Seems like the wheat is making sure it is not counted among the tares.
Presbyterian Church (USA) votes to formally recognize gay marriage and allow same-sex weddings
PCA affirms Biblical marriage (Presbyterian Church in America)
Posted on 03/20/2015 8:14:40 AM PDT by Gamecock
Due to the most recent pronouncement of the Presbyterian Church (USA) to redefine marriage, we in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church reaffirm our position on Christian marriage. We hold to the biblical standard of marriage, which is that it is a formal and sacred covenant between one man and one woman for life.
Further, to clarify our relationship among the diverse Presbyterian denominations, the EPC is a completely independent, separate, and unrelated denomination from the PC(USA) and shares no mutual identity, missions, or holdings.
Our unquestionable commitment to this biblical definition of marriage is undergirded by our belief that God ordained marriage for a number of purposes. These include His glory; intimate human companionship and mutual assistance; bearing, nurturing, and training of children; promoting societal stability; and affirming the proper context for human sexuality.
The EPC is firmly rooted in the Reformed tradition and orthodox theology. We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the infallible Word of God, the final authority on all issues to which it speaks. Therefore, our attitudes and behaviors are to be judged in the light of the Bible, rather than the Bible being reinterpreted, modified, or overturned by current cultural trends.
The PC(USA) announcement comes after its General Assembly and a majority of its presbyteries approved an amendment to their Book of Order. That amendment changes the definition of marriage to “a unique relationship between two people, traditionally a man and a woman” and permits its ministers to officiate same-sex unions in its churches.
We grieve for our brothers and sisters in the PC(USA) who have chosen to submit to culture rather than to abide by God’s Word. We stand with numerous other evangelical, conservative, and traditional Christians from many branches of the Christian faith tree in our belief in biblical marriage.
Seems like the wheat is making sure it is not counted among the tares.
Presbyterian Church (USA) votes to formally recognize gay marriage and allow same-sex weddings
PCA affirms Biblical marriage (Presbyterian Church in America)
I am glad they are clarifying this...God bless those who stay true to God’s Will. But, we should also pray for those who have succumbed to temptation and unwittingly have left God’s grace.
Good for them!
Related thread:
PCA affirms Biblical marriage (Presbyterian Church in America)
Staying as far away from the PC(USA) as they can. I hope they are careful in accepting rouge PC(USA) churches, that may be carrying other types of leaven.
It will be interesting to see if the OPC makes a statement.
Yes.
On both accounts.
I have heard that a few other nominally Christian denominations have approved homosexual marriage. I believe Episcopal, Unitarian, some Lutheran sects have also approved of homosexuality and homosexual marriage?
I had thought that churches would be a bulwark against homosexual marriage. While we see homosexual marriage being imposed in our civil laws, I didn’t expect allegedly mainstream Christian denominations to change their theology and endorse homosexual marriage.
I’ve heard, in the case of Presbyterians, that a number of individual churches left the denomination over this issue.
Would you have ever believed that churches would have schisms over homosexuality?
It is the sheep separating themselves from the goats as was foretold in the Bible . . .
Marriage has never been about granting special status to a relationship.
Whether one considers the religious traditions or the legal framework, marriage is about protecting a biological relationship between a mating pair and to protect the offspring that result from that pair-bond.
Yes, I know it sounds cold to put it this way, but--biologically, anyway--we have one purpose in life, and that is to procreate. Everything else is just window dressing.
The seven churches in Revelation were the first of many warnings. The fact that a “church” claims to be Christian does not mean they actually are. PCUSA has no interest in the Bible, not when they can get Facebook clicks from people with progressive values who “like” them.
Hurray for the apostolic faithful!
You are indeed correct in saying this. But I have said before the roots of this go back to the late 1800s with the onslaught of theological liberalism that originated in Germany. The mainstream Presbyterian church began it's long, slow slide into apostasy. The Northern Presbyterians split in the early 1930s forming the Orthodox Presbyterian church. When the Northern and Southern Presbyterians merged in 1960s/70s the Southern conservatives broke away forming the PCA in 1973.
