The Presbyterian Peace Fellowship (PPF) is a peacemaking organization affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) . Its offices are in Stony Point, NY .
100-677: Started in the early 1940s, PPF provided support for Presbyterians who were conscientious objectors during the Second World War. In the 1950s PPF worked to oppose the development of nuclear weapons. During the 1960s and the 1970s, members were doing draft resistance counseling and working to end the war in Vietnam. In the 1980s PPF was one of the founding organizations of the US-Soviet Bi-Lateral Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign, leading
200-512: A moderator at each assembly who moderates the rest of the sessions of that assembly meeting and continues to serve until the next assembly convenes (two years later) to elect a new moderator or co-moderator. Currently, the denomination is served by Co-Moderators Cecelia Armstrong and Anthony Larson, who were elected at the 226th General Assembly (2024). They followed Ruth Santana-Grace and Shavon Starling-Louis, elected in 2022. They followed Elona Street-Stewart and Gregory Bentley, elected in 2020. At
300-524: A PCUSA minister, many of these conservatives would establish what became known as the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in 1936. Although the 1930s and 1940s and the ensuing neo-orthodox theological consensus mitigated much of the polemics during the mid-20th century, disputes erupted again beginning in the mid-1960s over the extent of involvement in the civil rights movement and the issue of ordination of women , and, especially since
400-531: A Teaching Elder, but the Office of the General Assembly does maintain and publish a national directory with the help of each presbytery's stated clerk. This directory is also published bi-annually with the minutes of the General Assembly. A pastor cannot be a member of the congregation he or she serves as a pastor because his or her primary ecclesiastical accountability lies with the presbytery. Members of
500-480: A bearer of redeemed humanity ought especially to represent this equality of men and women in its institutional life. But it does so as a paradigm of what all social institutions should become, not as a representative of an eschatological humanity outside of and beyond history." Here she distinguishes liberal from eschatological feminism stating that liberal feminism calls for liberation within society, rather than removal from it. Ruether states that in romantic feminism
600-671: A code of conduct without a need for hierarchical authority. Christian egalitarianism refers to a biblically-based belief that gender, in and of itself, neither privileges nor curtails a believer's gifting or calling to any ministry in the church or home. It does not imply that women and men are identical or undifferentiated, but argues that God designed men and women to complement and benefit one another. Egalitarian beliefs are held by many denominations including Quakers , United Methodist Churches , The Global Methodist Church, The Presbyterian Church (USA), The Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians (ECO), Northern Baptists , Church of
700-533: A delegation of 28 Presbyterians to Palestine and Israel . In 2006 the PPF appointed Rick Ufford-Chase , former Moderator of the PC(USA) , as its first full-time Executive Director. The organization is managed by a 54-member National Committee and approximately five part-time staff. Presbyterian Church (USA) The Presbyterian Church (USA) , abbreviated PCUSA , is a mainline Protestant denomination in
800-399: A geographical region to form a synod . Each synod contains at least three presbyteries, and its elected voting membership is to include both elders and Ministers of Word and Sacrament in equal numbers. Synods have various duties depending on the needs of the presbyteries they serve. In general, their responsibilities (G-12.0102) might be summarized as: developing and implementing the mission of
900-589: A head the following year when, in response to the New York Presbytery's decision to ordain a couple of men who could not affirm the virgin birth, the PCUSA's General Assembly reaffirmed the "five fundamentals": the deity of Christ, the Virgin Birth, the vicarious atonement, the inerrancy of Scripture, and Christ's miracles and resurrection. This move against modernism caused a backlash in the form of
1000-755: A major Christian Egalitarian organization: The first organization whose purpose was advocating Christian egalitarianism was "Men, Women and God", established in the United Kingdom in 1984. The American organization Christians for Biblical Equality was established by evangelicals in 1987. Titled in accordance with Rosemary Radford Ruether 's work in Christian theology, Egalitarian anthropologies explore varying views of gender equality in Christianity. These include eschatological feminism, liberal feminism , and romantic feminism. According to Ruether,
1100-459: A minister member or elected member of the presbytery as moderator with the concurrence of the local church session. The moderator presides over the session as first among equals and also serves as a "liturgical" bishop over the ordination and installation of elders and deacons within a particular congregation. The session guides and directs the ministry of the local church, including almost all spiritual and fiduciary leadership. The congregation as
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#17327902657931200-415: A new Presbyterian denomination that allows ordination of women but is more conservative theologically than PC(USA). In 2013 the presbyteries ratified the General Assembly's 2012 vote to allow the ordination of openly gay persons to the ministry and in 2014 the General Assembly voted to amend the church's constitution to define marriage as the union of two persons instead of the union of a man and woman, which
