Indictment of the PCA Standing Judicial Commission | Exhibit 15
“You know the rules and so do I.”
The Westminster Confession of Faith
Chapter 15: Of Repentance unto Life
6. As every man is bound to make private confession of his sins to God, praying for the pardon thereof, upon which, and the forsaking of them, he shall find mercy; so, he that scandalizeth his brother, or the church of Christ, ought to be willing, by a private or public confession, and sorrow for his sin, to declare his repentance to those that are offended, who are thereupon to be reconciled to him, and in love to receive him.
The Westminster Shorter Catechism
Q. 76. Which is the ninth commandment?
A. The ninth commandment is, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Q. 77. What is required in the ninth commandment?
A. The ninth commandment requireth the maintaining and promoting of truth between man and man, and of our own and our neighbor’s good name, especially in witness bearing.
Q. 78. What is forbidden in the ninth commandment?
A. The ninth commandment forbiddeth whatsoever is prejudicial to truth, or injurious to our own, or our neighbor’s, good name.
“What is God’s will for you in the ninth commandment?
That I never give false testimony against anyone, twist no one’s words, not gossip or slander, nor join in condemning anyone rashly or without a hearing.
Rather, I should avoid, under penalty of God’s wrath, every kind of lying and deceit as the very works of the devil, and, in court and everywhere else, I should love truth, speak it candidly, and openly acknowledge it.
And I should do what I can to defend and advance my neighbor’s honor and reputation.”
— Heidelberg Catechism, Q. 112
“If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.”
— Proverbs 28:9
“The LORD your God will clear away these nations before you little by little. You may not make an end of them at once, lest the wild beasts grow too numerous for you.”
— Deuteronomy 7:22
“Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.”
— Psalm 49:20
“Rules. Without them, we live with the animals.”
— Winston Scott, The Manager, New York Continental Hotel
“A bruised reed he will not break,
and a faintly burning Wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
He will not grow faint or be discouraged
till he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his law.”
— Isaiah 43:3-4
“I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”
— Romans 16:17-20
“So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. …
Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.”
— I Peter 2:1, 12-17
“The history of God’s people from Old Testament times up to the present day is one large collection of illustrations of the fact that the pathway to blessing is along the road of biblical truth. Certainly every faithful Christian desires God’s glory, the prosperity of his church, and every individual in that church. The Bible recognizes this threefold concern and biblical church discipline guards all three. So let us be taught of God and be leaders in the necessary reform of his church by being ready to govern and act according to his precepts and not our own fancy.”
— Biblical Church Discipline: The Neglected Mark of the Christian Church, Daniel Wray, p. 24
“Vindicate me, O LORD, my God,
according to your righteousness,
and let them not rejoice over me!
Let them not say in their hearts,
‘Aha, our heart’s desire!’
Let them not say, ‘We have swallowed him up.’
Let them be put to shame and disappointed altogether
who rejoice at my calamity!
Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor
who magnify themselves against me!”
— Psalm 35:24-26
“Transgression speaks to the wicked
deep in his heart;
there is no fear of God
before his eyes.
For he flatters himself in his own eyes
that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.
The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit;
he has ceased to act wisely and do good.
He plots trouble while on his bed;
he sets himself in a way that is not good;
he does not reject evil.”
— Psalm 36:1-4
“But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness.”
— Luke 21:12-13
“God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.”
— II Timothy 2:25-26
PREFACE TO THE BOOK OF CHURCH ORDER
PRELIMINARY PRINCIPLES
The Presbyterian Church in America, in setting forth the form of government founded upon and agreeable to the Word of God, reiterates the following great principles which have governed the formation of the plan:
1. God alone is Lord of the conscience and has left it free from any doctrines or commandments of men (a) which are in any respect contrary to the Word of God, or (b) which, in regard to matters of faith and worship, are not governed by the Word of God. Therefore, the rights of private judgment in all matters that respect religion are universal and inalienable. No religious constitution should be supported by the civil power further than may be necessary for protection and security equal and common to all others.
