Synod 2023 of the Christian Reformed Church in North America rejected an appeal by the council of Neland Avenue CRC in Grand Rapids, Mich., of a Synod 2022 order that called for the congregation to rescind its decision to ordain a deacon . . . Continue reading →
Church Government
Ruling Elder Renaissance
The recently-concluded 50th Presbyterian Church in America General Assembly in Memphis, TN was the second-largest ever with (unofficially) 2250 elders in attendance; only the previous year’s assembly was larger with 2385 in attendance. More significantly, this year’s meeting solidified a trend of . . . Continue reading →
Irony and the Presbyterian Church in America (Part 2): The Urban Turn
The 14th GA met in the elegant Academy of Music (a performing arts center) in the city center of Philadelphia, June 23–27, 1986. In addition to sweltering summer temperatures, a sanitation strike threatened conveniences. Nevertheless, the Assembly met in city center Philadelphia, . . . Continue reading →
Irony and the Presbyterian Church in America (Part 1): The First General Assembly
Every re-telling may choose its focus, phrasing, and pace. Think of the following as a tour guide through a relatively short sliver of ecclesiastical history. Many of the same events, persons, emphases would come across differently depending on the tour guide who . . . Continue reading →
So You Are About to Begin a Pastoral Search
This is a sensitive topic. People do not always think rationally, biblically, and confessionally about the office of pastor. Many do not understand what ministers do, and most people who are involved in the pastoral search process are well-meaning but inexperienced. And . . . Continue reading →
“Cases Extraordinary,” The Spirituality Of The Church, And The Trans Crisis
On February 14, 2023 Evangel Presbytery of the PCA overtured the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) to petition the United States federal government by saying: God declares in Sacred Scripture that civil government, no less the Church, is . . . Continue reading →
Polity And Peace: Do Church Officers Have An Obligation To Comply?
There is more to becoming an officer than the laying on of hands by the elders — vows are the other essential part of officer-making. All officers vow that they approve of the polity of the PCA, that they will be subject . . . Continue reading →
“Empathigination” And The PCA
The annual-assembling PCA, turning 50 and preparing to celebrate (or conflagrate?) in Memphis this June, is big, broad, and still orthodox in an evangelical sort of way. If this born-in-Birmingham denomination were a house, a cable TV remodeling show host might say . . . Continue reading →
Review: Bully Pulpit: Confronting the Problem of Spiritual Abuse in the Church by Michael J. Kruger
Michael Kruger has written a gem of a book, addressing one of the most prominent issues troubling the church today. Increasingly, we are faced with stories about pastors who misuse their position of authority to achieve their own selfish ends to the . . . Continue reading →
Polity Matters: How Reformed Churches Might Have Handled The Chandler Situation
Matt Chandler is the lead pastor of The Village Church, a megachurch of about 14,000 members in Flower Mound, TX, which is a northern suburb in the Dallas-Ft Worth metroplex (it is the top of the triangle of the three). After the . . . Continue reading →
A Word To The PCA: Fathers, Do Not Exasperate Your Brothers (2)
We may not bludgeon sincere men with cries of “Peace! Peace!” where there is no peace. We may not neglect the reasonable concerns of our brethren by naïvely asserting that everyone is trustworthy and in one accord merely by virtue of their ordination. Continue reading →
A Word To The PCA: Fathers, Do Not Exasperate Your Brothers (1)
There is a kind of therapeutic psychology rampant among the elite in Western culture’s ivory towers and it has made its way into our seminaries and churches, beguiling some and maddening others. Continue reading →
Peace And Purity Provided By Authority: John Thomson’s Defense Of Presbyterian Church Polity (Part 15): Conclusion
Close attention has been paid thus far to Thomson’s articulation of Presbyterian Church government, which stood in juxtaposition with his opponents. In response to the objections of the New Side, Thomson’s works revealed the ultimate reason why he opposed what they were . . . Continue reading →
Peace And Purity Provided By Authority: John Thomson’s Defense Of Presbyterian Church Polity (Part 14): Terms Of Communion
As a particular church, Thomson argued that the officers of the church needed to exercise their authority to adopt a confession for their communion. As a Synod not formally associated with any other church, the Synod could adopt a set of standards . . . Continue reading →
Peace And Purity Provided By Authority: John Thomson’s Defense Of Presbyterian Church Polity (Part 13): The Adopting Act
As detailed in the first chapter, controversy over interpretations of what took place at the Adopting Act of 1729 abound. Thomson interpreted the events to support a strict form of subscription. He suspected that only the first half of the Adopting Act, . . . Continue reading →
Peace And Purity Provided By Authority: John Thomson’s Defense Of Presbyterian Church Polity (Part 12): Confessional Subscription And Doctrinal Purity
Prior to the Adopting Act of 1729, the church had only a general understanding assumed between presbyteries and individual ministers that the Westminster Standards were to be upheld. As a ‘particular’ church united together, they were not under the authority of or . . . Continue reading →
Peace And Purity Provided By Authority: John Thomson’s Defense Of Presbyterian Church Polity (Part 11): Obedience To Lawful Matters
Thomson distinguished between what was considered sinful and what was considered lawful. If something was considered indifferent or a matter of Christian liberty in Scripture, meaning not sinful, then the officers of the church could determine whether such an action would be . . . Continue reading →
Peace And Purity Provided By Authority: John Thomson’s Defense Of Presbyterian Church Polity (Part 10): The Peace Of The Church In Submission
Thomson, while asserting Synod’s authority to make binding acts upon lower judicatories, argued that there were appropriate times for disobedience. The primary concern of the Presbytery of New Brunswick regarding the submission to Synod was that it could potentially result in submission . . . Continue reading →
Peace And Purity Provided By Authority: John Thomson’s Defense Of Presbyterian Church Polity (Part 9): The Peace Of The Church In Submission
The Apology, in addition to questioning the extent and nature of the authority exercised by church judicatories, also questioned the authority of Synod over presbyteries. The disagreement that precipitated their objection was whether Synod had the jurisdiction to regulate the examination of . . . Continue reading →
Peace And Purity Provided By Authority: John Thomson’s Defense Of Presbyterian Church Polity (Part 6): The Beginning Of Conflict
In 1739, the Presbytery of New Brunswick, which consisted of Gilbert Tennent, Eleazer Wales, William Tennent and Samuel Blair, submitted a document titled The Apology. It consisted of objections to the previous two acts of the Synod of 1738 and a polemical . . . Continue reading →