. Ninety overtures were submitted — a record — and twenty were sent back to presbyteries without being addressed.
  7. Voting clicker malfunctions ("Clicker Gate") slowed proceedings but inadvertently discouraged unnecessary motions, ultimately speeding up business.

III. Partial Report on Christian Nationalism

• A. The report was presented by David Strain, pastor of First Presbyterian Church Jackson, and is a partial (non-final) report released for public feedback and session/presbytery discussion.

• B. The central constitutional question concerns which version of the Westminster Confession governs PCA officers.

  1. The 1646 original gave the civil magistrate significant authority in ecclesiastical matters.
  2. The 1788 American revision substantively reduced that authority.
  3. PCA officers are bound to the 1788 text; the 1646 position is not heterodox but is at variance with PCA standards.

• C. The report identifies four broad positions under the "Christian nationalism" label.

  1. General Influence — Christians shape civil society through biblical moral principles while the magistrate protects free exercise of religion.
  2. Nursing Father — the magistrate actively supports the Christian religion.
  3. Establishment Principle — a return to the 1646 confession, with the magistrate establishing true religion and suppressing heresy.
  4. Theonomic Reconstruction — bringing Old Testament civil law into civil government, including capital penalties for idolatry or blasphemy; the 11th General Assembly previously condemned this position.

• D. Key conclusions of the committee include:

  1. Christian nationalism is not a single position and should not be treated as one; the spectrum ranges from fully confessional to clearly out of bounds.
  2. Any form incorporating ethnic partiality, racial superiority, or conflation of national identity with the kingdom of God is contrary to Scripture and the Westminster Standards.
  3. PCA officers holding to the establishment principle must declare it as a stated exception; presbyteries and sessions are responsible for evaluating such differences.
  4. Members are not required to subscribe to the Westminster Standards but do vow to submit to the government and discipline of the church and to pursue its purity and peace.
  5. The PCA should approach these discussions with humility, recognizing that its own tradition has evolved and that Christians of good faith continue to disagree.

• E. Personal reflection: the report helpfully broadened the presenter's own perspective, showing that a wider range of views than expected can coexist peaceably within the denomination.