An Overture to the 30th General Assembly of the PCA on Freemasonry
Whereas, "It belongeth to synods and councils, ministerially
to determine controversies of faith, and. cases
of conscience; to set down rules and directions for the better ordering of the
public worship of God, and government
of His Church...." WCF3l:2.
Whereas, "Our blessed Saviour, for the edification of the visible
Church, which is His body, has appointed
officers not only to preach the Gospel and administer the Sacraments, but also
to exercise discipline for the
preservation both of truth and duty." Preface to the Book of Church Order,
Preliminary Principles, paragraph 3.
Whereas, the 13th General Assembly of the PCA in 1985 appointed a
study committee to examine
Freemasonry and whether its tenets were contrary to basic Christianity. M13GA,
p. 133.
Whereas, the 15th General Assembly of the PCA in 1987 received as
evidence and for study and education
of the entire membership of the PCA the report (M12GA, p. 464, et seq.) and
accompanying documents from the
study committee on Freemasonry and "exhort(ed] all members of Freemasonry
and those considering membership
in Freemasonry, who are also members of the PCA, to reconsider their relationship
with that organization in the light
of the evidence given in'th[at] report and the Topical Summary of the Document
Sources and particularly in light
of such passages as I Thessalonians 5:21, 22 and Matthew 6:22-24." M15GA,
p. 162.
Whereas, the PCA study committee on Freemasonry found the following:
a) "joining the Masons requires actions and vows out of accord with Scripture."
b) "participation in Masonry seriously compromises the Christian faith
and testimony."
c) "membership in Masonry and activity in its ritual lead to a diluting
of commitment to Christ and His Kingdom.
The Scripture is emphatic that a Christian cannot have two masters . . . ."
M15GA, p. 473.
Whereas, we concur in the above studied and documented findings by the PCA study
committee.
Whereas, after an additional year of study, the 16th General Assembly
of the PCA chose to leave the issue
of Freemasonry in the hands of the courts of original jurisdiction, while the
study committee noted that the PCA
"cannot ignore its responsibility to warn those who have ventured into
Freemasonry and exhort them to examine their
lives and commitments anew in the light of God's Word (2 Cor. 4:2; Heb. 13:8,
9; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; I Thess.
5:21-22; Matt. 6:22-24; Jas. 1:8)." M16GA, p. 507.
Whereas, more than fifteen (15) years have passed since this issue
was first addressed in the PCA leaving
more than ample time for gentle and compassionate teaching, instruction, exhortation
and pleading as to the evils
of Freemasonry and its incompatibility with Christianity.
Whereas, there still exist officers in the PCA who are also members
of Freemasonry, an indication that some
courts of original jurisdiction have failed to properly act in this serious
matter.
Whereas, some faithful Christian members and congregations who have
considered membership in the PCA
have expressed serious concern because of the toleration of Freemasonry in the
the PCA.
Whereas, other denominations (e.g.. Orthodox Presbyterian Church,
Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod and
the Christian Reformed Church) have recognized that membership in Freemasonry
is incompatible with membership
in the Christian Church (M15GA, p. 465), a finding in which we concur.
Whereas, membership in Freemasonry is at the very least incompatible
with the higher standards and
qualifications for officers set forth in Scripture and in the constitutional
standards of the PCA.
Therefore, be it resolved that Louisiana Presbytery calls upon the 30th General
Assembly of the PCA to
declare that no man shall be qualified for officer in the PCA if he maintains
membership in Freemasonry
Adopted by the Session of Auburn Avenue Presbyterian Church on December 23,
2001.
J. Steven Wilkins, Moderator
M. Dale Peacock, Stated Clerk