2. In perfect consistency with the above principle, every Christian Church, or union or association of particular churches, is entitled to declare the terms of admission into its communion and the qualifications of its ministers and members, as well as the whole system of its internal government which Christ has appointed. In the exercise of this right it may, notwithstanding, err in making the terms of communion either too lax or too narrow; yet even in this case, it does not infringe upon the liberty or the rights of others, but only makes an improper use of its own.
“Yet your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just,’ when it is their own way that is not just. When the righteous turns from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it. And when the wicked turns from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he shall live by this. Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, I will judge each of you according to his ways.”
— Ezekiel 33:17-20
“Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God?”
— Romans 2:1-3
“The deceitfulness of the human heart is strikingly exhibited in the different judgments which men pass upon themselves and others; condemning in others what they excuse in themselves. And it not unfrequently happens that the most censorious are the most criminal, vers. 1, 3. …
VERSES 21, 22. Thou therefore that teachest another. We have here the virtual apodosis of ver. 17. ‘If thou, though a Jew, and related to God as one of his peculiar people, and well instructed out of the law, violate the law, and do the things thou condemnest in others, how canst thou escape the judgment of that God who will render to every man according to his works?’ It is evident the apostle means to assert that the Jews were guilty of the crimes here specified; and it matters little whether the several classes be read interrogatively or affirmatively. The former, as the more forcible is generally preferred. To set ourselves up as instructors, and yet not to apply our principles to ourselves, is not only an inconsistency, but offensive arrogance and hypocrisy. … The Jews, therefore, who committed the sins which they so loudly condemned in the heathen, were more guilty in the sight of God than the heathen themselves. While flattering themselves that they were secure from the divine wrath, in the enclosure of the theocracy, they were the special objects of God’s displeasure. … The way of peace they have not known. ‘The way of peace’ is the way that leads to peace, or pacific ways. ‘They have not known,’ means they have not approved or frequented. The idea is to be taken in its most comprehensive form, as the apostle designs to prove, not from any specific form of violence, but from the general prevalence of sins of violence among men, that human nature is depraved. The tree which produces such fruit so abundantly must be evil.”
— A Commentary on Romans, Charles Hodge, pp. 58, 62, 79
“I have seen a wicked, ruthless man,
spreading himself like a green laurel tree.”
— Psalm 37:35
“Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!
O men of blood, depart from me!
They speak against you with malicious intent;
your enemies take your name in vain.
Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
I hate them with complete hatred;
I count them my enemies.
Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!”
— Psalm 139:19-24
“Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked;
do not further their evil plot, or they will be exalted! Selah
As for the head of those who surround me,
let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them!
Let burning coals fall upon them!
Let them be cast into fire,
into miry pits, no more to rise!
Let not the slanderer be established in the land;
let evil hunt down the violent man speedily!
I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted,
and will execute justice for the needy.
Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name;
the upright shall dwell in your presence.”
— Psalm 140:8-13
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.”
— Matthew 7:15-20
“2 Kings 22:11-13, 18-19
Josiah’s immediate response to the reading of the Book of the Law was to humble himself before God. He understood the implications of Judah’s neglect of the law, and his heart was responsive to all that he heard.”
— Handbook to Leadership: Leadership in the Image of God, Kenneth Boa, Sid Buzzell and Bill Perkins, p. 550
“Read on this book;
That show of such an exercise may color
Your loneliness. We are oft to blame in this—
’Tis too much proved—that with devotion’s visage
And pious action we do sugar o’er
The devil himself.”
05/03/2022, 05/05/2022: St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church Senior Pastor Justin Borger persists in emailing Benyola unwarranted, vexatious letters, presuming to “suspend” sacraments while there is no membership which he may suspend: attempting ecclesiastical censure of a person who moved outside the bounds of his church eight months earlier, now lives 500 miles away, and is no longer a member of his organization: in violation of the PCA Book of Church Order as well as Florida law.
Alleged violations (errors and/or delinquencies) by the St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church Senior Pastor, Moderator of the Session, President of the Corporation, et al.
