Sunday, 22 January 2012
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THE ECO IS BORN
As of yesterday in Orlando, Florida a new denomination of Presbyterians was formed. The interim group, The Fellowship of Presbyterians, had met to discuss options of those members of the PCUSA who had fought to retain purity standards for clergy as well as other parts of the constitution which had been based on scripture. Those measures were defeated narrowly last year, causing much consternation among the members who had fought these changes for years. This new denomination is called the Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians. The president is a Minnesota pastor, John Crosby, pastor of Christ Presbyterian, Edina MN.
I am in the process of reading the notes of the taskforce and waiting for a meeting of the elders of my church to study this over and make a recommendation to the congregation as to our involvement to join or decision not to be involved in the ECO. There are bound to be stories by the media which may be biased (you think?) but this is a wait-and-see thing for each local congregation and each presbytery. I'll try to keep abreast of these developments because I think this is a much needed move for the Bible believing members. We are praying that our message will always be the pure gospel and our head, Christ Himself.
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Comments (15)
Whenever I hear of issues like this, church splits, ministerial controversies, reactions to perversions of the gospel inside a denomination, etc., as justified as they may be, I can't help but be reminded of the song "Lead Us Back" by Sojourn. I hope you'll not mind my posting the lyrics here, as I think they're worth reading...
Falling down upon our knees
Sharing now in common shame
We have sought security
Not the cross that bears Your name
Fences guard our hearts and homes
Comfort sings a siren tune
We’re a valley of dry bones
Lead us back to life in You
Lord we fall upon our knees
We have shunned the weak and poor
Worshipped beauty, courted kings
And the things their gold affords
Prayed for those we’d like to know
Favor sings a siren tune
We’ve become a talent show
Lead us back to life in You
You have caused the blind to see
We have blinded him again
With our man-made laws and creeds
Eager, ready to condemn
Now we plead before Your throne
Power sings a siren tune
We’ve been throwing heavy stones
Lead us back to life in You
We’re a valley of dry bones
Lead us back to life in You
We’ve become a talent show
Lead us back to life in You
We’ve been throwing heavy stones
Lead us back to life in You
I pray your church's elders make the right decision...
'We are praying that our message will always be the pure gospel and our head, Christ Himself.' Amen to that.
@AgainstTheWind1@xanga - Thanks. I don't like splits and controversies that can't be settled within the body either, but this particular group that had voted to scrap Biblical principles insisted on bringing up their own agenda time after time until they had enough votes to ram it through knowing that there would be repercussions leading to a split.
Our denomination has been under condemnation for so long because of the element that couldn't abide by scripture as the authority for the church. Now it is impossible to call it merely
"an element" and it becomes the law of the denomination to defy scriptural standards and the rest of us believe it's time to come out from among them.....I hope!
@Neeka1@xanga - Thank you for your affirmation. I know that splits are messy, but this one began a long time ago.
@quest4god - Yeah. Sad. Like I said, sometimes it's justified. We must seek to obey God before fellow man. I get it, it's just...sad...because you know what it probably means for those people...
@AgainstTheWind1@xanga - ....you are speaking of those within PCUSA? Yes, most of them will be quite happy to see us go, but there are bound to be some who will still believe they can serve God better from within. The elders in my church have yet to declare their rec's, but have been following the Fellowship since it formed last Fall. I don't see PCUSA reversing their position either.
@quest4god - Well, my use of "they" and "them" was more general, referring to any church members who leave solid doctrine and biblical foundations in favor of their own desires.
(I'm speaking from a "reformed" point of view, if that helps clarify)
@AgainstTheWind1@xanga - I understand. Yes, my local church is quite solid doctrinally and my pastor loves God and treats the scripture as authoritative...and true.
I could wish that the "progressive" element had taken their "new" outlook and formed their own new denomination, but once they had a majority, they knew they owned it and we would have to leave.
I've done a little reading about the ECO. Though I appreciate the attempt to return to Biblical standards, seems to me their making allowances for churches to remain affiliated with the PCUSA while also affiliating with the ECO seems to muddy the waters. If the ECO really stands for something, they should be sure to draw the lines clearly from the get-go.
@naphtali_deer@xanga - Oh, I agree wholeheartedly!! I've read through some one hundred or so pages of notes and propositions, plus details of insurance and the whole nine yards and I came up with the same feeling. The pastor was rather guarded in endorsing or considering it, but did pass out the notes to all who wanted them. Nothing happens without a meeting of the elders, and maybe further with the presbytery before we even have much idea where we are going - which leaves one with an anxious heart.
I hate that we even have had to get to this point at all, but I personally want to take a firm stand, and will make that very clear (if anyone cares...).
@quest4god - I'm pretty sure any change in affiliation would require a congregational vote. However, if the elders weren't going to move ahead with recommending any such change to the congregation, then perhaps there wouldn't be any congregational vote at all (?), unless enough people in the congregation requested it. (Something to ask about.)
Other options to consider are the OPC, PCA and EPC, but I'm suspecting any of those would be too conservative for many who've been affiliated with the PCUSA for any length of time.
@naphtali_deer@xanga - Specifically, conservative how? I personally tend toward keeping what is good from our heritage and staying very close to the intent and heart of scripture.....(God's heart). I think most in my church would tend to be like-minded on those things.
I also don't really know all that my pastor knows of denominations since it's been his whole life - even his father's life as a pastor. The specific things that have to concern him are practical things, but they don't outweigh doctrine, I'm sure.
The PCUSA (and its predecessors) has been liberal for quite some time. It deals with how you really view the Scripture and how strongly you hold to the confessions. I also think if you asked the average PCUSA member, they'd have no idea what TULIP was or the doctrines of grace, and many would subscribe to more Arminian theology.
The history of the OPC, PCA and EPC is a bit confusing, and I'm not all that well versed on it, but in summary it's this: they all are denominations that were formed as they saw liberalism taking over the main denomination. For example: "In 1924 about 1,300 (out of 10,000) Presbyterian ministers signed the liberal Auburn Affirmation, which denied that the Bible was without error and declared that belief in such essential doctrines as Christ's substitutionary atonement and his bodily resurrection should not be made "tests for ordination or for good standing in our church." Source: http://opc.org/whatis.html
The OPC and PCA are complementarian, i.e.- no women's ordination, no women elders or deacons. The EPC leaves ordination of women up to the presbyteries, and women as elders/deacons up to the local congregation.
The sad thing is that the practical very often does outweigh doctrine.
@naphtali_deer@xanga - You can bet that (privately) I will challenge the pastor to think carefully before allowing such things as "job security" or retirement or anything else to sway him and that he still will listen to ALL others who care about this problem of doctrine and scriptural adherence.....I do know that he loves the scripture and hates misuse of it.
@quest4god - I learned tonight at Bible study that ECO has offered 3 options: Join ECO alone, Join ECO and retain present affiliation also, the third is even more confusing.
To me, since there will be ECO members that want to retain membership in the liberal (more liberal all the time) PC(USA), that we would still be unequally yoked - especially in terms of scriptural adherence and respect for the authority of the Word (may I include the Incarnate Word also?) as well as disregard for those struggling with SSA and those who struggle with disliking them. I am so let down...