Bible Presbyterian Church
ClassificationProtestant
OrientationCalvinist
GovernancePresbyterian
Origin1937
Collingswood, New Jersey
Separated fromOrthodox Presbyterian Church
SeparationsEvangelical Presbyterian Church, American Presbyterian Church, Faith Presbytery, Bible Presbyterian Church
Congregations33
Members3,500

The Bible Presbyterian Church is an American Protestant denomination in the Calvinist tradition.

History

Origin

The Bible Presbyterian Church was formed in 1937, predominantly through the efforts of such conservative Presbyterian clergymen as Carl McIntire, J. Oliver Buswell and Allan MacRae. Francis Schaeffer was the first minister to be ordained in the new denomination. The First General Synod of the Bible Presbyterian Church was held in 1938 in Collingswood, New Jersey.

The Bible Presbyterian Church broke from the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in 1937, the latter formed slightly earlier in 1936 and a continuation of the Presbyterian Church of America (not to be confused with the similar but later Presbyterian Church in America). The name had to be changed because of a successful lawsuit in civil court by the mainline denomination regarding name infringement – a trademark-violation issue. After the conservative faction had left the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PCUSA), considerable dissension became apparent among the conservatives themselves, and it became evident that there were two groups within the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. The first group was more closely bound to traditional modes of worship, theological formulations, and the like. This group held to the classic formulations of Reformed theology (as mediated through the Westminster Confession and the Catechisms) and piety, thus forming an "orthodox" faction.

The other faction espoused a conservatism that showed a more keen interest in cultural and political matters, and saw the actions of the PCUSA as symptomatic of a rejection of long-held principles of conservative Christianity by much of the larger American society. This group was essentially fundamentalist in nature, and became associated with the "Bible" faction. McIntire laid the basis for much of what was to come to be called the "Christian right" in American religion and politics.

Two main issues made the existence of these factions within the Orthodox Presbyterian Church evident. The first had to do with a classic Reformed piety over against a piety of fundamentalism. It came down to a conflict over the use of alcoholic beverages. The "orthodox" side condemned drunkenness, but nevertheless did not agree that Scripture required Christians to totally abstain from drinking alcoholic beverages, while the "Bible" side asserted that the Bible prohibited the consumption of alcohol entirely (see also Christianity and alcohol).

The second issue was over faithfulness to covenant Theology versus the toleration of dispensationalism. Those on the "Bible" side had come to tolerate, and even use, the popular Scofield Reference Bible whose notes taught the theological system called dispensationalism, rather than covenant theology historically held by most Calvinist churches. Scofield's notes were under considerable criticism by faculty members of Westminster Theological Seminary, who led the "orthodox" faction. Historic premillennialism was tolerated within the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, yet the dispensational form of premillennialism was considered to be serious error. Those who came to call themselves "Bible Presbyterians" saw the serious criticisms against Scofield's notes as a swipe against historic premillennialism itself, rather than merely the dispensational form of premillennialism, and wanted the freedom to use the Scofield Reference Bible. The formal exodus of Bible Presbyterian churches came about in 1938, only two years after the forming of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, immediately after the failure of Milo F. Jamison, a dispensationalist, to be elected Moderator of the General Assembly. The split was not on unkind terms, as was the case with the original split with the PCUSA. The Bible Presbyterian Church has always maintained the unity of the covenant of grace (a decidedly non-Dispensational position), and, in later years, passed resolutions against Dispensationalism in its annual Synod meetings.

First split

From 1955 to 1956, a fairly acrimonious split occurred in the Bible Presbyterian Church, resulting in the Bible Presbyterian Church Collingswood Synod and the Bible Presbyterian Church Columbus Synod.

While the Bible Presbyterian Church Collingswood Synod remained under the influence of McIntire, the BPC Columbus Synod, which included such men as Francis Schaeffer and Jay E. Adams would eventually move beyond its Bible Presbyterian Church heritage and eventually would take the name the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in 1961 (which is not to be confused with the current denomination of the same name, founded in 1981). In 1965, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church merged with the Reformed Presbyterian Church, General Synod, a denomination of "new light" Covenanter descent, to form the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod (RPCES). The RPCES would eventually merge with the Presbyterian Church in America in 1982.

Shortly before the split, the Bible Presbyterian Church had established Covenant College and Covenant Theological Seminary, both of which would be supported by the BPC Columbus Synod/Evangelical Presbyterian Church and both would follow the Evangelical Presbyterian Church into first the RPCES and then the PCA.

Second split

The remaining synod retained the name Bible Presbyterian Church. The group experienced another split in 1979; the American Presbyterian Church left the BPC over roughly the same concerns that led to the original OPC/BPC split decades earlier.

