Posted 7/26/03

This posting is copied by permission from Rev. Norwoods web site at:
www.BrokenJars.org

This letter from Rev Norwood offers an explanation of his unwillingness to submit to the Northern PEC, given its recent actions.

See Rev Norwood's initial letter to PEC

See PEC Letter removing "minister under call " status 

Dear friends of Broken Jars:

Many of the readers of this e-Dition, and certainly everyone who personally knows me, is aware that, although Broken Jars is an independent and completely interdenominational ministry, I have been a member of the Moravian Church in America since the day I became a Christian in 1969, and an ordained pastor "under call" to its Northern Province since 1973. I have loved the church, although throughout these thirty years I, and a small core of like-minded pastors and church members, have struggled against what we've perceived to be the church's drift away from essential Biblical values. Over the years, we have raised our voices in opposition to stands taken by the church on issues such as abortion, and somehow, even in the disagreement, I felt that even those with whom we disagreed shared at least a basic commitment to the foundational truth contained in our historic documents, namely, that the Holy Scriptures are "the sole standard of the doctrine and faith of the Unitas Fratrum and therefore shapes our life".

In spite of the constant wrestling over issues of faith, synod after synod, I was prepared to stay and with others remain a voice for an evangelical position within a denomination historically noted for its evangelicalism. I would still be prepared to stay. But for two things:

First, the drift away from Biblical Christianity became torrential in June 2002. The Northern Province synod resolved "Homosexual individuals shall be supported and affirmed by being allowed to celebrate their lives as individuals and/or couples completely within the bounds of the church and under the grace which our Creator imparts to all persons" [my highlighting]. What would you do with this? I find it impossible to say Amen to this. In fact, I find it blasphemous. But in spite of my opinion, why not just be silent and hope that ultimately the church changes its mind? Because of the following:

Second, unlike pastors serving congregations within the Moravian Church, as a pastor under call to 'specialized ministries' I am required to submit an annual report to the provincial elders, indicating among other things, whether or not I remain 'open to call' to the Moravian Church. "Open to call" as I understand it means more than simply being available to serve, if asked by the denomination, in another ministerial capacity: it implies a degree of submission to, accountability to, respect for that denominational authority, its synods and leaders. When I say I am "open to call" I am inferring that I understand that the denomination has an authority to which I must defer and submit. Understand this: if I were serving as a congregational pastor, I would not have to answer this question annually. I could keep my opinions to myself and not have to declare them publicly. And unless I spoke out, no one would ever know my will or thoughts on the issue of submission, or that I was 'open to call' only under certain conditions. But on the annual report form for the year 2002, the question was, as always, asked. It demanded an answer. You may read my response to that question by clicking here. [or by pointing your browser to http://www.brokenjars.org/open2call.html]

The provincial elders responded by letter on May 27. [http://www.brokenjars.org/pecresponse.html] I am still an ordained pastor, but no longer under call to the Northern Province. No scripture was invoked to justify their position, only a reference to the denominational handbook. So it comes to this: I cannot submit and accept as true and godly the pronouncement of a synod which has declared 'celebrate-able' what God declares an abomination; nor can I spiritually submit to leaders who rank the regulations in a denominational Book of Order as more important than the Law of the Lord.

I am still a Moravian. Probably more than ever. A "crusader for my own point of view" as the PEC president says?? I certainly hope not, but a crusader indeed for what is true and Biblical. For early Moravian Jan Hus, the truth of the Bible always surmounted the pronouncements of a church, and I'd like to think there are still a lot of us who believe that.

Lovingly,

Doug Norwood