Primary standards: Genesis 18:25, 44:16, Exodus 20:7,16, Leviticus 19:15, Deuteronomy 10:16, II Chronicles 7:14, 30:18-20, Psalms 6:7-10, 7:12-16, 10:2,7,15-18, 11:1-3, 12:1-2, 15:1-4, 19:7-14, 24:3-6, 26:4-5, 34:11-22, 37:27-33, 40:4, 50:14-23, 52:1-4, 53:4, 55:2-3, 56:5-7, 58:1-5, 64:1-6, 65:1, 71:10-11, 74:4-5, 76:11, 78:72, 86:14, 94:16,20, 101:5-8, 106:3, 109:1-5, 116:18-19, 140:1-5,9-11, Proverbs 1:29-31, 3:27, 10:23, 11:1, 12:19, 18:5,13,17, 20:23, 22:22, 24:11-12,23-25,28-29, 26:17, 28:9,13, Ecclesiastes 3:16, 5:1-9, 7:7, 8:1-5,11, 9:17, 10:5,8-10, Jeremiah 11:18-20, 15:15-21, 20:10-13, 21:12, 36:27-32, Lamentations 3:34-36, 5:14, Ezekiel 9:4, 33:1-9, 34:1-10, Amos 5:7,10,14-15,23-24, Zechariah 1:2-6, 8:16, Malachi 1:6-14, 2:7, Matthew 3:8, 5:10-12,22-25, 18:16-17, 22:21, 23:1-5,13-25,28, Luke 17:3-4, 19:14,27, 21:12-13, Acts 20:27-30, Romans 1:32, 2:1-3,17-21,23-24, 13:1-6, I Corinthians 1:10-11, 5:6-8, 13:6, II Corinthians 6:3-8, 11:26, 12:20, Ephesians 4:31, 5:6-12, 6:9, I Timothy 3:2,15, Titus 1:5-7, James 1:19-25, 3:1,17-18, I Peter 2:1,12-17, 5:1-4, Revelation 2:9, 3:9
Secondary standards: WCF 1.10; 15.6; 20.1-4; 22.1-6; 23.3,4; 30.3; 31.1-3; WLC Q.99.6-8, 111-114, 130, 143-145, 151, 171, 173-175; WSC Q.14, 76-78; BCO Preface II.1,4; 8-1,-2,-3; 10-3; 11-2,-4; 13-9.e,f; 14-7; 21-5.7; 25-11 (cf. SJC 93-3, M22GA, 1994, pp. 110-123); 31-2; 32-2,-6.b,-17; 34-3; 35-3; 38-4
Tertiary standards: RONR (12 th ed.) 61:22; 63:7-9, 13, 35; Bylaws of St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church, Inc., Incorporation, Exhibit C-1
Civil laws: The 2022 Florida Statutes, Title XXXVI, Chapters 617.0601(5); 617.0607(1); 617.1601(1,3,4,5); 617.1602(1,2)
05/17/2022: A mere twelve (12) days after emailing Benyola a letter “suspending” him from the sacraments — which the elders cannot even serve him because he resides 500 miles outside the bounds of their jurisdiction — the Session of St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church, Inc. at its regularly stated meeting on the third Tuesday votes to “excommunicate” Benyola, again violating civil laws. Without any “further endeavor” since its “suspension,” the Session brazenly violates BCO 33-3. Even if any of these censorious steps had abided by the BCO, who inflicts “discipline” this swiftly?
Alleged violations (errors and/or delinquencies) by the St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church Senior Pastor, Moderator of the Session, President of the Corporation, et al.
