Misplaced Pages

#45954

44-556: Westminster Theological Seminary was formed in 1929, largely under the leadership and funding of J. Gresham Machen . Though independent, it has a close relationship with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church , which Machen helped found in 1936. The seminary was founded by members of the faculty of Princeton Theological Seminary , following a controversy over the liberal direction that Princeton was beginning to take. Westminster Theological Seminary considers itself to be

88-534: A Presbyterian polity. The offices of the church and corresponding duties can be found in the OPC Book of Church Order. A Session consists of the ministers and ruling elders of an individual congregation. The duties of the Session include overseeing public worship, the administration of Baptism and The Lord's Supper , the addition, removal, and discipline of members, and keeping records of membership. All of

132-399: A papal bull in 1318 that either confirmed its status as a studium generale or conferred this status upon it. Oxford and Cambridge were formally incorporated by Act of Parliament in 1571 and are civil, rather than chartered, corporations. Three of the ancient universities of Scotland ( St Andrews , Glasgow and Aberdeen ) were established by papal bulls, while Edinburgh was founded by

176-455: A royal charter . Most universities founded prior to 1992 were created by royal charter , although a small number were established by acts of Parliament . Chartered institutions – those incorporated by royal charter – differ from those established by other means in terms of their powers as a corporation, their legal relationship with the government, and the status of their members. Although university charters are issued as royal charters under

220-884: A lawsuit against the fledgling denomination for its name choice, the denomination adopted its current name, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (or, OPC). In 1961, the OPC published the Trinity Hymnal . It also publishes a journal called Ordained Servant . Since its founding, the OPC has produced numerous influential figures, including Scottish theologian John Murray , Dutch theologian Geerhardus Vos , American theologians Richard B. Gaffin, Jr. , Edmund P. Clowney , Loraine Boettner , and Meredith Kline , historian D.G. Hart , and presuppositional theologians Cornelius Van Til and Greg Bahnsen . The Orthodox Presbyterian Church traces its doctrinal beliefs to

264-543: A royal charter, such as Cardiff University (previously part of the University of Wales and chartered in 1884) in 2004 and Imperial College London (previously part of the University of London and chartered in 1907) in 2007. Both new and supplemental charters have both been used to effect the merger of institutions to form a new university, such as the new charter granted to the University of Manchester in 2004 on

308-410: A substantial threat to the general health, safety and welfare of our citizens. Your own Christian background ought to demonstrate to you the practical benefits of upholding the biblical stand against homosexuality, especially in light of the current epidemic of AIDS and other diseases spread through homosexual conduct." The 68th General Assembly in 2001 declared “that the use of women in military combat

352-495: A variety of political views. Carl Trueman , an ordained minister in the OPC, has authored Republocrat: Confessions of a Liberal Conservative (pub. 2010). Greg Bahnsen was also a key figure in the Christian Reconstructionism movement, with an emphasis of applying God's law to contemporary civil and legal matters. The 39th General Assembly, meeting in 1972, adopted a statement on abortion that included

396-776: Is Peter Lillback , who also serves as a professor of historical theology. In 1982, the California branch of Westminster became an independent institution, the Westminster Seminary California , and in 2009 the Dallas branch was established as Redeemer Theological Seminary and since 2017 has been Reformed Theological Seminary 's Dallas campus. In 2011, Westminster signed a Memorandum of Understanding with International Reformed Evangelical Seminary in Jakarta, Indonesia . The two schools have been publishing

440-491: Is a charter issued by an authority to create or recognize a university. The earliest universities – Bologna , Paris and Oxford – arose organically from concentrations of schools in those cities rather than being created by charters. The first university charters were issued in Europe in the 13th century, with the University of Naples , created by a charter of Emperor Frederick II in 1224, being widely considered

484-635: Is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education . It is also accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada . The seminary currently offers the following degrees: Westminster publishes the semi-annual Westminster Theological Journal . According to Roger E. Olson , Westminster has had an influence on evangelicalism far beyond its size. Beyond Westminster's impact in

