Saturday, November 23, 2024

7 August 2024

Wednesday, August 7, 2024, 21:14
This news item was posted in Presbyterians Week category.

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“But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.” [Ezekiel 33:6]

 

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” [Ephesians 6:12]

 

Presbyterians Week Headlines

[1] Christian Lecturer to Appeal Tribunal Ruling after Judge Says Sacking for One Tweet Was ‘Reasonable’

[2] Republicans Remove Opposition to Abortion and Same-Sex Marriage from Platform under Trump’s Influence

[3] The 2024 Republican National Convention as Seen Through God’s Word

[4] Follow the Money

 

Additional Articles of Interest

[1] Christian Lecturer to Appeal Tribunal Ruling after Judge Says Sacking for One Tweet Was ‘Reasonable’

A Christian lecturer, theologian and father of six will appeal an employment tribunal ruling which concluded that it was ‘reasonable’ for a Bible college to sack him for misconduct for one tweet defending Christian sexual ethics.

Supported by the Christian Legal Centre, Dr Aaron Edwards, 39, had taken legal action against Cliff College in Derbyshire on the grounds of harassment, discrimination and unfair dismissal.

Dr Edwards had worked for seven years at Cliff College, but in February 2023, everything changed for him and his family.

At the time, the Church of England (CofE) was debating whether it should allow same-sex blessings in their churches. As a theology lecturer with a strong understanding of the wider implications of these issues, Dr Edwards posted a message on Twitter:

“Homosexuality is invading the Church. Evangelicals no longer see the severity of this b/c they’re busy apologising for their apparently barbaric homophobia, whether or not it’s true. This *is* a “Gospel issue”, by the way. If sin is no longer sin, we no longer need a Saviour.”

He also tweeted: “That *is* the conservative view. The acceptance of homosexuality as “not sinful” *is* an invasion upon the Church, doctrinally. This is not controversial. The acceptance is controversial. Most of the global Church would agree. It is not homophobic to declare homosexuality sinful.”

He added that: “I expressed the conservative view as a doctrinal issue, re. the implications for sin/the Gospel. It was not an attack on individuals, it was addressed to evangelicals. It seems that holding the view that homosexuality is sinful is only welcome if it remains “unexpressed”.

A Twitter storm followed. Dr Edwards insisted, and clarified in subsequent tweets, that the post was not ‘homophobic’ and that it was addressed to evangelicals who agree with his message, but felt they couldn’t say so for fear of backlash.

Furthermore, he added that the aggressive response to the tweet illustrated the problem it addressed.

Instead of supporting Dr Edwards’ freedom to share a Christian evangelical perspective on these issues, Cliff College, which holds itself out as an Evangelical College, released a statement which publicly disowned him and sought to solicit complaints. Before the Tribunal it was said that the College had thrown Dr Edwards under the bus.

They asked Dr Edwards to take the post down, which he refused to do as he believed doing so would go against his conscience and be an admittance that he had intended to deliberately cause trouble for the college, however he repeatedly tweeted following the maelstrom that the views expressed in the tweet were his own and not that of the college. Further he clarified that the tweet was an expression of a deeply held belief which he believed was necessary to express.

Following an investigation and disciplinary hearing, however, Dr Edwards was sacked for misconduct for “bringing the college into disrepute”.

The impact of the sacking on Dr Edwards has been significant, he has not been employed since, and evidence he gave in court in June revealed he was admitted to hospital with cardiac symptoms due to the stress the situation caused.

Following the dismissal, he and his wife and their then five young children had to move out of their house and he had to resort to crowdfunding to cover his family’s living costs while he made new long-term plans.

Free Speech not protected

Giving judgment in court this week, however, Employment Judge Jim Bean appeared to avoid engaging with the substance of the case and dismissed each of Dr Edwards’ claims.

He concluded that Cliff College had been ‘reasonable’ in their actions but gave very little detail on why and how he had reached those conclusions.

