Talk:Orthodox Presbyterian Church

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[edit] Origins in PCUSA, not PCUS

The PCUSA did exist at the time of the founding of the OPC. The OPC did not split from the Southern church, but from the Northern. That body had the PCUSA name from its founding until 1958, when it merged with the United Presbyterian Church in North America, forming the United Presbyterian Church (USA). This same body merged with the Southern church (PCUS) in 1983, at which time the united church reclaimed its original and historic name, the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. Mkmcconn (Talk) 03:51, 7 Jun 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Specifics?

Can anyone elaborate on the specific issues that caused the OPC to split off? The description here is vague (emphasis mine): "In 1929, the Board of the seminary reorganized along more liberal lines, and began hiring professors who were significantly more friendly towards modernism and some forms of liberalism... Machen and a group of other conservatives objected to these changes ... Then, objecting to theological positions that he believed compromised the distinctives of the Reformed tradition, if not the basic tenets of Christianity itself, Machen pled his case before the General Assembly of the PCUSA..." I only have my early-21st century knowledge of what these terms mean, which may or may not be helpful in the context of an early-20th-century debate within a specific denomination. Later there are more specifics given (e.g., alcohol) but I'd love more. --Jfruh 02:55, 3 August 2005 (UTC)

Find out what you can about the Auburn Affirmation, and the history of the Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions prior to its attachment to the Bible Presbyterian Church. Learn about the controversy that surrounded the anti-proselytizing movement in PCUSA foreign mission - the writings of Pearl S. Buck. Machen's book, Christianity and Liberalism is important (it's online at http://www.biblebelievers.com/machen/ and http://ccel.org/m/machen/liberalism/ ). The books listed in this article are the best explanation; but these issues pretty much sum up the crisis. — Mark (Mkmcconn) ** 03:22, 3 August 2005 (UTC)

I grew up the OPC, and I've heard from several people that the final straw before the OPC split off was a PCUSA resolution to acknowledge that the virgin birth story might be allegorical/illiteral. But I have no source.

[edit] Need Membership Data

Can someone post how many current members and churches the OPC has in North America and throughout the world? I am unable to find this data to post, unfortunately. Scunning 15:20, 28 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Request for expansion of this article

I would like to see this article expanded considerably in many ways I find it insufficent. However as I am a member of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church I am reluctant to edit this article myself, as I have obvious biases. --24.213.155.165

It's fine that you're an OPC member. Go ahead and make your revisions, but try to make them neutral in accord with WP:POV. If they aren't neutral enough, they can be fixed (or at worst, reverted). --Flex 12:48, 25 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] The current state of the OPC

It would be helpful if someone could summarise the theological issues raised in Paul Elliot's book, which has been described in various places online such as [1]. DFH 16:37, 1 January 2007 (UTC)

Agreed, though I would suggest multiple sources should be used. The Trinity Foundation is very strict (too strict, IMHO) in what it defines as orthodoxy, and I don't think their publications should be the sole basis for a section on the current state of the OPC. --Flex (talk|contribs) 17:51, 2 January 2007 (UTC)

I'd have no objections for multiple sources to be used. I cited the Trinity Foundation only as an instance which brought the matter to my attention. btw. I reside in England, and have no involvement with the OPC. DFH 18:55, 9 January 2007 (UTC)