Whose Mission Statement Is this?  “What would it take to change the world, provide food for the hungry, and water to the thirsty, teach children to read, and keep them healthy, shelter families and train a new generation, give the poor a chance to better themselves, create a worldwide network of peacemakers, and conquer a... Continue Reading

When he says or does something that offends or upsets you, tell everybody else, but make sure you don’t tell him until he has heard from the others you have told. Then tell him that you agree with them. Every once in a while, send him a complaining anonymous letter.

Proposed Definition: Doctrinal Affirmation: A Doctrinal Affirmation is an interpretation of the Creeds and the Three Forms of Unity on a specific point of their teaching. It serves the churches by directing them to the Creeds and the Three Forms of Unity, applying them in response to doctrinal questions that have arisen in the churches. It should be received by the churches with respect and submission, and it may not be directly or indirectly contradicted in preaching or in writing.

We will spend the bulk of our time over the next two days dealing with areas that do not fall directly under the Confession’s stated functions for a synod. I wonder why we spend so much time on what has little to do with the purpose of a synod according to our Confession. At the Synod level, we are doing more than the Confession calls for.

At the 2011 Synod meeting, the Erskine board was directed to revise its charter and bylaws to clarify the relationship between church and schools and acknowledge that the Synod…has the power to remove board members when necessary. In February, the board…refused to make the necessary changes to the charter and bylaws.

Evangelicals need to guard against a parallel politicization of churches. Pastors as they exegete Scripture can and should make practical applications to key moral issues such as abortion, but they should be wary of going further. The Bible tells us what we need to know about past and future—how we're created and where we're going. It does not tell us precisely what to do about the Keystone pipeline or Iran's drive for nuclear weapons.

Cheap law will never quiet the self-righteous being because it invites him to keep haggling over what he can do apart from Jesus. And that is why law must be costly. It must always get to the heart of the matter. It's not only murder that deserves death, but hate. It's not only adultery that condemns, but lust. Not only theft, but coveting. It's not only what is done with your hands that is judged, but what is done in your heart.

Thomas Currie, dean of the Union Presbyterian Seminary in Charlotte, said many faith traditions have been struggling with “forces in our society today that celebrate pulling away, that cause us to retreat among ourselves. In the absence of a compelling call by the church to work and live together, that’s what people will do. And that is what is happening now.”

The son of a lawyer who became a Presbyterian minister, he grew up in both the South and in South Florida. Prior to joining the faculty at Knox, he taught undergraduate and graduate students at Wheaton College. He is a teaching elder in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church and enjoys serving in local churches. When not busy at the seminary, he enjoys time with his wife Emily and his son Jackson, watching NBA basketball, running, reading, the beach, and sweet tea.

A new “Covenant of Officebearers” to be signed by all CRC officebearers is coming before synod 2012 to replace the current Form of Subscription. This will be the third time a Covenant has come before synod.