1300-440: A nominating committee of the congregation; in addition, nominations from the floor are permissible. Elders are then elected by the congregation. All elders elected to serve on the congregation's session of elders are required to undergo a period of study and preparation for this order of ministry, after which the session examines the elders-elect as to their personal faith; knowledge of doctrine, government, and discipline contained in
1400-604: A pattern set in the first congregation of Christians in Jerusalem described in the Book of Acts in the New Testament , the church is governed by presbyters (a term and category that includes elders and Ministers of Word and Sacrament, historically also referred to as "ruling or canon elders" because they measure the spiritual life and work of a congregation and ministers as "teaching elders"). The elders are nominated by
1500-661: A perfect odd-even equality, with each mentioned first three times. Aquila appears first in the first, third and fifth mentions, and Priscilla (Prisca) first in the second, fourth and sixth mentions. Some revisions of the Bible put Priscilla rather than Aquila first, in Acts 18:26, following the Vulgate and a few Greek texts. Some scholars suggest that Priscilla was the head of the family unit. Christian egalitarianism holds that all people are equal in fundamental worth and moral status. It
1600-455: A related tendency to see gender as culturally constructed, which has generated "a new model of polymorphous sexuality", which reflects an "attempt to be free from one’s biological conditioning". While Christian egalitarians believe that the Bible portrays mostly egalitarian views, with the exception of a few contextually relativized patriarchal texts, complementarians oppose this viewpoint. As
1700-502: A representative form of government, known as presbyterian polity , with four levels of government and administration, as outlined in the Book of Order . The councils (governing bodies) are as follows: At the congregational level, the governing body is called the session , from the Latin word sessio , meaning "a sitting". The session is made up of the pastors of the church and all elders elected and installed to active service. Following
1800-482: A response to the upcoming of evangelical feminism and egalitarianism in the 20th century, prominent theologians and scholars such as John Piper , Wayne Grudem , Raymond C. Ortlund Jr. , James A. Borland , Thomas R. Schreiner , D. A. Carson , S. Lewis Johnson , George W. Knight III , Douglas J. Moo , John Frame and Vern Sheridan Poythress contributed to Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood , in which they discuss and rebut most egalitarian viewpoints, such as
1900-674: A separate denomination whose congregations can also trace their history to the various schisms and mergers of Presbyterian churches in the United States . Unlike the more conservative Presbyterian Church in America, the Presbyterian Church (USA) supports the ordination of women and affirms same-sex marriages . It also welcomes practicing gay and lesbian persons to serve in leadership positions as ministers, deacons, elders, and trustees. The Presbyterian Church (USA)
2000-421: A whole has only the responsibility to vote on: 1) the call of the pastor (subject to presbytery approval) and the terms of call (the church's provision for compensating and caring for the pastor); 2) the election of its own officers (elders and deacons); 3) buying, mortgaging, or selling real property. All other church matters such as the budget, personnel matters, and all programs for spiritual life and mission, are
2100-725: Is also known as the Presbyterian Historical Society . Six agencies carry out the work of the General Assembly, two of which (OGA and PMA) are being unified, with a new staff reporting structure that seems to imply that OGA and PMA have been dissolved. These are the Office of the General Assembly (OGA), the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation , the Presbyterian Investment and Loan Program, the Board of Pensions,
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#17327902657932200-405: Is elected annually and is either a minister member or an elder commissioner from one of the presbytery's congregations. The Moderator presides at all presbytery assemblies and is the chief overseer at the ordination and installation of ministers in that presbytery. The stated clerk is the chief ecclesial officer and serves as the presbytery's executive secretary and parliamentarian in accordance with
2300-428: Is influenced by the Christian belief that humankind were created in the living image of God (Imago Dei) . Egalitarians argue that Jesus Christ did not conform to a mentality unfavorable to women, but reacted against inequalities based on sexual differences. Illustrative of efforts to institutionalize this belief are these excerpts from the organizational Statement of Faith of Christians for Biblical Equality ,
2400-585: Is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Christian egalitarians' interpretation of scriptures and spiritual convictions bring them to the conclusion that the manner and teaching of Jesus abolished discrimination against racial minorities, slaves, and women in both the church and marriage. They believe that the Bible teaches the fundamental equality of believers of all racial and ethnic groups and all economic classes. They consider overarching principles of