Primary standards: Genesis 18:25, 44:16, Exodus 20:7,16, Leviticus 19:15, Deuteronomy 10:16, II Chronicles 7:14, 30:18-20, Psalms 6:7-10, 7:12-16, 10:2,7,15-18, 11:1-3, 12:1-2, 15:1-4, 19:7-14, 24:3-6, 26:4-5, 34:11-22, 37:27-33, 40:4, 50:14-23, 52:1-4, 53:4, 55:2-3, 56:5-7, 58:1-5, 64:1-6, 65:1, 71:10-11, 74:4-5, 76:11, 78:72, 86:14, 94:16,20, 101:5-8, 106:3, 109:1-5, 116:18-19, 140:1-5,9-11, Proverbs 1:29-31, 3:27, 10:23, 11:1, 12:19, 15:8, 18:5,13,17, 20:23, 22:22, 24:11-12,23-25,28-29, 26:17, 28:9,13, Ecclesiastes 3:16, 5:1-9, 7:7, 8:1-5,11, 9:17, 10:5,8-10, Isaiah 66:5, Jeremiah 11:18-20, 15:15-21, 20:10-13, 21:12, 36:27-32, Lamentations 3:34-36, 5:14, Ezekiel 9:4, 33:1-9, 34:1-10, Amos 5:7,10,14-15,23-24, Zechariah 8:16, Malachi 2:7-14, Matthew 3:8, 5:10-12,22-25, 18:16-17, 22:21, 23:1-5,13-25,28, Luke 17:3-4, 19:14,27, 21:12-13, Acts 20:27-30, Romans 1:32, 2:1-3,17-21,23-24, 13:1-6, I Corinthians 1:10-11, 5:6-8, 13:6, II Corinthians 6:3-8, 11:26, 12:20, Ephesians 4:31, 5:6-12, I Timothy 3:2,15, Titus 1:5-7, James 1:22-25, 3:1,17-18, I Peter 2:1,12-17, 5:1-4, Revelation 2:9, 3:9
Secondary standards: WCF 1.10; 15.6; 20.1-4; 22.1-6; 23.3,4; 30.3; 31.1-3; WLC Q.99.6-8, 111-114, 130, 143-145, 151, 171, 173-175; WSC Q.14, 76-78; BCO Preface II.1,4; 8-1,-2,-3; 10-3; 11-2,-4; 13-9.e,f; 14-7; 21-5.7; 25-11 (cf. SJC 93-3, M22GA, 1994, pp. 110-123); 31-2; 32-2,-6.b,-17; 33-3; 34-3; 35-3; 38-4
Tertiary standards: RONR (12th ed.) 61:22; 63:7-9, 13, 35; Bylaws of St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church, Inc., Incorporation, Exhibit C-1
Civil laws: The 2022 Florida Statutes, Title XXXVI, Chapters 617.0601(5); 617.0607(1); 617.1601(1,3,4,5); 617.1602(1,2)
05/18/2022: Benyola’s legal representation, DSK Law, in Orlando, serves a notice via email and regular mail to the Senior Pastor of St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church, Inc., who is also president of the corporation, warning him the church does not have any legal right to excommunicate Benyola, nor to announce such an excommunication, because Benyola has legally resigned his membership.
(Letter from DSK Law to the Senior Pastor and the Session of St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church)
05/21/2022: Benyola carries his second Complaint versus the Session of St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church with Appellate Brief to Central Florida Presbytery, because the lower Court, as a Florida not-for-profit corporation, violated the Florida Statutes by formally denying his resignation of membership, which action the president of the corporation communicated via email on 05/03.
(Escalation of the (second) Complaint of Peter Benyola versus the Session of St. Paul’s PCA)
05/21/2022: Benyola carries his first Complaint versus the Central Florida Presbytery with Appellate Brief to the highest Court, the General Assembly, which becomes SJC Judicial Case 2022-09. This originated as the first Complaint versus the St. Paul’s Session and denied by both lower Courts.
05/21/2022: Benyola carries his two Credible Reports dated 12/17/2021 and 03/15/2022 to the General Assembly because the Court of original jurisdiction, Central Florida Presbytery, denied the Reports out of hand, and then colluded with the St. Paul’s Session to retaliate against the Plaintiff. The Stated Clerk of the General Assembly had duly assigned case numbers to similar, unrelated requests (M48GA, M49GA, cf. SJC 2021-02), but his office failed to ever assign case numbers to Benyola’s two Credible Reports properly brought before the General Assembly — apparently violating BCO 40-5 and RAO 17-2 — nor did his office ever communicate the outcome of those two Reports.
