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To: Session of San Clemente Presbyterian Church

Date: June 24, 2014
Re: GA 221
From: SCPC Members (signed below)

Dear Session Members,

Many of us have been concerned about our denominations continuous
slide towards serious doctrinal compromise and behavioral rebellion.
Several recent actions of the GA 221, including divestment in Israel,
were inane, dishonest, and even reprehensible. However, the actions
of GA 221 that will redefine and have allowed for gay marriage within
our denomination are particularly alarming because they flagrantly
transgress the clear and historic biblical boundary lines of the visible
church. We feel it is urgent for the Session to provide immediate
spiritual and ecclesiastical leadership in this context.

The intent of this letter is not to rehearse every layer and nuance of
our shared history relative to these issues. We readily acknowledge
that there was a particular season of sincere, intense, and astute
engagement by Pastor Tod at the denominational level to affect the
possibility for fundamental renewal and reform. In fact, many of us
strategically supported a delay in a local discernment process
concerning denominational problems in order to give him an unbiased
platform to work from within the wider communion. We wanted to
avoid undermining his efforts by taking congregational action that
might have been misunderstood or ill perceived by the people Tod was
trying to work with. Unfortunately, the major thrust of that effort was
soundly defeated and since then there has been a profound and
regrettable joint failure between our leaders and lay people to give
these issues the attention they deserve.

Our convictions and concerns are as follows:

1. We are sinners saved by grace through faith.
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With the Apostle
Paul, we confess that, Christ Jesus came into the world to save
sinners, of whom I am the chief.
2
We are broken in all the ways
that are common to humankind, including sexual and marital
sin.
3
Our individual and communal brokenness is born out of

1
Ephesians 2:8-1u
2
1 Tim 1:1S
S
1 }ohn 1:8
2
willful rebellion and unintentional ignorance.
4
The Gospel
commands and invites us to continuously repent from our
waywardness.
5
One expression of our sin is the anger and
disappointment we have felt in our leaders and we ask for your
forgiveness. We appreciate the responsibilities you have
embraced on our behalf and we are sorry to take your labors for
granted.
6
Please forgive us.
2. We believe the downward spiral of the PCUSA can be tied to at
least two major issues. First, there has been a steady departure
from the authority and infallibility of Scripture.
7
Our tradition has
slowly abandoned the whole counsel of God
8
in favor of selective
platitudes that are a mere form of godliness without power.
9

Second, there has been a subversive and destructive redefinition
of what it means to submit to Christ as Lord.
10
Despite our
incredibly rich and orthodox confessional foundations, we have
wandered from them by creeping ignorance
11
, willful denial,
12
a
failure to enforce subscription standards for officers and
pastors,
13
and by an acute unwillingness to engage in church
discipline.
14

3. The challenge of sexual sin is extremely personal, exceedingly
complex, and excruciatingly sensitive. Nevertheless, the
Scriptures are our rule of faith and practice in this matter.
15

Accordingly, we do not hate people who self identify as gay,
transgender, etc. We are not homophobes or homophobic. In
fact, our heart breaks for people and loved ones who are caught
in a web of besetting sexual sins that are so fraught with
relational brokenness and fragility.
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We want nothing more than
to be a community that learns how to effectively love and
minister to people in this circumstance. We are remorseful for
the ways we have been disengaged from this massive challenge