In a concerning conclusion for Christian freedoms and free speech, Judge Bean did say that Cliff College was justified in restricting Dr Edwards’ rights to freedom of belief, religion and expression due to the need to protect its ‘brand’ and ‘reputation’. 

Judge Bean found that Dr Edwards’ right of religion was not engaged:

“The Tribunal has found that the claimant’s Article 9 rights [freedom of thought, belief and religion) are not engaged in this case. This is because the claimant did not suffer the treatment on basis of his religious beliefs in and of themselves or because of a manifestation of his beliefs. The treatment of the claimant by the respondent was not because of his expression of views rooted in Christian beliefs but because of the severe reaction to them.”

Based on this reasoning, any belief expressed by a lecturer in an educational setting or outside of that setting, could lead to them being sacked if enough of a ‘severe reaction’ was brought against them by students and members of the public.

At every stage, Cliff College and the tribunal has also refused to engage with the fact that many students and members of the public did not react ‘severely’ to Dr Edwards’ tweet but supported him and in fact were concerned with the college’s actions of ‘throwing Dr Edwards under the bus’.

‘Now’t as Queer as Methodists’

The tribunal hearing had also revealed that after Dr Edwards’ had been sacked, his appeal was heard by Rev. Michaela Youngson, a former President of the Methodist Conference and senior member of the Methodist Church of Great Britain’s Connexional Team.

Rev. Youngson had dismissed Dr Edwards’ appeal on every ground and described herself in evidence as ‘independent’.  

Evidence was admitted as part of the case, however, which revealed that Rev. Youngson is a leading founder of the Global Interfaith Commission on LGBT+ Lives and has appeared at gay pride London events next to a sign which says: ‘Nowt as Queer as Methodists’.

The Global Interfaith Commission was founded by LGBT activist and member of the Church of England’s general synod, Jayne Ozanne.

The aim of the commission is to: ‘provide a strong and authoritative voice from religious leaders across the global faith community who wish to affirm and celebrate the dignity of all, independent of a person’s sexuality, gender expression and gender identity.’

The Commission is managed by the Ozanne Foundation, which has aggressively campaigned for same-sex marriages to be introduced to places of worship and which would be diametrically opposed to Dr Edwards’ beliefs and position on the issues.

However, on this issue, Employment Judge Jim Bean concluded that: “The Tribunal is satisfied that the appeal appeared to be dealt with impartially.”

‘Christian justice matters’

Responding to the ruling, Dr Edwards said: “I am very surprised at the judgment. I believe ours was an extremely strong case and was very well supported by the Christian Legal Centre.

“It is obvious from the ruling that the particulars of the extensive evidence and arguments were not sufficiently engaged in the judgement, which was conspicuously light on relevant details in terms of how the judgment was reached. I believe this perhaps evidences how entrenched LGBT+ ideology is even with the legal system, which now makes it increasingly difficult for anyone to uphold freedom of expression for views which stand strongly against LGBT+.

“This is something any serious Christian knows they must do when such views impose themselves upon the Church. As such, this judgment is a real shame upon our society. If upheld, it will have significant negative implications for Christian free speech in future years.

“If Christian leaders like myself cannot stand up for what most Christians in the world today see as a legitimate and important expression of a Christian view, what chance do the rest of the population have? Christians must be free to stand against the ideologies of the age which seek to trample upon the fundamentally good Christian norms and convictions upon which this once-great nation was built.

“I find it disappointing but unsurprising that Cliff College, in their statement about the ruling, reiterate that they welcome “differing convictions” with “mutual respect” and a “generosity of spirit”. Most evangelicals can see that this is manifestly untrue, and the college acted against their professed evangelical principles. Claiming to support “differing convictions”, they fired one of their longest serving lecturers on the faculty, who only ever tried to serve the evangelical cause of the college, less than three weeks after the expression of a legitimate “differing conviction” to defend the Gospel against worldly invasion.

