In the heated campaign to separate the Lewes Presbyterian Church from the main body of American Presbyterians (specifically, the Presbyterian Church USA), in order to unite with a small right-wing order (the ECO – Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians), one wonders if the proposed schism is more political than theological.

When one views the policies of the proponents of separation, it is hard to see the motivation as other than right-wing political - opposition to a single-payer medical system, favoring of Israel in the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, discrimination against sexual deviants, condemnation of modern methods of birth control, cessation of support for Castro and other “Marxist” rebels in Latin America. What in the world does this mean?

It seems that the effort to gather all church members into the embrace of the right would be against the political will of many of these members and would contradict the trend of the whole nation, that was demonstrated in the election of 2012. The separation also seems to forget that the fate of the Lewes Presbyterian Church does not lie only with its members, for the church falls within the concern of the city of Lewes. The church is a historical monument and not only a place of worship. It is doubtful that the city government was consulted on this question.

Lou Nolting
Lewes