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Leviticus S:18
S
Acts 17:Su
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Bebiews 1S:17
7
Bebiews 12:2S
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Acts 2u:27
9
2 Timothy S:S
1u
Natthew 7:21-2S
11
Bebiews S:12, 1S
12
Bebiews 4:14
1S
}ames S:1
14
Natthew 18:1S-2u, }ames S:19,2u
1S
Westminstei Confession of Faith 1.6
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Romans 1:18-S1
S
within our wider culture, community, and Christian communion.
We ask God to forgive us and equip us for better service.
4. Not all errors of theology or personal practice are of equal weight
or temporal consequence.
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Some are relatively trivial/academic
and some are serious, but others are spiritually fatal
18
. The
overwhelming testimony of the Scriptures is that practices of
human sexuality outside of monogamous heterosexual marriage
are extreme abominations to the Lord.
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According to Scripture,
we believe that the official position of the PCUSA that redefines
marriage contrary to Christs teaching
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and allows for gay
marriage repudiates the identity boundaries of the church and
therefore commits apostasy. We believe that those who bear
the name of brother,
21
but pastorally perform and/or practice
gay marriage as normative for the Christian faith are outside the
boundaries of the visible church
22
and should be called to
repentance and disciplined.
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God alone is the final and eternal
judge, but He provides rubrics for the identification of His people
in this age.
24
People and institutions that explicitly and flagrantly
wander outside these boundaries should be admonished,
rebuked, and ultimately dismissed from the visible fold of the
holy, catholic, and apostolic church.
25

5. Christs church and people are always going to exist in a state of
broken imperfection, sin, and constant repentance this side of
the consummation.
26
This is why we are called to the difficult
work of the peace and purity of the church. However, Christians
are not called to remain in openly apostate communions that
explicitly and joyfully endorse blatant immorality as a religious
norm.
27
In fact, Christ warns such individuals and churches with
their very existence and calls them to immediate repentance.
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In Presbyterian polity, local churches and regional presbyteries
voluntarily submit to the governance provided by the wider

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Westminstei Shoitei Catechism, Q.8S
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1 Coiinthians 6:9-11
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Leviticus 18, Leviticus 2u:1u-16
2u
Natthew 19:S, 6
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1 Coiinthians S:11
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Westminstei Confession of Faith 2S.2
2S
I Coiinthians S:1-S
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1 Coiinthians S:12, 1S
2S
Natthew 18:1S-2u, Romans 16:17-18
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Natthew 1S:24-Su
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Isaiah S:2u
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Revelation 2:12-29
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communion. Since the PCUSA has endorsed apostate behavior as
a religious norm we have a positive duty
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for the sake of the
kingdom of Christ to realign with an orthodox communion.
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6. In the face of such a public circumstance, merely promoting
affirmative positions without explicit public calls to repentance
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are insufficient and incomplete. The Gospel includes specific
exhortations to put off the old man and put on the new.
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The
positive call to belief should be accompanied by a call to specific
and general repentance.
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This prophetic pattern of warning and
promise is the pattern of spiritual leadership we should emulate.
And in so doing we must confess and declare our own complicity
contributions in the sins of our community.
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7. Impassioned calls to peace through the pursuit of mission and
sacramental fellowship cannot and should not be pitted against
serious deliberations and discernment around these issues.
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That is a false either/or dichotomy that breeds further rancor
and disunity. A more biblical and productive posture would be to
encourage simultaneous engagement in discernment and
mission for the sake of our mission.
36

8. Marriage and mission are deeply interrelated in the creational
constitution of humanity and the kingdom of Christ.
37
While not
all mission is expressly tied to marriage and family, a denial of
Gods creative and redemptive scheme undermines our witness
as Christians.
38
We must not pretend that mission is somehow
abstracted away from the significance of Gods program for
marriage and family the very bedrock of all human community
and culture.
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9. The spirit of disunity
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in these matters lies squarely with those
who have schemed so long to move the ancient boundaries
clearly articulated by Scripture.
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The pursuit of unity should not

