9 October 2024

Wednesday, October 9, 2024, 21:38

This news item was posted in Presbyterians Week category.

“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] Pope Says All Religions Lead to God

[2] Atlanta Reformed Presbyterian Church Fund Raising Campaign

[3] Shall the Westminster Confession be Amended?

[4] Evangelical Denominational Storm Brewing? Questions of Policy Within the Evangelical Presbyterian Church

Additional Articles of Interest

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[1] Pope Says All Religions Lead to God

At a youth inter-religious gathering in Singapore, Pope Francis said all religions lead to God. “If you start to fight, ‘my religion is more important than yours, mine is true, and yours isn’t,’ where will that lead us? There’s only one God, and each of us has a language to arrive at God. Some are Sheik, Muslim, Hindu, Christian, and they are different paths [to God]. … They are like different languages in order to arrive at God, but God is God for all. Since God is God for all, then we are all children of God” (“Pope in multi-faith Singapore,” Crux Now, Sept. 13, 2024). Francis made similar remarks in Kazakhstan in 2022. There is nothing new here. In 1987, Pope

John Paul II led an inter-religious prayer meeting in Assisi consisting of representatives of 32 “Christian” denominations plus representatives of most non-Christian religions: Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jews, Muslims, African and North American animists, Japanese Shinto’s, fire-worshipping Zoroastrians, and Baha’i. Though Pope John Paul did not specifically say that all religions are paths to God, it is obvious that he believed that to be true by inviting all religions to pray for world peace. Though great changes have occurred in the Roman Catholic Church since the Second Vatican Council of the 1960s, the Roman Catholic Church of today is actually

more unscriptural than it was in Luther’s day. It still holds the ancient heresies that were condemned by Baptists and Protestants of old, such as the pope the head of church, the mass the re-sacrifice of Christ, the sacraments a channel for salvation. Mary the ever-virgin Queen of Heaven, and prayers to and for the dead. In addition to traditional Catholic heresies, the Roman Catholic Church today is filled with gross errors which were almost unknown to the Catholic Church of the sixteenth century, such as evolution,

New Age faith and practice (i.e., a seminar at Catholic Quigley Seminary in Chicago in 1988 featured messages by Matthew Fox and other New Age speakers on “the cosmic Christ within”), universalism (Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II are examples of Catholic leaders who believe all men are children of God), and modernistic theology (Rome’s theological schools are largely given over to the modernistic approach to the Bible which denies the infallible inspiration of Holy Scripture, the six-day creation, the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch, etc.).

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

+ The Vatican, Città del Vaticano, Rome, Italy, 39-6-69-88-35-11, Fax: 39-6-69-88-54-47, Contact Page

[2] Atlanta Reformed Presbyterian Church Fund Raising Campaign

Dear Friends:

As was mentioned in the most recent Penny’s Pen, we are embarking on a fundraising campaign for only the second time in five years. As you will have seen, it has cost us a lot to make our old building (originally a broom factory built in 1947) more attractive by effecting repairs and improvements and, in addition, removing airborne particulates of mold and mildew which have caused health problems for some of our worshippers.

We have been so grateful to you in the past for your encouragement in this challenging ministry, your prayer support, and your financial giving, which has allowed us to do all the work you saw in pictures in Penny’s Pen a couple of weeks ago. In that article it was mentioned that it would be of great financial help to be able to pay off our mortgage early, which would save us $10,000 a year in premiums. And so, as we are depleting much of our Building Fund account, we are coming to you to ask whether you would consider donating to our campaign that we are calling “25 by ’25”—that is, the goal of raising $25,000 by the year 2025. This goal is approximately half of the total cost for renovations, which is about $50,000.

No gift would be too small. (For that matter, no gift is too large, either!) We thought that maybe producing something along the lines of a Bridal Registry (comprising a list of items and labor costs for the improvements, some of which have already been paid for, while others have not) would be a way of suggesting a variety of donations for tangible items.

Here’s the link by which to donate:

https://www.zeffy.com/fundraising/b53ebc30-1aae-4a0d-b31a-47915214030b

Please note that when asked to “Support the 100% free platform we use!”, you can avoid paying fees by clicking “Other” and setting the amount to $0. Also, please indicate if there is a particular item for which you are donating.

Thanks in advance for your kind and prayerful consideration of this fundraising campaign.

Sincerely,

Frank J. Smith, Ph.D., D.D.

