My own sense is that this overture (with the additional proviso) would be a wise addition to the BCO. Anyone who has ever been involved in a church judicial case (at least in the PCA context) probably knows the frustration of dealing with a man who essentially “pleads the 5th.” The two-fold consideration brought by... Continue Reading

As the BCO currently reads, a presbytery needs a two-thirds vote to divest a man who is without call for an extended period. This overture seeks to change the BCO so that ministers without call need to report to presbytery annually. If a man remains without call for three years, the presbytery shall divest him... Continue Reading

In terms of granting the exception, it seems clear to me that different presbyteries have a widely differing spread on this issue. Some presbyteries have almost all of their guys taking this exception. Others have almost no one taking the exception. My question is a simple one: why do these presbyteries think that our current... Continue Reading

Over the last three years the Gospel Reformation Network (GRN) has sought to engage the ministers, churches, and agencies of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) in a conversation on the doctrine of sanctification–– a doctrine which is foundational to our understanding of the gospel and the Christian life.   The Gospel Reformation Network (GRN)... Continue Reading

This overture seeks to change the language of that third vow by replacing the clause “Do you now unreservedly dedicate your child to God” with the following: “Do you now acknowledge that God in his providence has placed this child within the covenant family, and entrusted (him/her) to your care….” The vow that follows remains... Continue Reading

Church officers are required to explain and defend their life and doctrine when seeking admission to serve under the jurisdiction of another court (e.g., BCO 13-6.). Church officers are required by their ordination vows to come forward and make known any way in which their views might have become out of accord with any of the fundamentals of our system of... Continue Reading

North Texas Presbytery (Overture 2) and Tennessee Valley Presbytery (Overture 9) have overtured the Presbyterian Church in America General Assembly to establish a study committee to change the language in the Westminster Confession and Catechisms with regard to the idea of recreation on the Sabbath. A number of years ago, I was in a presbytery... Continue Reading

How did the right against self-incrimination become part of the BCO? As we will see, it was not because the PCA was influenced by civil protections, such as the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Instead, it was the contributions of our Reformed forefathers that helped shape the American religious and civil protections against self-incrimination we... Continue Reading

Insofar as a study committee is concerned, I have no objection to the idea. In fact, if the study committee does its job properly it would at least clarify the issue at the heart of this discussion. That issue is, “What do the Standards mean by ‘recreations’”? Most people probably think that the Standards mean... Continue Reading

However, this strikes me as being essentially the same rationale that provided the PCA with its current Standing Judicial Commission of the General Assembly. While that seemed good at the time, there has developed a great deal of discomfort with the way it has worked out in the long run. As a result, my own... Continue Reading