A Resource by Mark D. Roberts |
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The PCUSA Book Crisis
by Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts
Copyright © 2006 by Mark D. Roberts
Note: You may download this resource at no cost, for personal use or for use in a Christian ministry, as long as you are not publishing it for sale. All I ask is that you give credit where credit is due. For all other uses, please contact me at mark@markdroberts.com . Thank you.
The PCUSA Book Crisis 
Part 1 of series: The PCUSA Book Crisis 
Posted for Monday, August 21, 2006
When one of my faithful blog readers sent me a link to an article supposedly published in last Friday's Washington Times, at first I thought it must be some sort of bad joke. Who, I wondered, would have a wicked enough sense of humor to claim that the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation, an arm of my denomination, the Presbyterian Church USA, published a book accusing the Bush administration of plotting the attacks of 9/11 in order to go to war to expand the "American empire"?
As it turns out, nobody had such a terrible sense of humor. The story is real. No joke. No laughter here, except perhaps from demons who enjoy seeing the Christian church inflict damage upon itself.
Here are the basic facts: |
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1. The Presbyterian Publishing Corporation (PPC) recently published a book by David Griffin called Christian Faith and the Truth Behind 9/11: A Call to Reflection and Action.
2. According to the Washington Times, this book "accuses the Bush administration -- in power only eight months at the time of the 2001 terrorist attacks -- of plotting September 11 to justify war with Afghanistan and Iraq, and to expand an 'American empire.'" I have not read this book, so cannot confirm the Times's summary, though it is confirmed by other online sources I have checked (such as Christianity Today).
3. The PPC "staunchly defended its decision to publish" this book, according to a story in the Presbyterian News Service. Yet PPC Board Chairman Kenneth Godshall in an August 11th press release added, "The views expressed in the book are Griffin's alone." Sounds like a bit of waffling to me. Nevertheless, the PPC defended its publication on the grounds that the book makes an important statement and that the PPC publishes diverse viewpoints that are not necessarily those of the PCUSA.
I want to bracket for a moment the question of the value of the argument in Christian Faith and the Truth Behind 9/11. Since I have not read the book, I cannot comment fairly upon it, though I have strong doubts about its validity. Nevertheless, for the sake of argument I'd like to take the publisher's word that this book actually contributes in a positive way to the conversation about 9/11 and the war on terror.
Even so, should this book have been published now by the PPC?
Let's face it, the timing of the release of this book couldn't be worse for the PCUSA, unless you are rooting for the demise of the denomination. The PCUSA has been roiled in controversy since the General Assembly in June, when commissioners voted to allow greater freedom in the ordination of gays and lesbians, and also to "receive" a paper on the Trinity that both affirmed traditional language for God and proposed unsettling new language. All of this came on the heels of an action by the 2004 General Assembly that called for divestment from companies that do business with Israel. The 2006 Assembly rejected that position, but great damage had already been done to the PCUSA because of the 2004 vote.
The PCUSA is a deeply fractured institution, with fissures running along theological lines. The most prominent rift is between those who are conservative theologically and those who are liberal theologically. This divergence plays out in the arena of sexuality, but it permeates our denominational confusion, and it foreshadows of denominational collapse or schism. In fact, one of the largest and most prominent churches of the PCUSA just left the denomination to join the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. I expect this is just the tip of the iceberg.
So, at such a time as this, when the PCUSA is at risk of completely breaking apart, the PPC publishes a book that claims the Bush Administration planned 9/11. What were the publishers thinking? As they surveyed the cracked landscape of the PCUSA, their sponsoring organization, what were their thoughts and intentions?
Even if Christian Faith and the Truth Behind 9/11 deserved to be published by some publisher somewhere, the PPC has committed an act that can only be called "attempted denomicide" or, more charitably, "involuntary denomislaughter." The last thing we Presbyterians need right now is another self-destructive controversy. The last thing we need as a denomination is to shoot ourselves in the foot by doing something that appears foolish and politically extremist. The last thing we need is to provide more fuel for the fire of division, more reasons for faithful Presbyterians to decide it's time to leave the PCUSA. No matter how valid the content of Christian Faith and the Truth Behind 9/11 might be, the action of the PPC shows flagrant disregard for, dare I say, the peace, unity, and purity of the Presbyterian church. I can't imagine any decent arguments that would show how the publishing of this book would help the PCUSA be more peaceful, more unified, and more pure.
