A Newbie’s Guide to General Assembly
While we can easily look up the powers of General Assembly(G.A.), it is sometimes difficult to understand all the purposes of the General Assembly. This was the problem I found myself facing a few years ago when I attended my first G.A. I was sent by my church, but what was I there for? To...
3 Questions About Online Debates Among Christians
More and more I am becoming disturbed by certain patterns of communication that some people choose to employ in their defense of their opinions. It seems that whenever a hot button issue comes up in the PCA, a few people seem to think that they are justified in putting on their rhetorical brass knuckles, and...
Are We Neglecting the Lord’s Supper: 3 Starter Questions
Ever since seminary I’ve heard whispers and murmurs on one topic, but never open discussion. On most theological subjects in the Reformed Community there is plainly agreement or disagreement, yet when it comes to the Lord’s Supper this doesn’t seem to be true. Sure we learned about the three views in the Reformation: Consubstantiation, the...
An Overture from a Blog!?
The following is an overture from Vintage73.com to the 39th General Assembly...
Why I Want to Avoid the PCA
Or The Understandability of Ostrichitis I left General Assembly in an optimistic mood. This was precipitated by many things: The spirit that surround the debates was (mostly) grace filled; I was one week from being installed as a church planter; I left feeling more connected to the PCA after talking to great elders from around...
The 2010 Strategic Plan: Answering an Objection
As the PCA’s General Assembly met this year, the item that consumed most of its energy was the Strategic Plan presented by the Cooperative Ministries Committee (CMC). The primary objection raised against the SP from the floor was its lack of scriptural analysis. It was argued that commissioners were voting on a document replete with...
The 2010 Strategic Plan: Dispelling a Voting Myth
The Twittersphere was abuzz as General Assembly convened last week in Nashville, and the tweets weren’t coming only from commissioners. I’d say that people who get so excited about watching GA on their computer screens probably need some counseling or at least a new hobby, but I was one of them! I started attending GA...
3 Reasons You Should Like the SP Before you Read It
This post is part of a series of discussions on Vintage73 focusing on the PCA’s proposed strategic plan. We’ll provide both pro and con positions on different aspects of the plan. To benefit most from these posts we suggest you read the plan itself first. We’re thankful to the Cooperative Ministries Committee (CMC) for their hard...
Can We Say We’re Connectional?
One of the things I treasure about biblical Presbyterianism is connectedness. When I was a young boy, growing up in an independent Baptist context, I remember being chided when I asked why we didn’t have elders and why we were not “connected” though the New Testament indicates that churches were elder led and connected. Flash...
Alternative Credentialing: Do We Need New Avenues to Ordination?
This post marks the first in a new series of discussions on Vintage73 focusing on the PCA’s proposed strategic plan. We’ll provide both pro and con positions on different aspects of the plan. To benefit most from these posts we suggest you read the plan itself first. We’re thankful to the Cooperative Ministries Committee (CMC)...
The Overture that was My Fault
Our Love-Hate Relationship with Overtures Overtures to General Assembly are a messy business. They can polarize the entire assembly months before we meet. They can leave presbyters scratching their heads, asking, “Is this really necessary?” They can show our denomination issues we didn’t know we had. And they can be incredibly helpful ideas, clarifying how...
Why I Might Make It
I’ve been a church planter for 11 months…and I’m still alive. Second only to the holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing of King Jesus, I attribute this astounding fact to one thing—my coaches. I have four of them. I know, it sounds like a crowd. But it really isn’t. I knew going into this...
