When it is impossible to persuade the church to make a change in its Constitution consciously and formally, it is possible to really change the Constitution in its spirit without changing it in words, and silently to bring about a departure from what has been believed, to some new doctrines, until unawares the church shall... Continue Reading

Register but don’t pack. Citing instructions from the 219th General Assembly, the General Assembly Mission Council (GAMC), raised the prospect of moving the event to another city if an immigration bill currently working its way through the Indiana General Assembly is approved. Register but don’t pack. That’s the message the Presbyterian Church (USA) is sending... Continue Reading

For whatever reasons, the interest in the use of liturgical elements has increased in recent years. So I asked Scotty Smith, Mike Cosper, and Bob Kauflin, “To what extent does your church use liturgical elements such as responsive readings and creeds? Why?” If you look at any Roman Catholic cathedral, you will notice that the... Continue Reading

It’s interesting to see how important Easter is to Cypriot life and culture. As we were shopping on Wednesday, the store was playing hymns – in English – on their sound system. Imagine being in European equivalent to WALMART and hearing Christ the Lord is Risen Today. There are Easter displays everywhere – the city... Continue Reading

People are not becoming Protestants because they disagree with specific Catholic teachings; people are leaving because the church does not meet their spiritual needs and they find Protestant worship service better. The number of people who have left the Catholic church is huge. We all have heard stories about why people leave. Parents share stories... Continue Reading

I am going to say some things that may strike folks the wrong way. So let me preface my comments by saying that I am of Chinese descent and my wife was born and raised in Korea. We currently attend an English speaking church in NYC that is ~80% Asian, including ~40% Korean. I understand... Continue Reading

The Church of England is an institution in decline, with fewer worshippers than ever and dissent in its ranks. Could salvation come in the form of severing its ties with the State? As the faithful look forward to Easter and the Archbishop of Canterbury prepares to officiate at the wedding of Prince William and Kate... Continue Reading

Growing up Catholic in a loving, but non-church-going family in New Jersey, Rev. Drew DiNardo, senior pastor of First Presbyterian, said entering a ministry was “the furthest thing” from his mind. Then, about age 21, casual conversations with a neighborhood friend, Kristie Shannon Raively, began his enlightenment and led him to an understanding of religion,... Continue Reading

The 1839 RPCS Testimony has been placed in permanent abeyance by a decision taken by the RPCS Presbytery. The decision was made at a pro-re-nata meeting of Presbytery on the 12th March 2011. That decision was then formally ratified, and it was put into permanent abeyance at a pro-re-nata meeting of Presbytery on the 16th... Continue Reading

(Board Chairman) Vermaire would not elaborate on the sketchy wording of the press release. CRC Director of Communications Henry Hess said in an email, “It is fair to say that it was related to disagreements between Jerry and the board over how he was doing his job.” The Rev. Jerry Dykstra says Christian Reformed Church... Continue Reading