Local Option means the PCUSA no longer proclaims one Gospel

The political problems raised by local option pale in comparison to the theological chaos it will unleash. For the simple truth is that the ordination of Self-Acknowledged Practitioners of Homosexual Acts (SAPHAs) can’t be compromised. Some Presbyterians see it as an essential expression of the justice of Jesus Christ. Others see it as moral perversion. These positions are, quite simply, mutually exclusive.

In addition, both positions cannot at the same time be consistent with the gospel. If homosexual behavior is moral perversion, then preventing people who engage in that behavior from being ordained would not be an abrogation of Christian justice. Instead barring SAPHAs from office would be a correct application of Christian justice through the proper exercise of ecclesiastical discipline. Conversely, if homosexual behavior is not sinful, then those who see it as moral perversion are guilty of the worst sort of hatred and condemnation that can be expressed against Christian brothers and sisters. If homosexual behavior is not sinful, those who oppose it should themselves be subject to ecclesiastical discipline.

Thus, allowing each presbytery and session to decide for itself whether or not homosexual behavior is sinful will not bring peace and unity to the church. Instead local option guarantees that different governing bodies will preach different gospels, declaring that diametrically opposite actions are sinful. And since both of these opinions cannot be right, that means that a significant part of the church will in fact be proclaiming a false gospel. No Christian can, in good conscience, tolerate such a situation for long.