A PCA church is not neutral ground
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I am reporting the following primarily to inform the Ruling Elders and Laity of the PCA of what is happening in our beloved denomination. Remember, as an actual denomination our churches are connectional. That is, we are accountible to one another and our polity prescribes a system of discipline when church members, pastors, sessions, or presbyteries sin or indulge in error.
It is sad to see that one of our churches, Memorial Presbyterian in St. Louis, MO (Missouri Presbytery), hosted an event (February 27-March 1) which was intended to celebrate sexual immorality and gender confusion.
The event was called "Transluminate" and is described as "A short-play festival and celebration of transgender, agender, non-binary, genderqueer, and genderfluid artists." Transluminate was hosted by "The Chapel" which is a venue and ministry of Memorial PCA.
On their website, Memorial PCA states the following about The Chapel:
"OUR MISSION --To provide a beautiful setting free of charge for local artists to share their creative genius with the city of Saint Louis, and for members of Memorial Presbyterian Church to invest in the current generation of artists in our city.
OUR MOTIVATION -- The Chapel is more than a venue. We are also volunteers from Memorial Presbyterian Church who believe that our Creator has given everyone a story, and that our stories need to be told, shared, and spread. Artists are gifted storytellers. Our support of their music, artwork, theatrical expression, or an eclectic combination thereof, brings joy to our Creator and beauty to our city."
The sponsor of Transluminate seems to be The Q Collective whose purpose it is to "explore the spectrum of gender, sexuality, and romantic orientation." You can find out more about The Q Collective HERE.
It will be stated, I am quite certain, that The Chapel is a secular organization. But one need only to read about The Chapel on its own website and on that of Memorial PCA to know that it is a "ministry partner" of Memorial and staffed by volunteers from Memorial. The Chapel is located at Memorial PCA. What is more, Memorial PCA states that the purpose of The Chapel is to allow people to "spread their stories." That is, The Chapel is not simply a neutral community center. It is a ministry of one of our churches. It exists to advocate for causes and "spread stories." Certainly, by hosting Transluminate, they spread a story.
On the Transluminate site, we are given the following Content Warning: "Plays may contain adult language and frank sexual situations."
Let us not excuse this sort of thing under the guise of being "missional." This is not the mission of the church. This is not kindness to sinners nor is it glorifying to God. It is confusing and profane.
Does holiness mean anything in the PCA? Have we abandoned the biblical doctrine of sanctification? It seems axiomatic at this point: Where therapeutic language replaces the biblical language for sin, holiness will be replaced by vague notions of authenticity.