“I worked very hard for many years to ensure the college would remain faithful to its evangelical convictions. It has chosen another way and can no longer be trusted as an evangelical institution that genuinely seeks to defend and proclaim the Gospel from a truly Biblical perspective. It has shown itself to be a severely compromised institution whose convictions become flexible at the right price. They want to have their cake and eat it. They want to be known as evangelical whilst denying the very evangelical convictions which are presently under attack in our time. 

“Knowing of the many faithful Christians who have come through that college for well over a hundred years, I don’t mind saying that this convictional decline is genuinely disgraceful and the leaders should be ashamed of themselves for continuing to call themselves an evangelical college in light of what has happened. The college has become ashamed of the very call to Christian holiness which brought Methodism into existence and rather than standing against sin, it has chosen to stand with sin against those who stand against sin. 

“Christian justice matters, and justice has not been done in this case. I believe the College leaders, if they search themselves, know this. I did not want to bring this upon the college, and certainly not upon myself. We will be appealing.”

Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said:

“Judge Bean has simply not engaged with the substance of this case.

“Aaron was sacked because he challenged the church to uphold God’s teaching on human sexuality.

“Contending for that truth publicly meant that he lost the job that he was so good at.

“Judge Bean says Aaron’s tweet could have damaged ‘the brand’ of Cliff College. What is the brand of a Bible college if it no longer believes or is prepared to defend or teach what the Bible says is sin.

“It is deeply saddening to see a once renowned evangelical Bible college losing its way by no longer upholding the truth about marriage. What message does Aaron’s sacking send to the next generation of leaders and pastors, and the future of Christian witness.

“This case exposes a collapse in confidence in biblical truth in one of the very places where the next generation of Christian leaders is being trained.

“Our churches, and our society, desperately need courageous leaders. Aaron was committed to raising faithful preachers and pastors for the church. We need more lecturers and trainers like Aaron, not less, to build-up the next generation of Christian leaders to be unashamed of the gospel.”

 

+ Christian Concern, 70 Wimpole Street, London W1G 8AX, England, 020 7935 1488, Contact Page

 

[2] Republicans Remove Opposition to Abortion and Same-Sex Marriage from Platform under Trump’s Influence

Donald Trump’s lack of morality has influenced the entire Republican Party, which is supposed to be very “conservative.” He supports the murder of unborn children so long as they aren’t too old in the womb, and the new Republican party platform supports abortion up to twenty weeks for the first time in its history (“RNC adopts Trump-inspired platform,” Washington Times, July 8, 2024). Trump also supports the homosexual rights agenda. He formed a Trump Pride this year consisting of a twenty-one-member LGBT advisory board. Under this influence, the Republican Party has removed its former opposition to this abomination. The following is excerpted from “LGBT Republicans Celebrate,” Crosswalk, July 19, 2024: “The president of the nation’s leading LGBT Republican organization is celebrating the party’s new platform, which no longer opposes same-sex marriage. Every GOP platform from 1992 through 2016 included language opposing same-sex marriage–always in unequivocal terms. … But this year, under direct guidance from Republican nominee Donald Trump and his team, the platform committee removed the platform’s opposition to same-sex marriage, making it neutral on the issue. Trump supports same-sex marriage. Delegates approved the new platform this week. On social media, Charles T. Moran, president of the Log Cabin Republicans, celebrated the news. The Log Cabin Republicans is the nation’s largest GOP organization dedicated to LGBT causes.”

 

+ Way of Life Literature, Post Office Box 610368, Port Huron, Michigan 48061, 519-652-2619, fbns@wayoflife.org

 

[3] The 2024 Republican National Convention as Seen Through God’s Word

July 18, 2024

Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061
866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org;

 

The 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, July 15-18, which anointed Donald Trump as their nominee for the upcoming presidential election, was a bit of a glimpse into the old America. It exuded an unhesitating stance for personal liberty, national security, border security, etc. It was good to see a smiling Donald Trump after a near assassination. He is a manly man; he is a leader; and that is sorely lacking in America today. He stands for what he believes. He can’t be pushed around. No wonder so many are enthusiastic about him in spite of grave moral concerns. He is getting old, but he isn’t frail or senile.

