In the run-up to the PCA’s debates about repenting corporately for racism, I wonder if the opponents of racism have left room for excluding women from church office. Consider the following definition of racism (with assertions of gender hierarchicalism for the r-word):
RacismExcluding women from special office is the denial of the image of God (Genesis 1:26, 27) and its implications to someone of anotherethnicitysex.RacismMale-only elders and deacons in the church is a contradiction of the visible unity of all believers in Christ (Ephesians 2:11-22, Revelation 5:9, 7:9).Racisminside and outside the churchMale privilege inside the church and the family is a contradiction of Jesus’ command to love our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:31, Luke 10:25-37, esp. 29, 37), and of God’s creation of all people in his image (Genesis 1:27, Acts 17:26). So theologically,racismpreference for men in church office entails a denial of the biblical doctrines of creation, man, the communion of saints and is disobedience to the moral law. We will not mince words.RacismMale dominance in church office and marriage is not only sin, serious sin, it is heresy.
To be clear, racism is arguably different from excluding women from church office. Furthermore, the consequences of racism have been far more consequential than barring women from special ecclesiastical office (though I know some feminists disagree). But the question is whether the PCA’s condemnation of racism leaves wiggle room for distinguishing racial equality from equality of the sexes. (Have we all forgotten the CRC‘s arguments for ordaining women?)
In fact, the power of egalitarianism is so strong you have to wonder if the PCA will have the wits in a decade to avoid repenting not merely for tolerating financial inequality among its members but even advocating it. After all, once you start down the road of equality, doesn’t history suggest your brake fluid runs dry? Consider the logic of social justice warfare among Roman Catholics:
We have an economy of exclusion, and a polity that refuses to challenge the ideology of the market that has generated the economy of exclusion. We do not start with the most basic human quality, work. We start with an alien and hateful ideology rooted in supposed “economic laws” that are, in fact, human creations, not natural ones, but which are so prevalent, no one dares to question them. This is why, if you go to a conference on Laudato Si’ and they do not speak about both human ecology and multinational corporations, they don’t get it.
Old Life 
A certain unordained PCA worship directoress has taken issue with masculine terms for God and referred to the third person as an “it”. What you suggest is not far behind.
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Surprised Galatians 3:28, a favorite of the egalitarian crowd, didn’t make an appearance…
And sorry to nitpick, but what’s the practical effect of calling racism a “heresy”?
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I can’t believe we let them drive. Have to deal with that bad decision every day.
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It’s the traditionalist faction that appears to be behind the racism apology. I guess they want us to know that they’ve all stopped being racist…52 years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act.
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mboss, not just really but really really bad.
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evan, but 52 years ago no one knew about moisturizing except women. What are you saying?
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mboss says: Surprised Galatians 3:28, a favorite of the egalitarian crowd, didn’t make an appearance
Well, you 3 Mr. I’ll- alway-tell-you-what-I’m-against-but-never- actually-what-I’m-for [cw, mboss, ‘splainsean],
what is the appeal in Gal 3:28? I think understanding the equality explained there would calibrate all partial attitudes.
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Does calling racism a heresy mean that it’s worse than, for instance, advocating Federal Vision?
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Ali, say what?
DGH, in trying to outdo each other, they’re getting theologically sloppy (btw the parallels to the CRC’s war over WIO are spot on). Just because I sin, doesn’t make me a heretic. I’m sure we harbor all sorts of bad stuff in our hearts – greed, lust, pride, racism, hatred. But that’s not equivalent to denying the Trinity, right?
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Did they bother to define the heresy of racism?
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“A certain unordained PCA worship directoress has taken issue with masculine terms for God and referred to the third person as an “it”. What you suggest is not far behind.”
When I was a Lutheran many years ago and didn’t know about the ELCA and went to a church and the pastor’s wife referred to God as a her. I ran. Seems like churches with pastrixes are apostate; they deny basic Christian orthodoxy. A leads to B and B leads to and so on…
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Apparently, DG, you’re not the only one with this concern. If racial reconciliation in the church means an influx of single black mothers into NAPARC, this is a legitimate concern. Or maybe once the whites say they’re sorry for their systemic oppression, the whole single-block-moms stereotype/phenomenon will cease to exist.
http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/a-black-man-s-hope-for-complementarians
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