SECTION 10

#1732775924046

528-709: Is both contrary to nature and inconsistent with the Word of God,” In 2006-2007, a study committee formed by the General Assembly created a report that concluded that "the church should never turn its back on fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, whether they are legally or illegally in the country. We should be willing to see to the spiritual and physical needs of anyone who comes to the church." The report nonetheless recommended that illegal immigrants repent of their illegal activity. The Orthodox Presbyterian Church has

572-498: Is true; we believe, second, that the Christian religion welcomes and is capable of scholarly defense; and we believe, third, that the Christian religion should be proclaimed without fear or favor, and in clear opposition to whatever opposes it, whether from within or without the church, as the only way of salvation for lost mankind. On that platform, brethren, we stand. Pray that we may be enabled by God’s grace to stand firm. Pray that

616-764: The PCUSA mission field. Machen's views were met with opposition. In 1935, the PCUSA General Assembly declared Machen's Independent Board unconstitutional, and gave the associated clergy an ultimatum to break their ties with it. When Machen and seven other clergy did not disavow the Independent Board, they were suspended from PCUSA ministry. In light of these events, Machen and a group of likeminded ministers, elders, and laymen met in Philadelphia on June 11, 1936, to form what they then called

660-699: The Presbyterian Church of America (not to be confused with the Presbyterian Church in America , or PCA, which formed in 1973), with Machen as the first moderator. Other key figures at this time include Ned B. Stonehouse , J. Oliver Buswell , and Edward Joseph Young . Machen died shortly thereafter in January 1937. Later that year, a faction led by Carl McIntire broke away to form Bible Presbyterian Church , affirming total abstinence from alcohol and premillennialism . In 1939, after PCUSA filed

704-957: The Reformation , and particularly the theology of the French Reformer John Calvin . After his death, Calvin's doctrines were developed and set forth by a 17th-century assembly of British theologians in the Westminster Standards (which include the Westminster Confession of Faith , and the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms ). The OPC thus holds to the Westminster Standards (with the American revisions of 1788) for doctrine and practice. The OPC provides

748-413: The U.S. federal district . Georgetown University was the first federally chartered institution of higher education in the United States when President James Madison signed the university's charter into law on March 1, 1815. The Institute of American Indian Arts was chartered by the federal congress in 1986. The United States service (military) academies are not chartered as they are agencies of

792-770: The royal prerogative , the College Charter Act 1871 ( 34 & 35 Vict. c. 63) provides for scrutiny by the Parliament of the United Kingdom (or, since 1999, the Scottish Parliament for institutions based in Scotland) of draft charters that establish "any institution in the nature of a college or university". Oxford and Cambridge developed organically prior to the use of charters to establish universities, although Cambridge received

836-1050: The OPC became a founding member of the North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council (NAPARC). Through NAPARC, the OPC enjoys fraternal relations with the PCA , the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America , the Reformed Church in the United States , the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church , the United Reformed Churches in North America , the Canadian and American Reformed Churches and several other confessional Continental Reformed and Presbyterian Churches in

880-469: The OPC was a "largely white" denomination, due to losing "the allegiance of blacks during the ecclesiastical discrimination against blacks in the post-civil war period " and ecclesiastical "neglect" of minority groups. The report recommended more outreach to minority and urban areas. As of 2019, there is one black minister in the OPC. The OPC also has at least 6 Asian ministers, 3 Middle Eastern ministers, and 8 South American ministers. OPC ministers have

924-684: The United States and Canada. The OPC is also a member of the International Conference of Reformed Churches (ICRC), which includes Reformed & Presbyterian denominations from across the globe. Outside NAPARC and ICRC, the OPC has relations with the Africa Evangelical Presbyterian Church , the Reformed Church in Japan , the Presbyterian Church in Japan and the Presbyterian Church of Brazil . University charter A university charter

SECTION 20

#1732775924046

968-483: The United States, with additional congregations in Canada, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico. It was founded by conservative members of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PCUSA), who objected to the rise of Liberal and Modernist theology in the 1930s. The OPC is considered to have had an influence on evangelicalism far beyond its size. The Orthodox Presbyterian Church was founded in 1936, largely through

