“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)

The congregation of Progressive ARP in Princeton, NC met on April 29, 2012 and voted to restore the (Presbytery deposed) Session; to withdraw membership from the ARP Denomination; and to dissolve the pastoral relationship with the Rev. Percy Coleman.

I do believe that literal six day creation is the best, most sound way to affirm the special creation of Adam and Eve, but this, of course, does not mean that I believe that only a six day creationist can affirm the special, immediate creation of Adam from inanimate dust, and Eve from his rib.... Continue Reading

When DeWitt was asked, by Murray, if he believed in revival (I believe trying simply to engage him in the conversation), DeWitt simply said, after a brief pause, 'Yes!'

How the ARP Synod will respond to the Mississippi Valley memorial remains to be seen, but to me it is clearly worded, says what needs to be said, and is something that as stated pretty much everyone should be able to in good conscience agree upon. I trust the Lord will give wisdom, love and faithfulness, in this important discussion and decision.

I am an old-earth, special creation of Adam and Eve guy, and I am genuinely uncomfortable with macro-evolutionary explanations of human origins.

…let us rejoice in Dr. Norman's transparent articulation of his views, which has afforded us this opportunity to explore important matters, and let us strive to be both faithful and rigorous in our analysis, all with the goal of glorifying God and edifying the Church.

Another key to watch will be the change in attitude of the Assembly now that the “fidelity and chastity” language is gone from our Book of Order. Will the commissioners work to find compromise language to stave off the rapid exodus of churches seeking dismissal, or will they aggressively pursue full inclusion in all aspects of denominational life – to the exclusion of minority voices?

Other business items deal with speeding up the call process (7-19), returning to minister and elder terminology (7-04), reassessing the effectiveness of ordination exams (7-07), clarifying that candidates for ministry must be examined (7-20), giving United Methodist Church clergy blanket approval to officiate at the Lord’s Table (7-15)…

Suppose: A friend of the family (who was a Christian) has just died, and this young man has been asked to officiate the funeral and needs your advice. What would you tell him to say to the family members when they ask what has become of their loved one? What happens until the resurrection?