By Adam Parker | October 9, 2023 Is it possible that the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) has had, since its inception, provisions in its Book of Church Order (BCO) which violate its own Preliminary Principle (#6) regarding the rights of congregations to consent to those who serve as their pastors? I suspect that most … More Tension in Our Polity: A History of the Assistant Pastor
By Zachary Garris | September 27, 2023 Every communing member in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) takes membership vows. While officers (elders and deacons) take vows to uphold the Westminster Standards and Book of Church Order, church members take vows acknowledging their sin (vow 1), affirming their trust in Christ’s salvation (vow 2) and … More Membership Vows & the Third Commandment
By Zachary Garris | January 18, 2023 It is no secret there are two stated differences to the Westminster Standards that presbyteries in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) commonly rule as permissible exceptions. These two differences pertain to images of Jesus and recreation on the Sabbath. While there have been many battles over subscription … More The Sabbath and Subscription in the PCA
By Ryan Biese | December 5, 2022 I was reared Lutheran (ELCA). In my experience growing up and attending several different Lutheran congregations, the worship was fundamentally the same.[1] Regardless of whether we attended a relatively conservative or relatively liberal congregation, the order of worship essentially did not change. It did not even matter whether … More Beware the Latitude of the Pharisees