2500-418: Is open to Presbyterian high school students throughout the world. The very first Youth Triennium was held in 1980 at Indiana University and the conference for teens is an effort of the Presbyterian Church (USA), the largest Presbyterian denomination in the nation; Cumberland Presbyterian Church ; and Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America , the first African-American denomination to embrace Presbyterianism in
2600-452: Is restored. Sexuality, the main division between genders, is said to be the root of female subordination. Relationships that are typically rooted in sexuality (marriage and motherhood) place women in roles that are subordinate in accordance with society's patriarchal norms. The path to equality is believed to be found when women transcend these roles—traditionally through celibacy (as seen in the life of Paul ). Transcending worldly norms, which
2700-538: Is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States, having 1,140,665 active members and 18,173 ordained ministers (including retired ones) in 8,705 congregations at the end of 2022. This number does not include members who are baptized but not confirmed , or the inactive members also affiliated. For example, in 2005, the Presbyterian Church (USA) claimed 318,291 baptized but not confirmed members and nearly 500,000 inactive members in addition to active members. Its membership has been steadily declining over
2800-698: Is unimpeded by male inferiority. The Roman Catholic Church has formally opposed radical egalitarianism and has stated that the differences between men and women are not merely phenomenal but are in fact ontological in nature. In his 2004 Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Collaboration of Men and Women in the Church and in the World , Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger warned against
2900-468: The Auburn Affirmation — a document embracing liberalism and modernism. The liberals began a series of ecclesiastical trials of their opponents, expelled them from the church and seized their church buildings. Under the leadership of J. Gresham Machen , a former Princeton Theological Seminary New Testament professor who had founded Westminster Theological Seminary in 1929, and who was
3000-413: The Bible instructs Christians to do, brings men and women to the state of androgyny that eliminates gender subordination; thus, Christianity is intended to manifest gender equality . Ruether says that transcendence is the core of eschatological feminism; women reach equality with men by separating from the world, rather than changing it. Liberal feminism rejects the notion that creation established
3100-524: The Bible to be that men and women are equally created in God's image, equally responsible for sin, equally redeemed by Christ, and equally gifted by God's Spirit for service and held responsible for using their God-given gifts. Each of the six times Aquila and his wife Priscilla are mentioned by name in the New Testament, they are listed together as a couple. Their order of appearance alternates in
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3200-590: The Church of Scotland embraced Reformed theology and presbyterian polity . The Ulster Scots brought their Presbyterian faith with them to Ireland, where they laid the foundation of what would become the Presbyterian Church in Ireland . Immigrants from Scotland and Ireland brought Presbyterianism to North America as early as 1640, and immigration would remain a large source of growth throughout
3300-583: The Episcopal Church and the United Church of Christ , are fairly progressive on matters such as doctrine, environmental issues, sexual morality, and economic issues, though the denomination remains divided and conflicted on these issues. Like other mainline denominations, the PC(USA) has also seen a great deal of demographic aging, with fewer new members and declining membership since 1967. In
3400-884: The Old Side–New Side Controversy that lasted from 1741 to 1758. In the South, the Presbyterians were evangelical dissenters , mostly Scotch-Irish , who expanded into Virginia between 1740 and 1758. Spangler in Virginians Reborn: Anglican Monopoly, Evangelical Dissent, and the Rise of the Baptists in the Late Eighteenth Century (2008) argues they were more energetic and held frequent services better attuned to
3500-690: The PC(USA) to become the first major church to endorse the proposal. In the 1990s PPF's work included the Jubilee 2000 Third World Debt Relief. Throughout the last several decades, PPF members have worked toward dealing with gun violence and landmines. In 1980, members of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship were instrumental in encouraging the Presbyterian General Assembly to pass the document called “ Peacemaking: The Believers’ Calling ", which initiated
3600-702: The Reformed tradition that came before him in the form of the sermons and writings of Huldrych Zwingli . From Calvin's headquarters in Geneva , the Reformed movement spread to other parts of Europe. John Knox , a former Roman Catholic priest from Scotland who studied with Calvin in Geneva, took Calvin's teachings back to Scotland and led the Scottish Reformation of 1560. Because of this reform movement,
3700-544: The United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America , whose congregations could be found in every state. The church maintains a Book of Confessions , a collection of historic and contemporary creeds and catechisms, including its own Brief Statement of Faith . It is a member the World Communion of Reformed Churches . The similarly named Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) is
