The pastoral staff of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas — a congregation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) — has received a letter of encouragement from the denomination's highest-ranking officer, even as the church's ministers publicly reject core Christian doctrines including the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.

During the congregation's October 11 service, Rev. Jim Rigby read aloud a letter written to him by Rev. Jihyun Oh, the Stated Clerk of the PCUSA General Assembly, according to Protestia, which first reported the story on October 12. Oh wrote that she had been praying for Rigby and his church, offered any help beyond prayer and support, and expressed gratitude for their ministry and leadership. She also said she had not responded to a Presbyterian email-writer who had raised allegations about the church, saying the writer appeared to be "fishing for some response" she could use.

The controversy centers on recorded statements by the church's ministers, Rev. Jim Rigby and Rev. Babs Miller. In public and undercover videos published over recent weeks, the two are shown saying they do not believe Jesus was born of a virgin, that He physically rose from the dead, or that He died for people's sins. In one clip published by the Daily Wire in September, Miller said "we have no way of knowing if Jesus really existed" and stated that most members of St. Andrew's identify as atheists or agnostics.

Rigby has also addressed the issue publicly in his own words. In a social media post, he acknowledged that "because I don't believe in a literal resurrection," some question whether he is really a Christian — framing the criticism sarcastically, as reported by the Presbyterian Lay Committee.

St. Andrew's has also drawn notice because Texas U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico attends the church, putting its teaching in the spotlight of an active campaign. Critics argue that the denomination's embrace of ministers who deny the resurrection shows how far the PCUSA has moved from historic Christian belief; defenders of the church view the controversy as an effort by outside activists to discredit a progressive congregation.

The dispute matters far beyond one Austin church. The bodily resurrection is not a marginal doctrine within Christianity — it stands at the heart of the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, and every historic confession of the Christian faith, Presbyterian included. When the denomination's senior officer responds to the controversy with prayer and support for the ministers rather than concern about the teaching, it raises honest questions about what the PCUSA still requires its ordained leaders to believe.

To be fair, Rev. Oh's letter addressed a pastoral staff under public fire, and extending prayer to embattled ministers is itself a Christian instinct. The concern many Christians feel is not about prayer, but about affirmation: a denomination can grieve with its pastors while still holding them to the faith they promised to confess.

Churches in every denomination would do well to learn from this moment. Creeds and confessions only guard the faith when churches actually hold their teachers to them. As the Apostle Paul wrote, even an angel from heaven who preaches a different gospel must be rejected — because the gospel is not ours to edit.