The Book of Church Order of the Presbyterian Church in America
Part II: The Rules of Discipline
Chapter 33: Special Rules Pertaining to Process Before Sessions
33-3. If after further endeavor by the court to bring the accused to a sense of his guilt, he persists in his contumacy, he shall be excommunicated from the Church.
The Westminster Confession of Faith
Chapter 23: Of the Civil Magistrate
3. Civil magistrates may not … in the least, interfere in matters of faith. Yet, as nursing fathers, it is the duty of civil magistrates to protect the church of our common Lord … And, as Jesus Christ hath appointed a regular government and discipline in his church, no law of any commonwealth should interfere with, let, or hinder, the due exercise thereof, among the voluntary members of any denomination of Christians, according to their own profession and belief. It is the duty of civil magistrates to protect the person and good name of all their people, in such an effectual manner as that no person be suffered, either upon pretense of religion or of infidelity, to offer any indignity, violence, abuse, or injury to any other person whatsoever …
4. It is the duty of people to pray for magistrates, to honor their persons, to pay them tribute or other dues, to obey their lawful commands, and to be subject to their authority, for conscience’ sake. Infidelity, or difference in religion, doth not make void the magistrates’ just and legal authority, nor free the people from their due obedience to them: from which ecclesiastical persons are not exempted … upon any other pretense whatsoever.
“But when it was day, the magistrates sent the police, saying, ‘Let those men go.’ And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, ‘The magistrates have sent to let you go. Therefore come out now and go in peace.’ But Paul said to them, ‘They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.’ The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens. So they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and asked them to leave the city. So they went out of the prison and visited Lydia. And when they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them and departed.”
— Acts 16:35-40
The Sixth Principle: Christ Alone is the Head of the Church
“It is a distinctive feature of the apostolic government that Church rulers did not render spiritual obedience to any temporal potentate, or to any ecclesiastical chief. Paul seldom commences any of his epistles without reminding his readers that he held his apostleship by the will of God, not by the favour of man. Take, as an example. Gal. 1:1 — ‘Paul an apostle (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father who raised Him from the dead),’ etc.
In the picture of apostolic times presented in the New Testament, we can detect no instance of the Church acknowledging the spiritual dominion of any earthly monarch, or consenting to surrender a portion of its religious liberty for any temporal advantage whatever. We find no provision made in the Gospel for the supremacy of a Christian, much less of a heathen, king in the things of God. …
Nor was supreme spiritual power lodged in the hands of any office-bearer of the Church, however distinguished by his gifts, his sufferings, or his abundant labours. The private members, indeed, had it in command to obey the rulers or elders of the Church; but the elders, on their part, were enjoined not to act as lords over God’s heritage, but to be examples to the flock (1 Pet. 5:3). Even the apostles did not claim to have dominion over the people’s faith, but only to be helpers of their joy (2 Cor. 1:24). …
The Scripture, therefore, furnishes no ground whatever for believing that supreme spiritual power is deposited in any ecclesiastical officer any more than in any temporal prince. The Scriptures are to be our guide on this as well as on all other religious matters.”
— The Apostolic Church — Which Is It?, Thomas Witherow, 1855
“Be not silent, O God of my praise!
For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me,
speaking against me with lying tongues.
They encircle me with words of hate,
and attack me without cause.
In return for my love they accuse me,
but I give myself to prayer.
So they reward me evil for good,
and hatred for my love.
Appoint a wicked man against him;
let an accuser stand at his right hand.
When he is tried, let him come forth guilty;
let his prayer be counted as sin!
May his days be few;
may another take his office!
May his children be fatherless
and his wife a widow!
May his children wander about and beg,
seeking food far from the ruins they inhabit!
May the creditor seize all that he has;
may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil!
Let there be none to extend kindness to him,
nor any to pity his fatherless children!
May his posterity be cut off;
may his name be blotted out in the second generation!
May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD,
and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out!
Let them be before the LORD continually,
that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth!
