When a Theological Debate Isn’t

All of us who are or have been pastors know what it is like to be in the middle of a marital or family counseling session and realize that what the parties are arguing about isn’t really the issue. They may be talking (or yelling) about a child’s grades, but the problem for the family lies elsewhere. The grades are merely what they’ve decided to argue about.

The Way, The Truth and the Life

Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me." Some Presbyterians argue that we must take these words to mean that since Jesus is the only way to salvation, Christianity is the only true religion. Therefore any genuinely two-way conversation between Christians and followers of other religious traditions inevitably compromise true Christian faith and leads to religious and ethical relativism.

A Reply to Daniel Migliore on ‘There is a Third Way…’

Professor Migliore’s proposed interpretation of G-6.0106b, while not impossible, is by no means necessary. If we stick to the direct wording of the text, and do not read things into it which are not there, then a different interpretation is more to the point. G-6.0106b simply states what is true by definition. There are either those who are married (one man and one woman), of whom fidelity is required, or else those who are unmarried (single), of whom chastity is required, as it is of all Christians.

A Response to George Hunsinger’s ‘There is a Third Way…’

In his recent article, George Hunsinger offers thoughtful reflections on the present impasse in the Presbyterian Church. His proposed "third way" is..

Davidson college proposal raises concen

Since a majority of subscribers to The Presbyterian Outlook are not graduates of Davidson College, I am providing the proposals that will come before its Board of Trustees meeting that began Feb 3^rd. These proposals were presented for a ‘first reading’ at an October board meeting and have been in the hands of college alumni/ae since early December.

Time to Remember, Reconside, Perhaps Rename tie Confession of 1967

The 35th anniversary of the Confession of 1967 falls this year. A few members remain, both of the committee that drafted the document, and of the committee that received and modified it somewhat in 1965, prior to its circulation in the presbyteries during 1966 and the first half of 1967.

Fixing What is Broken in the PC(USA)

Writing recently in The Outlook, Editor Robert Bullock recognized that annual meetings of the PC(USA) General Assembly seem to be hurting the church and bringing unnecessary division. He wrote: "Annual meetings allow divisive issues to be brought up every year with the potential for win-lose votes at the meeting and in the presbyteries . . . . Dealing with divisive issues year after year through an annual meeting of the General Assembly has not been a plus for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).If an institution’s national gathering does more harm than good to the institution, shouldn’t the institution consider seriously having the meeting less often?"

Faith-Based Initiative

Those of us who take the teachings of John Calvin as our theological base have always practiced -- or are supposed to practice -- a faith-based initiative toward the society in which we live. Calvin constantly emphasized the primacy of the community over the individual, teaching that we are bound together and must take responsibility for each other, not just in the church, but in the community at large.

‘Confessing church movement’ grows, but supporters not united on goals

It has come, its supporters say, from the grassroots – and it has grown fast enough that people wonder out loud whether the confessing church movement now is a force that must be reckoned with in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

In fewer than nine months, the sessions of more than 1,100 congregations – about 10 percent of all the PC(USA) churches – have signed confessional statements, most of them describing belief in the Lordship of Jesus, the authority of the Bible and the sanctity of marriage.