Anyone else hold to the Testimony of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America? If so, do you take any exceptions?

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Sean P.M. McDonald
Communicant Member of Springs Reformed Church (RPCNA), Colorado Springs, CO
Attending Lisbon Reformed Presbyterian Church, Lisbon, NY
Infantryman, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, NY
Engaged to Laura A. Doman of Grand Rapids, MI
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"Lex praescribit, evangelium inscribit." (The law prescribes, the gospel inscribes.)

I was a former officer (deacon) in the RPCNA. At the time, I had a rather lengthy list of exceptions to the Testimony. In general, those exceptions/objections had to with 1) issues of Christian liberty and 2) places where the Testimony contradicts the 1646 WCF. I hold to the 1646 WCF without any exceptions.

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Andrew Myers
Husband of Jessica, Father of Jackson, Katie and Samuel
Member, Presbyterian Reformed Church of Northern Virginia
Warrenton, VA USA
Editor, The Matthew Poole Project

"Let your Morning Thoughts, and your last Evening Thoughts, be what shall become of you to all Eternity." -- Matthew Poole

I hold to the Testimony with the exception of areas of Christian liberty which should not be covered in a confession, and some eschatological issues.

What does the testimony teach regarding Christian liberty? Did your exceptions have anything to do with your Tony Campolo connection?


[Edited on 9-29-2005 by Scott]

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Scott Roberts
Ruling Elder, Lakeside Presbyterian Church (PCA)
Southlake, Texas

Gabe,

I new you had some eschatological issues!! You're MID-TRIB aren't you!!! 'fess up! :P

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~Wayne Wylie~
Member, Mid Cities Presbyterian Church (OPC)
Ruling Elder - Inactive
http://www.mcopc.org
Bedford, TX

Job 28:28 - And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

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Oh, please...no Mid-Tribers!!!

Curious as to the CL issues and contradictions? Educate me please...

__________________
JC
URCNA
PA, but homesick for SC

"Who says you can't go back, been all around the world and as a matter of fact. There's only one place left I want to go, who says you can't go home" Bon Jovi

No I'm a congregationalist and a baptist.

:P

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Ryan
1689 London Baptist Confession

I have recently read the Testimony and have found several areas of disagreement as well. I should go back through and write them out.

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Jeff Bartel
Mechanical Engineer
Member - Trinity Reformed Church - RPCNA

"To believe in the power of man in the work of regeneration is the great heresy of Rome, and from that error has come the ruin of the Church. Conversion proceeds from the grace of God alone, and the system which ascribes it partly to man and partly to God is worse than Pelagianism" (The Reformation in England (London, 1962), Vol. 1, p. 98)

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Here are the exceptions I take in the RPCNA Testimony:

CHAPTER 10: OF EFFECTUAL CALLING.
6. Evangelism is the proclamation of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord as He is offered in the Gospel. Christ laid the responsibility upon the whole Church to make this proclamation. The task is not restricted to ordained officers. Each member is to take his share of the responsibility according to the gifts God has given him.
Acts 2:36; Matt. 28:18-20; John 20:21; 1 Cor. 12:4-11; Eph. 4:7-16. (I HAVE SOME PROBLEMS WITH THE WAY THIS IS WORDED AND WOULD RATHER SAY THAT THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL BELONGS TO ORDAINED MINISTERS ALONE, EVANGELISM BELONGS TO APPOINTED EVANGELISTS ALONE, AND THE DEFENSE OF THE FAITH AND WITNESS OF THE GOSPEL BELONGS TO ALL CHURCH MEMBERS.)

CHAPTER 23: OF THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE.
18. We reject the portion of paragraph 3 after the colon. (THAT IS: yet he hath authority, and it is his duty, to take order, that unity and peace be preserved in the Church, that the truth of God be kept pure and entire; that all blasphemies and heresies be suppressed; all corruptions and abuses in worship and discipline prevented or reformed; and all the ordinances of God duly settled, administered and observed. For the better effecting whereof, he hath power to call synods, to be present at them, and to provide, that whatsoever is transacted in them be according to the mind of God.) (I DO NOT REJECT THIS PORTION OF THE WCF.)

CHAPTER 25: OF THE CHURCH.
8. The permanent officers to be set apart by ordination are elders and deacons. Women as well as men may hold the office of deacon. Ordination is a solemn setting apart to a specific office by the laying on of the hands of a court of the Church and is not to be repeated. Installation is the official constitution of a relationship between one who is ordained and the congregation. (I REJECT THE UNDERLINED PORTION OF THIS PARAGRAPH.)

17. Many antichrists will be present in the world throughout history. Prior to Christ's coming the final "man of lawlessness" will be revealed. He will be destroyed by Christ.
1 John 2:18; 1 John 4:3; 2 Thess. 2:8. (I BELIEVE THE 'MAN OF LAWLESSNESS' WAS REVEALED IN THE FIRST CENTURY AND THAT JOHN AND PAUL SPEAK OF A CONTEMPORARY PROBLEM TO THEIR TIME PERIOD, NOT A PROPHETICAL PREDICTION OF A 'MAN OF LAWLESSNESS' TO COME.)

