Posted on 07/03/2014 6:28:21 PM PDT by ReformationFan
Over the last two decades, more than three-fourths of Iraq’s Christians have fled the country, driven out by a combination of Muslim fanaticism and economic and social collapse. Iraq, however, isn’t the only place to experience a mass Christian exodus in recent years.
Look at the Presbyterian Church (USA), the 10th largest denomination in this country. But you’d better look fast. The PC(USA), which is the nation’s largest Presbyterian denomination (at least for now), is driving out members through its own brand of leftist fanaticism.
From a high of more than 4 million members back in 1965, the Louisville-based PC(USA) has seen more than half of its members disappear through the back door, reaching the current level of 1.7 million people. This includes a nasty hemorrhage of 103,000 members between 2011 and 2012. All this despite a merger in 1983 that gave the denomination a temporary shot in the arm—but before current controversies that threaten to drive the PC(USA) into ecclesiastical extinction.
The death spiral appears to have everything to do with continuing church efforts that shun the denomination’s theological roots in favor of political and social “relevance.”
At last month’s 221st General Assembly, held in Detroit, PC(USA) delegates voted in favor of three controversial measures that fit quite nicely into current leftist politics.
--“The PC(USA) voted to divest from three companies—Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard, and Motorola Solutions—that provide equipment Israel uses to raze houses, operate checkpoints and communicate in the occupied West Bank,” Christianity Today says. “The decision makes the denomination one of the few in the U.S. advocating financial divestment as a peace strategy.”
Paul deJong, senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Fort Myers, said that his congregation will send a formal protest. “The actions of the denomination are at best misguided, at worst represent outright racism, and certainly give every appearance of intentionally promoting anti-Semitism,” deJong said. “One must question the motives of anyone who vilifies Israel with greater fervor than any other nation, especially when we consider the numerous places in which violence is being reported continuously.” Such as Iraq.
--Delegates voted down a resolution that would have condemned the murder of babies after botched abortions, such as happened in Kermit Gosnell’s grisly chamber of horrors.
--The General Assembly voted to change the definition of marriage from “a civil contract between a woman and a man” to “a unique commitment between two people.” Additionally, according to Christianity Today, “The new ‘authoritative interpretation’ of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s Book of Order gives individual pastors discretion to perform same-sex ceremonies where the practice is legal.”
More theologically conservative Presbyterians have seen the handwriting on the wall for some time. In 2010, the denomination voted to abandon its expectation of monogamy in marriage and celibacy in singleness for its clergy. This past March, the 3,400-member Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, pastored by John Ortberg in California’s Silicon Valley, overwhelmingly voted to leave the PC(USA), despite the $9 million price tag. MPPC cited differences over the authority of Scripture and in church-planting strategy.
Other observers have been blunter, including Mark Tooley, who is president of the Institute on Religion and Democracy in Washington, D.C. “In fact, the exodus from the PC(USA) after the marriage vote may increase for congregations and individuals,” Tooley says. “Many exiting PC(USA) churches have joined the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, while others helped create a new denomination called the Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians. Despite the impact on denominational finances, PC(USA) elites, committed more to the Left than to the church’s health, seem mostly indifferent.”
Two earlier, more conservative denominations started by PC(USA) dissidents include the Presbyterian Church in America and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
The PC(USA)’s leftwing death wish not only disregards Scripture. It also contradicts the teaching of the spiritual founder of Presbyterianism, the Protestant Reformer John Calvin. Though known largely for his emphasis on the sovereignty of God, the 16th-century theologian Calvin spoke of many matters.
While Calvin was a man of his times in saying some harsh things about Jewish people—“I have had much conversation with many Jews: I have never seen either a drop of piety or a grain of truth or ingenuousness–nay, I have never found common sense in any Jew”—he also affirmed that Jews and Christians have the possibility of equal access to God by faith. By contrast, the PC(USA) has singled out Israel (incidentally the Middle East’s only democracy) for special censure.