3800-572: The United States . It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the country, known for its liberal stance on doctrine and its ordaining of women and members of the LGBT community as elders and ministers. The Presbyterian Church (USA) was established with the 1983 merger of the Presbyterian Church in the United States , whose churches were located in the Southern and border states , with
3900-531: The United States achieved independence from Great Britain , Presbyterian leaders felt that a national Presbyterian denomination was needed, and the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PCUSA) was organized. The first general assembly was held in Philadelphia in 1789. John Witherspoon , president of Princeton University and the only minister to sign the Declaration of Independence ,
4000-594: The colonial era . Another source of growth were a number of New England Puritans who left the Congregational churches because they preferred presbyterian polity. In 1706, seven ministers led by Francis Makemie established the first American presbytery at Philadelphia in the Province of Pennsylvania , which was followed by the creation of the Synod of Philadelphia in 1717. The First Great Awakening and
4100-401: The revivalism it generated had a major impact on American Presbyterians. Ministers such as William and Gilbert Tennent , a friend of George Whitefield , emphasized the necessity of a conscious conversion experience and pushed for higher moral standards among the clergy. Disagreements over revivalism, itinerant preaching , and educational requirements for clergy led to a division known as
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4200-445: The 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s, the General Assembly of PC(USA) adopted several social justice initiatives, which covered a range of topics including: stewardship of God's creation, world hunger, homelessness, and LGBT issues. As of 2011 the PC(USA) no longer excludes Partnered Gay and Lesbian ministers from the ministry. Previously, the PC(USA) required its ministers to remain " chastely in singleness or with fidelity in marriage ." Currently,
4300-598: The 1990s, over the issue of ordination of homosexuals. The Presbyterian Church in the United States of America was joined by the majority of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church , mostly congregations in the border and Southern states, in 1906. In 1920, it absorbed the Welsh Calvinist Methodist Church. The United Presbyterian Church of North America merged with the PCUSA in 1958 to form the United Presbyterian Church in
4400-489: The 223rd Assembly in St Louis, MO, Co-Moderators Vilmarie Cintrón-Olivieri and Cindy Kohmann were elected. See a complete listing of past moderators at another Misplaced Pages Article. A Stated Clerk of the General Assembly is elected to one or more four-year terms and is responsible for the Office of the General Assembly which conducts the ecclesiastical work of the church. The Office of the General Assembly carries out most of
4500-885: The Confession of 1967, the Westminster Confession and Westminster Shorter Catechism , the Heidelberg Catechism , the Second Helvetic and Scots Confessions and the Barmen Declaration . An attempt to reunite the United Presbyterian Church in the USA with the Presbyterian Church in the United States in the late 1950s failed when the latter church was unwilling to accept ecclesiastical centralization . In
4600-522: The Constitution of the church, and the duties of the office of elder. If the examination is approved, the session appoints a day for the service of ordination and installation. Session meetings are normally moderated by a called and installed pastor and minutes are recorded by a clerk, who is also an ordained presbyter. If the congregation does not have an installed pastor, the Presbytery appoints
4700-430: The General Assembly met annually; since 2004, the General Assembly has met biennially in even-numbered years. It consists of commissioners elected by presbyteries (not synods), and its voting membership is proportioned with parity between elders and Ministers of Word and Sacrament. There are many important responsibilities of the General Assembly. Among them, The Book of Order lists these four: The General Assembly elects
4800-795: The Nazarene , Wesleyan Church , The Salvation Army , The Evangelical Covenant Church , and some Pentecostal churches such as the Assemblies of God , The Foursquare Church , and United Church of God . All three Synoptic Gospels record Jesus as saying: You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. According to Clive Marsh and Steve Moyise, while "lord it over" implies abusive leadership, Jesus' words "exercise authority" have no connotation of abuse of authority. The Apostle Paul wrote: There
4900-544: The New School and Old School respectively. By the 1838, the Old School–New School Controversy had divided the PCUSA. There were now two general assemblies each claiming to represent the PCUSA. In 1858, the New School split along sectional lines when its Southern synods and presbyteries established the pro-slavery United Synod of the Presbyterian Church. Old School Presbyterians followed in 1861 after
5000-626: The OGA and PMA, currently planned for summer of 2025. The Committee on the Office of the General Assembly (COGA) currently has oversight over the Stated Clerk and OGA, but COGA is scheduled to be dissolved on December 31, 2024, along with the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board. A new Unification Management Office is planned to manage the integration of PMA and OGA. In March 2024, the former OGA Communications Director