CHAPTER 26: OF THE COMMUNION OF THE SAINTS.
5. Because drunkenness is so common, and because the intemperate use of alcohol is constantly being promoted by advertising, business practices, and social pressure, Christians must be careful not to conform to the attitudes and the practices of the world with regard to alcoholic beverages. To prevent damage to our neighbor, to provide mutual help in godly living, and to strengthen each other in living a disciplined life it is altogether wise and proper that Christians refrain from the use, sale and manufacture of alcoholic beverages.
Prov. 20:1; Rom. 14:21; 1 Cor. 6:9-10; 1 Cor. 8:13.

6. The use of tobacco is detrimental to health and is to be avoided because of the responsibility to preserve the body which is a temple of God.
1 Cor. 6:19; 1 Cor. 9:24-27. (I BELIEVE THESE ARE MATTERS OF CHRISTIAN LIBERTY WHEN HANDLED RESPONSIBLY AND DONE BEFORE THE LORD IN HUMILITY WITH RELIANCE UPON HIM TO STAY FAR FROM SINFUL USE AND HABITUAL ABUSE.)

[Edited on 9-29-2005 by WrittenFromUtopia]

I found it interesting that the RPCNA still confessionally subscribes to the The Directory of Publick Worship and the The Form of Presbyterian Church-Government via the The Covenant of 1871:

I noticed the same whe researching the history of the Directory in American Presbyterianism for my Americanxmas paper.
[quote]
The Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America adopted a new directory for worship in 1945, and its ambiguity allowed observance of days to spread in that church, though some still contend against the practice. This occurred despite the fact that the RPCNA Covenant of 1871, which they affirm is still binding, requires adherence to the original Westminster Directory. [94][quote]
[94] The Constitution of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America Being Its Standards Subordinate to the Word of God The Confession of Faith, the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, the Testimony, the Directory for Church Government, the Book of Discipline, and the Directory for the Worship of God. Together with Official Vows and Forms (Pittsburgh: RPCNA Board of Education and Publication, 1989).

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Chris Coldwell, Lakewood Presbyterian Church (PCA), Member
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The Regulative Principle: Samuel Miller gives a succinct statement of this principle when he writes that since the Scriptures are the “only infallible rule of faith and practice, no rite or ceremony ought to have a place in the public worship of God, which is not warranted in Scripture, either by direct precept or example, or by good and sufficient inference.”

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Thanks Jeff and Chris. My minister is on the Synod's committe to revise the directory for worship. I will alert him to this.

IMO finding out what the RPCNA exactly believes is very difficult. To my knowledge officially the RPCNA still holds the SL&C and NC and one RP website I found affirms this, yet ask most RP ministers and they will say no. In this respect I think the RPCNA is much like the Roman Catholic Church; having a very precise canon law yet such wide and various "interpretations" which make it virtually irrelevent.

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*Peter Gray* Elkins Park RPCNA

"Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. " Mk 9:24
"The greatest thing we can desire, next to the glory of God, is our own salvation; and the sweetest thing we can desire is the assurance of our salvation. In this life we cannot get higher than to be assured of that which in the next life is to be enjoyed. All saints shall enjoy a heaven when they leave this earth; some saints enjoy a heaven while they are here on earth." Joseph Caryl

Years ago when the FPCR session was investigating the RPCNA our pastor marked up a copy of the Testimony with all the problems he found in it (some of those noted and some more serious), and sent it to one of the pastors. Never got any answers back as I recall, nor the marked up copy.

Peter,

Can you tell me what website you found that states the PRCNA holds to the SL&C and NC?

http://www.bright.net/~covvie/who.html

Also, I have a copy of the old RP testimony (Reformation Principles Exhibited) dated 1911. In some form or another I believe this was the constitution of the church until 1980 when the current one was adopted. Term 4 of the Terms for Ecclesiastical Communion is "An acknowledgement of ... the obligation upon this church of the covenant entered into in 1871, in which are embodied the engagements of the NC of S and of the SL&C, so far as applicable in this land."

Thanks Peter.

I find this 1949 Term of communion in the RPCNA:
5. An acknowledgment that public covenanting is an ordinance of God to be observed by churches and by nations; that the obligations of such covenants are perpetual; and that the Covenant entered into in 1871 is binding upon the Reformed Presbyterian Church in North America.
The Constitution of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, (Synod of the RPCNA, 1949) "Terms of Communion", 333.

So it seems the Covenants were gradually tucked under the carpet and forgotten by the RPCNA (the "Covenanters") However, I don't think they've ever been officially repudiated and I believe this is the same situation with the church's stance on political dissent and voting. It would be interesting to see if there was ever any discussion of this at the Synod.

My understanding is that the RPCNA's historic position on political dissent and contra voting was overturned at the 1967 Synod (Minutes of Synod, pp. 72-74). This is also reflected in the 1980 Testimony, Chap. 23, sec. 29 "When participating in political elections..." I know one of the primary individuals who advocated for the change. When I was an officer in the RPCNA I dissented from the new position on dissent.

The Testimony seems pretty ambiguous to me (purposely so I'm sure). Do you know if the Minutes of that Synod are online Andrew? Thanks.

I don't belive those Minutes are online and Crown & Covenant doesn't have them that far back, but if you were to contact Crown & Covenant or RPTS or post on the Covie-Net, you could probably get a copy of the 1967 Minutes. I have contacts who could probably help too.