Mr. Tesh has been a fifth generation member of the Moravian Church . This letter was printed with slight modifications on  the Winston Salem Journal Editorial page Sunday March 2 2003. He stresses that he wants a denomination that is unbending in the non-negotiable truths of the Bible.

I believe that in the spiritual realm there is a mighty battle going on and I'm afraid that the good guys are being overpowered by Satan's sneak attack on them. However, I trust that God knows what is happening and that He will make something good come of this.

The actions taken by the Northern synod are most disheartening and disappointing. The first issue concerns the sin of homosexuality. It is quite obvious that those that think homosexuality is a sin were in the minority at Synod. The resolution that passed by a 150 to 120 margin says that we are to "affirm, support and celebrate" homosexual individuals and/or couples completely within the bounds of the church. The "Moravian" publication devoted a complete issue praising this subject.

The second issue concerned the document called "The Ground Of The Unity," a doctrinal statement of the Moravian Church. In that document are several Biblically conservative points of doctrine such as: 1. Jesus is the only way to salvation and there is no salvation apart from Him; 2. the Bible is Truth. A proposal went to the synod about the Ground of the Unity. It asked the Synod to affirm it, and it pulled several points out of the document to take special note of -- such as the statement about Jesus as the only way to obtain salvation and the truth of the Bible. The committee that dealt with this proposal tore it apart and took out everything except to "affirm" the Ground of the Unity. What does this action, if anything, say to you?

All denominations and all churches have their problems, but these problems should not deal with the foundational, essential doctrines of the faith. It's time that evangelical, conservative, Bible-believing Moravians stood up and started confronting the PEC's, the District boards, the Seminary, the Faith and Order Commission, and the Synod instead of sitting back without reacting to their well-thought-out and planned agendas. You are going to wake up one day and ask "How did this happen?"

What are we passing on to those who follow us: "The Faith of our Fathers" or a watered-down ineffective substitute? I am a 5th generation Moravian who wants a denomination that is unbending in the non-negotiable truths of the Bible. We must be true to GOD and that means making hard decisions.

Oscar Tesh 
1200 John Harger Road
 Walnut Cove, NC