Ninety-eight-year-old World War II vet William Pekrul brought the crowd to a rousing ovation when he said, “America is not just an idea. It is my home. … America is still worth fighting for. … And with President Trump back as Commander in Chief, I would go and re-enlist today, and I would storm whatever beach my country leads me to. God bless you, God bless your home, and the United States of America!”

The old vet was frail but still exuded manliness, courage, fortitude, strength, resilience, love of home and love of nation. He pumped his fist, raised both arms. If I understood correctly, he has been married to the same women for seventy-six years and has eleven children.

What is not to like about this?

The problem is that this is not the 1940s, and America is not that nation today. America and her churches are far more wicked today than then, and God’s judgment is on America today on every hand.

The Republican Party itself is much more wicked. It recently changed its platform to allow for abortion; it has an official homosexual rights segment (Log Cabin Republicans); Trump formed a Trump Pride this year consisting of a 21-member LGBT advisory board; one of the speakers the first night of the convention is a pro-abortion porn star and founder of the Los Angeles chapter of a filthy feminist protest march.

America might have a mighty military, but without God’s blessing what is it, really? Let God’s Word answer: “except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain” (Psalm 127:1).

No one can remove the “woke” from America, eradicate the DEI, drain the swamp, stop the billion dollar storms, erase the debt, etc., unless they could stay the hand of God. President Trump can help the nation in some ways, and I hope he will,, but he can’t make America great again, and he doesn’t have a clue about that. If he gets another four years, the country will be at least as wicked when he leaves office as when he entered. The public schools and most colleges and universities will have four more years to pollute minds and souls with godless philosophy. The churches, even the “evangelical” and “fundamentalist” ones, will be just as weak and compromised, lukewarm at best. The filthy American pop culture, which has been America’s greatest international export in this generation to her great shame, will continue to shake its fist at God’s holy laws. Homosexuals will continue to flaunt their pride as if Sodom never happened. Abortionists will continue to murder unborn children, supported by a vast number of Americans of both parties. Most Americans, including professing Christians, will still worship idols like professional football and basketball, willingly and enthusiastically immersing themselves in an unclean environment of immodesty, alcohol, gambling, pride, covetousness, neglect of God’s house, sensual gossip, and hypocrisy.

Political conservatives have no real answers; they don’t even know the fundamental issues. If professing Christians watch the Republican National Convention and see it through the eyes of unsaved political conservatives, they are worldlings and not Biblicists.

There is something that God’s redeemed people can do that can change things. They must stop wasting hour upon hour upon hour on vanity, social media nothingness, endless games, sports, politics, whatever, and instead, devote those fleeting hours to serious Bible study, to building godly homes where the father is the spiritual leader and the mother is the keeper, and building strong, sound and true, thorough-going New Testament churches instead of the spiritually wimpy things that most so-called churches are today, renouncing the world, with its lust of the flesh, and lust of the eyes and pride of life, separating from compromised Christianity, doing whatever is necessary to raise up a godly generation, praying fervently and praying a lot, praying for God to call laborers for His harvest and training well those He calls.

Here is God’s Word for America builders today: “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it” (Psalm 127:1).

There is a house that matters more, and that is the house of God. “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15).

 

+ Way of Life Literature, Post Office Box 610368, Port Huron, Michigan 48061, 519-652-2619, fbns@wayoflife.org

 

[4] Follow the Money

[Editor’s Note: Any response to this article from the ARP Church will be considered for publication.]

