Note:
Presbyterians Week has received several emails from Presbyterian Church in America administrators in response to the 23 July 2008 summary of the Christianity Today article “PCA-Affiliated Cornerstone Ministries Investments (CMI) Files for Bankruptcy,” implying that the use of the word “affiliated” is equivalent to stating that CMI is currently an official agency of the PCA.
This is an incorrect assumption on the part of these administrators. The word “affiliated” describes a much broader range of relationships, associations, and time frames than does this narrow interpretation. Presbyterians Week suggests that the summarized Christianity Today article be consulted for a complete description of the referenced affiliations.
Presbyterians Week Headlines
[1] Death of Rev. Stephen Kim
[2] Church Service at County Fair Cancelled to Avoid Offending Atheists
[3] Presbyterian Church of Ghana Ordains Pastors
[4] ARP General Synod Sets Position on Scripture
[5] United Nations Attempting to Criminalize Christianity
[6] Turkey's Assyrian Genocide of 1915 Remembered
[7] Enns Leaves Westminster Theological Seminary
[8] Canadian CRC Condemns Order of Canada Award to Abortionist
[9] WCF Larger Catechism Anniversary
[10] Dutch Reformed Meet in South Africa to Discuss Unity
[1] Death of Rev. Stephen Kim
Rev. Stephen Kim, pastor of Rock of Faith ARP Church in Los Angeles, California, died Thursday 24 July. His funeral was held on Saturday 26 July at the Los Angeles Korean Funeral Home. He was 56 and died of liver cancer. Rev. Kim is survived by his wife, son and daughter.
+ The Associate Reformed Presbyterian Magazine, One Cleveland Street Suite 110, Greenville, South Carolina 29601, arpeditor@arpsynod.org
[2] Church Service at County Fair Cancelled to Avoid Offending Atheists
Covenant Presbyterian Church of Grand Junction, Colorado was notified the week of 14 July by the Mesa County Fair Board that the 27 July fair worship service they were asked to organize several months ago was cancelled because the board was afraid of inciting local atheists.
+ The Daily Sentinel, 734 South Seventh Street, Grand Junction, Colorado 81501, 970-242-5050, alex.taylor@gjsentinel.com
[3] Presbyterian Church of Ghana Ordains Pastors
Eleven pastors were ordained by the Presbyterian Church of Ghana on 20 July in Tamale. Moderator Right Reverend Dr. Yaw Frimpong-Manso addressed the assembly urging the ministers to diligently carry out their responsibilities and expressing concern about the effect of movies being shown in Ghana that are pornographic, violent, and that depict ritualistic behavior.
+ GhanaWeb, Poederooienstraat 66, 1106 CK Amsterdam, Netherlands, 31-207700126, Fax: 815-642-9100
+ Presbyterian Church Of Ghana, Post Office Box GP 1800, Accra, Ghana, 233-021-662511, Fax: 233-21-665594, pcghg@yahoo.com
[4] ARP General Synod Sets Position on Scripture
At the annual meeting of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian (ARP) Synod that began 10 June at the Bonclarken assembly grounds in East Flat Rock, North Carolina, several motions were made and carried that set the ARP position on Scripture. The position was adopted that the Bible alone, being God-breathed, is the Word of God written, infallible in all that it teaches, and inerrant in the original manuscripts.
Yet to be clarified is the seeming contradiction between the position limiting Scriptural inerrancy to the original manuscripts and the Standards of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church that in the Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 1: Of the Holy Scriptures, Section VIII, state that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments have been “…by his [God’s] singular care and providence kept pure in all ages, are therefore authentical;”
Other related motions modify the Form of Government to include the new position in ordination vows for ministers and elders, and revise the Manual of Authorities and Duties to include the adopted position.
+ The Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, One Cleveland Street Suite 110, Greenville, South Carolina 29601, 864-232-8297, Fax: 864-271-3729
[5] United Nations Attempting to Criminalize Christianity
The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) is working to defeat a resolution called “Combating Defamation of Religions” that was offered by the Organization of The Islamic Conference that attacks Christianity and moves to criminalize it.
ACLJ is sponsoring a petition to the United Nations’ High Commissioner of Human Rights opposing the resolution.
+ American Center for Law and Justice, Post Office Box 90555, Washington DC 20090-0555, 800-296-4529, Fax: 757-226-2836
[6] Turkey's Assyrian Genocide of 1915 Remembered
The 1800 meter Rigi mountain in Switzerland was the scene of a 6 July two hour climb by approximately 100 people from around the world commemorating the victims of Turkey’s 1915 Assyrian Genocide. Black balloons were released at the summit reading, ‘Turkey should recognize the Assyrian Genocide’.
A short film of the event is available at Ahna.
+ Assyrian International News Agency
+ Ahna-Media, Postbus 960, 7550 AZ Hengelo, Netherlands, 074-2555715, mail@ahna.nl
[7] Enns Leaves Westminster Theological Seminary
Westminster Theological Seminary (WTS) professor Peter Enns and WTS issued a joint statement 23 July announcing the end of his time with the seminary, eliminating the need for a dismissal hearing scheduled for 25 August. Enns was suspended because of theological issues in his book, "Inspiration and Incarnation," and whether it fell within the bounds of the Westminster Confession of Faith. All WTS faculty must affirm that confession. According to the statement, Enns and the WTS administration both agreed to his leaving.
+ Crosswalk.com, Salem Communications, 4880 Santa Rosa Road, Camerillo, California, 805-987-0400
+ Westminster Theological Seminary, Post Office Box 27009, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19118, 800-373-0119, Fax: 215-887-5404
[8] Canadian CRC Condemns Order of Canada Award to Abortionist
The Canadian Ministries Office of the Christian Reformed Church in North America has sent a letter to its constituent church councils, calling attention to the "most unfortunate" decision to award the Order of Canada to Dr. Henry Morgantaler, a prominent abortion rights activist. Morgantaler opened Canada’s first abortion clinic in 1969.
A letter sent out by the CRC to its church councils suggesting ways to respond to the award ends with: "Dr. Morgentaler’s appointment is a vivid public reminder of the tragedy of abortion in Canada. Let us use this reminder as a catalyst to prayer and action for the unborn and the lives of vulnerable people everywhere."
+ Worldwide Faith News
+ Christian Reformed Church in North America, 2850 Kalamazoo Avenue Southeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49560, 616-241-1691, Fax: 616-224-0803, crcna@crcna.org
+ Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Post Office Box 500 Station A, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5W 1E6
[9] WCF Larger Catechism Anniversary
360 years ago on 20 July 1648, the Westminster Larger Catechism was adopted by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland at Edinburgh.
+ The Canadian Press, 36 King Street East, Toronto, Ontario M5C 2L9, Canada, 416-364-0321, Fax: 416-364-0207
+ Church of Scotland, 121 George Street, Edinburgh, Scotland EH2 4YN, 0131-225-5722
[10] Dutch Reformed Meet in South Africa to Discuss Unity
Leaders from the four Dutch Reformed Churches met in South Africa in June to continue discussions on unifying their churches.
Majorities in three of these churches oppose inclusion of the Belhar Confession, but the Uniting Reformed Churches of Southern Africa consider it to be a foundational document.
+ The Reformed Ecumenical Council, 2050 Breton Road Southeast, Suite 102, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 49546, 616-949-2910, rvh@recweb.org
+ Uniting Reformed Churches , Private Bag X1, Belhar, Cape Town, Western Cape 7507, South Africa, 021-952-2151 Fax: 021-952-8638, pjadams@polka.co.za
