
Originally Posted by
Gryphonette
Aren't you conflating the seminary with the presbytery? I'm sure I've read that WTS/PA is not formally affiliated with any denomination, or am I mistaken?
I guess I'm not making myself very clear.
If the report is accurate, I believe we have two problems.
1) The independent seminary (WTS/PA in this case) is acting as a quasi-ecclesiastical body in making a judgment as to the man’s confessionalism. That is a divine right reserved to churches alone. It cannot be reassigned to a non-ecclesiastical entity like a seminary.
2) The presbytery is acting irresponsibly in utilizing the seminary to make a judgment as to the confessionalism of a fellow church officer. If there is an issue, they should be handling it directly with the individual and his denomination (if it is different from their own), rather than relying on second or third hand reports of what is being taught.
So, we get back to my earlier question, does an independent, parachurch organization like WTS/PA have the right to decide whether men’s confessional position is within the bounds of orthodoxy, and, by extension, does it have the right to define what the confessions mean in any given area?
Or, in other words, if an independent body like WTS/PA specifies in its bylaws or staff handbook that all instructors will hold to a confession by oath, do they have the right to judge whether the individual is being faithful to their oath, or can that only be properly judged by the individual’s denomination?
Those are the bottom line questions for me in the matter.
Now, what were your saying about playing Monopoly??

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