Pastor, Atlanta Reformed Presbyterian Church

770-241-3946

$3,000 and up

$4,500 Demolition work

$3,500 Mold remediation

$2,000-$2,999

$2,500 Flooring

$2,500 Drywall

$2,500 Labor for porch repair

$2,020 Roof patching

$2,000 Painting outside of building

$1,000-$1,999

$1,737 Mini-split (HVAC)

$1,594 Spray foam insulation for roof (1/3 of building)

$1,534 Trash removal (July)

$1,500 Repairs to roof structure, including flashing

$1,200 Demolition work and repairs of holes

$1,000 New doors

$500-$999

$945 Cold fogging kit

$900 Installation of mini-splits (HVAC)

$750 Carpentry work (labor and supplies) for inside repairs

$700 Miss Amy Walk

$648 Trash removal (April)

$599 Air scrubber

$588 Plywood boards

$554 Bi-polar ionizer for mini-split

$550 Plumber

$500 Power washing (labor and supplies)

$250-$499

$450 Air testing for mold

$400 Trash removal (October)

$398 Galvanized steel flashing

$300 Installation of one new window

$300 Painting of new sanctuary floor

$300 Supplies for mildew removal

$267 Labor for mildew removal

$250 International flags for outdoor display

$100-$249

$240 Filters for air scrubbers

$151 Screws

$134 Pressure-treated boards

$132 Food for volunteer workers

$100 Covenanter logo for outdoor display

Under $100

$64 Safety kit [PPE]

$56 Nails

$42 Roof cement

$47,184 Total

+ Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA), 7408 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15208, 412-731-1177, Fax: 412-731-8861

[3] Shall the Westminster Confession be Amended?

One of the primary matters that led to the formation of the Presbyterian Church in America in 1973 was the adoption of the Confession of 1967 by the Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS). That Confession was a hodgepodge of liberalism, neo-orthodoxy (or, modernism), and social justice. It left out many important points of theology. It did not treat of the doctrine of God. It equated salvation with works of social justice. It became the rallying point for a new denomination because members could clearly see that the doctrinal integrity of the PCUS had been irreversibly compromised. The Confession of 1967 was followed by the PCUS adopting a Book of Confession which included the Apostle’s Creed, the Nicene Creed, the First and Second Helvetic Confessions, the Scots Confession, theHeidelberg Catechism, the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Larger Catechism, the Shorter Catechism, the Theological Declaration of Barmen (1934), the Confession of Belhar (1982), and the Brief Statement of Faith (1991). Every officer is free to choose which one or ones of those creedal statements and confessions he adopts as his own statement of faith. It is important to note that those various statements of faith or creeds were not all consistent with one another. The earlier ones were, but not the later ones. Thus, the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PCUSA)—which enveloped the former PCUS in the union of the northern and southern churches—has never officially rejected the Westminster Confession of Faith. Instead, they have just ignored it.

While all those changes were being made to the doctrinal statements of the denomination, there were almost no changes being made to the polity of the denomination. I have in my office a copy of The Book of Church Order of the PCUS for 1972. There had been very few changes to their polity since the 1920’s and not many since the 1860’s. The original PCA Book of Church Order was based on The Book of Church Order of the PCUS. Dr. Morton Smith and attorney Robert Cannada worked together to develop the PCA BCO and started with the PCUS book. That proves historically a statement that I have often made that the attack against the church in the 1960’s and 1970’s was against orthodoxy. The attack in our day is against orthopraxy (the practice of the truth) with orthodoxy being ignored. An attack from either direction will ultimately destroy the other end of the truth. We see that with the PCUS (and now the PCUSA) as well as the PCA. Both denominations have books of polity that are swollen so much that it hurts your head to read through them. That is what happens when the denomination’s Constitution is allowed to be amended. In the PCUS, the power to recommend an amendment to the Constitution was given to the Permanent Judicial Commission alone and a simple majority of the first General Assembly, all the presbyteries, and the second General Assembly once again was necessary to amend the government of the church or the doctrinal standards. The PCA changed that requirement for the BCO to a majority at the first General Assembly, two-thirds of the presbyteries, and a majority of the second General Assembly. Concerning amending the Westminster Standards, including the Catechisms, the requirement was three-fourths of all courts.