5100-557: The PC(USA) permits teaching elders to perform same-gender marriages. On a congregational basis, individual sessions (congregational governing bodies) may choose to permit same-gender marriages. These changes have led to several renewal movements and denominational splinters. Some conservative-minded groups in the PC(USA), such as the Confessing Movement and the Presbyterian Lay Committee (formed in
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#17327902657935200-593: The PCUS located in Atlanta, Georgia . The merger essentially consolidated moderate-to-liberal American Presbyterians into one body. Other US Presbyterian bodies (the Cumberland Presbyterians being a partial exception) place greater emphasis on doctrinal Calvinism, literalist hermeneutics, and conservative politics. For the most part, PC(USA) Presbyterians, not unlike similar mainline traditions such as
5300-439: The PCUSA's informal influence over American life might effectively make it an established church . The Second Great Awakening divided the PCUSA over revivalism and fear that revivalism was leading to an embrace of Arminian theology . In 1810, frontier revivalists split from the PCUSA and organized the Cumberland Presbyterian Church . Throughout the 1820s, support and opposition to revivalism hardened into well-defined factions,
5400-599: The Presbyterian Church (USA) on June 10, 1983. At the time of the merger, the churches had a combined membership of 3,121,238. Many of the efforts were spearheaded by the financial and outspoken activism of retired businessman Thomas Clinton who died two years before the merger. A new national headquarters was established in Louisville, Kentucky in 1988 replacing the headquarters of the UPCUSA in New York City and
5500-708: The Presbyterian Foundation, and the Presbyterian Mission Agency (PMA) (formerly known as the General Assembly Mission Council). Christian egalitarianism Christian egalitarianism , also known as biblical equality , is egalitarianism based in Christianity . Christian egalitarians believe that the Bible advocates for gender equality and equal responsibilities for the family unit and
5600-486: The United States of America (UPCUSA). Under Eugene Carson Blake , the UPCUSA's stated clerk, the denomination entered into a period of social activism and ecumenical endeavors, which culminated in the development of the Confession of 1967 which was the church's first new confession of faith in three centuries. The 170th General Assembly in 1958 authorized a committee to develop a brief contemporary statement of faith. The 177th General Assembly in 1965 considered and amended
5700-425: The ability for women to exercise spiritual authority as clergy . In contrast to Christian complementarianists and Christian patriarchists , proponents of Christian egalitarianism argue that Bible verses often used to justify patriarchal domination in gender roles are misinterpreted. Egalitarians believe in a form of mutual submission in which all people submit to each other in relationships and institutions as
5800-484: The administrative duties of the presbytery, often with the additional role of a pastor to the pastors. Presbyteries may be creative in the designation and assignment of duties for their staff. A presbytery is required to elect a Moderator and a Clerk, but the practice of hiring staff is optional. Presbyteries must meet at least twice a year, but they have the discretion to meet more often and most do. See "Map of Presbyteries and Synods" . Presbyteries are organized within
5900-403: The annual Peacemaking Offering in many Presbyterian churches, and established the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program of the denomination. More than twenty-five years later, PPF continues to work closely with the PPP. Often the role of the PPF is to push the denomination to new and bolder policies and actions on behalf of peace, while the PPP works within the policies of the denomination. Since
6000-438: The belief that Christianity needed to be re-interpreted in light of modern scientific theories such as evolution or the rise of degraded social conditions brought on by industrialization and urbanization ). Open controversy was sparked in 1922, when Harry Emerson Fosdick , a modernist and a Baptist pastoring a PCUSA congregation in New York City, preached a sermon entitled "Shall the Fundamentalists Win?" The crisis reached
6100-480: The beliefs of the PC(USA) by declaring the creeds by which the Church's leaders are instructed and led. Complementing that is the Book of Order which gives the rationale and description for the organization and function of the Church at all levels. The Book of Order is currently divided into four sections – 1) The Foundations of Presbyterian Polity 2) The Form of Government, 3) The Directory For Worship, and 4) The Rules of Discipline. The Presbyterian Church (USA) has
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#17327902657936200-416: The boundaries of a particular synod (see below ); it may be more accurate to refer to them as "trans-geographical." Three PC(USA) synods have a non-geographical presbytery for Korean language Presbyterian congregations, and one synod has a non-geographical presbytery for Native American congregations, the Dakota Presbytery. There are currently 166 presbyteries for the 8,705 congregations in the PC(USA). Only
6300-406: The church Constitution and Robert's Rules of Order. While the moderator of a presbytery normally serves one year, the stated clerk normally serves a designated number of years and may be re-elected indefinitely by the presbytery. Additionally, an Executive Presbyter (sometimes designated as General Presbyter, Pastor to Presbytery, Transitional Presbyter) is often elected as a staff person to care for
