{UAH} Six Presbyterian churches leave national church, but won’t face lawsuits
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http://www.modbee.com/2013/11/09/3021301/six-presbyterian-churches-leave.html
Six Presbyterian churches leave national church, but won't face lawsuits
'"The six churches left because of a theological drift in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) over the years, centered around three main things: the lordship of Jesus Christ, the authority of Scripture and the foundation of the confessions," said the Rev. Dave Kerr, pastor of Trinity United Presbyterian. "In a nutshell, it's because of the biblical theological stance of the (national) church."The same issues are at the heart of most disagreements in mainline denominations, including the Episcopal-Anglican split and rumblings in the United Methodist Church, among others. The splits often are attributed to a national church's actions, such as the ordination of gay clergy or a change in marriage policies, but Kerr said the local Presbyterian churches did not leave because of social issues.
"I said for years that when we look at the interpretation of Scripture, there's not one single group that can claim to have the corner on the market on the correct interpretation," he said. "But I always said I had to draw a line in the sand when it came to the lordship of Christ. Unfortunately, our denomination has ordained people who deny the lordship of Christ. It just became very evident that we were just going to move further and further in that direction.
"I always maintained that we would stay (in the national church) and fight and ultimately win the battle for authenticity. We stayed; we fought; we lost. It was time to not sit back and be critical, but to take a stand and go where I felt God was calling me."
The split came about three years after the Stockton Presbytery put a "gracious separation policy" into place. It allowed churches to leave without rancor and identified the formula used to determine what each departing church would have to pay."
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Wow!! That's huge!! However, I like the method used by settling their disputes within the Church, I mean Christians, not outside legal authorities. The others - Episcops and Angs - have been ugly and gone on for years. Not an invitation to non believers! Hope all goes well.
Six Presbyterian churches leave national church, but won't face lawsuits
'"The six churches left because of a theological drift in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) over the years, centered around three main things: the lordship of Jesus Christ, the authority of Scripture and the foundation of the confessions," said the Rev. Dave Kerr, pastor of Trinity United Presbyterian. "In a nutshell, it's because of the biblical theological stance of the (national) church."The same issues are at the heart of most disagreements in mainline denominations, including the Episcopal-Anglican split and rumblings in the United Methodist Church, among others. The splits often are attributed to a national church's actions, such as the ordination of gay clergy or a change in marriage policies, but Kerr said the local Presbyterian churches did not leave because of social issues.
"I said for years that when we look at the interpretation of Scripture, there's not one single group that can claim to have the corner on the market on the correct interpretation," he said. "But I always said I had to draw a line in the sand when it came to the lordship of Christ. Unfortunately, our denomination has ordained people who deny the lordship of Christ. It just became very evident that we were just going to move further and further in that direction.
"I always maintained that we would stay (in the national church) and fight and ultimately win the battle for authenticity. We stayed; we fought; we lost. It was time to not sit back and be critical, but to take a stand and go where I felt God was calling me."
The split came about three years after the Stockton Presbytery put a "gracious separation policy" into place. It allowed churches to leave without rancor and identified the formula used to determine what each departing church would have to pay."
Read more at link..
Wow!! That's huge!! However, I like the method used by settling their disputes within the Church, I mean Christians, not outside legal authorities. The others - Episcops and Angs - have been ugly and gone on for years. Not an invitation to non believers! Hope all goes well.
Rev. Jessica
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.
Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)
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