Posted on 06/02/2011 7:02:38 AM PDT by Cronos
Earlier this month, the national Presbyterian Church approved a change in its constitution to allow openly gay church members to serve as ministers and church leaders. It is a change that one local church pastor says has been a long time coming.
"It's been a Presbyterian family quarrel for about 30 years," said Jonathan Smoot, interim pastor at Falls Church Presbyterian Church.
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"It's just ridiculous to lift up sexual orientation as a primary criterion for that person's character or suitability for ministry," Smoot said. "I hope this puts an end to it."
"It needs to be read in its historical context and not just used as a bludgeon. It needs to be carefully interpreted as the original writers meant," Smoot said. "I would disagree with my conservative sisters and brothers that the Scripture is making definitive statements about sexuality."
(Excerpt) Read more at fcnp.com ...
I should add that it is PCUSA pushing the homosexual agenda.
Most of those following their own path believe they are following the Bible's teaching - which is how the various Presbyterian denominations began.
Yes. The resolution allowing gay clery specifically condones fornication. For real.
That is how every church or denomination began. To me, Scripture’s teaching is clear and if anyone can convince me from the Bible that what I believe is contrary to that, I will change. Every person thinks what he believes is correct; else he or she would change. It’s as simple as that. Absolute truth exists. It’s up to us to discern it as much as possible with our finite understanding.
I don’t understand that, how can they push?
I can only chalk it up to they have become more of this world than of Christ. They have forgotten that this is not our home. Heaven is and God is the supreme ruler and lover of our souls. They have invested themselves here on earth and not there.
Thus, the Report continues the conspiracy of silence that has prevailed in the OPC for three decades. It leaves the erroneous impression that the serious doctrinal problems are outside the denomination, not within it. The Report gives false comfort to those who think the OPC is still a bastion of Biblical orthodoxy. On the contrary, the Report, and the 2006 General Assembly’s commendation of it, both maintain the OPC as a safe haven for those who teach erroryou can read the details at the link on page 109 why the Former Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) ruling elder Paul M. Elliott says that
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Men within the OPC, including at least one member of the Committee itself, teach heresy regarding the Gospel and many other fundamentals of the faith.
I guess if one disagrees with him, he's given his posting and email address in the book. accordingly.
The author’s thesis is that the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) is today exactly where the PCUSA was back then.
This is disturbing
| The Orthodox Presbyterian Church was founded in 1936 by about 135 people who were offended by the lack of discipline in and doctrinal errors of the Presbyterian Church in the USA. . But early in its history the OPC fell under the influence of an agnostic view of propositional revelation emanating from Westminster Seminary -- a view that said that there is no identity of content between the \"Christian system\" of theology, meaning Reformed confessions of faith, and the \"divine system\" of theology, known only to God. This agnosticism has now brought the OPC to the point of falling. Like its predecessor, the PCUSA, the OPC has failed to discipline teachers who teach contrary to Scriptures and the Confession of Faith, and it has endorsed un-Biblical teaching about Scripture and the Gospel. |
| Despite the painstaking efforts of many fine Christians within the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC), the leaders of the OPC maintain a suicidal course. Despite the departure of congregations and individuals from the OPC, due to the leaders' collective inability to resolve the current justification controversy Biblically, the OPC leaders continue to advance doctrines that contradict Scripture. The OPC is, in the words of its late historian Charles Dennison, "obviously inept, bumbling, [and] confused."1 That confusion now appears to be fatal. At this point in its history, the confessional affirmations of the OPC have no more credibility than the confessional affirmations of the PCUSA from 1936 to 1967. One of the commissioners to the 2004 OPC General Assembly made this very point: "There was a time when, if the OPC said it, it was accepted. The 2003 deliverance that accompanied the decision to acquit [John Kinnaird] destroyed forever that our words will not be questioned. The PCUSA always said that the [Westminster] Confession was their confession (even as they were denying it)." |
As far as I know, the OPC is in the process of kicking out the Fed Vision nuts. Why this takes so long, I have no idea. I will find out more about it.
that’s good. What’s the difference between the OPC and the PCA?
I can understand you having that belief.
That is disturbing. It does look like they’re headed the same way as the PCUSA. More splitting and division to come, I suspect.
Of course, much depends on whether you are asking someone from the OPC or the PCA. ;-) They are the same in official doctrine. They both adhere to the Westminster Confession of Faith. There are some slight differences in the PCA and OPC Book of Church Order, which states how things should be run.
The OPC was formed in the late 1930s when J. Gresham Machen and some other men took a stand against the increasing liberalism of the main Presbyterian body. They lost a great deal personally in leaving and forming a new denomination. The PCA was formed in the 1970s when the northern and southern branches of the main Presbyterian denomination agreed to join. The church was becoming even more liberal, and many people left to form the PCA.
The OPC tends to be more formal and conservative in its worship services (some in the PCA would say stodgy, I suppose). There are more OP churches in the north and more PCA in the south, although both are expanding into new territory.
Just an aside, Pastor Bruce Hunt was an OP pastor who stood up to the Japanese in Korea and was imprisoned for it. The Koreans were so impressed by his courage that the Presbyterian church in Korea flourished. http://www.wts.edu/resources/sarang/brucehunt.html
Hope that helps.
Thanks! I just looked up - it seems that the OPC also does not have women pastors or deaconesses while the PCA is heading to the latter.
I hope the PCA does not take that route. The Bible is quite clear on that issue. And, every church that has ordained women, has gone on to considering ordaining homosexuals.
correct -- and that latter is scarily true. The PCA is heading down that route unfortunately.
I re-read the Trinity website. It seems the guy has seriously pointed out flaws in the OPC and how it’s close to imploding. Ah, well, it’s an about 80 year old denomination
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Homosexuals and pretend believers destroying another denomination.
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