An Ambivalent Look at a Good Church

I’m not quite sure what to make of this, but it is interesting.

I doubt many of you have heard of Perspectives Journal.  It’s “A Journal of Reformed Thought” mostly from left-of-center voices in the RCA, CRC, and PC(USA).  I often disagree with the articles, though to their credit they will present a point-counterpoint on controversial issues (in the current issue the point-counterpoint is on whether the RCA will survive!).

Given the usual subject matter and theological perspective of the journal, I was surprised to see an article in the November issue on Philadelphia’s Tenth Presbyterian Church.  Perspectives is doing a series of articles exploring “current worship and preaching practices at different Reformed and Presbyterian churches around North America.  This month they visited Tenth Presbyterian.

As many of you know, Tenth is one of the leading churches in the PCA. It has a vibrant ministry to its Center City surroundings and a rich history of expository preachers, including Donald Grey Barnhouse (1927-1960), James Montgomery Boice (1968-2000), and Philip G. Ryken (2000-).  I have long respected the ministry at Tenth.  So it was with great interest that I read an “outsiders” take on this famous church.

The author of the brief review is Susan A. Sytsma Bratt, a newly ordained pastor in the PC(USA) and pastoral resident at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church in Bryan Mawr, Pennsylvannia.  I won’t give a summary of the review.  You can read it yourself.  It’s not very long and it has what you would expect: a little history, a description of the building, a rundown of the service, and some concluding reflections.

What’s always interesting in a review like this is what stands out to the reviewer.  For example, Bratt (or Sytsma Bratt, without the explicit hyphen I’m not sure which to use) says in one place “Oh, to be a preacher at Tenth where the congregation expects a sermon of at least forty-five minutes!”  It’s good for me to be reminded that the 45 minutes my congregation, and Tenth’s, expects on Sunday is the exception.  Would that it were the rule.

Overall, Bratt seems pleased with the service, though not without a few critiques.  She raves about the singing, the music, and the reciting of the Apostles’ Creed.  She thought the sermon was solid, and the young diverse crowd impressive.  The service flowed well in her estimation and the ministry seemed theological and heartfelt.  But one also gets the impression that the service was a little too muted for her tastes, and she didn’t get greeted as warmly as she would have liked.

The most serious critique, as one might expect given the author’s profession, focused on the exclusively male pastorate at Tenth.  Even though “a wall of women” collected the tithes and visitors’ cards, Bratt is more affected by “the wall of men in dark suits seated on the chancel.”  The last paragraph makes her concern clear:

I re-entered the bustle of city life a bit confused. How can a church that is so vibrant in terms of raising up the next generation to proclaim the gospel ignore the voices and gifts of half the population sitting in the pews? The words from the young woman and Dr. Ryken were rolling through my mind as both preached, both testified to God’s work in our world. Yet the ethos of the church defined strong walls built to protect. I’m still mulling over those walls, but thankful that the Spirit moves through and around them, shaping and challenging a church that remains committed to serving God in an urban context. I’m curious how the Spirit as architect will continue to subvert and shift Tenth and her ministry over the next hundred years.

The comment about both Dr. Ryken and the young woman preaching is curious.  Earlier in the review, Bratt notes how she overheard a young lady talking about her summer.  “She was recounting her summer to the family next to me, mentioning her excitement at working in a clinic but most importantly the opportunity she had to share the Gospel. I was immediately struck by her testimony and ability to use her voice to–in effect–preach.”  I’m not sure if Bratt thought sharing the gospel was “preaching” or if sharing this testimony was “preaching,” but in either case it is a massive stretch to suggest that Dr. Ryken and this young woman were doing the same thing, as if it were the PCA’s “strong walls” that arbitrarily distinguished between delivering a sermon in a morning worship service and speaking to others in informal settings.

The concluding paragraph reminded me once again how much women’s ordination (or whatever you want to call it) is a deep divide in the church.  As much as Bratt may appreciate many elements of the service and the ministry at Tenth, she still feels like the Spirit needs to subvert the congregation and move around them.  For Bratt and many egalitarians, not permitting a woman to teach or have authority over a man–no matter how we might include women, support women, and encourage the ministries of women–will always look like ignoring/wasting the gifts of half of the people in the pews.  We can have women praying, singing, chairing committees, even serving as deaconesses–the women at our churches can actually be happy with male leadership–but unless we have women as pastors and preachers we just aren’t going pass muster for those who see the world through the lens of certain kind of equality.

And to be fair, I imagine most of the readers of this blogs would look at Bryn Mawr Presbyrerian Church through a certain lens as well.  As much as we might affirm many good things in the church and celebrate various ministries (and hopefully we would affirm and celebrate what was good), if the elders and preachers were women we’d have a hard time recommending the church.

So, in the end, I don’t fault Bratt for her mixed appraisal of Tenth.  She liked a lot about the church, but just couldn’t quite get past the PCA’s stance on men’s and women’s roles.  What is scriptural fidelity to one side looks like injustice to another side.  And what feels like purposeful inclusion to others looks like misguided cultural captivity to those of us who believe in the continuing normativity of 1 Timothy 2:11-12.