“We’re a former ‘Southern Presbyterian’ (PCUS) church that within eight years following reunion voted for the exception in the Book of Order’s Section G-8.0701 that exempts a former PCUS church from the denomination’s church property restrictions (G-8.0500). Did that action protect us from the ‘trust’ that the Presbyterian Church (USA) has imposed on local church... Continue Reading

“Belhar was a good statement for its time and place, but does it pass the higher bar that we set for a confession to enter the PCUSA constitution? That is the judgment that you, sisters and brothers, will have to make this evening.” The late Richard John Neuhaus, editor of First Things and author of... Continue Reading

A New York church is celebrating after successfully fighting for its right to exist. On March 31, Jermain Memorial Presbyterian Church of Watervliet, N.Y., signed a property and separation agreement with the Presbytery of Albany, ending a two-year battle in which the presbytery tried to shutter the church and liquidate its property and six-figure assets.... Continue Reading

Overture 9 from the PCA’s Potomac Presbytery expresses grave concern concerning the practices of the “Insider Movement” regarding their translation practices and asks for the formation of a study committee to advise MTW on this matter. The “Insider Movement” (IM) is a term for a variety of organizations and philosophies that are attempting to “contextualize”... Continue Reading

Dr. Chuck Kelley, president of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, has announced that in the light of the economic recession and a reduction in Cooperative Program funding, the seminary will be cutting some faculty positions and moving others to a part-time status. (Editor’s Note: The Cooperative Program is the denomination’s centralized program to channel funds... Continue Reading

Overture 1 entitled “Multiply Central Carolina Presbytery,” proposed by Central and Western Carolina Presbyteries, would divide Central Carolina, take some counties from Western Carolina, and form Catawba Valley Presbytery. The reasons for the new presbytery boundaries also provide some helpful guidelines for thinking about presbytery formation. Here are their reasons in an ordered list: The... Continue Reading

Pastor Peter James stood before his congregation at Vienna Presbyterian Church last Sunday and paused before giving one of the most difficult sermons of his life. Framed by the light coming through the sanctuary’s huge windows, James spoke of sexual abuse by a youth director, of the church’s shortcomings and of the tormenting darkness that... Continue Reading

The issue of gays in ministry often has been divisive among church congregations, and now it’s affecting the 5,000-member First Presbyterian Church in Colorado Springs. The church has joined a growing national movement within the Presbyterian denomination. The movement, called the Presbyterian Fellowship, opposes a pending vote by parent organization Presbyterian Church (USA) that could... Continue Reading

Sunday AM Updates from MTW missionaries Dan Iverson and Abi Lowther, plus a testimony from a non-Christian observer in Japan Update from Dan Iverson, Japan Team Leader (from MTW website) With the exception of the ongoing nuclear crisis, you have probably noticed that news from Japan has slowed to a trickle. There are fewer and... Continue Reading

Sunday AM updates from OPC Disaster Response Coordinator, Dave Nakhla and Japan Missionaries Cal Cummings and Woody Lauer Update from David Nakhla, OPC Disaster Response Coordinator; Three weeks have now passed since the news of the earthquake and tsunami hitting right off the coast of Japan, near Sendai. As this story slides from the top... Continue Reading