The original congregation formed after leaving the Presbyterian Church (USA) in 2007 due to concern over the theological direction of the denomination. Worship services for Oakfield (N.Y.) Community Bible Church (OCBC) soon will return to the historic building members of its congregation lost in a legal battle with Genesee Valley Presbytery. And the presbytery, which... Continue Reading

The overture does not mention recent evidence on global warming, such as Al Gore’s 2006 Oscar-winning documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” or claims that global warming theories were exaggerated. On the 20th anniversary of its adoption by the 202nd General Assembly, a Charlotte Presbytery overture will ask the 219th GA to lift up “Call to Restore... Continue Reading

Under the revised standard, White reportedly said, the convention “no longer” accepts autonomous churches that choose to call a woman as their pastor. For the second straight year, the Georgia Baptist Convention is poised to cut ties with a historic member congregation over the issue of women in ministry. Graham Walker, co-pastor along with his... Continue Reading

Using a 2008 More Light Presbyterians event as an example, the Presbytery of Santa Barbara has asked for oversight of General Assembly events sponsored by Presbyterian Church (USA) aligned groups to make sure they honor the denomination’s constitutional standards. Citing a “wedding” between two men officiated by a Presbyterian pastor at the 218th General Assembly... Continue Reading

The ARP Synod has selected two attorneys from the Greenville office of Womble, Carlyle, Sandridge & Rice, PLLC to defend the lawsuit brought by two current Erskine Trustees, along with the President of the Alumni Association and the Association itself. The ARP Legal Team from the Greenville, SC office includes: Keith Munson. Munson is a... Continue Reading

All of what the church does falls in line with its four core values: connecting with God, outreach to others, responding to needs, and equipping for life. Its small group ministries are organized as “core” groups reflecting each of those values. The Rev. Kirk McCormick believes strongly that the church’s primary calling is to make... Continue Reading

“It is a firm conviction with us that we do not seek redress by going to law, a conviction based squarely in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 6:1-8),” he said in an e-mail. Editor’s Note: Following are extracts from a story in the Greenwood Index Journal posted late on Thursday, March 16th. For the full... Continue Reading

“Pastors learn about doctrine in seminary but have trouble formulating it in a way that’s faithful to the Christian heritage,” said Marva Dawn, a teaching fellow in spiritual theology at Regent College in British Columbia. Before he started talking, Solomon Wilken was singing from his crib—and not children’s hymns, either. Like the rest of Trinity... Continue Reading

First Things is published by The Institute on Religion and Public Life, an interreligious, nonpartisan research and education institute whose purpose is to advance a religiously informed public philosophy for the ordering of society. Among recently “planted” Protestant churches in Manhattan, Redeemer Presbyterian is by far the fastest growing and best known. It’s so new,... Continue Reading

The congregation based its departure on recommendations by a congregational task force created to investigate the PCUSA’s theological drift, said Jay Hill, an elder and the pastor’s husband. There was no worship Sunday in the sanctuary of First Presbyterian Church in Safety Harbor, Fla., but services went on as planned. At a neighborhood library, 98... Continue Reading