The congregation of Bethel Presbyterian Church claims the Scotch-Irish as their descent. By 1750, a stream of Scotch-Irish began to flow into North Carolina and the Upcountry of South Carolina. Historically, the Scotch-Irish Presbyterians were noted for their religious beliefs. Their spirit of determination and dependence upon God’s help allowed for the positive development of... Continue Reading

“On October 14, several conservative news sites began writing about the subpoenas, and that sparked a swift and loud national evangelical response. The more outraged responses came from a number of evangelical pundits who have made careers out of blowing the bugle of petty culture wars. But others came from leaders who are not known... Continue Reading

My concerns in this post are less about one more reason why Mars Hill finds itself in a fix right now, and more about the corruption of evangelical megachurches. It is still, after all I have seen, beyond my comprehension that it is considered to be business as usual to use the church as a... Continue Reading

“Here’s the situation.  You, the pastoral candidate, are sitting in a room with a committee of anywhere from 6 to 20 people. They have spent the evening tossing questions, real and theoretical, at you.  You are drained and everyone is ready for the evening to end. But not yet. Finally, the chair says, “And pastor,... Continue Reading

“Lead Pastor Thomas Hurst announced his resignation to the congregation during the 10:30 a.m. service on Sunday, two days after Mars Hill announced that it would dissolve with its 13 “campuses” set loose to form new churches, consolidate with other churches or dissolve.”   The big Bellevue campus of Mars Hill Church has filed registration... Continue Reading

The rationalism and subjectivism of some of the plans for church growth and/or revival have left a bad taste in the mouths of confessionalists but there are some common sense, practical steps that confessional congregations can take to reduce unnecessary barriers and to make them more accessible both to those who do not yet know... Continue Reading

The Nov. 17-19 conference, “An International Interreligious Colloquium on The Complementarity of Man and Woman,” will feature about 30 speakers from 23 countries and 14 religions. The conference has been in the works for at least a year, said Helen Alvare, a law professor at George Mason University who is handling communications for the gathering.... Continue Reading

Having a stand up and greet one another time in the worship service. This response was my greatest surprise for two reasons. First, I was surprised how much guests are really uncomfortable during this time. Second, I was really surprised that it was the most frequent response.   If you attend a church regularly, you’ve probably... Continue Reading

It’s unfortunate that it’s so easy for many churches to have a vision that, at least implicitly, extends as far as their four walls. There is comfort and safety in staying hidden, in secluding ourselves in the corner. But, like a candle that is put under something, soon the oxygen will run out and the... Continue Reading

“Windwood Presbyterian is not the only congregation that has attempted a legal measure to retain possession of their property without having a pay a sum to their former presbytery. Highland Park Presbyterian Church, a megachurch located in Dallas, had voted to leave before Windwood and also filed a lawsuit attempting to not have to pay... Continue Reading