During Friday’s program of business (at time stamp 1:16:02 in this video), TE Kevin Twit of Nashville Presbytery (pictured above) addressed the moderator from microphone two in order to file a protest against TE Steve Warhurst’s speech (specifically, against the Assembly allowing the speech to proceed beyond Pastor Warhurst’s comment regarding Revoice Conference speakers as part of his discussion of Article 3 in the Minority Report; see 8:00-9:00 in Pastor Warhurst’s speech) delivered the previous evening. The protest would be publicly signed by 203 commissioners (mostly Teaching Elders), the list of which is published in the Minutes of the 47th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America (pages 80-85):
47-43 Protest
TE Kevin Twit arose to file a formal protest (see below) against perceived intemperate language in a speech given in support of the Minority Report on Overture 28, presented at the Thursday evening session (RONR [11th ed.] p. 43, ll. 18-20; p. 392, ll. 12-25).
TE Ric Appleton raised an objection to entering the protest into the record because of the perceived intemperate language of the protest. The Assembly voted by hand vote against the objection. The hand vote was challenged, and on a vote the objection to the protest failed (408-450).
The Moderator indicated the procedure for commissioners who desired to sign the protest. RE Christian Madsen [Editorial Note: please note that the Minutes are in error. The speaker in-question at this point is not RE Christian Madsen of Missouri Presbytery, but RE Chris Shoemaker of Southern New England Presbytery] requested that the Moderator rule the protest out of order on the basis that the protest was not against an action of the court (BCO 45-3) but against a person. The Moderator ruled that the protest would stand (BCO 45-5).
TE David Boxerman challenged the chair’s ruling that the protest was in order. The Chair was sustained by a hand vote.
Below is an unofficial transcription of TE Kevin Twit’s protest, as read before the Assembly in the video linked-to above. All errors are the fault of the transcriptionist.
We protest that this Assembly allowed a speech which contained intemperate language during the session late Thursday night, June 27, 2019. Of course, not everything in the speech was intemperate, as much Scripture was quoted in the speech. But during the speech for the Minority Report on Overture 28, several times the speaker improperly judged the intent of the hearts of Revoice speakers…[at this juncture, TE Rick Appleton (Pittsburgh Presbytery) raised a point of order to protest the intemperate speech of TE Twit’s protest, and TE Twit continued after the Moderator asked TE Appleton to delay his protest until after TE Twit had opportunity to read his protest in its entirety] During the speech for the Minority Report on Overture 28, several times the speaker improperly judged the intent of the hearts of Revoice speakers as “intending to deceive” even though the speaker admitted in the same speech that neither he nor those who crafted the original Overture actually talked with any of these Revoice speakers, instead relying on recordings of the Revoice conference. While you may say that you disagree with the statements, you cannot impugn their motives and say that they’re seeking to deceive. Of course, as I said, not everything said in the speech was intemperate, as much Scripture was quoted in the speech, but as Job’s friends teach us, even truth may be declared in a way and at a time that it can cause unnecessary harm to those who are grieving. Of course, there is a time to stand, but there is also a time to sit down and weep with those who weep.
Click here for a full (unofficial) transcription (in .pdf format) of the Assembly’s deliberations over TE Twit’s protest. TE Zachary Groff prepared and published this transcription on the gracious request of TE Sam DeSocio of Heritage Presbytery.