For he did not remember to show kindness,
but pursued the poor and needy
and the brokenhearted, to put them to death.
He loved to curse; let curses come upon him!
He did not delight in blessing; may it be far from him!
He clothed himself with cursing as his coat;
may it soak into his body like water,
like oil into his bones!
May it be like a garment that he wraps around him,
like a belt that he puts on every day!
May this be the reward of my accusers from the LORD,
of those who speak evil against my life!”
— Psalm 109:1-20
The Westminster Larger Catechism
Q. 130. What are the sins of superiors?
A. The sins of superiors are, besides the neglect of the duties required of them … commanding things unlawful, or not in the power of inferiors to perform; counseling, encouraging, or favoring them in that which is evil; dissuading, discouraging, or discountenancing them in that which is good; correcting them unduly; careless exposing, or leaving them to wrong, temptation, and danger; provoking them to wrath; or in any way dishonoring themselves, or lessening their authority, by an unjust, indiscreet, rigorous, or remiss behavior.
Q. 143. Which is the ninth commandment?
A. The ninth commandment is, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Q. 144. What are the duties required in the ninth commandment?
A. The duties required in the ninth commandment are, the preserving and promoting of truth between man and man, and the good name of our neighbor, as well as our own; appearing and standing for the truth; and from the heart, sincerely, freely, clearly, and fully, speaking the truth, and only the truth, in matters of judgment and justice, and in all other things whatsoever; … a ready receiving of a good report, and unwillingness to admit of an evil report, concerning them; discouraging talebearers, flatterers, and slanderers; love and care of our own good name, and defending it when need requireth; keeping of lawful promises; studying and practicing of whatsoever things are true, honest, lovely, and of good report.
Q. 145. What are the sins forbidden in the ninth commandment?
A. The sins forbidden in the ninth commandment are, all prejudicing the truth, and the good name of our neighbors, as well as our own, especially in public judicature; giving false evidence, suborning false witnesses, wittingly appearing and pleading for an evil cause, outfacing and overbearing the truth; passing unjust sentence, calling evil good, and good evil; rewarding the wicked according to the work of the righteous, and the righteous according to the work of the wicked; forgery, concealing the truth, undue silence in a just cause, and holding our peace when iniquity calleth for either a reproof from ourselves, or complaint to others; speaking the truth unseasonably, or maliciously to a wrong end, or perverting it to a wrong meaning, or in doubtful or equivocal expressions, to the prejudice of truth or justice; speaking untruth, lying, slandering, backbiting, detracting, talebearing, whispering, scoffing, reviling, rash, harsh, and partial censuring; misconstructing intentions, words, and actions; … hiding, excusing, or extenuating of sins, when called to a free confession; … raising false rumors, receiving and countenancing evil reports, and stopping our ears against just defense; evil suspicion; … breach of lawful promises; neglecting such things as are of good report, and practicing, or not avoiding ourselves, or not hindering what we can in others, such things as procure an ill name.
“What is God’s will for you in the sixth commandment?
I am not to belittle, hate, insult, or kill my neighbor—not by my thoughts, my words, my look or gesture, and certainly not by actual deeds—and I am not to be a party to this in others; rather, I am to put away all desire for revenge. I am not to harm or recklessly endanger myself either.
Prevention of murder is also why government is armed with the sword.
Does this commandment refer only to murder?
By forbidding murder God teaches us that he hates the root of murder: envy, hatred, anger, vengefulness. In God’s sight all such are disguised forms of murder.”
— Heidelberg Catechism, Q. 105-106
“In such defense I am seriously embarrassed by never having been confronted with my accusers or furnished with a copy of the precise charges against me. I have heard vague rumors of charges that have been made—and most extraordinary they seem to me to be—but they have been made almost exclusively in my absence. My good name has been gravely injured without any opportunity having been given me to cross-examine or even to answer in any way those who have carried on the attack. … I may yet say that it seemed to me more desirable from my point of view that the charges against me should be made fully known to the church. In that case opportunity might at least have been given to refute the charges if they were false.