Let's be clear. The PCUSA itself did not publish this book. The denomination and its leaders neither vetted nor endorsed its content. But a major publishing arm of the denomination, one that is accountable to the denomination and that supposedly exists to further the mission of the denomination, did publish this book, and did so at a time when the PCUSA is already on the ropes. So, even if one grants that the actions of the PPC do not reflect the beliefs of the PCUSA, this whole fiasco shows once again how dysfunctional the PCUSA really is. We're in a self-destructive mode, and we keep pushing the "kill" buttons.
Will the publishers of this book be held accountable for their astounding lack of wisdom? I hope so, but I seriously doubt it. The PCUSA tends to let things like this slide. We embrace our diversity and freedom at all costs, even when these values cripple our ability to fulfill our central mission.
I've asked people to be patient during this PCUSA crisis. In this website I've tried to explain the nuances of our polity, and how "receiving" a report doesn't mean endorsing it, and how allowing governing bodies freedom with respect to homosexuality doesn't erase our stated ban on gay ordination. I've touted the numerous benefits of denominations. Yet now the PPC, an arm of the PCUSA, publishes a book that will multiply discord and distraction. I wonder when my congregation will say, "Enough is enough. Why do we continue to be part of a denomination that consistently does things that are so obviously divisive and unwise, if not offensive to us? When does the cost of being part of the PCUSA overwhelm the dwindling benefits?" As a pastor, I wonder how much longer I want to keep putting out denominationally-set fires in an effort to protect my church from burning down.
In spite of what seems to me like such an obvious error on the part of the PPC, its leaders have defended their action. In my next post on this topic I'll look in greater detail at their defense and its merit.
The Presbyterian Publishing Corp's Defense of Publishing the Controversial Book
Part 2 of series: The PCUSA Book Crisis
Posted for Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Yesterday I explained that the Presbyterian Publishing Corp., an agency of my denomination, the Presbyterian Church USA, recently published a book by David Griffin called Christian Faith and the Truth Behind 9/11: A Call to Reflection and Action. In this book, Griffin accuses the Bush Administration of having planned and executed the attacks of 9/11 in order to justify getting the U.S. into a war. The ultimate goal is the expansion of the American empire.
In my last post I expressed my harsh criticism of this action by the PPC, arguing that releasing such a book at this time is injurious to the health of the tottering PCUSA. I continue to be astounded that anyone who cares about the peace, unity, and purity of this denomination would think it wise to publish such a book, even if it deserves to be published by some other publisher. For leaders in our denomination – and, indeed, the executives of the PPC are leaders in the PCUSA – to release such a controversial book at this time is unconscionable, unless, of course, their end is to further the self-destruction of the PCUSA.
But PPC executives have defended their actions with a variety of arguments in official statements and a press release. They certainly aren't backing down at all, a fact that is obvious when you visit the PPC website and find the homepage devoted to promotion of Christian Faith and the Truth Behind 9/11. I've been able to discern seven different arguments used by the PPC to defend their action. I'll cite each of these, and then add my own comments.
Defense #1: Just because we published this book, we don't endorse its ideas.
PPC Board Chair Kenneth Godshall said in an August 11 press release, "The views expressed in the book are Griffin’s alone . . . . PPC provides a variety of viewpoints in the books we publish. A few of them from time to time are controversial. This particular book is the work of an independent author and in no way represents the views of the denomination or PPC itself."
My response: This is a disingenuous comment. A publisher, especially a Christian one, has a moral responsibility to publish that which the publisher believes should in fact be published. Moreover, every publisher I've ever known only publishes that which the publisher endorses at least to some extent. The PPC would not have published Griffin's book if they believed it to be nonsense. |
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Professor and author, David Ray Griffin
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Defense #2: The PCUSA did not publish this book, contrary to critics.
The official press release complained, "But rather than engaging the content of Griffin’s work, some have chosen to cloud the issue by claiming, falsely, that the book was published by the PC(USA)."
My response: It is certainly true that Griffin's book was not published as official PCUSA doctrine. It wasn't even "received" by a General Assembly vote, not to mention "endorsed." However, I find this statement by the press release to be misleading. The press release itself shows why. Immediately after claiming that the book was not "published by the PC(USA)," the press released continued: "The Presbyterian Publishing Corporation is one of six agencies of the PC(USA) but receives no funding from the denomination." There you have it. The PPC is an agency of the PCUSA. It is part of the PCUSA. It's board is elected by the PCUSA. It is accountable to the PCUSA. It includes the name "Presbyterian." Those who say that the PCUSA published Griffin's book are not speaking falsely, and it's misleading for anyone to claim so.