6400-571: The church throughout the region, facilitating communication between presbyteries and the General Assembly, and mediating conflicts between the churches and presbyteries. Every synod elects a Permanent Judicial Commission, which has original jurisdiction in remedial cases brought against its constituent presbyteries, and which also serves as an ecclesiastical court of appeal for decisions rendered by its presbyteries' Permanent Judicial Commissions. Synods are required to meet at least biennially. Meetings are moderated by an elected synod Moderator with support of
6500-411: The commonality among these anthropologies is the belief that gender equality was the original intention of God and that it was somehow skewed by humanity. Ruether goes on to point out that the belief in the ideal of gender equality "leaves room for considerable variation in relating this equality to woman's present subjugated state in history under patriarchy." In the preceding statement, Ruether qualifies
6600-470: The congregation generally choose their own pastor with the assistance and support of the presbytery. The presbytery must approve the choice and officially install the pastor at the congregation, or approve the covenant for a temporary pastoral relationship. Additionally, the presbytery must approve if either the congregation or the pastor wishes to dissolve that pastoral relationship. The presbytery has authority over many affairs of its local congregations. Only
6700-438: The decades after independence many American Protestants , including Calvinists (Presbyterians and Congregationalists), Methodists , and Baptists , were swept up in Christian revivals that would later become known as the Second Great Awakening . Presbyterians also helped to shape voluntary societies that encouraged educational, missionary, evangelical, and reforming work. As its influence grew, many non-Presbyterians feared that
6800-443: The decision to resign include struggling efforts since 2016 to unify the OGA and PMA agencies, and struggling efforts to return to normal following the pandemic. The Stated Clerk is also responsible for the records of the denomination, a function formalized in 1925 when the General Assembly created the "Department of Historical Research and Conservation" as part of the Office of the General Assembly. The current "Department of History"
6900-424: The direction of the denomination, but wishing to continue in a Reformed, Presbyterian denomination. The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), which does not allow ordained female clergy, separated from Presbyterian Church in the United States in 1973 and has subsequently become the second largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States. The Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC), which gives local presbyteries
7000-488: The distinction between genders is found primarily in "spiritual" traits. Ruether references a sixteenth century humanist, Cornelius Agrippa , saying that women have an "affinity with divine Wisdom that gives them moral and spiritual superiority". Women are perceived to be innately altruistic, sensitive, and pure—traits that are considered morally superior compared to "male traits". Ruether continues saying that men and women are both inherently capable of goodness, but because of
7100-416: The draft confession and sent a revised version for general discussion within the church. The 178th General Assembly in 1966 accepted a revised draft and sent it to presbyteries throughout the church for final ratification. As the confession was ratified by more than 90% of all presbyteries, the 178th General Assembly adopted it in 1967. The UPCUSA also adopted a Book of Confessions in 1967, which would include
7200-524: The ecumenical functions and all of the constitutional functions at the Assembly. The Stated Clerks since reunion are: James Andrews (1984–1996), Clifton Kirkpatrick (1996–2008), Gradye Parsons (2008–2016), J. Herbert Nelson (2016–2023), Bronwen Boswell (2023–2024) (interim), and Jihyun Oh (2024–). Bronwen Boswell was appointed Acting Stated Clerk in June 2023 to serve the remaining year of Nelson's term. She
7300-429: The friendless, and to any who may be in distress both within and beyond the community of faith." In some churches, the responsibilities of the deacons are taken care of by the session, so there is no board of deacons in that church. In some states, churches are legally incorporated and members or elders of the church serve as trustees of the corporation. However, "the power and duties of such trustees shall not infringe upon
7400-629: The frontier conditions of the colony. Presbyterianism grew in frontier areas where the Anglicans had made little impression. Uneducated whites and blacks were attracted to the emotional worship of the denomination, its emphasis on biblical simplicity, and its psalm singing. Some local Presbyterian churches, such as Briery in Prince Edward County, owned slaves. The Briery church purchased five slaves in 1766 and raised money for church expenses by hiring them out to local planters. After
7500-408: The home in order to maintain their goodness. Ruether says, "If a woman leaves the home to take up a traditional male occupation, she will straightaway lose this good femininity and become a she-male, a monstrous virago, or will become debased to carnal femaleness, fallen woman." In one survey conducted in 1999, a researcher concluded based on participants' responses, "Even though husbands were not always