Third split

On March 28, 2008, the South Atlantic Presbytery voted by a wide margin to disassociate from the Bible Presbyterian Synod, in opposition to formal relations recently established between the Synod and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. The presbytery took the name Faith Presbytery, Bible Presbyterian Church.

Recent history

Today the North American body has 33 congregations. Bible Presbyterians do not have synod-controlled boards for missions and education, but annually approve independent agencies for mission work, as well as colleges and seminaries.

Doctrine

The Westminster Confession of Faith, Larger Catechism and Shorter Catechism was adopted in the first Bible Presbyterian Synod in 1938. It agrees with the original manuscript of the Confession. The denomination describes itself as a confessional church which believes in historic Calvinism. [1]

Demographics

The denomination comprises 33 churches mostly in the United States and 1 church in Alberta, Canada and 4 presbyteries. These presbyteries are the Great Western Presbytery, the Eastern Presbytery, the Great Lakes Presbytery, and the Florida Presbytery. The highest governing body is the Synod.

General Synod

NoYearDateCityVenueModeratorStated ClerkAssistant Stated Clerk
1st1938Sep 6-8Collingswood, NJRev J U Selwyn TomsRev Dr H McAllister Griffiths
2nd1939Nov 14-16Collingswood, NJRev Dr Harold S LairdRev G Douglas Young
3rd1940Oct 22-24Chester, PARev Dr Allan A MacRaeRev G Douglas Young
4th1941Oct 14-16Charlotte, NCRev Edgar A DillardRev G Douglas Young
5th1942Nov 5-10St Louis, MORev J Gordon HoldcroftRev Stanley P Allen
6th1943Oct 14-19Wilmington, DEEld Roland K ArmesRev Stanley P Allen
7th1944Oct 12-17Greenville, SCRev Dr J Oliver Buswell, JrRev Stanley P Allen
8th1945May 24–29Harvey Cedars, NJHarvey Cedars Bible Presbyterian ConferenceRev Flournoy Shepperson, SrRev Stanley P Allen
9th1946May 23–28Collingswood, NJBible Presbyterian Church of CollingswoodRev Dr Carl McIntireRev Robert Hastings
10th1947Jul 17-22Tacoma, WATacoma Bible Presbyterian ChurchRev Dr Roy T BrumbaughRev Robert Hastings
11th1948May 13–19Nashville, TNBible Presbyterian Church of NashvilleRev Francis A SchaefferRev Robert Hastings
12th1949May 16–31Baltimore, MDBible Presbyterian Church of BaltimoreEld Dr Peter Stam, JrRev Robert Hastings
13th1950Jun 1-6St Louis, MOFirst Bible Presbyterian Church of St LouisRev G Douglas YoungRev Robert Hastings
14th1951May 31 - Jun 5New York, NYShelton CollegeRev John W Sanderson, JrRev Robert Hastings
15th1952Aug 21-26Pasadena, CAHighland CollegeRev Dr Robert G RayburnRev Robert Hastings
16th1953Jun 4-9Elkins Park, PAFaith Theological SeminaryRev William A MahlowRev Robert Hastings
17th1954Jun 3-9Greenville, SCBible Presbyterian Church of GreenvilleRev Dr Linwood G GebbRev Robert Hastings
18th1955Jun 2-8St Louis, MORev Dr J Oliver Buswell, JrRev Robert Hastings
19th1956Apr 5-11St Louis, MORev Dr R Laird HarrisRev W Harold Mare
20th1956Nov 23-27Collingswood, NJRev Dr Carl McIntireRev A Franklin FaucetteRev Emanuel Peters
21st1957Nov 2-6Collingswood, NJRev Dr Clyde J KennedyRev A Franklin FaucetteRev John E Janbaz
22nd1958Oct 22-27Collingswood, NJRev Dr Charles E RichterRev A Franklin FaucetteRev John E Janbaz
23rd1959Oct 21-26Collingswood, NJRev Dr Arthur G SlaghtRev A Franklin FaucetteRev Robert B Vandermey
24th1960Oct 19-24Collingswood, NJRev John E JanbazRev A Franklin FaucetteRev Robert B Vandermey
25th1961Oct 19-24Collingswood, NJRev Dr J Philip ClarkRev A Franklin FaucetteRev Robert B Vandermey
26th1962Oct 17-22Collingswood, NJRev Dr Albert B DoddRev A Franklin FaucetteRev Robert B Vandermey
27th1963Oct 16-22Cape May, NJChristian AdmiralRev Dr George W Fincke, JrRev A Franklin FaucetteRev James Blizzard
28th1964Oct 14-20Cape May, NJChristian AdmiralRev Dr Lynn Gray GordonRev A Franklin FaucetteRev James Blizzard
29th1965Oct 19-25Cape May, NJChristian AdmiralRev Dr Carl McIntireRev A Franklin FaucetteRev James Blizzard
30th1966May 18–23Boston, MAStatler Hilton Hotel

References

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