As it is, I can deal only with such indications as to the nature of the charges as appeared in the public speeches of the chairman of the Committee on Theological Seminaries and of President Stevenson and Dr. Erdman.
According to the chairman, it had been asserted in the presence of the committee that I am spiritually unqualified … that I am temperamentally defective, bitter and harsh in my judgment of others and implacable to brethren who do not agree with me. Obviously, this characterization of me—which, if true, casts a serious stain upon my moral character—is of too general a kind to be refuted until information is given as to the specific facts upon which it is based.
But obviously I am not qualified to testify with regard to my own personal characteristics. All that I desire here to do is to set forth the facts as regards the one specific matter which has given rise to the chief objections to me and has therefore been the occasion for the appointment of the present committee. …
In doing so, I shall endeavor to show (1) that there is a serious divergence of principle between Dr. Erdman and myself, and (2) that personal unpleasantness was introduced into the discussion of this divergence not by me but by Dr. Erdman. …
But was it a crime to oppose Dr. Erdman as a candidate for the moderatorship? If it was, then I certainly stand convicted; but to hold that it was is, I think, to destroy all liberty of conscience in the church. My opposition to Dr. Erdman’s candidacy for that particular position was necessarily involved in convictions that are at the basis of my whole life; for me to have made an opposite decision would have been to desert what I was fully convinced was my duty to the church and to God. …
I ask you, gentlemen, to put yourselves in my place and view the matter from the point of view of my convictions. For many years I had been convinced that the Presbyterian church was in deadly peril it was in imminent danger, I believed, of being controlled by that indifference to the central things of the gospel which already had engulfed the larger Protestant churches of the continent of Europe, and unless all indications failed the larger churches of Great Britain. Would the undermining process go on here unchecked, or would our church become aroused to its peril before it was too late?”
— J. Gresham Machen, “Statement to the Committee to Investigate Princeton,” 1926
“Here’s the issue of moral hazard. Moral hazard is a behavior that actually sets up a further erosion of morality and additional immoral acts. That’s a form of moral hazard. You reward bad behavior, guess what you get, more bad behavior …
So what is moral hazard? Moral hazard is an action or it is a policy that basically unintentionally it rewards bad behavior. And the point here in the Christian worldview really helps us to understand this. If you reward bad behavior, guess what you get more of? You get more bad behavior. …
Then you are creating a context of nearly terminal, that is to say endless and eventually defeating moral hazard. Just to repeat, moral hazard is a policy or action that is intended to fix a problem but actually leads to the multiplication of the very same problem.
It is rewarding either something that was wrongly done in good faith or bad, but nonetheless, it rewards it in such a way that you actually increase the likelihood this is going to happen again. …
So why is this an issue of such urgency for the Christian worldview?
Well, it’s just a reminder that God created us as moral beings, and our societies are moral organisms themselves. We can’t escape the morality. After all, we’re talking here about moral hazard. That’s a reflection of the fact that this is fundamentally a moral reality. … are you parenting by actually creating moral hazard? If you effectively reward bad behavior, well, here’s a clue for you, you’re going to get more bad behavior. And that bad behavior is contagious …
We are moral creatures, and that means that we will be bent either in a way that leads to righteousness or unrighteousness, to good behavior or to bad behavior. Saying parents, they create a context in which good behavior is rewarded and bad behavior is punished. That is to reduce moral hazard. In Romans 13, the Apostle Paul talks to the function of government of rewarding the one who does right and punishing the one who does wrong.
Again, seeking to avoid moral hazard. A government that increases moral hazard is not only incompetent, it’s downright dangerous. This relates to our business life. It relates to our church life. It relates to how we run an institution and how we relate to human beings.
And of course, it relates to even the order of the home, and in particular of interest to Christians, to Christian parents, and to all those who honor the Christian home and the right ordering of that home before God. …
Where you find homo sapiens, you find the danger of moral hazard.”
— The Briefing with Albert Mohler, April 3, 2023
“The appearance of the law must be upheld, especially while it’s being broken.”
— Boss Tweed