Regarding the sanctity of human life, the distinction between Calvin and the PC(USA) is even clearer. “If it seems more horrible to kill a man in his own house, than in a field,” Calvin wrote, “it ought surely to be deemed more atrocious to destroy a fetus in the womb before it has come to light.” The denomination, however, has long held membership in the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, which opposes restrictions on abortion.
When it comes to marriage, of course, “marriage” between homosexuals was unknown in the 16th century and would have been considered an abomination. Calvin, according to one reviewer, “made sexual sin and crime, marital formation and dissolution, children's nurture and welfare, and family cohesion and support essential concerns for both church and state.” His philosophy can be summed up in this quote: Matrimony is “a good and holy ordinance from God.”
The theological and numerical decline of the PC(USA) is likely irreversible, according to Tooley. “Although church liberals love to insist their policies appeal to the rising generation, all of the available evidence indicates just the opposite,” Tooley says. “Essentially, the PC(USA) . . . resolved to become even smaller, older, and whiter, creating a future that depends more and more on endowments instead of live people.”
And when the endowments run out, can the PC(USA) be far behind?
Those day names are only in English and German. You can follow French day names if you wish
Ok, pretty orthodox. <3
THANK YOU for pointing that out, I've been waiting for someone to do it for some time now. I just haven't been in the mood for the argument but the calendar in my missal reads:
Dies Dominica
Feria Secunda
Feria Tertia
Feria Quarta
Feria Quinta
Feria Sexta
Sabbatum
Exactly, delc and co who talk about Friday and then Easter etc seem to forget that those names are only in English or at the most in Germanic languages. In Italic, Greek, Slavic, etc. languages it is not these. But evidently some folks think the Bible was originally written in English....
They are all unbiblical, in any language...
His days are numbered, not named... but scripture hasn’t been followed by those who were entrusted with it, Israel... so those of us who were never taught it, can’t remember it...
It is why the world has no problem finding their own birthdays, even birthdays for countries and its leadera, with the world’s calendar.
But the world has to ‘guess’ what day the most important man ever born, Messiah of Israel, was born- even to the point they make up a date...
The exact opposite occurs on our Heavenly Father’s calendar...
The Messiah’s birthday can be known and everybody else’s is just a big ‘old guess....
That is not an accident...
But some don’t think the whole world can be deceived... Scripture says otherwise..
The days of the week are unbiblical in any language? Even Hebrew and Aramaic?
Ezekeil 46:1
Thus saith the Lord GOD; The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the SIX working days; but on the Sabbath it shall be opened, and in the day of the NEW MOON it shall be opened.
His month template
New moon, work days, sabbath..
New moon day- Day 1 of every one of His months.
1st work day- Day 2 of every one of His months.
2nd work day- Day 3 of every one of His months.
3rd work day- Day 4 of every one of His months.
4th work day- Day 5 of every one of His months.
5th work day- Day 6 of every one of His months.
6th work day- Day 7 of every one of His months-preparation day
Sabbath- Day 8 of every one of His months- His 7th day Sabbath..
Repeat 1st work day, etc, until next new moon day.-.
Those above can be translated into any language that has numbers... and they are not named for gods, goddesses, or parts of Creation..
scripture confirms it and I am not proficient enough in Hebrew or Aramaic but I am guessing ‘the ‘names’ of the week in those languages are numbers or a form of number-1st, 2nd,3rd, etc- but if you know otherwise, I would be happy to learn it....
But the world doesn’t use the template given to Israel for their timekeeping...they were given this Truth, and stumble upon this for the months they celebrate His Feasts- that is, unless their pope appointed sabbath conflicts with those Feasts He gave them..then they postpone His feasts..
One needs only to count to 29 or 30 in any languabe to get His monthly calendar..or just count to seven 4 times each week in His months..
But His moon, tiw, woden, thor, friya, saturn and His sun don’t get their days that way in the 50 plus countries and territories of the world who have English as some sort of official language...
Again, if you can show me where Hebrew and Aramaic uses names for their days like the english-as opposed to numbers or a counting, I would be happy to learn that..
In english, today is the tenth day of His third month- the second day of His work week.
That excludes reverance for Tiw, and the day he usually gets at this time around (at least) with the English speaking world- but, to each their own...
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