In fact, the PPC press release understands this very fact. Later it states, "But the fact that this most recent book came from a publisher with ties to a mainline denomination has created a frenzy among some conservative media." If Griffin's book had been published by some off-the-wall conspiracy theory driven publisher, it wouldn't have received much attention at all. The fact that "a mainline denomination" is involved is what makes news. I still find the "with ties to" language to be misleading, however.
Defense #3: We often publish books by non-Presbyterians.
Again, from the press release: "WJK [Westminster John Knox, a division of the PPC] publishes a plethora of books by non-Presbyterians without being branded as disloyal to the interests of the PC(USA)," said PPC President and Publisher Dr. Davis Perkins.
My response: The issue at hand is not David Griffin's denominational affiliation. Rather, the issue is whether, by publishing this book, the PPC has been disloyal to the interests of the PCUSA. The question of the author's denomination clouds matters and misses the point. Moreover, I would not accuse the PPC leaders of being "disloyal to the interests of the PCUSA." Loyalty or disloyalty are not at issue. Rather, I see the publishing of this book as being contrary to the interests of the PCUSA and harmful to its very existence.
In tomorrow's post I'll summarize and evaluate the four other arguments used up the PPC to defend the publication of Griffin's book.
The Presbyterian Publishing Corp's Defense of Publishing the Controversial Book (Section B)
Part 3 of series: The PCUSA Book Crisis
Posted for Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Yesterday I began examining the seven arguments used by the Presbyterian Publishing Corp. to defend its decision to publish the controversial book by David Griffin, Christian Faith and the Truth Behind 9/11: A Call to Reflection and Action. If you're new to this blog series, you might want to check out my two previous posts before reading this one: Part 1, Part 2.
Defense #4: We're simply doing what publishers like us do.
Here is another excerpt from the press release:
For example, no one ever imagined WJK’s popular The Gospel according to The Simpsons reflected the 'official position' of the denomination on matters of theology or polity, and, similarly, there was never a word of criticism about WJK publishing the works of a major Jewish scholar like Jacob Neusner or an evangelical Anglican like N. T. Wright. This is what academic/trade publishers do, and this is what the General Assembly intended for PPC and the WJK imprint when it unanimously approved the documents that created the organization.
My response: Once again this confuses the issue, though it points to a core issue I'll deal with later. The problem with the publishing of Griffin's book is not a matter of the "official position" of the PCUSA, or even his religious affliations. It's rather a question of whether an agency of the PCUSA should in fact judge itself in light of "what academic/trade publishers do." Shouldn't an agency of the PCUSA judge itself, instead, in light of the mission of the PCUSA, and in light of its contribution to the health of the denomination? Should the PCUSA have an agency that is just one more academic/trade publisher? The PPC argument reminds me of times when church leaders have treated their staff poorly, and defended their unchristian action by saying, "Well, that's what we do in business."
I'm not sufficiently aware of the history of the PPC to know if the General Assembly actually intended it to be just like other academic/trade publishers. This seems unlikely to me, but I can't know for sure.
Defense #5: We've published David Griffin's books for years.
The press release reads: "'PPC and its predecessor imprints have published books by David Ray Griffin for many years,' said PPC Board Chair Kenneth Godshall."
My response: This is, once again, a weak argument. My mother would say to this, "Two wrongs don't make a right." What if David Griffin had published a book that denied the existence of God? Would it be okay to publish this book simply because the PPC had published other books? In point of fact, Griffin's process theology, though affirming the existence of God in a way, envisions God as something very different from biblical or reformed thinking. I have to ask whether the PPC should have been publishing Griffin's books at all, given the extent to which they contradict core biblical and Reformed theology. |
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Defense #6: We publish books like this all the time.
In a Christianity Today article, Vice President of Publishing at Westminster John Knox (a division of PPC) said, "We have a long tradition of being a publisher of somewhat progressive stances on theological and social issues, so it is not out of character for us to do this."
My response: What Keller says is true, and is more honest that other things said by PPC officials. This publisher does have a long tradition of publishing "somewhat progressive stands on theological and social issues." Of course when he says "progressive," Keller means what many would call "liberal." I'd only quibble with the word "somewhat." In fact, if you survey the current catalog of the PPC, and if you look at what they've published in the past, it would be more accurate to say that they often publish very liberal stands on theological and social issues. The theology of PPC books is often on the edge of Christian theology, far from anything that would be identified as orthodox or Reformed.
