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The Presbyterian Church (USA) is looking into ways to handle an apparent drop in satisfactory rates in Bible test scores among people preparing for ministry within the Mainline denomination. Earlier this month, a task force created by the executive committee of the Committee on Theological Education released a statement on the Bible Content Examinations and a trend of lower than average evaluation rates that began in the summer. The Presbyterian Church (USA) is looking into ways to handle an apparent drop in satisfactory rates in Bible test scores among people preparing for ministry within the Mainline denomination. Earlier this month,...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Thieves broke into Caldwell Presbyterian Church on East Fifth Street in Charlotte late Wednesday and vandalized a painting with Scripture that targets homosexuality. Church members called it a personal attack on the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. The church embraces its call to be a diverse, progressive and mission-oriented congregation centered on justice and advocacy, according to its website.

President-elect Donald Trump started his Sunday by going to church, attending services at the Lamington Presbyterian Church in Bedminster, New Jersey. Trump was accompanied by his Vice President-elect Mike Pence, his incoming chief of staff Reince Priebus and his campaign manager Kellyanne Conway.

The newly selected Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church in the USA (PCUSA), Rev. Dr. J Herbert Nelson II, recently released a statement about the presidential election entitled, “When Incivility Becomes the Norm.” Nelson characterized his missive as a “response to the violence on America’s streets after the election of Mr. Donald Trump as President–Elect of the United States of America.” One might think, upon reading this introduction, that the venerable Reverend Doctor would be making an appeal for peace and calm. After all, peaceful protests are a proud legacy of the church, while violence and riots are generally discouraged...

Connor Brewer is fiercely loyal to his college football team. But he is also fiercely loyal to the United States of America. So when the Millikin University football team decided to protest the national anthem by remaining inside the locker room – instead of on the sidelines - Connor was faced with a decision. Would he join his teammates in their university-approved safe space or would he stand on the sidelines and honor America? Connor chose to stand – alone.

A judge has ruled that a Mississippi church – not the Presbyterian Church (USA) – owns its property. In First Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) of Starkville Mississippi vs. Presbytery of St. Andrew, the Presbyterian Church (USA) Inc., the Honorable H.J. Davidson Jr., granted the church’s motion for summary judgment “affirming its right to hold title to its property without interference of claim from the PCUSA.” FPC-Starkville filed a lawsuit in early 2015 with the Chancery Court of Oktibbeha County in Miss., asking for a declaratory judgment “recognizing that FPC Starkville alone is the absolute, full, exclusive, fee simple owner of all...

The assembled Presbyterians no doubt thought they were being wonderfully open-minded and ecumenical; they did not realize that Wajidi Said was openly proselytizing for Islam. “Lead us on the straight path” is straight from the Fatihah, the Opening, the Qur’an’s first chapter and the most common and oft-repeated prayer in Islam. Islamic scholars identify the straight path with Islam itself. And in invoking “Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad,” Said sounded beautifully ecumenical himself to the ranked Presbyterians, aglow in their bloomin’ primness, but in reality he was reflecting the Islamic belief that those figures and the other Biblical...

The Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. is raising eyebrows after lifting up prayers to Allah at its General Assembly meeting last week. "Allah bless us and bless our families and bless our Lord. Lead us on the straight path - the path of all prophets: Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad." These were the words that rang out over the congregation at The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, USA meeting in Portland, Oregon. Wajidi Said, co-founder of the Muslim Education Trust, led the attendees in the prayer to the Islamic deity - a move arranged by the Ecumenical and Interfaith...

I thought Christians were supposed to pray to God. When did they become Islamic? I'm quitting my local Presbyterian church for sure. This was announced in the latest Presbyterian Church USA, 'The Layman', their internet news letter.

A presbytery’s Permanent Judicial Commission (PJC) has ruled that a church’s session cannot adopt a policy requiring all weddings performed on church property be only between one man and one woman. In the case of Thomas E. Morgan, complainant vs. Session, First Presbyterian Church, Asheboro, N.C., respondent, the PJC of Salem Presbytery ruled that “A categorical decision by the session not to permit any marriage by a couple of the same-sex on church property without consideration of their commitment to each other, their understanding of the nature of the marriage covenant and their commitment to living their lives together according...

Today in America abortion on demand rages on with hundreds of millions of Christian Church-goers surrounding abortion clinics. What do the churches think? I went to First Pres here in San Luis Obispo, CA to ask them if they knew the abortion clinic was just 5 blocks from their church. Surprisingly not onlt did they know, they said they supported Planned Parenthood and Abortion! (Watch "Peace Peace" to see this exchange: http://youtu.be/pxLiAMExLz0?list=UUt5...) After doing a little research I found out that First Pres SLO is a member of the PCUSA and that they support abortion in almost any case. So...