The issue isn't really homosexuality, but the view with which they hold Scripture. Long ago they quite considering it the inerrant word of God and have been chipping away at Scripture ever since.
A lot of local PCUSA churches have left over the last couple of years. The reason more haven't is because the home office of the PCUSA holds the titles for the building and people don't want to leave their churches behind. That is a mistake IMHO. Leave and start over.
Correct; and not just to have the children, but to dedicate them to the God of Abraham and bring them up in the gospels of Jesus Christ.
Far from it that I should judge but are they really? At what point do you know them by their fruit?
Except for ordination of women, and speaking in tongues....
Which is why I plug them as moderates.
A while back there were no women serving as “teaching elders,” even though not forbidden. Has that changed?
(Do they really do tongues?)
“Do they really do tongues?”
Sorry for the slow response. Like much of the EPC, it is local option. I wanted to dig out the official party line on that (some clean up in formatting from a PDF, but no warranties as to appearance):
“Some would require that Christians manifest a particular gift, such as speaking in tongues, as evidence of a deeper work of the Spirit within. Others would have us believe such a gift is no longer available or acceptable. As a Reformed denomination, we adhere strongly to our belief in the sovereignty of God, a belief that does not allow us either to require a certain gift or to restrict the Spirit in how He will work. Rather, we call upon all Christians to open their lives unto God’s Spirit to fill, empower, and “gift” as He sees fit.
http://www.epc.org/file/main-menu/beliefs/position-papers/PositionPaper-HolySpirit.pdf
As for as women - I think your info is dated. At one point, they had several transfers in that were ordained, but not serving in pastorates, as I recall. But with the last influx from the PCUSA, that changed. Having trouble with EPC links. Here’s a 2010 story about it being a non-essential (or what I call local option)
http://theaquilareport.com/evangelical-presbyterian-church-clears-way-for-women-to-serve-as-pastors/
And from 2011
http://www.commercialappeal.com/lifestyle/presbyterians-resolve-conflict-over-ordination-wom
Here’s a link to the position paper- maybe it will work better for you than for me.
http://www.epc.org/file/main-menu/beliefs/position-papers/PositionPaper-OrdinationOfWomen.pdf
Appreciate your response, I’ll look it over.
A good many former PCUSA congregations from the New Wineskins Transitional Presbytery did indeed join the EPC with their female Teaching Elders.
Whilst the call of a Pastor is the decision of the congregation, such calls must be placed in the hands of the candidate in question by the PRESBYTERY.
It is quite correct that for a time there were no female Teaching Elders in the EPC...Then Cherry Hill Church in Colorado went and ordained another one. After that, the former PCUSA congregations were brought into the denomination with their female Teaching Elders.
On the questions of worship style and the Charisma, that is left to the Senior Pastor and leadership of the congregation respectively. The Pastor has ABSOLUTE control over the worship service to include the selection of music if any.
One can find EPC congregations that are openly Charismatic and some that are hard cessationalists. One will also find congregations that have a contemporary worship style, and some that follow the Regulative Principle of Worship as understood by the PCA or the OPC.
My own congregation once had two female Ruling Elders, yet changed the by-laws so as to exclude female Elders in the future. Ironically one of the female Ruling Elders opposed female Elders. She only agreed to serve because it was an extreme situation.
OBSERVATION:
The position of the EPC as stated by the General Assembly is that question of female Ruling and Teaching Elders is not essential to the existence of Christ's Church. i would observe as a present EPC congregation member that non-celebate, unrepentant gay clergy is ALSO not essential to the existence of Christ's Church...yet the EPC forbids them. Eventually they will have to address the issue.
i may be mistaken on this, but i believe that the ARPC also permits female Deacons, so the issue is not unique to the EPC and the PCUSA.
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