The Paper Tiger PCA

The phrase paper tiger conveys the idea that outwardly something or someone is strong or powerful, but in reality, inwardly, is weak or ineffectual. A paper tiger may be an organization or nation, or even a person, that looks powerful or demonstrates an outward show of strength but is, in fact, only a façade. It occurred to me today, while reflecting on the latest round of overtures and the cause(s) that precipitated many of them, that the PCA may very well be something of a paper tiger. Of course, my use of “paper tiger” when describing the PCA is slightly different from the standard definition; there is much that is going on in the PCA that is good and profitable for gospel ministry that is certainly no façade. So, when I say the PCA may indeed be a paper tiger, I mean that the PCA is strong on paper but not in practice when it comes to the twelve clear, biblical statements in the Report of the Ad Interim Committee on Human Sexuality (hereafter, study report). The PCA has not yet applied and integrated these statements into practice in the Book of Church Order (BCO).