Recommendations from the Memorials, Complaints, and Executive Board presented to the ARP Synod and the actions of Synod on the recommendations. The ARP Synod is meeting at the Bonclarken Conference Center in Flat Rock, NC. The following was considered by the Synod on June 7. Memorials Committee The Committee on Memorials presented a number of... Continue Reading

The Synod of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, meeting on June 7, overwhelmingly approved an overture affirming the special creation of Adam and Eve and rejecting all evolutionary views of their origin. The hotly debated memorial from Mississippi Valley Presbytery on the special creation of Adam and Eve as amended by the Memorials Committee was... Continue Reading

The ARP Synod made history and has elected its first ever “foreign” Moderator. Rev. Rob Patrick, Pastor of Bartow ARP, Bartow, FL, nominated Rev. Jeff Kingswood, Pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church in Woodstock, Ontario, for Moderator for the 2013 Synod. Mr. Patrick noted that two years ago he nominated Rev. Andrew Putnam, who ran against... Continue Reading

In keeping with this solemn vow, I feel duty-bound to disclose some changes to my views which have developed over the past few years, relating to the issues of Sola Scriptura and Sola Fide specifically. I submitted the following letter a couple of days ago. Please be in prayer for my family during this difficult... Continue Reading

The case of John Mark can provide us with a measure of insight into how we should deal with “mess-ups.” John Mark: A Ministry Not Wasted To my observation those who don’t believe in second chances fall into three groups: (1) those who have never needed one, (2) those who have needed and received one,... Continue Reading

The danger for high churchmen … is that we can forget that. We can end up thinking that the doctrine of the church is more important than the gospel or, worse still, that the doctrine of the church is the gospel. The news of the seeming impending conversion of Jason Stellman to Roman Catholicism will... Continue Reading

Even when you account for 2000 years of cultural differences between Paul and Evangelicalism, the answer is no. Why? Because Paul didn’t treat the Bible the way mainstream Evangelicalism says you need to. Would Paul have made a good Evangelical? No. Even when you account for 2000 years of cultural differences between Paul and Evangelicalism,... Continue Reading

Stellman says he has embraced two of Rome’s dogmas: that the Word of God is subordinate to the Church’s tradition, and that infusion is right and imputation wrong. In other words he has publicly repudiated sola Scriptura and sola fide. Those following the doctrinal battle of the past couple of years within the PCA’s Northwest Presbytery were surprised... Continue Reading

…the 2011 Synod…passed a policy for trustee removal from agencies and boards. Various agencies contacted Paul Bell, Director for Central Services about issues of legality. Synod’s attorney, Mr. Dan Eller, studied the issue and reported back to the Executive Board that there are liability issues with having this policy.

“Often, when the church seems buried and things seem most discouraging, God is working profoundly beneath the surface. Fathers and brothers, what is God doing to further his grace among us so that He can work his grace through us? Let us not look at the externals – the statistics, the reports, the so-called struggles for control and blame-shifting. Rather, let us call upon our Sovereign God under whose lordship we stand and serve." (Comments of incoming Moderator)