Thoughts on the Present State of the PCA: A Series of Theses Presented by a Concerned Member—Part One
This article is part of a series of propositions covering current topics in the Presbyterian Church in America that elders and members are following with great interest. This is Part One
That the foremost sufferers of our present deeds are those that are tempted with homosexual lust. For they need to be encouraged diligently with the assurance that their sin belongs to the old man that was crucified with Christ (Rom. 6:6), and that they are new creations (2 Cor. 5:17) who have been cleansed of... Continue Reading
The Vote Tally of PCA Presbyteries On Overtures 23 and 37
The current vote tally for Overture 23 is 37-14 (72.55%); the current vote tally for Overture 37 is 34-18 (65.38%).
Thus far, 51 of the 88 PCA presbyteries have voted on Overtures 23 and 37. The remaining presbyteries will begin voting at their respective meetings beginning in January 2022, with 20 presbyteries voting during January; by then, a clearer trend will become obvious as to whether these amendments will receive the required 2/3 votes of... Continue Reading
The NP and the Ninth Commandment.
A general analysis of what the National Partnership emails reveal about its members and their view of the church.
However, if they put their case in such clear terms, it couldn’t do the other thing that such assurances are designed to do: to ease the consciences of the chosen members of the NP that they are not doing anything wrong. As a result, the NP emails almost all sound like this: the PCA is... Continue Reading
BCO Amendments 23 & 37 (3 of 3): Have You Ever Known A Dry Drunk?
The amendments provide a stipulated requirement for courts to persist in distinguishing members from officers: a credible profession of faith for members from an exemplary piety for PCA church offices.
In so far as these amendments about church officers address homosexuality (and they simultaneously address by name financial folly, relational abusiveness and racial wickedness), they simply parallel the common grace observation of AA. The absence of alcohol or of sex truly is significant, but it is not inherently decisive in the discernment for ordination. Gay... Continue Reading
Smells Like Party Spirit
The National Partnership, a PCA sub-group, is now out in the open, though not by its own design or on its own terms.
What did eight years of organizational communication reveal? Well, thankfully, nothing terribly personal or scandalous — what has become public is mostly political. The messages show a highly-organized group comprised almost exclusively of pastors (teaching elders in PCA parlance). There are members, though how one becomes a member or who decides is never revealed. What... Continue Reading
The Recent SJC Decision and Side B2 Homosexuality
Some conclusions on the PCA Standing Judicial Commission’s decision in the Missouri Presbytery case.
The SJC is the Supreme Court of the PCA. This decision has more authority than the BCO or any decisions of a Presbytery or a General Assembly. In any future cases it will be used as the rule book, as the authoritative interpretation of Scripture on the matter. The PCA is now officially a Side... Continue Reading
PCA Standing Judicial Commission Denies Complaint Against Missouri Presbytery
The SJC ruled that Missouri Presbytery did not violate the investigation requirements of the Book of Church Order and did not err when it declined to bring charges against Greg Johnson.
The SJC officially concluded, “Based on the Record, there was no reversible error in the decisions reached by Missouri Presbytery regarding the four allegations. It was not unreasonable for Presbytery to judge that TE Johnson’s ‘explanations’ on the four allegations were ‘satisfactory.’ (BCO31-2).” The Standing Judicial Commission (SJC), the highest judicatory of the Presbyterian... Continue Reading
The Three “U”s and PCA Overtures 23 and 37: Part 3
Considering the third objection of those opposed to O23 & O37: Not only are the overtures “unclear” and “unnecessary,” but thirdly, they are “unloving” and should not be passed by PCA presbyteries.
Rejection from the world because we teach and preach biblical truth is typical; why do we continue to think otherwise? While I believe all officers in the PCA affirm this principle intellectually, it seems that some of us experientially may become unsettled by the potential rejection of our faith by the culture around us. ... Continue Reading
The Three “U”s and PCA Overtures 23 and 37: Part 2
Considering the second objection of those opposed to O23 & 37, namely that both overtures are unnecessary and should not be passed by PCA presbyteries.
Claiming that the language of O23 & 37 is too “time-bound” and will become obsolete within our BCO signals a gross underestimation of the staying power of the issues before us. Do the members of the National Partnership really believe that the church will not be wrestling with these issues for years to come? Do... Continue Reading
The Three “U”s and PCA Overtures 23 and 37: Part 1 Continued
The Overtures do not disqualify a man from holding church office because he is a sinner, they only disqualify those who are unwilling to pursue victory over their particular sins.
When Overture 23 uses the word “professing” it is clearly modifying the word identity. Confessing on the other hand is admitting that one still struggles with a particular behavior. Professing says, “This is who I am.” whereas confessing says, “This is what I do, but I hate it and my sin does not define me.” ... Continue Reading
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