7600-611: The husband. In turn, this spousal support allows the husband to perform better in the workforce; this trickle effect of women sending good husbands and sons into the world is how conservative romantics suppose women make an impact. Reformist romanticism aligns with conservative romanticism except in the reformist belief that the inherent goodness of women cannot be lost by equality in society. Ruether says that this ideology prescribes women to morally reform men and male-centric institutions, but to do so they require education, voting rights, and political power. Reformist romanticism believes that
7700-468: The innate goodness of women is needed in leadership positions to improve the nature of the world. It is also believed that the nature of women is incompatible with war and that under female leadership, the world would be at peace. Radical feminism rejects the entirety of male culture and debates whether males can be redeemed at all. Ruether says that radical feminists desire a utopian society completely independent from males in which women's inherent goodness
7800-616: The late 1990s, the direction of the PPF has shifted to an emphasis on nonviolent direct action. Current focuses include gun violence prevention, an accompaniment program in Colombia , and advocacy and Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions for justice in Israel and Palestine . PPF gives out the Peaceseeker Award each year since 1970 to recognized Presbyterians on the front lines of reducing war and violence. In January 2014 PPF led
7900-406: The meantime, a conservative group broke away from the Presbyterian Church in the United States in 1973, mainly over the issues of women's ordination and a perceived drift toward theological liberalism. This group formed the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). Attempts at union between the churches (UPCUSA and PCUS) were renewed in the 1970s, culminating in the merger of the two churches to form
8000-418: The mid-1960s) have remained in the main body, rather than leaving to form new, break-away groups. Several Presbyterian denominations have split from PC(USA) or its predecessors over the years. For example, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church broke away from the Presbyterian Church in the USA (PC-USA) in 1936. More recently formed Presbyterian denominations have attracted PC(USA) congregations disenchanted with
8100-606: The need for further exploration into the following anthropologies. Ruether connects eschatological feminism to mysticism and asceticism by way of its roots in transcendentalism . Her assertion is that the original human, Adam, was androgynous and that " the fall " was the initial creation of gender. She reaffirms this point in a later article, "Sexism and Misogyny in the Christian Tradition: Liberating Alternatives", referencing Galatians 3:28 , saying that through baptism androgyny
8200-465: The northern PCUSA's Old School and New School factions reunited as well and was known as the "Northern Presbyterian Church". The early part of the 20th century saw continued growth in both major sections of the church. It also saw the growth of Fundamentalist Christianity (a movement of those who believed in the literal interpretation of the Bible as the fundamental source of the religion) as distinguished from Modernist Christianity (a movement holding
8300-405: The option of allowing ordained female pastors, broke away from the United Presbyterian Church and incorporated in 1981. A PC(USA) renewal movement, Fellowship of Presbyterians (FOP) (now The Fellowship Community ), held several national conferences serving disaffecting Presbyterians. FOP's organizing efforts culminated with the founding of ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians (ECO),
8400-592: The past several decades; the trend has significantly accelerated in recent years, partly due to breakaway congregations. Average denominational worship attendance dropped from 748,774 in 2013 to 431,379 in 2022. Presbyterians trace their history to the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. The Presbyterian heritage, and much of its theology, began with the French theologian and lawyer John Calvin (1509–1564), whose writings solidified much of
8500-409: The patriarchy placing men into positions of power, more negative character traits are manifested (pride, aggression, dominance, etc.). Since women are not allowed into positions of power, Ruether supposes that they retain humanity's natural goodness. Romantic feminism contains varying ideologies in itself which are as follows. According to Ruether, conservative romanticism suggests that women remain in
8600-486: The patriarchy; Ruether asserts that gender equality originally existed, but was distorted by historical injustices against women. This branch of egalitarianism dictates that gender equality must be restored rather than introduced. This restoration will be accomplished by economic, political, social, and systemic reformation. Ruether includes the church in her discussion of social reform, displaying its participation in gender subordination. Ruether continues saying, "The Church as
8700-596: The powers and duties of the Session or of the board of deacons." The deacons are a ministry board but not a governing body. A presbytery is formed by all the congregations and the Ministers of Word and Sacrament in a geographic area together with elders selected (proportional to congregation size) from each of the congregations. Four special presbyteries are "non-geographical" in that they overlay other English-speaking presbyteries, though they are geographically limited to
