PCA BCO 14 Amendments Map Update

Over the weekend, Western Carolina Presbytery of the PCA voted to reject the proposed amendments to the BCO. I've updated the map to reflect this latest vote. I have to add, the vote tally is the strangest I've seen yet: 0-7-34 on 14-1 and 0-6-36 on 14-2. That's a lot of abstentions!

Quote of the Day

If the Church grows because you are doing what's been proven to grow organizations, then you have your reward.

Lindsay Brooks, Co-Host of the Apologetics.com Radio Show

Two Recent Articles about Erskine

In the last few days, two articles have been written in various places online about Erskine and the ARP. The first was written by Rev. Wes White and is entitled Erskine PCUSA Theology Professor on Inerrancy. Rev. White brings to the attention of a wider audience the response of Dr. Richard Burnett to the requirement of affirming inerrancy by Erskine faculty. Needless to say, Dr. Burnett objects.

The second article, which appears today at The Aquila Report is written by Rev. Ken Pierce and is entitled No New Battles--The Inerrancy Controversy Strikes Again on the Erskine Campus. Rev. Pierce points out the current self-contradiction of Erskine claiming to hold to inerrancy, and yet employing theology professors who deny the doctrine. He also highlights the difficult position the administration of Erskine, including President Norman, must find themselves in.

Both articles are worth taking the time to read. Be sure to also note the comments on Rev. White's article. Thanks to both Rev. White and Rev. Pierce for continuing to keep Erskine at the forefront of the news and minds of the Reformed community. We in the ARP appreciate the kind words and help of our brothers in the Lord!

PCA BCO 14 Amendments Map Update

Two more presbyteries voted in the last week on the (now defeated) proposed amendments to the PCA's Book of Church Order. I have updated the map below to show these latest votes:

The Happy TR

Just a technical note: since Rev. Brian Carpenter is no longer blogging at The Happy T.R., I have removed the link from my list of links on the right. For those of you, like me, who enjoy his writing, you can see him write occasional posts over at Wes White's site. He recently posted an excellent account of witnessing to one of his neighbors, which is worth reading. Keep up the good work, Pastor Carpenter!

Grave Words from "Crossed Fingers"

Conservative Presbyterian denominations eventually become divided between Confessionalists and Church growth advocates. In our era, the Confessionalists regard the Church growth people as touchy-feelie sell-outs, while the Church growth people regard the Confessionalists as nit-picking, low-pension losers. Liturgically, the war between two extremes is a debate over the psalm book vs. the overhead projector. [North inserts a footnote: "Two centuries ago, the psalm book had no musical notation. Today, the overhead projector songs have no musical notation."]Each side wishes the other would just go away.

Once this division appears, the Confessionalists always lose control of the denomination. There are no known exceptions. The lure of large churches, large pensions, and assistants who do most of the marriage counseling prevails. The Church growth people concentrate on what they do best: growing their churches by whatever works. The Confessionalists concentrate on what they do best: overwhelming one-time visitors with unfamiliar theology. In Presbyterian government, votes count. The Church growth people eventually gain more votes. The Confessionalists then have three choices: (1) spend their lives being outvoted at General Assembly; (2) quit attending General Assembly; or (3) leave to form a new denomination, which will subsequently divide at least once--the Machen-McIntire phenomenon. In the two (or more) new groups, the cycle then begins anew.

The problem is point two of the biblical covenant model: representation/authority.
Presbyterians like to pretend that all votes are equal. This is an old Whig belief, and it has always flourished in the face of the facts. Twentieth-century modernists have known better: elite core groups provide direction for the voters. The elite core groups in Presbyterianism have not changed significantly for over four centuries: ordained men who possess advanced academic degrees issued by non-Presbyterian institutions ("doctors") -- John Calvin is the classic example -- and pastors of large congregations. Over the last century, the former have had a tendency to go liberal; the latter have had a tendency to go pietistic, i.e., non-controversial. To these two groups has been added a third in the twentieth century: senior bureaucrats in the permanent denominational boards. These three groups have become the operational models of success in Presbyterianism.

Young men seeking to enter the Presbyterian ministry must first go through the screening process controlled by the first group. The doctors, not the presbyteries, impose the sanctions. If the students survive, they are then forced to seek jobs. Who has jobs to offer? Hardly anyone; we are talking about Presbyterians, not Baptists. But if there are any jobs available, they will be offered by the remaining two elite groups: pastors of large congregations and senior bureaucrats. The small-congregation Confessional preachers have only this to say: "Silver and gold have we none, and not many Federal Reserve Notes, either." Men respond to positive sanctions. They can see who has positive sanctions to offer. They can also see who doesn't.

Gary North, Crossed Fingers: How the Liberal Captured the Presbyterian Church (Appendix B: How to Immunize Presbyterianism)

WCF Sunday School Week 3: Of The Holy Scriptures, Part 2

I'm playing catch up, as I am now a week behind on posting the resources used in my Westminster Confession of Faith Sunday School class at Communion Presbyterian. On February 6, we covered the second half of Chapter 1 (sections 7 through 10). We dealt with the issues of perspicuity, interpretation, and preservation of Scripture. I drew heavily from A. A. Hodge's Commentary on the Confession for this lesson. I've posted below my notes (there was no handout this week), as well as a couple of links for further reading. When I upload the audio from the class, I will add that to this post, as well. Notes and handouts for previous classes can be found by clicking on the Westminster Confession of Faith Sunday School Class link in the "Labels" list on the right side of the site.

Week 3 Lecture Notes

Further Reading:
Hills, Edward F. The King James Version Defended. (The Christian Research Press, 1997). NOTE: Although the title would lead you to believe this is a "King James Only" work, Hills simply applies the principles of the WCF to the text of the New Testament.

Letis, Theodore. The Ecclesiastical Text: Text Criticism, Biblical Authority, and the Popular Mind. (The Institute for Renaissance and Reformation Biblical Studies, 2000). NOTE: This book is out of print and extremely difficult to find. The library at Biola University has a copy, but that is the only one copy in Southern California that I know of!