A few months ago while standing in front of the abortion clinic pleading with folks not to kill there children I looked up and down the street trying to see what those who were entering the clinic could see. To my surprise just above the trees was a red steeple with a white cross on the top. How sad I thought, you can actually see a church from the front of the abortion clinic. Trying not to be cynical and deciding to put the best construction on things I thought, Maybe they don't know there are children being killed here,...

The president of the largest chain of abortion clinics in the United States is thanking “Faith Leaders” for standing with them. In a tweet by Planned Parenthood president, Cecile Richards, recently released she states, “So grateful to the many faith leaders who stand with Planned Parenthood and our patients. http://ppact.io/1IIU4QF Thank you, @awkukla!” Cecile Richards Planned Parenthood Faith Leaders @awkukla is Andrew Kukla, who describes himself as a , “Presby minister, love philosophy and Kierkegaard in particular, dad of four young kids, and I live in Boise, ID,” on his twitter page. The link takes you to a post written...

LOUISVILLE, KY—By a nearly unanimous vote, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) voted to overlook or explicitly endorse a number of additional sins in what is being perceived as an attempt to slow its rapid pace of membership decline. As balloons came down, the PC(USA) commissioners danced in the aisles to the Kool & The Gang 1980 party standard Celebrate and some attendees openly wept for joy as the denomination announced their official endorsement of pride, gossip, sorcery, covetousness, theft, and sexual immorality as a general category. “Finally,” sobbed self-described “open gossiper” attendee Rebecca Arnett. “I no longer...

Presbyterian Church (USA) is expecting to see a loss of over 400,000 members between 2015 and 2020, according to a reported internal document. PCUSA's Office of the General Assembly and Presbyterian Mission Agency Board Executive Committee held a meeting last Wednesday when projected losses were discussed, according to a recent account by the conservative Presbyterian publication The Layman. "The slide [from the meeting] also showed that COGA is predicting membership losses of 100,000 for both 2015 and 2016," reported The Layman. "Membership losses for 2017-2020 are projected to be 75,000 each year. That is more than the membership losses in...

A Texas megachurch that recently voted to leave Presbyterian Church (USA) over theological differences agreed to pay its former regional body approximately $1.5 million to maintain control of its church property. First Presbyterian Church of San Antonio announced Sunday that it reached a settlement with Mission Presbytery over retaining ownership of its name and property. "Under the terms of the settlement, FPC will provide $1,525,000 to the denomination. Mission Presbytery will contribute $125,000 of this amount to the John Knox Ranch Summer Camp," read the announcement. "The contribution to the camp provides one quarter of the $1 million being raised...

An organizer for the PC(USA)'s annual Montreat College Conference in North Carolina has claimed that the Bible verse John 3:16 has been "used for hate, intimidation and fear." Montreat Director of Programs, the Rev. Katie Cashwell, told Presbyterian News Service in an interview last week that the theme for the four-day event, "Reclaim John 3:16," focused on her belief that the verse has been misused in the recent past. "Our focus was to reclaim the well-known Bible verse in John 3:16 as a message of love and welcome," said Cashwell, according to the Presbyterian News Service. "Too often it's been...

A Texas congregation with approximately 2,200 members has voted to disaffiliate from Presbyterian Church (USA) over theological differences. First Presbyterian Church of San Antonio members voted Sunday to seek dismissal from PC (USA) and to join the more conservative Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians. According to a vote tally provided to The Christian Post by FPC San Antonio, out of 1,072 voting members present 87.3 percent voted to terminate their affiliation with PC(USA) and 85.6 percent voted to join ECO.

The national office for the mainline denomination Presbyterian Church (USA), located in Louisville, Kentucky. The largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States recently hosted a same-sex wedding at its national office in Louisville, Kentucky. An official with Presbyterian Church (USA) officiated a wedding last Thursday between Paul Kempf and Robb Gwaltney at the Presbyterian Center's chapel. A PC(USA) spokesperson told The Christian Post that the ceremony had "perhaps 25 people in attendance, a combination of family and friends, along with a few staff." Gregg Brekke of the Presbyterian News Service wrote "… the ceremony [was conducted] by the Rev. David...

While Rowan County, Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis was dealing with prison time for refusing to issue marriage licences to gay couples on Thursday last week, the Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA) held its first same-sex wedding ceremony for partners Paul Kempf and Robb Gwaltney, who said their vows in the Presbyterian Center chapel in Louisville, Kentucky."The concept of biblical marriage is very different [from] our modern views," said Pastor David Maxwell, who also presided over their wedding. "No biblical writer would have envisioned what we think of as a good marriage today—with concepts of equality and mutuality."Charisma News editor Jennifer LeClaire...