1012-642: The United States: Central Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Southern New York, the Dakotas, Michigan and Ontario, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, New Jersey, New York and New England, Northern California and Nevada, Northwest, Ohio, Philadelphia, South, Southeast, Southern California, Southwest, and Wisconsin and Minnesota. In the early 1970s, the General Assembly commissioned a 'Report of the Committee on Problems of Race', which stated that

1056-478: The affirmation that "voluntary abortion, except possibly to save the physical life of the mother, is in violation of the Sixth Commandment (Exodus 20:13)." In 1993, the denomination petitioned then President Bill Clinton to continue to disallow homosexuals to serve in the military. The petition states that: "The practice of homosexuality is a reproach to any nation. It undermines the family, and poses

1100-444: The apparent creation of a new university where one already existed (e.g. Montpellier in 1289); and finally the confirmation of an existing university (e.g. Salamanca in 1255). Most Canadian universities derive their degree-granting authority from acts of the relevant provincial legislature (e.g. York University Act). Some older universities, including the University of Toronto and McGill University , derive their authority from

1144-666: The board of trustees. The accrediting body backed down after the United States Department of Education took the seminary's side in the dispute. Westminster, under a charter from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania granted in 1930 and as subsequently amended, has the power to grant the degrees of Master of Arts in Counseling, Master of Arts (Religion), Master of Divinity, Master of Theology, Doctor of Ministry, and Doctor of Philosophy. Since 1954, Westminster

1188-428: The core doctrinal statements of many Presbyterian denominations. Westminster's strict adherence to the Westminster Standards and to Protestant theology in general has led to several dismissals of tenured faculty members since 1980. In 1981, theology professor Norman Shepherd was dismissed from Westminster due to his views on the doctrine of justification by faith alone. In 2008, Old Testament professor Peter Enns

1232-438: The faithful continuation of Princeton's historic theological tradition. Many of the founders of Westminster, including Machen, John Murray , Oswald Allis , Robert Dick Wilson , and Cornelius Van Til , had been professors at Princeton prior to the controversy. The first president of the seminary was Edmund Clowney , who served from 1966 until 1984. He was followed by George C. Fuller and Samuel T. Logan . The current president

1276-463: The first deliberately-created university (or studium generale ); King Alfonso VIII of Castille issued a charter in 1208 to create the University of Palencia but the status of that institution is doubtful. The first papal creation was the University of Toulouse in 1229, via a papal bull of Pope Gregory IX . Through the 13th century, most university foundations continued to be organic, often by migrations of scholars from other universities, but by

1320-511: The following summary of its doctrine: Despite affirming the Westminster standards, OPC pastors and presbyteries teach a range of doctrines on the biblical creation accounts, from non-evolutionary framework and analogical interpretations to young earth . There is similar variability in terms of eschatology . At the 2024 General Assembly, the OPC reported 599 ministers and 33,520 members. The OPC has 17 Presbyteries across Canada and

1364-618: The journals: International Journal of Reformed Theology and Life and Unio Cum Christo. Westminster also created an endowment for the Stephen Tong Chair of Reformed Theology the same year. In Philadelphia on September 25, 1929, J. Gresham Machen declared the following in his inaugural address: "We believe, first, that the Christian religion, as set forth in the Confession of Faith of the Presbyterian Church,

Westminster Theological Seminary - Misplaced Pages Continue

1408-401: The members of local congregations and its ministers are organized by geography into a regional church, and the presbytery serves as its governing body. The presbytery is composed of all of the ministers and ruling elders of the various congregations in the regional church, and presbytery meetings are to consist of all ministers and one ruling elder from each respective session. The duties of

1452-644: The merger of the Victoria University of Manchester and the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology , and the supplemental charter granted to the University of Wales, Lampeter (chartered 1828 as St David's College) in 2010 to form the University of Wales Trinity Saint David by merger with Trinity College Carmarthen . In the United States, American University , Gallaudet University , Georgetown University , Howard University , and George Washington University are congressionally chartered universities, due to their location within

