From the Office of the General Assembly.
Changes to the Bible exam Presbyterian Church (USA) candidates for ministry must take have yielded less than stellar results from the most recent round of testing, but the long-term outcome will be ministers more deeply grounded in the scriptures, those closest to the exam maintain.
The average score on the Bible Content Examination (BCE) administered September 4 and the percentage of inquirers and candidates who met the minimum score (70 percent) required to satisfy this requirement in the preparation for ministry process were below historical averages, said Tim Cargal, the PCUSA’s manager of preparation for ministry/exams and staff support to the Presbyteries’ Cooperative Committee on Examinations for Candidates (PCC).
The results are due, in part, to publically released previous test questions no longer being included in the exam, he said. Currently, “all publically available questions have been retired.”
Nevertheless, “the PCC believes that as inquirers and candidates adjust their preparation accordingly—as they have adjusted to the many other changes in the exams in recent years— satisfactory rates on the Bible Content Exam will return to levels more consistent with past performance,” said Steve Ranney, moderator of the PCC.
“Even more importantly, our candidates for the ministry of Word and Sacrament will be more deeply grounded in the scriptures that are foundational to our faith, and will be able to use that knowledge to guide the churches to which they are called to grow in the grace of our Lord (1 Peter 1).”
Related blog: Bible Content Exam Results
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Story: W.C. Fields was very ill and in the hospital. When a friend came to visit, he saw W.C. reading the Bible. The friend asked him why he was reading the Bible. Mentioned that he thought W.C. was not a believer.
W.C.’s answer: “Lookin for loopholes, lookin for loopholes.
I think that is where our branch of Presbyterianism (PCUSA) is headed in general and especially after the last GA.
The best indication of future behaviors is past behaviors. As applies to the PCUSA the tendency is modify the system or parts of to accommodate personal or collective requests for. Rather than holding all to objective standards, the tendency is to relax or modify such to fit the needs of the individual or the few.
My guess in within 5 years the Bible content will go by the boards or modified along some bell curve methodology to pass as many able and possible. Given the tribal nature of all things PCUSA I am surprised the various institutionalized self interest groups have not piped up saying the test is sexist, discriminated against minorities, or is culturally insensitive. But that shoe will drop as long as this story has legs.
And you have evidently sat there COUNTING over ten thousand words…..who has the real problem here?!….
On this forum we do discuss some weighty issues, and occasionally poke at one another. But today is the 14th anniversary of 9-11 of course. In Lambertville we will ring the bells at 9:07AM for tower 1, 10:30 for tower 2, as well as a memorial remembrance tonight.
How quickly we all forget about it all. Being at ground zero for three weeks in the recovery ops during my military life taught me the central lesson of life and faith, With God all is possible, without Him we remain in collective darkness. We ring the bells to proclaim the darkness does not have final victory.
What would happen if every lay member of the Presbyterian Church had to take and pass the Bible Content Exam with a score of 90% or above in order to remain a church member? What would happen to our churches? I wonder.
The assault on the steeple on the village green has nearly been accomplished.
The world wide evangelical movement is the beneficiary of Presbyterian USA exodus. Among other things, those members bring with them, humility and the sting of defeat.
Expect the decline of institutions such as the Presbyterian Hospital network. The Dallas debacle was just a hint. Expect poorly trained world population staffs, medical corruption, (of course there is such as thing,) patronage management, and insurance profiteering.
Soon, the seminarians will have no enemy. Expect in-fighting to begin, soon.
For the Covenant people, it’s back to square one.