By Charles W. Wilson

At sixteen, I was chosen out of my Civics class to spend a day with a councilman on the Winter Haven, Florida, City Council. I attended a council meeting and was the councilman’s guest for a very nice lunch. I was so excited. I was to watch how democracy worked and report what I saw to my Civics class. I was disappointed in what I saw. I was young and na?ve. I expected something grand and wonderful, not something so mundane as discussions about money. At lunch, the councilman I was shadowing explained to me that the political system was mainly about money — knowing who has it, how to get it, how to spend it, protect it, and politically benefit from it. He said, “Charles, if you want to know what’s going on in government, FOLLOW THE MONEY.” Sad to say, in the world of ecclesio-politics, the same is true: FOLLOW THE MONEY. 1 FROM NEPOTISM TO INCEST In the last issue of ARPTalk (“How to Throw Away a Million Dollars”), I reported that Erskine College had lent $1,000,000 to Icelaven Corporation, the parent company of Reason & Republic, a for-profit charter school management organization, founded by James Galyean, and that Erskine was suing Icelaven and Galyean for non-payment of the loan. I also reported that Galyean was a member of the Christ Reformed ARP Church in Anderson, SC, that he was a member of the Session (the governing body of the congregation), and that his pastor, Alex Campbell, was a member of the Erskine College board. I asked, “How does one spell N·E·P·O·T·I·S·M?” I was told yesterday (6/6) that Rev. Campbell has resigned from the Erskine board. That’s noble! Good for him! PESSIMISM AND OPTIMISM At Due West and in the folds of the ARPChurch, the pessimist says, “Good grief, things can’t get worse!” The optimist says, “I bet you ten dollars they can!” The situation on the Erskine board is muddier. The oncoming chairman of the Erskine board is Alan Runyan. His son is Cameron Runyan, the CEO and Chairman of Charter Institute at Erskine. The spending of monies by the Charter Institute has attracted the attention of the South Carolina legislature. At this point, there is a new question: How does one spell I·N·C·E·S·T? MENDACITY ? US! Transparency is not a virtue at Erskine.

Below is a copy of the letter sent out yesterday (6/6) by Erskine President Steve Adamson.

 

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I have some great news to share with you! As you may know, Erskine’s fiscal year ends June 30. This has been a year of tremendous opportunity, growth, and excitement. You may have seen an open letter I recently wrote celebrating the academic and fiscal achievements of the past year. Here are some of the highlights: Erskine’s total 2023-24 enrollment exceeded 1,000 students. – Exceptional new faculty joined the college and seminary. – We launched six new majors, opened the Honors Institute at Erskine, and introduced the Global Theological Diploma. – We lowered Erskine’s endowment spending for fiscal year 2023-24 to $2.5 million, the lowest in five years. – If we exceed projected donor gifts by June 30, this should position us with a 17 percent revenue increase this year over last year, the most significant single-year increase in over 50 years. This is just a brief summary of the many improvements happening at Erskine. For more details, click here to read my letter. Your Board of Trustees, my executive staff, and I are working tirelessly to finish this historic fiscal year on solid financial footing, strengthening Erskine for the future. There is still more work to do—and we need your help! The financial results described in my letter are projected and depend on continued support during these next few weeks. Now is not the time to sit back and relax. Instead, it is critical to help Erskine finish the strongest financial year the College has seen in five decades! If we finish the fiscal year with the surplus we are currently projecting, this will give us a strong footing during our accreditation review in December. Your generous contributions in June will help us reach our goals. I am humbled and so encouraged by all that we have accomplished together. Now is the final push for our team to successfully conclude the 2023-24 fiscal year. Will you stand with us and support Erskine? Will you consider making a generous contribution today? Give Today!

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Here are a few questions the interested reader should ask.

(1) Where is information about the $1,000,000 loan to Icelaven and the suit against Icelaven for non-payment?

(2) Where is information about nearly two dozen layoffs of faculty and the story of staff and individuals taking reductions in salaries?