Some important questions must be asked and answered at this point. First, why is the Scripture not considered a part of the Constitution of the church? I realize that some people will retort that denominations can change their Constitution, but cannot change the Scripture. That answer is begging the question. I served four terms on the PCA’s Standing Judicial Commission. I cannot begin to tell you the numbers of times I heard the argument in discussing a case when a Scripture verse would be referenced: “We cannot consider the Scripture because it is not a part of our Constitution.” Who does not see that that is a recipe for disaster? If the Scripture cannot be referenced in judicial and doctrinal cases, then what is the purpose of claiming that our denomination is true to the Scripture? How is any denomination true to the Scripture when its Constitution can be changed repeatedly without reference to or consideration of the teaching of Scripture? Second, should a denomination’s Constitution be continuously changed? In some denominations, amending the BCO is like sport. I remember when BCO changes were rarer than a steak with just the horns knocked off (I overheard a man order a steak that way one time). Now that seems to be the great order of the day in many denominations which is eagerly awaited. Commissioners who are nonplussed on most issues will become greatly engaged about the overtures to change the BCO. Third, where is the evidence that amending the BCO has accomplished any good? I just have never seen it. Instead, I have observed that denominations have been destroyed by annual changes to their BCO. I remember the day when every minister ordained by the PCA declared that he subscribed fully to the Westminster Standards. Then, the PCA allowed various views of the days of creation. Then, the BCO was changed concerning the adoption of the Westminster Standards. Then, some really brilliant ministers (in their own minds) declared that they took 56 exceptions to the Westminster Standards. But, mostly, officers just ignore the parts of the Westminster Standards that they do not like. The PCA has never repudiated the Westminster Standards. It is just ignored in many presbyteries with impunity.

In 1967, the PCUS developed the Confession of 1967. That Confession taught social justice. In 2016 and following the PCA elected moderators who pushed social justice as the gospel. Many in the denomination taught Critical Race Theory openly at presbytery meetings and at the General Assembly. Is there any essential difference between adopting a doctrinal statement based on social justice (PCUS) and openly proclaiming that social justice is the gospel (PCA)? That is what happens when the Constitution is continually amended without respect to the Scriptures. Meanwhile, the KGB is making toasts to their success in getting the churches in the West to preach social justice instead of the gospel per their 1961 plan.

There is a reason above all reasons that annual amendments to the Constitution should not be permitted. It is the regulative principle. That principle teaches that the Scripture regulates or controls doctrine, polity, and worship. Doctrine does not change because the Scripture does not change. Polity does not change because the Scripture does not change. Worship does not change because the Scripture does not change. When the Scripture is left out of a denomination’s Constitution, that is a tacit admission that said denomination does not believe in the regulative principle.

Now, some people might retort at this point that I have just revealed the fly in the ointment of my position. They will reply that there have been many changes to the creeds and confessions through the years; there has been great development of the principles of church government; and, there has been the writing of new hymns for the Church. Thus, they would state that my position is untenable. Thus, they would say, the Church must allow amendments to the Constitution. Well, I have anticipated that response and I will answer it next week. So, hold onto your hats until then.

Dewey Roberts, Pastor of Cornerstone Presbyterian Church in Destin, Florida

+ Vanguard Presbyterian Church, PO Box 1862, Destin, Florida 32540,

(850) 376-3166, drob9944@aol.com

[4] Evangelical Denominational Storm Brewing? Questions of Policy Within the Evangelical Presbyterian Church

A storm is brewing in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) and a “meaningful group of churches” are considering other options, according to Pastor Nate Atwood, the pastor of St. Giles Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, N.C.

Atwood has been involved in the EPC since 1988 and held several leadership roles, including serving as moderator of the General Assembly. He says there is a “crisis of confidence in the current stated clerk, moderator, and leadership team” after an overture concerning same-sex-attracted pastors never made it to the floor of the General Assembly this summer.

https://ministrywatch.com/evangelical-denominational-storm-brewing/

+ MinistryWatch, 2514 Plantation Center Drive, Matthews, North Carolina 28105, 866-364-9980, info@wallwatchers.org

+ Evangelical Presbyterian Church, 17197 North Laurel Park Drive Suite 567, Livonia, Michigan 48152, 734-742-2020, Fax: 734-742-2033, webmaster@epc.org

Additional Articles of Interest

– Official US Nursing Home Data Shows That the Covid Vaccines Did Nothing to Reduce Covid Mortality

– Appalachia: Murder Always Happens for a Reason

– New German Study: All COVID mRNA Vaccinated Children Are at Increased Risk of Cancer

– Hospitals Harvesting Organs from Donors Who Are STILL ALIVE

– World War III Is “On” But the Empire Has Already Lost. An American Civil War Looms. Spiritual Transformation Is the Only Way to Prevent Extinction

– It’s a “Killer” Vaccine Worldwide: Japanese Researchers Say Side Effects of COVID Vaccines Linked to 201 Types of Diseases