Rev. David Vance, the committee’s chairman...noted that in recommendation 8 (Minority Report), the committee desires the $431,000 allocated funds to Erskine to be placed in escrow until there is a satisfactory response and action from the Erskine Board. Principle Clerk Ron Beard referred to recommendations 6-8 as out of order since the Minority Report of Erskine is out of order in terms of Synod’s program.

Of the many controversial items before the 2012 ARP General Synod, one which was certainly controversial and would be a rarity in the ARP’s history was the recommendation by the Executive Board of the Synod to dissolve Pacific Presbytery. The reasons behind this recommendation go back several years. The Synod has been frustrated with Pacific... Continue Reading

The 79th General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church is meeting at Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois, June 6–12, 2012. The meeting began with a sermon preached by the retiring moderator, Mr. Danny Olinger, who serves as the General Secretary of the OPC Committee of Christian Education. Mr. Olinger preached from Genesis 1:1-2, reminding the Assembly... Continue Reading

Recommendations from the Memorials, Complaints, and Executive Board presented to the ARP Synod and the actions of Synod on the recommendations. The ARP Synod is meeting at the Bonclarken Conference Center in Flat Rock, NC. The following was considered by the Synod on June 7. Memorials Committee The Committee on Memorials presented a number of... Continue Reading

The Synod of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, meeting on June 7, overwhelmingly approved an overture affirming the special creation of Adam and Eve and rejecting all evolutionary views of their origin. The hotly debated memorial from Mississippi Valley Presbytery on the special creation of Adam and Eve as amended by the Memorials Committee was... Continue Reading

The ARP Synod made history and has elected its first ever “foreign” Moderator. Rev. Rob Patrick, Pastor of Bartow ARP, Bartow, FL, nominated Rev. Jeff Kingswood, Pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church in Woodstock, Ontario, for Moderator for the 2013 Synod. Mr. Patrick noted that two years ago he nominated Rev. Andrew Putnam, who ran against... Continue Reading

In keeping with this solemn vow, I feel duty-bound to disclose some changes to my views which have developed over the past few years, relating to the issues of Sola Scriptura and Sola Fide specifically. I submitted the following letter a couple of days ago. Please be in prayer for my family during this difficult... Continue Reading

The case of John Mark can provide us with a measure of insight into how we should deal with “mess-ups.” John Mark: A Ministry Not Wasted To my observation those who don’t believe in second chances fall into three groups: (1) those who have never needed one, (2) those who have needed and received one,... Continue Reading

The danger for high churchmen … is that we can forget that. We can end up thinking that the doctrine of the church is more important than the gospel or, worse still, that the doctrine of the church is the gospel. The news of the seeming impending conversion of Jason Stellman to Roman Catholicism will... Continue Reading

Even when you account for 2000 years of cultural differences between Paul and Evangelicalism, the answer is no. Why? Because Paul didn’t treat the Bible the way mainstream Evangelicalism says you need to. Would Paul have made a good Evangelical? No. Even when you account for 2000 years of cultural differences between Paul and Evangelicalism,... Continue Reading