This blog represents the thoughts of the author. While they may reflect the theological position of The Renewal Fellowship, they should not be seen as an official statement.

Strike up the band – a renewed chorus of overtures is coming to General Assembly.

There's nothing new about overtures in response to our theological differences. For several years, those in orthodoxy have called for a restatement of our traditional understandings. Or, in the face of inevitable change, they've requested more time to study the issues and the ability of congregations to leave the fold.

A few years ago, we started to see more calls for safe space and legal safeguards for those who adhere to tradition, as well as the creation of presbyteries that follow theological rather than geographical boundaries.

Look for that trend to continue in the 2021 Book of Reports.

It's all part of a growing recognition that our irreconcilable differences in theology in the PCC – which have produced two very different churches – won't be sustainable if the redefinition of marriage is finally approved at this year's Assembly.

Remits “B” and “C” are intended to allow room for traditionalists and progressives to coexist in an undivided denomination. There's the expectation that we are to respect each others' differences and simply go on living. But the reality is that everyone would need to accept each other's interpretations as valid.

God pleads with us to be in line with His will – which is unity with Him, not each other. Allowing unscriptural and ungodly views – at its most charitable, I would say “inconsistent views” – to coexist under one roof is not pleasing to our Father in heaven. (That's true not just for those in orthodoxy. Across the theological spectrum, there are those in every camp who don't want to provide room for “the other.”)

It's now approaching two years in which the remits have been in circulation, and it's become abundantly clear that they will not provide peace. That's one important factor propelling the push to separate into theological synods or sister denominations.

These voices are growing in number and volume. They expect to be heard. Like the widow in Jesus' parable, they will insist on being heard. It is for them a matter of justice as well as truth.

The stakes are deep. And with anything so fundamental, they can bring out the worst in human behaviour as witnessed by the joint petition of the Western and Eastern Han-Ca presbyteries. It's not an easy read. Some may find it hard to believe that some in the same denomination which has repented of its colonial mindset and practices in regard to First Nations people see Koreans (and other non-Anglos in orthodoxy) as barriers to progress. It's heartbreaking.

And lest anyone think that those in orthodoxy are fixated on one issue, consider an overture from Knox Presbyterian Church in Thedford, Ontario, where the faithful are crying out on behalf of those whose lives are tortured by the ravages of drug dependency. It's not only a big-city problem.

Thedford is not alone. There are many voices in the wilderness who refuse to be labelled as singe-issue evangelicals.

We're invited to consider the original voice in the literal wilderness.

Wild and woolly, existing on a diet of insects and locusts, dressed in animal skins and living off the grid – John the Baptist could have been dismissed as an unhinged, fringe, crazy man. Yet, he was wildly popular and attracted scores of curious God-seekers. He even had his own team of disciples.

Those who adhere to authentic, traditional Biblical thinking as it pertains to the divinity and all-sufficiency of Christ (sexuality included) are seen by some as fringe players, mere voices in the wilderness. Regardless, our call is to speak God's message with compassionate boldness – in the wilderness, on the mountaintop, in places of evil, in the marketplace and – yes! – in the courts of the church.

It may now be too late to submit an overture to this year's General Assembly, but it's not too late to make your voices heard in other ways.