Defense #7: Publishing Griffin's book is consistent with our mission.
The President and Publisher of the PPC, Davis Perkins, put up a short, two-paragraph note on the company website as his personal defense of the PPC action. At least he has the guts to say, "This book is not an off-the-wall polemic but rather a considered work that deserves to have a place in the public forum of discourse about Christian faith and U.S. policy." That's a whole lot more honest than some of the evasive language in the press release. It is a bit disconcerting to me, however, that Perkins doesn't even come close to apologizing for implications of his actions, even if he still thinks the actions were right. It seems like a "I'm sorry for the turmoil this has caused within our denominatino" would be an appropriate word at this time. But, it seems Davis Perkins isn't sorry for the turmoil.
With abundant confidence he writes,
The mission statement of the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation calls for us to publish "resources that advance religious scholarship, stimulate conversation about moral values, and inspire faithful living." We believe that Griffin’s book fulfills all three of these aims and accordingly that publication of Christian Faith and the Truth behind 9/11 was a responsible act on our part.
This is a strong argument in favor of publishing Griffin's book. It says, "We were simply doing what our mission calls us to do." Now, of course, one can question whether in fact the book advances religious scholarship, stimulates conversation about moral values, and inspires faithful living. It might in fact do none of these things, or some but not all. Nevertheless, action in accord with one's fundamental mission is defensible.
Of course this argument points to greater questions: What is the mission of the PPC, really? Has Davis Perkins accurately represented and interpreted the mission of the PPC? Even more broadly, is the mission of the PPC consistent with the mission of the PCUSA? Should the mission of the PPC be refocused? Or should the PPC be set free from its relationship with the PCUSA? I'll address these questions in my next post.
The Mission of the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation
Part 4 of series: The PCUSA Book Crisis
Posted for Thursday, August 24, 2006
Among the seven defenses offered by the Presbyterian Publishing Corp for publishing the highly controversial book by David Griffin, Christian Faith and the Truth behind 9/11, the only one I found at all convincing was the one offered by the President and Publisher of the PPC, Davis Perkins. He wrote:
The mission statement of the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation calls for us to publish "resources that advance religious scholarship, stimulate conversation about moral values, and inspire faithful living." We believe that Griffin’s book fulfills all three of these aims and accordingly that publication of Christian Faith and the Truth behind 9/11 was a responsible act on our part.
When an institution fulfills its mission statement, then it is doing the right thing, at least on one level. Of course one can question whether a given action actually is consistent with the stated mission, or one can ask even broader questions about whether the mission statement is right.
Since I have not read Griffin's book, I'm not going to comment on whether or not the book fulfills the three purposes of the PPC mission statement. Rather, I want to reflect on the statement itself.
I believe that all three elements of the statement are good things, in general. I think it's important to advance religious scholarship, even when that scholarship isn't explicitly Christian. I also believe conversation about moral values is essential to our society. And helping people to live faithfully is a crucial aspect of Christian ministry. I spend a whole lot of my life doing this very thing.
It should be noted, however, that the three aspects of the PPC mission are quite vague, and open to a wide range of interpretation. Many horrible things, for example, stimulate conversation about moral values, but one would hardly say that these things should have happened. The PPC could publish a book by someone who denies the Holocaust, for example, and this might get people talking about the morality of genocide, which would be a valuable conversation. But I don't think this end would justify the publishing of the book.
When I first read Davis Perkins's summary of the PPC mission statement, I thought: Well, these are all fine goals, but how are they essential to the mission of the Presbyterian Church USA? They sound more like the kind of purposes one might expect from a secular publisher of religious books, not an agency of a Christian denomination with a clear statement of Christian mission (in the PCUSA Book of Order, G-1.0200, G-3.000. If you're interested, I have reprinted below the entire section on mission from the PCUSA Book of Order). I can't quite see why the PCUSA would see the mission of its chief publisher in such generic terms.