8800-433: The presbytery (not a congregation, session, synod, or General Assembly) has the responsibility and authority to ordain church members to the ordered ministry of Word and Sacrament, also referred to as a Teaching Elder, to install ministers to (or remove them from) congregations as pastors, and to remove a minister from the ministry. A Presbyterian minister is a member of a presbytery. The General Assembly cannot ordain or remove
8900-410: The presbytery can approve the establishment, dissolution, or merger of congregations. The presbytery also maintains a Permanent Judicial Commission, which acts as a court of appeal from sessions, and which exercises original jurisdiction in disciplinary cases against minister members of the presbytery. A presbytery has two elected officers: a moderator and a stated clerk. The Moderator of the presbytery
9000-475: The reformed tradition. Since 1907, Montreat, North Carolina has hosted a youth conference every year. In 1983, Montreat Conference Center became a National Conference Center of the PC(USA) when the northern and southern denominational churches reunited. The Constitution of PC(USA) is composed of two portions: Part I, the Book of Confessions and Part II, the Book of Order . The Book of Confessions outlines
9100-461: The responsibility of the session. In addition, the session serves as an ecclesiastical court to consider disciplinary charges brought against church officers or members. The session also oversees the work of the deacons , a second body of leaders also tracing its origins to the Book of Acts. The deacons are a congregational-level group whose duty is "to minister to those who are in need, to the sick, to
9200-590: The shooter in the body count . Bronwen's political perspective on the shooting has been contrasted with purely nonpolitical perspectives from other denominations. Jihyun Oh was installed in July 2024 as the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, and promoted by the Unification Commission in October 2024 to lead the interim unified agency. The Unification Commission is overseeing a unification of
9300-441: The sole providers, for the majority of men they remained symbolically so, such that women's employment was nearly always described as secondary, even expendable, in light of wives' responsibility to rear and nurture children." Conservative romanticism opposes gender equality in the work force in order to better preserve traditional roles in the home. Women's innate goodness makes her the ideal candidate to raise children and to support
9400-589: The start of hostilities in the American Civil War with the formation of the Presbyterian Church in the Confederate States of America . The Presbyterian Church in the CSA absorbed the smaller United Synod in 1864. After the war, this body was renamed the Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS) and was commonly nicknamed the "Southern Presbyterian Church" throughout its history. In 1869,
9500-544: The synod's Stated Clerk. There are currently 16 synods in the PC(USA) and they vary widely in the scope and nature of their work. An ongoing current debate in the denomination is over the purpose, function, and need for synods. See also the List of Presbyterian Church (USA) synods and presbyteries . The General Assembly is the highest governing body of the PC(USA). Until the 216th assembly met in Richmond, Virginia in 2004,
9600-532: The use of Galatians 3:28 to defend fundamental equality. In 1988, the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW) published the Danvers Statement as a response to the "widespread uncertainty and confusion in our culture regarding the complementary differences between masculinity and femininity", directly opposing feminist egalitarian beliefs. Similar to the Danvers Statement , CBMW published
9700-429: Was ineligible to apply for the stated clerk position in 2024, and has limited responsibilities focused primarily on completing plans for the 2024 GA and unification of the OGA and PMA. Her partial characterization of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump as "two lives lost at a Pennsylvania rally" blurs the distinction between perpetrator and victim, unlike definitions of mass shootings that often do not include
9800-458: Was named PCUSA Communications Director and the former PMA Communications Director was named PMA Vision Integration & Constituent Service Manager. Nelson is the first African American to be elected to the office, and is a third-generation Presbyterian pastor. Nelson announced he would not seek re-election to a third term, and stepped down as Stated Clerk in June 2023, a year before his second term ended. Reported tensions that likely influenced
9900-731: Was ratified (by the presbyteries) in 2015. This has led to the departure of several hundred congregations. The majority of churches leaving the Presbyterian Church (USA) have chosen to join the Evangelical Presbyterian Church or ECO . Few have chosen to join the larger more conservative Presbyterian Church in America , which does not permit female clergy. Since 1983 the Presbyterian Youth Triennium has been held every three years at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, US, and
10000-587: Was the first moderator . Not all American Presbyterians participated in the creation of the PCUSA General Assembly because the divisions then occurring in the Church of Scotland were replicated in America. In 1751, Scottish Covenanters began sending ministers to America, and the Seceders were doing the same by 1753. In 1858, the majority of Covenanters and Seceders merged to create the United Presbyterian Church of North America (UPCNA). In
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