I saw this quote on Old Truth.  "If you are in a church where the flag falls out of the ceiling on the Fourth of July, and an honor guard comes down the isle with flags for each branch of the service. And if you are singing God bless America on ANY Sunday on real estate owned by God. If this is the stuff you tolerate on the Lord's Day, it's not far off from Asherah poles" (idols in the Old Testament). That was Michael Horton of the White Horse Inn who said that, on a recent program entitled Christless Christianity which dealt with the many ways modern churches get away from centering on Christ as their primary message."  Old Truth

A few years back I was at a meeting of the men, and we had a local PCA Pastor come and talk about the relationship between our Church and the State.  He asked the questions about what message does it send that we have an American Flag on the platform.  He asked if we celebrated the 4th of July during a Worship service.  It sparked a lively debate.  To be sure we had no American Flag on the platform and we had not had a July 4th celebration during Worship.  However, that did not necessarily sit well with all in attendance.  This Pastor went on to show that when we put our flag on the platform, when we celebrate July 4th in Worship, we confuse the real mission of the Church, and that mission is not distinctly American.  According to this Pastor, the mission of the Church was the proclamation of Word and Sacrament and that is not a particularly American idea.  It is a Christian idea.  Our brothers and sisters around the globe who worship the One True and Living God can attest that the Church is not distinctly American.  It is distinctly Christian however.  While we may be activists and patriots outside the walls of the Church, it does seem to me that to be so inside the Church walls is to not only confuse the message (is it an American gospel or just the gospel?) but to also confuse the mission of the Church, which is to proclaim Word and Sacrament.  It is not an American Word and Sacrament.

Gage Browning

Post Tenebras Lux

Here are a few things Paul said:

I want you to know that the greatest heresy in the American evangelical and protestant church is that, if you pray and ask Jesus Christ to come into your heart, He will definitely come in. You will not find that in any place in Scripture. You will not find that anywhere in Baptist history until about 50 years ago. What you need to know is that salvation is by faith and faith alone in Jesus Christ. And faith alone in Jesus Christ is preceded and followed by repentance . . . a turning away from sin, a hatred for the things that God hates and a love for the things that God loves, a growing in holiness and a desire not to be like Britney Spears, not to be like the world, and not to be like the great majority of American Christians, but to be like Jesus Christ! [The audience then erupts in applause]. I don’t know why you’re clapping. I’m talking about you. I didn’t come here to get amens. I didn’t come here to be applauded. I’m talking about you.  I want to tell you something. We’re going to go into Scripture, and I want you to look at it as it really is. It’s not comparing yourself with others who call themselves Christians. Compare yourself to the Scripture. When someone, a young person, comes to a pastor or a youth minister and says, “I’m not sure whether or not I’m saved,” the youth minister will usually throw out a cliché: “Well, was there ever a time in your life when you prayed and asked Jesus to come into your heart?

“Well, yes.”

“Were you sincere?” 

“Well, I don’t know, but I think so.” 

The 35th General Assembly of the PCA (Presbyterian Church in America) voted unanimously to approve the recommendations of the Committe on the Federal Vision and New Perspective controversy.  Here is what they said:

1. That the General Assembly commends to Ruling and Teaching Elders and their congregations this report of the Ad Interim Committee on NPP, AAT and FV for careful consideration and study.

2. That the General Assembly reminds the Church, its officers and congregations of the provisions of BCO 29-1 and 39-3 which assert that the Confession of Faith and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms of the Westminster Assembly, while “subordinate to the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, the inerrant Word of God,” have been adopted by the PCA “as standard expositions of the teachings of Scripture in relation to both faith and practice.”

3. That the General Assembly recommends the declarations in this report as a faithful exposition of the Westminster Standards, and further reminds those ruling and teaching elders whose views are out of accord with our Standards of their obligation to make known to their courts any differences in their views.

4. That the General Assembly reminds the Sessions and Presbyteries of the PCA that it is their duty “to exercise care over those subject to their authority” and “to condemn erroneous opinions which injure the purity or peace of the Church” (BCO 31-2; 13-9f).

The Committee also made unanimously, 9 declarations:

1. The view that rejects the bi-covenantal structure of Scripture as represented in the Westminster Standards (i.e., views which do not merely take issue with the terminology, but the essence of the first/second covenant framework) is contrary to those Standards.

2. The view that an individual is “elect” by virtue of his membership in the visible church; and that this “election” includes justification, adoption and sanctification; but that this individual could lose his “election” if he forsakes the visible church, is contrary to the Westminster Standards.

3. The view that Christ does not stand as a representative head whose perfect obedience and satisfaction is imputed to individuals who believe in him is contrary to the Westminster Standards.

4. The view that strikes the language of “merit” from our theological vocabulary so that the claim is made that Christ’s merits are not imputed to his people is contrary to the Westminster Standards.

5. The view that “union with Christ” renders imputation redundant because it subsumes all of Christ’s benefits (including justification) under this doctrinal heading is contrary to the Westminster Standards.

6. The view that water baptism effects a “covenantal union” with Christ through which each baptized person receives the saving benefits of Christ’s mediation, including regeneration, justification, and sanctification, thus creating a parallel soteriological system to the decretal system of the Westminster Standards, is contrary to the Westminster Standards.

7. The view that one can be “united to Christ” and not receive all the benefits of Christ’s mediation, including perseverance, in that effectual union is contrary to the Westminster Standards.

8. The view that some can receive saving benefits of Christ’s mediation, such as regeneration and justification, and yet not persevere in those benefits is contrary to the Westminster Standards.

9. The view that justification is in any way based on our works, or that the so-called “final verdict of justification” is based on anything other than the perfect obedience and satisfaction of Christ received through faith alone, is contrary to the Westminster Standards.

While it remains to be seen, I have a couple of questions regarding this finding and vote by the General Assembly.  1.  Does that mean that men who hold to such FV and NPP doctrines are closer to censure, discipline, and removal then before?  In other words, does this now serve as a backgdrop or precedent for those who may be out of bounds?  2.  Does this also mean that these findings will be used as a grid by all the presbyteries for those who seek ordination?  I think the answer is probably no to both questions.  In this sense, our presbyterian denomination is a little baptistic.  In other words we will let the local sessions and presbyteries decide.

Gage Browning

Post Tenebras Lux