(3) Where is information about Erskine’s involvement in charter schools?

(4) Where is information about the impending investigation by the South Carolina Legislature into Erskine’s involvement in charter schools?

(5) Where is information about SACS’s continuing investigation of financial operations at Erskine?

Flat out! How can Adamson write such a rosy letter and ask people to give when the Erskine elite has flushed down the toilet $1,000,000? When Adamson’s letter was posted on the Erskine FACEBOOK page, there were critical comments. Some of the criticisms, I am told, were taken down. Below is a sample of the comments.

Comment #1 A “successful fiscal year” achieved by paying employees significantly less than industry standard for their roles, taking overtime away from employees that count on it as part of their salary, and refusing to give raises to employees who consistently receive excellent performance reviews over years of employment. Great job Erskine!

Comment #2 And how many employees were laid off in order to reach this ”successful financial year’’? So, how will the delegates at the meeting of General Synod respond to Adamson’s letter and the Erskine Report? Well, the only thing higher than Erskine’s ineptitude is the gullibility of ministers and delegates at a meeting of General Synod. They will be like a troop of chimpanzees attempting to fathom the workings of a computer. As the English poet Ralph Hodgson said, “Some things have to be believed to be seen.” GASLIGHTING ? US! Below are beginning statements from the report on Second Presbytery and Chuck Wilson.

________________________________________

First, no one was asked to serve on this committee. Instead, Synod appointed men who had already invested a considerable amount of time the previous year on the Miller Commission and Synod’s investigation of Mr. Chuck Wilson. Busy men with busier schedules were appointed to serve on a committee whose size alone made scheduling regular meetings a real challenge. Second, the scope of this case was massive. The more the committee examined, the more issues we found with how this case was handled. One committee member remarked that if we had the resources of a congressional committee, we could have easily produced a report in detail of over 1000 pages. Third, there were difficulties in dealing with members and officers of Second Presbytery. The committee asked for documents that were used in the Mr. Matt Miller case, but to date, have still not been turned over to our committee. This is particularly troubling as Second Presbytery requested Judicial Reference and according to Book of Discipline 6.2, when a lower court requests Judicial Reference from a higher court, “All evidence and records shall be transmitted to the higher court, that the case may be heard with as little delay as possible.” Additionally, Mr. Scott Cook who served as chairman of Second Presbytery’s Minister and Work Committee during the time in question, transferred out of Second Presbytery. Despite the multiple challenges that have been expressed thus far in this report (and countless others that are not expressed), our committee was able to complete an investigation and presents to you the findings listed below. The following events all happened in time and space, and therefore, the court must contend with the reality they present.

________________________________________

 

A number of comments are due.

1) Why the self-deprecation regarding the committee? None of the members of the committee was coerced to serve. If members were too busy to serve, why were they not noble enough to resign?

2) The statement that documents were not turned over to the committee is gaslighting. It’s a lie! The documents were turned over to the Clerk of Synod, Kyle Sims. I know, for I sent them to him. I am also aware that others sent them to him. The problem is that the written documents were not read, the tapes were not listened to, and the videos were not viewed.

3) The problem with their investigation is that the committee was made up of those who mismanaged the case. That 5 is, the fox was asked to examine the fox’s activities to see if he had been eating chicken. The conclusion of the fox’s report was a foregone conclusion!

4) The report declares that documents were not handed over to them. How would anyone on the committee know that if they were not privy to documents? And, if they were, why would they ask for the documents?

5) If the documents were not handed over to the committee, how did the committee complete its work?

6) How did the committee come up with the idea of dissolving Second Presbytery? Did anyone consult with the congregations of Second Presbytery?

7) Which members of Second Presbytery did the committee consult with? What are their names?

8) Why did the committee not meet with the Minister and His Work Committee of Second Presbytery? I know the members of the Minister and His Work Committee, and they don’t remember a meeting.