What this suggests to me is that the PCUSA in fact lacks clarity about its mission, even though the Book of Order contains some excellent clarifying statements. But these have been ignored in the development and or management of PCUSA ministries. So the PCUSA ends up publishing materials that may have value in some sense, but have little to do with the specific, gospel-centered mission of the church. |
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An edition of the PCUSA Book of Order. |
As I browsed the PPC website, however, I discovered that Davis Perkins's summary of the PPC mission statement omitted the most important part! Here is the full statement:
Building on the Reformed tradition, the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation seeks to glorify God by contributing to the spiritual and intellectual vitality of Christ's church. To that end, PPC publishes resources that advance religious scholarship, stimulate conversation about moral values, and inspire faithful living.
That certainly changes things, doesn't it!? The PPC publishes "resources that advance religious scholar, etc." for a greater purpose that is clearly stated in the first sentence of the mission statement. Notice several key phrases:
"Building on the Reformed tradition" – The PPC shouldn't be publishing any sort of Christian or semi-Christian theology, but only that which is significantly related to historic Presbyterian theology, and considers that theology as foundational.
"seeks to glorify God" – This, by the way, is one of the essentials of Reformed theology. Advancing scholarship, stimulating conversation, inspiring faithful living, or just plain selling books are not sufficient goals in and of themselves for the PPC. They should be intentionally and clearly seeking to glorify God in all they publish.
"contributing to the spiritual and intellectual vitality of Christ's church" – Every time the PPC publishes a book, it should be convinced that the book will clearly edify the church. If a book runs the risk of hurting the church, then the rationale for publishing that book should be extraordinarily strong.
I find it telling that Davis Perkins did not quote the first and most important part of the PPC mission statement, but I'm not quite sure what it tells me. Was he embarrassed about the obviously Christian aspects of that sentence? Has he effectively dismissed it in his leadership of the PPC? Did he consider that first sentence to be unimportant in the current controversy? Or was he aware that it would extremely difficult to defend the publication of Griffin's book in light of the first sentence? Or . . . ? I don't know.
But I do know that something is terribly wrong here. I can't help thinking that the PPC has lost touch with its true mission, seeking rather to be like other "academic/trade publishers" as it claims in its defense of publishing Griffin's book. The distinctive Christian mission of the PPC has been lost, not to mention the distinctive Reformed/Presbyterian emphasis, not to mention a clear sense of how the PPC is part of and should further the mission of the PCUSA.
If I were the Presbyterian Pope (which, thank God, is not the case), I think I would do one of two things with the PPC:
1. I would call the PPC to return to its true mission, and establish a process by which this might happen and ways to hold the leaders of the PPC accountable. Or . . .
2. I would recognize that the actions and the de facto mission of the PPC, at least in the Westminster John Knox division, have drifted so far from the mission of the PCUSA that both institutions would be better served if they were to sever their institutional ties. That way Westminster John Knox press would be free to publish what it deems proper, and the PCUSA wouldn't be hurt when bad and/or controversial books are published.
In light of the actual mission statement of the PPC, and in light of the current state of the PCUSA, I do think there is one valid argument that the PPC could make for publishing Griffin's book. To my knowledge, nobody has actually made this argument, so I'll do it in my next post.
Appendix: How Does the PCUSA Define the Church's Mission?
"The Church and Its Mission" - Chapter 3 of the PCUSA Book of Order
G-3.0100 Form
The mission of the Church is given form by God’s activity in the world as told in the Bible and understood by faith.
G-3.0101 God’s Activity
a. God created the heavens and the earth and made human beings in God’s image, charging them to care for all that lives; God made men and women to live in community, responding to their Creator with grateful obedience. Even when the human race broke community with its Maker and with one another, God did not forsake it, but out of grace chose one family for the sake of all, to be pilgrims of promise, God’s own Israel.
God’s Covenant
b. God liberated the people of Israel from oppression; God covenanted with Israel to be their God and they to be God’s people, that they might do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with the Lord; God confronted Israel with the responsibilities of this covenant, judging the people for their unfaithfulness while sustaining them by divine grace.
G-3.0102 God in Christ
God was incarnate in Jesus Christ, who announced good news to the poor, proclaimed release for prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, let the broken victims go free, and proclaimed the year of the Lord’s favor. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost; in his life and death for others God’s redeeming love for all people was made visible; and in the resurrection of Jesus Christ there is the assurance of God’s victory over sin and death and the promise of God’s continuing presence in the world.
G-3.0103 The Holy Spirit
God’s redeeming and reconciling activity in the world continues through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, who confronts individuals and societies with Christ’s Lordship of life and calls them to repentance and to obedience to the will of God.
