Presbyterian stance cannot be defended

BERTHA Roope (Write Back, July 9) calls my use of the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican with regard to the present state of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland as “illogical”.

She then says: “This story represents pride, hypocrisy and smug satisfaction versus humility and repentance.” Precisely my point and not a question of logic, but of appropriateness. Furthermore, in Writeback of the same date, your correspondent A Henderson berates me for what I did not put in my correspondence. Did he/ she want me to comment on, perhaps, the vagaries of our weather? Or the state of Brexit negotiations?

My correspondence was in reply to a previous joint offering by two people to Writeback, which I regarded as pure hubris, given their “good riddance” attitude towards members of the Presbyterian Church, who have felt the necessity to resign from it. My reply was entirely focused on denunciation of such a callous and non-Christian attitude.

A Henderson is very quick to invoke “the vast majority of Christian communities and communions throughout the world” when it comes to the single issue of sexual ethics and then goes on to praise the stance of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.

This is a Church which, sadly, is becoming more and more sectarian (in the theological sense of the word) and one that shows no desire to enter into dialogue with any other of the “Christian communities and communions through the world”, or even within the narrower limits of the reformed Churches in the UK and Ireland.

BRENDANSANDS Ballyclare, Co Antrim