9) How does the committee plan to dissolve the corporation that is Second Presbytery? How does one dissolve a corporation involuntarily? This is a legal issue!

Is General Synod ready to tackle this

(https://businessfilings.sc.gov/BusinessFiling/Entity/ Profile/6aafe746-2276-429a-9aa5-b83e09e9e256) ?

Now, what’s the real issue? THERE IS US$6,000,000 IN ASSETS UP FOR GRAB! The committee makes a big deal of Second Presbytery being dysfunctional (and which presbytery is functional?). Therefore, dissolve the presbytery. But I remember that authority in the ecclesiastical system of the ARPChurch flows up, not down. General Synod exists because of the presbyteries; the presbyteries do not exist because of General Synod.

When First Presbytery was embroiled in the matter of Scott Robar which took years, and many were calling First Presbytery “toxic,” no one suggested the dissolving of First Presbytery. But First Presbytery did not have $6,000,000 in assets. At this point, Catawba Presbytery has been consumed for four or five years with First Presbyterian Church in Columbia regarding their questionable treatment of Jeffery Prato, and no one has suggested dissolving Catawba Presbytery. But Catawba Presbytery does not have $6,000,000 in assets. At the first meeting of General Synod at First Presbyterian Church during Covid, the floor erupted in debate because of a matter coming out of Virginia Presbytery. Patrick Malphrus and another members of Virginia Presbytery were at odds with each other. Malphrus advocated for the dissolving of Virginia Presbytery. He wanted to be in another presbytery. He called the presbytery a “dumpster fire.” However, there was no motion to dissolve Virginia Presbytery. But Virginia Presbytery didn’t have $6,000,000 in assets. Second Presbytery has $6,000,000 in assets. That is, (depending on the market) there is about $5,000,000 in liquid assets (cash, savings, and stocks). There is another $1,000,000 in mortgage loans which are being paid. I recently asked a member of the Board of Stewardship the value of the liquid assets managed for Synod. He said they managed just over $2,000,000. Synod’s liquid assets plus the liquid assets of all the other presbyteries do not equal the liquid assets held by Second Presbytery. And as far as the assets of Second Presbytery are concerned, as chairman of Second Presbytery’s Stewardship Committee, I raised those monies through the liquidation of the properties of failed congregations and by finding folks who knew how to invest successfully in the market. As the old councilman on the Winter Haven City Council said, “Charles, if you want to know what’s going on in government, FOLLOW THE MONEY.”

 

If you want to know what’s going on in the ecclesiocracy called the ARPChurch, FOLLOW THE MONEY. The paragraph below is from the history of the Associate Presbytery in Scotland.

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At the General Assembly of 1722, a group of men including Ebenezer had been rebuked and admonished for defending the doctrines contained in the book The Marrow of Modern Divinity. In 1733, a sermon he preached on lay patronage at the Synod of Perth led to new accusations being levelled against him. He was compelled to defend himself from rebuke by appealing to the General Assembly, but the Assembly supported his accusers. After fruitless attempts to obtain a hearing, he, along with William Wilson of Perth, Alexander Moncrieff of Abernethy and James Fisher of Kinclaven, was suspended from the ministry by the Commission of Assembly in November of that year. In protest against this sentence, the suspended ministers constituted themselves as a separate church court, under the name the “Associate Presbytery”. In 1739 they were summoned to appear before the General Assembly, but did not attend because they did not acknowledge its authority. They were deposed by the Church of Scotland the following year.

 ________________________________________

 

Once again, FOLLOW THE MONEY!!

 

+ ARPTalk Blog, 864-882-6337, wilson6114@bellsouth.net

+ Erskine College and Theological Seminary, 2 Washington Street, Due West, South Carolina 29639, 864-379-2131, Fax: 864-379-2167, jguyette@erskine.edu

+ Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, 918 South Pleasantburg Drive Suite 127, Greenville, South Carolina 29607, 864-232-8297, Fax: 864-271-3729

 

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