Covenant Presbytery Denies Appeal of Jonesboro 7 Finding No Errors in Session Trial
A group of Christians in Jonesboro wanted to have a PCA Church in their town. But organizing a church was more difficult than expected, yet God proved abundantly sufficient and able. (Part Four)
It is a most remarkable providence; if one reads the protest against Presbytery’s action to preserve the church plant, the signers represent the elders from Covenant Presbytery’s wealthiest and most influential churches and committees. Yet the speech of a largely unknown, retired former Arkansas church planter was powerfully used by God to change the course... Continue Reading
Listen, Don’t Critique
Our chief responsibility as we carry out the general office of believer is to listen to the preaching of the word, not critique it.
We should realize that we have come to listen to the word so that it would critique us, not so that we could criticize the preaching of it. Such is the difference between listening to the sermon and critiquing it—it’s humility vs. pride. We should also realize that God has established his church in such a... Continue Reading
Trial at IPC Memphis for the “Jonesboro 7”
A group of Christians in Jonesboro wanted to have a PCA Church in their town. But organizing a church was more difficult than expected, yet God proved abundantly sufficient and able. (Part 3)
As Session saw it, the Jonesboro 7 were in rebellion against the will of Christ. But had not told them how they were in rebellion against Christ. At the hearing the SJC Judges would later question how the men would be able to show proper evidence of repentance given the lack of specificity; one SJC judge... Continue Reading
Presbyterian Church in America Celebrates Fifty Years in the Tri-Cities of Tennessee
A celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Presbyterian Church in America’s ministry in the Tri-Cities area.
In June of this year, the PCA General Assembly celebrated its jubilee. Locally, the half-century milestone was marked by a service conducted on October 13th by Westminster Presbytery, the regional body of ministers and churches. Covering southwestern Virginia and northeastern Tennessee, Westminster Presbytery has long had a reputation for its staunch adherence to the standard... Continue Reading
Mainline Slide
The push to accept homosexuality gutted traditional Protestantism. Evangelical churches are headed down the same road.
Evangelical support of same-sex marriage is on the rise. Among white evangelical Protestants, it rose from 11 percent in 2004 to 29 percent in 2019, according to the Pew survey. It also found that 4 in 10 of those who attend religious services once a week now favor same-sex marriage. Stanley’s public statements that conflict with... Continue Reading
Transferring Church Membership is not a Violation of the Presbyterian Church in America’s Membership Vows: A Gentle Rejoinder to an Earnest Man
Acceptable reasons for leaving a local church are not enumerated in any authoritative document that the PCA recognizes.
Believers make their vows to the Church universal, and while they should be supportive of their local churches and not leave one lightly, nonetheless someone who transfers his membership to another local branch of the one Church is not guilty of infidelity to his PCA membership vows. Neither is the promise to submit to the... Continue Reading
Can Ministry Be Unhitched From Theology?
Drawing inclusive circles for image bearers when the Bible defines lines is a slippery slope.
“Unhitching” our doctrine from our pastoral care makes sense if the goal of the Church is simply to help people live better lives. Reducing the Church this way only elevates the self. Ministry, once unhitched from doctrine, devolves into idolatry. Like the golden calf worshiped in the time of the Exodus, it is possible to claim... Continue Reading
The Morning Star of the Reformation
The sun did rise in the Reformation of the sixteenth century, and the light of the gospel chased the darkness away. But we can all be grateful for the pioneering efforts of the fourteenth century Oxford scholar John Wycliffe.
Luther famously had his Ninety-Five Theses. While not having quite as many, Wycliffe had his own theses (that is, arguments) against the church. One thesis declares, “There is one universal church, and outside of it there is no salvation. Its head is Christ. No pope may say that he is the head.” For this and... Continue Reading
When Being Affirming Isn’t Loving
Influential voices within the church are helping to create the rhetorical and pastoral approach that will serve only to further marginalize those who seek to minister faithfully to this generation.
The church has always had—and needed—prophets because she is a fallible institution made up of fallible people. And yes she has made some terrible mistakes, not least with the matter of slavery. But what is interesting today is the inverted role of the modern prophet. While Isaiah and his colleagues saw their task as calling... Continue Reading
Can a Temporary Session Impose a Pastor on a Church Plant?
When a Session attempts to impose its own preferences on the sheep committed to its care, it binds the consciences of Christ’s sheep.
The core of the issue addressed by the Eggert concurrence was a disagreement between a temporary session and some of the members of the congregation they were supposed to be serving and shepherding. All church members have a duty to honor their leaders, “to submit to the government and discipline of the Church, and to... Continue Reading
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