G-3.0200 The Church as the Body of Christ
The Church of Jesus Christ is the provisional demonstration of what God intends for all of humanity.
a. The Church is called to be a sign in and for the world of the new reality which God has made available to people in Jesus Christ.
b. The new reality revealed in Jesus Christ is the new humanity, a new creation, a new beginning for human life in the world:
(1) Sin is forgiven.
(2) Reconciliation is accomplished.
(3) The dividing walls of hostility are torn down.
c. The Church is the body of Christ, both in its corporate life and in the lives of its individual members, and is called to give shape and substance to this truth.
G-3.0300 The Church’s Calling
a. The Church is called to tell the good news of salvation by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ as the only Savior and Lord, proclaiming in Word and Sacrament that
(1) the new age has dawned.
(2) God who creates life, frees those in bondage, forgives sin, reconciles brokenness, makes all things new, is still at work in the world.
Present Claims of Christ
b. The Church is called to present the claims of Jesus Christ, leading persons to repentance, acceptance of him as Savior and Lord, and new life as his disciples.
Christ’s Faithful Evangelist
c. The Church is called to be Christ’s faithful evangelist
(1) going into the world, making disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all he has commanded;
(2) demonstrating by the love of its members for one another and by the quality of its common life the new reality in Christ; sharing in worship, fellowship, and nurture, practicing a deepened life of prayer and service under the guidance of the Holy Spirit;
(3) participating in God’s activity in the world through its life for others by
(a) healing and reconciling and binding up wounds,
(b) ministering to the needs of the poor, the sick, the lonely, and the powerless,
(c) engaging in the struggle to free people from sin, fear, oppression, hunger, and injustice,
(d) giving itself and its substance to the service of those who suffer,
(e) sharing with Christ in the establishing of his just, peaceable, and loving rule in the world.
G-3.0400 Called to Risk and Trust
The Church is called to undertake this mission even at the risk of losing its life, trusting in God alone as the author and giver of life, sharing the gospel, and doing those deeds in the world that point beyond themselves to the new reality in Christ.
G-3.0401 Called to Openness
The Church is called
a. to a new openness to the presence of God in the Church and in the world, to more fundamental obedience, and to a more joyous celebration in worship and work;
b. to a new openness to its own membership, by affirming itself as a community of diversity, becoming in fact as well as in faith a community of women and men of all ages, races, and conditions, and by providing for inclusiveness as a visible sign of the new humanity;
c. to a new openness to the possibilities and perils of its institutional forms in order to ensure the faithfulness and usefulness of these forms to God’s activity in the world;
d. to a new openness to God’s continuing reformation of the Church ecumenical, that it might be a more effective instrument of mission in the world.
The Only Satisfactory Explanation for the PPC's Publishing of the Controversial Book
Part 5 of series: The PCUSA Book Crisis
Posted for Friday, August 25, 2006
So far in this series I've explained how the Presbyterian Publishing Corp., an agency of the Presbyterian Church USA, recently published a highly controversial book by David Griffin, Christian Faith and the Truth behind 9/11. Among other things, this book claims that the horrors of 9/11 were in fact planned by the Bush Administration in order to expand the American Empire. It's no surprise that the book is controversial, to say the least!
I've argued that the timing of this publication couldn't be worse for a denomination – my denomination, in fact – that is in grave peril. I've also analyzed the PPC's seven arguments defending the publication of the book, and shown how most of these are unpersuasive. The most convincing argument, offered by the President and Publisher of the PPC, Davis Perkins, claimed that publishing Griffin's book was consistent with the PPC's stated mission. But then I discovered that Perkins's citation of the PPC mission statement omitted what is by far the most important part of that statement, the specifically Christian part ("Building on the Reformed tradition, the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation seeks to glorify God by contributing to the spiritual and intellectual vitality of Christ's church."). If he thinks publising the Griffin book was in fact consistent with this part of the mission, Perkins didn't say so, which seems to me a glaring omission.
As I've thought about what the PPC has done, and the damage it has and will continue to do to the PCUSA, I've come to the conclusion that there is only one line of defense that I would find honorable and morally respectable, even though I wouldn't buy it. This approach would acknowledge the hurt done to the PCUSA by the publishing of the Griffin book, and yet would explain why, in the PPC's view, the book was worth publishing, nevertheless. Now, given the fact that no representative of the PPC has, to my knowledge, even offered the tiniest apology for their actions, I'm not suggesting that they could say what I will suggest in good faith. Nevertheless, in the rest of this post I'll write the letter I wish the PPC could truly write and had in fact written. Anything less than this is unsatisfactory.
