The Presbyterian Church Welcomes You

CHAPTER TWO

The Nature Of Presbyterian Christians

Woe to the person who dares to say that the Presbyterians are "the frozen chosen." Our church is alive with the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. We are a people who love the Lord Jesus Christ. We demonstrate a love and concern for our neighbors. We are an incredibly active group of Christians! The term "frozen chosen" is an insulting and incorrect way of describing Presbyterian Christians!

So if we can’t speak of Presbyterians as the "frozen chosen," how can we correctly describe ourselves?

Doing Things Decently and In Order

For many people the phrase "decently and in order" describes the nature of the Presbyterian Church. This phrase comes from the King James Version’s translation of I Corinthians 14:40, "Let all things be done decently and in order." Presbyterians often use this verse as a motto, guiding the spirit and atmosphere of our ministries and programs.

When Paul wrote this line in his letter to the Corinthians, he was speaking of worship. Presbyterian worship varies greatly from church to church. You might visit one Presbyterian congregation and hear music from a century-old pipe organ and listen to a sermon from a minister wearing an alb and stoles, or the preacher might simply dress in a suit and tie and the music might be from a contemporary praise band.

Whatever the style, the attitude is always one of order.

When we engage in mission and ministry, we do so by giving careful thought to what we want to do and how it should be done.

When elders meet together as a governing body, the discussions are always within the bounds of certain parliamentary rules that give an atmosphere of fairness and structure.

Even when we consider what makes us distinctive as a denomination, we have carefully and orderly constructed several statements that help us understand and proclaim our nature as a church.

The Three Signs Of The True Kirk

One of the earliest statements of our distinctiveness comes from John Knox. Knox was a Roman Catholic priest in Scotland who became one of the leaders of the Protestant Reformation. He studied under John Calvin, another well-known and respected leader of the Reformation. Many will say these two men are the founders of the Presbyterian Church.

John Knox, with the help of five other gentlemen, was asked to write an explanation of the Protestant Reformation in Scotland. This document is called the Scots Confession and it gives a very detailed description of what is distinctive and unique about the Presbyterian Church. In this statement, Knox pointed out the signs of the true Kirk (as a good Scot, Knox always referred to the church as a "Kirk"). These three signs are still the standard of the Presbyterian Church, USA:

• the true preaching of the Word of God
• the right administration of the sacraments of Christ Jesus
• and ecclesiastical discipline uprightly ministered, as God's Word prescribes, whereby vice is repressed and virtue nourished

The Great Ends of the Church

Another way of looking at the distinctiveness of the Presbyterian Church is to consider what we call "the great ends of the church." The Book of Order defines these great ends as:

• the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind;
• the shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God;
• the maintenance of divine worship;
• the preservation of the truth;
• the promotion of social righteousness;
• and the exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the world.

This now classic statement was adopted in 1910 and continues to be an important part of our church’s culture.

The Historic Principles of Church Order

Another way to understand our Presbyterian character is to look at the "Historic Principles of Church Order," which was written and adopted by the Synod of New York and Philadelphia in 1788.

• The Right of Judgment.
Presbyterians affirm an individual’s right of conscience, while recognizing that we must choose to exercise this freedom of conscience within certain bounds.
• Corporate Judgment.
The community of faith is entitled to set its own boundaries and rules regarding such matters as provision for church membership and ministers. The judgment of such matters is not by an individual priest or bishop, but by a corporate body of believers.
• Officers.
Christ has appointed officers to preach the Gospel, administer the sacraments and exercise church discipline.
• Truth and Goodness.
We are to learn the truth of the faith and put that truth into the practice of our lives. As the Book of Order says, "There is an inseparable connection between faith and practice, truth and duty. Otherwise, it would be of no consequence either to discover truth or to embrace it."
• Differences of Views.
We believe that there are truths and forms with respect to which people of good character and principles may differ. It is the duty of all people who disagree to exercise mutual forbearance toward each other. All Presbyterians become aware of how strongly we sometimes disagree. Should we ordain gays and lesbians or should we declare that homosexual activity is contrary to God’s will? How literal are we to understand the Word of God? What about abortion? Good Presbyterians will always know that "people of good characters and principles may differ."