“Christians have freedom of belief and practice,” said Safwat al-Baiady, president of the Protestant Churches of Egypt and a member of the constitutional committee. “And for the first time in the history of Egypt’s constitutions, building churches becomes a right.”   Egyptian Christians will soon have a law to regulate church building. But this is... Continue Reading

The Pittsburgh Presbytery on Saturday acquiesced to the departure of three area Allegheny County congregations to a more conservative denomination after reaching settlements in which the churches will keep their properties and make parting financial payments to the presbytery. But the presbytery also added a member Saturday, formally recognizing a start-up congregation that has been... Continue Reading

After the two tragedies, church numbers declined almost by half—down to 8,000 members or fewer, from a reported peak of 14,000—with a corresponding decline in income. Staff faced multiple layoffs. Longtime pastors and leaders moved on. In time, the spotlight faded. And the remaining staff and members were left to recover, to remember, to rediscover... Continue Reading

Seekers, the curious, and nominal believers can come to enjoy a show, hear a sermon, remain unperturbed in the enormous crowds, and enjoy the energy and facilities of a megachurch. However, if these same people want depth, they will be referred to small groups. But, more often than not, hungry Christians will begin to attend... Continue Reading

On appeal to the Supreme Court, the Falls Church Anglican is the only church that stands in the legal battle. The 10 other defendants have either settled or given up due to legal expenses. The congregation will know if its case will be heard by the Supreme Court by January 2014.   Hundreds of congregations... Continue Reading

Same-sex advocates can assert that Jesus never said anything directly about homosexuality — it was not a topic of debate among Jews of His time — however, they cannot claim that Jesus never addressed marriage. Nor can they deny that the theme of marriage as the two created sexes “becoming one flesh,” imaging the union... Continue Reading

The SJC’s answer to Overtures 20, 21 and 22 establishes the principle that in such cases a presbytery has completely fulfilled this requirement to act if it has conducted a trial that fulfills all the technical details required by the BCO. With this understanding of BCO 34-1, should a presbytery become unwilling to convict one... Continue Reading

It is no accident that the PCA’s formative meeting was on December 7, 1973, the anniversary of the founding of the Southern Presbyterian denomination in 1861. This letter is as clear a herald as we have of the basic values of the birth of the PCA, often summarized as “True to the Scriptures, the Reformed... Continue Reading

I think the housing allowance exemption for pastors is a good idea and should be maintained (but obviously I have a dog in this fight). The less the government regulates the inner workings of churches the better. If it is allowed to stand, the ruling that invalidated the housing allowance exemption for pastors will have... Continue Reading

The issues that brought about Brookdale’s decision to leave the denomination revolved around the PCUSA’s reluctance to proclaim the Bible as the Word of God and Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.   A Missouri congregation has disaffiliated from the Presbyterian Church (USA), though it is unclear whether there could be legal repercussions from the... Continue Reading