The Letter I Wish the President and Publisher of the PPC Had Written
As the President and Publisher of the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation, I first want to acknowledge the controversy surrounding the publishing of David Ray Griffin's book Christian Faith and the Truth behind 9/11. Further, I want to recognize that this controversy has not helped the Presbyterian Church (USA) when the denomination, our sponsoring organization, is going through a very difficult time. It was not the PPC's primary intention to further exacerbate the conflicts in the PCUSA, though we were well aware that the publishing of Griffin's book would have this impact. I am sorry for the pain our actions have caused to the PCUSA.
Why, you might wonder, would the PPC publish a book that makes matters in the PCUSA even more difficult? We discussed this question at length before we chose to publish Christian Faith and the Truth Behind 9/11. In the end, however, we believed that not to publish this book was a greater wrong than publishing it, in spite of the pain we would cause to our beloved denomination.
Simply stated, the editorial board of the PPC became convinced that Griffin's allegations are so important and his arguments so compelling that we had a moral obligation to present these to the church and to the nation, no matter the damage we might do to the ailing PCUSA. After all, there are some things more important in life than denominational existence. One of these is the truth, especially when that truth is a profound matter of justice. Because we believe Griffin's book is substantially true, we also believe that this truth must be aired. It is more important for the church and for our national to grapple with the truth behind 9/11 than for the PCUSA to continue in its fragile unity.
So, though we apologize for any harm we have caused to the PCUSA, we believe that the truth of Christian Faith and the Truth Behind 9/11 is so compelling and important that we have been willing to risk causing further injury and division in the denomination for the sake of what matters even more: justice and peace in our nation and our world.
Sincerely,
Davis Perkins
President and Publisher of the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation
Closing Comments
Please understand that I am not saying I believe – as Mark Roberts – that Griffin's book is true or important. I have serious doubts about both. But I am saying that the only moral justification for the PPC to publish this particular book at this particular time requires conviction by the publishers about its truth and importance. The defense that says only, "We thought the book had ideas that deserved to be taken seriously" isn't nearly strong enough to warrant doing something so injurious to the PCUSA, not to mention so potentially injurious to the US when it is in the midst of a war on terror. (Of course if one believes Griffin, then the war on terror is a sham, and deserves to be exposed as such.)
As of this time, nobody at the PPC has been willing to make such a strong stand in defense of publishing Griffin's book. Nobody has even acknowledged the negative impact on the PCUSA. So I'm not expecting that a satisfactory explanation is forthcoming. Thus I am left with a very sour taste in my mouth. The PPC appears to have done something that is, on the one hand, injurious to the PCUSA, and one the other hand, inconsistent with its basic, stated mission. When you wonder why the PCUSA is in such a mess, you can look at this fiasco and see why. Situations like this one, I'm sorry to say, aren't unusual. Thus our denomination is floundering and is at risk of either schism or collapse.
A summary thought . . . . A good friend of mine who is very smart recently e-mailed me because he wasn't quite sure why I was saying that the PPC shouldn't have published the Griffin book (Thanks, DB). I expect I haven't been quite as clear as I thought I was. Here's what I e-mailed back to my friend:
I think the PPC had the responsibility to realize that publishing this book would do a great deal of damage to the PCUSA. The last thing we need is controversy and division that we don't really need. So, yes, I think they shouldn't have published it because it is way too controversial.
The only justification I can see for publishing such a controversial and divisive book at this time is conviction about its truth and importance. To this date, nobody at the PPC has gone out on that limb. So I'm left with the idea that they did something hurtful to an already hurting denomination without an adequate reason.
If the PPC were an independent publisher, it would be a different story. But the PPC is part of the PCUSA, and has a responsibility to act in ways that do not injure the PCUSA.
A hypothetical illustration might help here. Suppose I were the pastor of a divided and hurting church. Suppose, further, that I faced a decision about whether or not to do something very controversial. Perhaps I wanted to join the Minutemen and sit down on the border. Or maybe I wanted to become the president of the local chapter of Planned Parenthood. In both cases I'd be free to do these things, of course. And in both cases they would reflect my personal convictions. But the potential damage to my church would demand, I believe, that I hold back. Even if it might sometime be appropriate for a pastor to engage in such controversial actions, doing so when a church was wounded by division would be unconscionable. That's how I regard the action of the PPC.
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