Premature Departure
Posted on May 18th, 2005 in Church, Tom | 3 Comments »
I received a press release in my mailbox last night from the Evangelical Reformed Presbyterian Church. “Who,” you may ask? Well, the ERPC is the newest Protestant Christian denomination on the block. For more information, you can read their press release yourself.
An organizing committee of pastors and elders today announced formation of The Evangelical Reformed Presbyterian Church (ERPC). The new denomination is being established in response to conservative Presbyterians’ increasing concern over the acceptance of the teaching of justification by faith plus works, and water baptism as an instrument of salvation, in denominations such as the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) and the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA).
Perhaps I’m misinterpreting their meaning, but it seems that this new denomination is calling the Presbyterian Church in America and Orthodox Presbyterian Church apostate! Last year, after the OPC overturned the conviction of John Kinnaird, some of the churches left the denomination in protest. Apparently, these churches have been busy in the last year.
“Because these elements hold sway in the OPC, our congregation voted unanimously to separate from that denomination last year,” Sheely continued. “The present situation is very similar to what happened in the Presbyterian Church in the USA (PCUSA) three generations ago. In 1936, conservatives left the PCUSA to form the OPC. One of the founders of the OPC, Dr. J. Gresham Machen, said that when the liberalizing elements hold sway in a denomination, and the Gospel is at stake, conservatives have no choice but to separate and begin again. That is what we are doing. History is being repeated.”
It’s rather sad that they decided to retain the word “Presbyterian” in their name, since they have no idea what the term means. It’s also sad that they look to Machen as a role-model… try Carl McIntire instead. I’m all for the OPC and PCA pursuing charges against these schismatics for their actions.
UPDATE: William Hill wrote up his own views on the issue.
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3 Responses
This action to start a new denomination is pathetic. the PCA and OPC need to react accordingly and discipline these men for what they are doing. I find it interesting that there are a large number of churches that are interested in joining with them. Is this a clear case of “hitting on” someone while they are legally “wed” to another? I think Scripture has something to say about “sowing discord”.
Disciplie is definitely in order and it needs to come quick.
Well, I don’t know about the large number of churches, but it does seem that people are really jumping the gun. My impression is that people have simply forgotten that we’re Presbyterian.
During the struggles that we’ve recently had with out church, I had wondered out loud to my father why Presbytery doesn’t step in. He told me (correctly) that higher courts can’t act unless lower courts prompt them. These people, it seems, don’t understand that if the PCA and the OPC hasn’t done anything, it’s because their churches haven’t told them to.
It’s like complaining that your car won’t start, while refusing to even turn the key.
I think that their reasons for starting a new Presbyterian denomination are silly. Have they read Frame’s “Machen’s Warring Children http://www.christiancounterculture.com/40615/machen.html? I don’t think Norman Shepherd has that much influence in the OPC. I think that Richard Gaffin at WTS has well critiqued the New Perspective on Paul http://www.modernreformation.org/rg02newp.htm. Paul calls us to live together with our disagreements. Moreover, this is certainly a different issue than Machen dealt with. This action makes me more certain that churches that divide tend to keep dividing over nothing consequential.