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Where Have All the Presbyterians Gone?
Wall Street Journal ^ | 4-Feb-2011 | Russell D Moore

Posted on 02/06/2011 9:39:22 PM PST by Cronos

Are we witnessing the death of America's Christian denominations? Studies conducted by secular and Christian organizations indicate that we are. Fewer and fewer American Christians, especially Protestants, strongly identify with a particular religious communion—Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, etc. According to the Baylor Survey on Religion, nondenominational churches now represent the second largest group of Protestant churches in America, and they are also the fastest growing...

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Current Events; Evangelical Christian; Mainline Protestant; Other Christian
KEYWORDS: christians; freformed; opc; pca; presbyterian; religiousleft; schism; trends
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No wonder Presbyterians now say quot;This goes to what the Reformers taught; that is the "enthusiasts" or what we call today Pentecostals, are really no different from the Roman Catholics
1 posted on 02/06/2011 9:39:25 PM PST by Cronos
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To: Cronos
They were predestined to leave.

Sorry, Couldn't resist.

2 posted on 02/06/2011 9:49:54 PM PST by right way right
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To: Cronos

ping


3 posted on 02/06/2011 9:59:12 PM PST by rogue yam
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To: Cronos

The Presbyterian Church has split into several different branches, the largest of which is the PCUSA.

The PCUSA has strayed far from original Presbyterian doctrine, which is why many are leaving that branch.

Gay pastors, female pastors, gay marriage, abortion, and other non-adherance to scripture is more than many former members can tolerate.

I suspect that many major denominations also suffer from being too PC, and the results are quite evident throughout our society.

I pray daily that we, as a nation, turn back to God and repent of the evil ways which obsess too large a number of our citizens.


4 posted on 02/06/2011 10:53:34 PM PST by RebelTex (Freedom!! It's not just another word.)
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To: All

If we didn’t hear them leave, were they here in the first place?


5 posted on 02/06/2011 11:14:29 PM PST by rbmillerjr (I will not, under any circumstances, vote for Mitt Romney....none.)
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To: right way right

Actually very funny! Why fight it?!


6 posted on 02/06/2011 11:15:30 PM PST by higgmeister ( In the Shadow of The Big Chicken!)
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To: RebelTex

possibly so, but the Southern Baptists have become more conservative and are still experiencing decline, although not as much as some other denominations. So there must be something else going on.


7 posted on 02/06/2011 11:15:34 PM PST by balch3
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To: RebelTex

The main creeping problem is the insiduous creep of liberalism expressed in two ways: acceptance of homerseksuality as a “lifestyle” and the ease of killing-babies. I was just watching a 2000 movie - Bounce and I found it very sneaky the way they put a gay guy as “just normal” — and we’ve seen the same in “Friends”. Society as a whole is decaying to Gomorrah -levels.


8 posted on 02/06/2011 11:34:08 PM PST by Cronos
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To: Cronos

It’s probably like Mendel’s pea experiment, you can force hybrids, but over time the original varieties dominate.

It is Catholicism against varying degrees of disbelief.


9 posted on 02/06/2011 11:39:49 PM PST by blackpacific
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To: blackpacific

there was an interesting article that pointed out that various ‘diversions’ run out of steam in about 500 years or less..


10 posted on 02/06/2011 11:46:39 PM PST by Cronos
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To: Cronos
So many con-artists and just general grifters have wormed their way into not just the pulpits but the highest levels of many organized religions that this was bound to happen. The blatant money grubbing and embracing of clearly non-christian activities has made many believers leave their chosen churches. And ounce burnt, twice shy, they are then very hesitant to join a different denomination for fear of being suckered again. The government has a lot to do with this also, with it's no political criticism from the pulpit in exchange for tax exemption carrot. The people still believe their just not buying the flim-flam anymore.
11 posted on 02/07/2011 12:00:54 AM PST by fella (.He that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty enough." Pv.28:19')
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To: right way right

“They were predestined to leave.”

Hey hey hey! Not THAT one again. I’m a born and raised Presbyterian :-)


12 posted on 02/07/2011 12:12:11 AM PST by llandres
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To: right way right

Touche! :)

And I am predestined to comment that the conservative Presbyterian churches, the Bible believing ones, are increasing in memberships, steadily over the decades. PCA, OPC, RPCNA, CRC, etc., grow as the liberal mainlines decline.


13 posted on 02/07/2011 12:15:00 AM PST by Persevero (Homeschooling for Excellence since 1992)
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To: blackpacific

“It is Catholicism against varying degrees of disbelief.”

Ah, but you ignore the Bible believers, going back to the Apostolic church (Bereans) and the Waldensians.


14 posted on 02/07/2011 12:17:24 AM PST by Persevero (Homeschooling for Excellence since 1992)
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To: RebelTex

There’s always been a disconnect between National Presbytery and the many, many smaller and rural churches like the one I grew up in (it’s over 150 years old). I can still remember when I was a kid in the 60’s, what a furor there was over Presbytery contributing to Angela Davis’ legal defense fund!


15 posted on 02/07/2011 12:47:59 AM PST by llandres
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To: right way right; narses; MarkBsnr; kosta50; wagglebee; Judith Anne

funny! “They were predestined to leave!” :)


16 posted on 02/07/2011 1:42:56 AM PST by Cronos
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To: Cronos; right way right; narses; MarkBsnr; wagglebee; Judith Anne
[Where Have All the Presbyterians Gone?] funny! “They were predestined to leave!” :)

Ooops! :)

17 posted on 02/07/2011 1:44:36 AM PST by kosta50 ("Spirit of Spirit....give me over to immortal birth so that I may be born again" -- pagan prayer)
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To: Persevero
Actually, the OPC is still showing a downward trend in adherents, Their own website http://opc.org/GA/73rd_GA_rpt_topical.html says":
In 2005 three congregations withdrew from the OPC to join the Presbyterian Church in America, one of which was a rather large congregation, resulting in a net loss of members for the OPC in 2005. The membership of the OPC has remained at about 28,000 for more than two years, which is a cause of concern.

18 posted on 02/07/2011 1:44:59 AM PST by Cronos
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To: Persevero

‘Ah, but you ignore the Bible believers, going back to the Apostolic church (Bereans) and the Waldensians.’

From Wiki:
‘Founded in Edinburgh in 1773, the Berean Church’

‘According to secular academia and the Waldensians themselves, the Waldensians started with Peter Waldo, who began to preach on the streets of Lyon in 1177.[7]’

I don’t think that 1773 or even 1177 were during the age of the apostles.


19 posted on 02/07/2011 2:06:25 AM PST by Lucius Cornelius Sulla ('“Our own government has become our enemy' - Sheriff Paul Babeu)
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To: Cronos; OldNewYork; MotherRedDog; sayuncledave; CatholicEagle; 0beron; cobyok; surroundedbyblue; ...
+

Freep-mail me to get on or off my pro-life and Catholic List:

Add me / Remove me

Please ping me to note-worthy Pro-Life or Catholic threads, or other threads of general interest.


20 posted on 02/07/2011 2:13:15 AM PST by narses ( 'Prefer nothing to the love of Christ.')
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