1496-632: The moderator and stated clerk of the previous General Assembly, and ministers and ruling elders representing their respective presbyteries. The OPC does not ordain women as pastors, elders, or deacons. At least one congregation allowed women to serve as unordained deaconesses, but that congregation has since closed. There are 38 mission works and eight active foreign mission fields in the OPC today: in China, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Haiti, Quebec, Uganda, Ukraine, and Uruguay. The OPC also has two missionaries currently serving in Japan. Japan was, historically, one of

1540-547: The oldest OPC mission works, but has since closed. One of the OPC's goals is that "indigenous Reformed churches be established which will provide fellowship and instruction, and make the gospel known in its own culture and in others". The OPC's Committee on Home Missions and Church Extension also serves to help sustain and plant congregations in the United States and Canada. Their duty is to aid presbyteries in planting congregations, finding pastors, purchasing property and church buildings, and assisting home missionaries. In 1975,

1584-407: The presbytery include overseeing evangelism and resolving questions regarding church discipline. The presbytery also takes candidates for ministry under its care, and examines, licenses and ordains them. It also, if necessary, can remove a minister. The OPC's General Assembly is the supreme judicatory, and as such, it is to resolve all doctrinal and disciplinary issues that have not been resolved by

1628-438: The sessions and presbyteries. The other duties of the General Assembly include organizing regional churches, calling ministers and licentiates to missionary or other ministries, and reviewing the records from the presbyteries. It also arranges internship training for prospective ministers, and oversees diaconal needs. The General Assembly meets at least once a year, and is to have, at maximum, 155 voting commissioners, including

1672-408: The start of the 14th century either a papal bull or an imperial charter was considered necessary. Papal letters and bulls to create universities fell into four categories: Firstly, the creation of a new university where no school had existed before (e.g. Prague in 1347–48); secondly the refoundation of a university that had vanished or substantially declined (e.g. Perpignan in 1379); thirdly

1716-475: The students who go forth from Westminster Theological Seminary may know Christ as their own Savior and may proclaim to others the gospel of his love." The current board and faculty continue to hold to this original vision. All trustees and faculty members are required to affirm their agreement with the theological perspective presented in the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms ,

1760-534: The theological realm, the pioneering work of J. Alan Groves and his students has produced the codification of the Westminster Leningrad Codex , which underlies all modern Bible software . 40°05′56″N 75°10′34″W  /  40.099°N 75.176°W  / 40.099; -75.176 Orthodox Presbyterian Church The Orthodox Presbyterian Church ( OPC ) is a confessional Presbyterian denomination located primarily in

1804-618: The town corporation under authority granted to it by a royal charter. All four ancient Scottish universities are now governed under the Universities (Scotland) Acts . Durham University was established by an act of Parliament in 1832 and was later incorporated and confirmed by a royal charter in 1837. The University of London received four charters between 1836 (its founding charter) and 1863 but has been governed under an Act of Parliament since 1900. Durham and London are thus both statutory and chartered corporations. Newcastle University

Westminster Theological Seminary - Misplaced Pages Continue

1848-679: The work of John Gresham Machen . Machen, who, prior to this time was a PCUSA minister, had a longstanding distrust of liberalism in Christianity, as typified by the Auburn Affirmation . He and others founded Westminster Theological Seminary in 1929 in response to rising liberal sentiments at Princeton Theological Seminary , and in 1933, Machen formed the Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions , due to his concerns around tolerance of liberal theology on

1892-658: Was dismissed from Westminster over controversial views expressed in his book Inspiration and Incarnation: Evangelicals and the Problem of the Old Testament , and in 2014 Old Testament professor Douglas Green was terminated from his position over his views on the relationship between the Old Testament and the New Testament. In the early 1990s, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools disputed with Westminster because of its refusal to give women membership on

1936-490: Was separated from Durham and established as an independent university by an Act of Parliament in 1963 and is the only university established before 1992 to be a purely statutory corporation. Since 1992, almost all new universities have been promoted to that status by orders under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 . However, supplemental charters have been used to confer university status on institutions that already had

#45954