(By ECO News). The ECO Book of Confessions is a very special collection of documents that give witness to the system of doctrine embraced by countless reformed and Presbyterian believers over many centuries. Each document has played an important part in our history as a church and continues to guide us through the present and into…
Following a 94 percent vote in favor of adding the Confession of Belhar to the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s Book of Confessions, the 222nd General Assembly celebrated with a standing ovation and singing “Oh, Freedom.” The vote was 540-33 and concluded a years-long process that included an earlier assembly appointing a committee to study the confession,…
From the Office of the General Assembly. The Presbyterian Church (USA) has voted through its presbyteries to add the Confession of Belhar to The Book of Confessions. The final step will be a vote at the 222nd General Assembly (2016) meeting June 18–25 in Portland, Oregon. View a video message from Gradye Parsons, stated clerk…
By Emily Enders Odom, Presbyterian News Service As the Rev. Allan Boesak rose to give his powerful testimony of his life under the apartheid regime in South Africa and the genesis of the Belhar Confession there, a hushed reverence fell on Montreat Conference Center’s Convocation Hall. Boesak’s poignant “cry from the heart” from the heart of his own…
Presbyterian Church (USA) presbyteries will soon start voting on seven proposed amendments to the denomination’s Book of Order and one addition to its Book of Confessions. All eight were approved by the 221st General Assembly this past June, and now must be ratified by the PCUSA’s 171 presbyteries. A booklet of the proposed amendments, which…
By Joseph D. Small The 221st General Assembly (2014) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) will be remembered for its approval of same-sex marriage, but its most lasting effect may be the decisive victory of proceduralism—the displacement of substantive consideration by parliamentary process in the service of prevalent opinion. The church’s reliance on legislative procedures produces,…
by Elizabeth Broschart Before the 221st General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) officially convened, commissioners participated in carefully orchestrated overviews of several key issues on Saturday morning. One of the early sessions presented information on the Confession of Belhar and the committee affirmation of its inclusion in the Book of Confession. In his opening…
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A letter written to accompany the Confession of Belhar declares it to be a “word from God” in the first paragraph, thereby raising the confession to the level of canonical, instead of being what it is – the word of men. Written by the Special Committee on the Belhar Confession, the 3,131-word…
“These confessional statements are subordinate standards in the church, subject to the authority of Jesus Christ, the Word of God, as the Scriptures bear witness to him. While confessional standards are subordinate to the Scriptures, they are, nonetheless, standards. They are not lightly drawn up or subscribed to, nor may they be ignored or dismissed….
Dear General Assembly Moderator Neal Presa and Stated Clerk Gradye Parsons: I was delighted to read aloud to a session last night, as we were studying the Book of Order, the following two paragraphs about our confessions: F-2.01 THE PURPOSE OF CONFESSIONAL STATEMENTS The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) states its faith and bears…