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2 Petei S:17
Su
Westminstei Confession of Faith 2S.S
S1
1 Timothy S:2u, Titus 2:1S
S2
Ephesians 4:2u-24
SS
Naik 1:1S
S4
Isaiah 6:S
SS
Ezekiel 1S:1u-12
S6
1 Timothy 4:16
S7
Ephesians S:22-SS
S8
Ephesians S:S-7
S9
}eiemiah 29:4-8
4u
2 Petei 2
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Pioveibs 22:28
S
be framed as an avoidance of serious conflict in the face of fatal
issues.
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That is not unity; that is complicity and ambivalence
that should not be named among us.
10. Personal obedience to ones conscience is a critical part of
the pursuit of holiness.
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However, using personal conscience as
a shield and conversation-stopper on explicit Scriptural issues is
an unscriptural and unhealthy practice especially among
leaders and ordained pastors.
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If we are truly a community for
the community we cannot afford to play fast and loose with our
personal consciences as a way to avoid our calling in conflict. We
must submit ourselves in faith to the Scriptures.
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11. We understand that it will take time to discern an
appropriate pastoral pathway for San Clemente Presbyterian
Church given this situation. Some have explicitly advocated
slowing any official or definitive discernment process down until
a new Senior Pastor is in place. We are concerned that
discernment might become internal bureaucratic code for
delaying spiritual leadership. We also believe that the logic of
waiting for a new PHOS defies our understanding of
Presbyterianism and the role of ruling elders.
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Our Session is
fully capable of leading in the absence of a PHOS. Delaying
definite discernment also creates a series of significant
pragmatic and tactical problems that may haunt us for years to
come. Our own presbytery is becoming more liberal due to the
withdrawal of more faithful congregations. This does not bode
well for our future options.

We appreciate the opportunity for a town hall meeting where
information can be shared and voices can be heard. However, our
burden is for the spiritual leaders or our community to decisively lead
us in repentance, lament, rebuke, prayer, and a pathway towards
what lies ahead. We prayerfully await your response as God shapes
the future of His church and our lives.


Thank you for your consideration.



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}uue 1:S
4S
Romans 14
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1 Coiinthians S:6-1S
4S
2 Timothy S:16
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1 Timothy S:1-S
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Prayerfully,


Brett Bonecutter (bbonecutter@yahoo.com)
Gina Bonecutter (gina@graceclassicalacademy.com)
Patrick Maloney (pandlmaloney@cox.net)
Lisa Maloney (pandlmaloney@cox.net)
Kim Yim (kimyim@me.com)
John Yim (kimyim@me.com)
Connie Veldkamp (connie.veldkamp@cox.net)
Brett Knox (brett.knox@abm.com)
Kay Ferranto (kayferranto@cox.net)
Ross Anderson (rkanderson5@cox.net)
Bill Bluett (gammab1@cox.net)
Helen Bluett (gammab1@cox.net)
Virginia Simmons (virginiasimmons.sc@gmail.com)
Karen Lee (karenleealston26@yahoo.com)
Tony Arrollado (tony_arrollado@cox.net)
Wende Arrollado (warrollado@cox.net)
Stephen S. Grane (ssstep@aol.com)
Don Eades (stuke3@msn.com)
Bill Freeman (william@freemanmbi.com)
Carla Freeman (carlafreeman@me.com)
Meredith Reuter (reuter3@cox.net)
CJ Reuter (reutercj@yahoo.com)
Dick Innes (richard@actscom.com)
Joy Innes (admin@actsweb.org)
Don Bare (dhbare99@yahoo.com)
Helen Bare (dhbare99@yahoo.com)
Bill Ewing (billndianeewing@sbcglobal.net)
Diane Ewing (billndianeewing@sbcglobal.net)
Brad den Dulk (brad@beachsidevacationrentals.net)
Jeff Vermeer (vermeersathome@gmail.com)
Nancee Vermeer (vermeersathome@gmail.com)
Mark Roberts (robe232@cox.net)
Kristin Massamiri (kristin@wheenk.com)
Kristi Smith (dancekos@cox.net)
Todd Smith (dancekos@cox.net)
Steve Ernest (sernest@cookseylaw.com)
Mike Duerksen (michael.duerksen@sbcglobal.net)
Tracy Knox (tracylynne.knox@gmail.com)
Dee Hazen (revdee210@gmail.com)