Central Georgia Presbytery approved an overture at its January 11, 2020 Stated Meeting, placing before the 48th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America a “BCO 34-1 request for General Assembly to Assume Original Jurisdiction in Missouri Presbytery Issue.”

An overture is a means by which a Presbytery can bring a matter to the General Assembly for consideration. The rules provide that this overture will be sent to and considered by the Standing Judicial Commission. BCO 34-1 provides that if two Presbyteries request the General Assembly to assume original jurisdiction on a matter it shall do so:

Process against a minister shall be entered before the Presbytery of which he is a member.  However, if the Presbytery refuses to act in doctrinal cases or cases of public scandal and two other Presbyteries request the General Assembly to assume original jurisdiction (to first receive and initially hear and determine), the General Assembly shall do so.

Overture 2 alleges that “TE Greg Johnson has and continues to teach that Christians can be identified as homosexuals, and that those who experience same-sex temptations are not normally delivered from these, and are not normally changed in nature by the LORD.” It also alleges that the “Memorial Presbyterian Church’s session promoted Revoice 2018, which propagates these doctrines;” and further that “these doctrines are contrary to the clear teaching of scripture with regard to sanctification as taught in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, which states that homosexual identity is past tense for believers.” As a result of these and other listed allegations, the Overture asks the PCA General Assembly to “assume original jurisdiction of the case of the investigation by Missouri Presbytery of Greg Johnson and the session of Memorial Presbyterian Church with regard to theological error and involvement in the 2018 Revoice Conference.”

OVERTURE 2 from Central Georgia Presbytery

“BCO 34-1 request for General Assembly to Assume Original Jurisdiction in Missouri Presbytery Issue”

Whereas TE Greg Johnson has and continues to teach that Christians can be identified as homosexuals, and that those who experience same-sex temptations are not normally delivered from these, and are not normally changed in nature by the LORD; and

Whereas Memorial Presbyterian Church’s session promoted Revoice 2018, which propagates these doctrines; and

Whereas these doctrines are contrary to the clear teaching of scripture with regard to sanctification as taught in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, which states that homosexual identity is past tense for believers; and

Whereas these doctrines are contrary to the Biblical doctrine of regeneration as taught in 2 Corinthians 5:17, which states that those who are in Christ are new creatures, and that the old is passed away; and

Whereas these doctrines are contrary to the Westminster Standards, specifically the Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 13, article 1, which states that the lusts of those who are regenerated and sanctified “are more and more weakened and mortified” and that those so regenerated are “more and more quickened and strengthened in all saving graces, to the practice of true holiness;” and

Whereas TE Greg Johnson and the session of Memorial Presbyterian Church, St. Louis, MO, were investigated by Missouri Presbytery with regard to possible theological error in these teachings, and specifically in regard to the promotion of the 2018 Revoice Conference and its positions on homosexuality which are contrary to the biblical, confessional doctrines as stated above; and

Whereas Missouri Presbytery found TE Greg Johnson and Memorial Presbyterian Church’s session guilty of no gross theological error (as published in its May 18, 2019 report); and

Whereas BCO 34-1 states that two presbyteries may request that General Assembly take up original jurisdiction of a case originally brought before another presbytery; and

Whereas RAO 11 specifies that these presbyteries make this request by means of Overture of the General Assembly; and

Whereas RAO 15-4 and 17-2 would require such an overtured case to be referred to the Standing Judicial Commission for action;

Therefore be it resolved that Central Georgia Presbytery requests that the 48th General Assembly assume original jurisdiction of the case of the investigation by Missouri Presbytery of Greg Johnson and the session of Memorial Presbyterian Church with regard to theological error and involvement in the 2018 Revoice Conference.

Adopted by Central Georgia Presbytery at its stated meeting, January 11, 2020
Attested by RE Robbin W. Morton, stated clerk

[Editor’s note: The link (URL) to the original article is unavailable and has been removed.]