Standing with the Little Guys

 By Barry York - Posted at Gentle Reformation:

As part of my duties as president of our denominational seminary, over the last month I attended the national meetings of several NAPARC churches. I participated in my own denomination's synod meetings (RPCNA) in Indiana, spent two days in St. Louis, Missouri at the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), and just came back this weekend from a quick trip to Iowa to visit brothers in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC). Having fellowship with not only brothers and sisters of these churches, but folks from many other denominations who also had representatives in attendance at these meetings, was a true highlight of the time, a taste of the greater kingdom of God.

Of course, there are some marked differences in these meetings. The PCA is much larger than the OPC and especially the RPCNA, with nearly 2000 churches and 400,000 members. The PCA General Assembly had thousands in attendance, and used the Convention Center in downtown St. Louis for its meetings. I told some of my OPC brothers I felt a bit more at home with them. For both our assemblies met on Christian college campuses in the middle of cornfields where, if the wind blows just right, you can smell the cows.

Each of these assemblies, meeting once again after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid virus, faced difficult matters. Yet none was as prominent and concerning as the chief issue before the PCA this year. For several communications were before this assembly to address a progressive movement in the church that is seeking to allow ministers and members to identify themselves as gay Christians, in what is often deemed Side B Christianity (see our "Side C Christianity" podcast on 3GT for a verbal report). What I desire to draw your attention to and address in this post is the excellent analysis by Carl Trueman at First Things entitled "At the PCA General Assembly, the Little Guys Stood Up."

Continue...