103 articles from 57 issues, 1996 to 2026 · Page 2 of 9
PCUSA, EPC, ECO, PCA, OPC: the Presbyterian family in America has become a set of clans that mistrust each other's seminaries, agencies, and theology. Stith calls the hardening 'ecclesial sclerosis' and asks whether anything like a shared Reformed identity survives the fragmentation.
The PCUSA's Book of Order has long carried six 'Great Ends of the Church' that mark out what every Presbyterian congregation is for. Small reads them slowly, asks whether contemporary church life still recognizes itself in them, and offers a defense of orthodoxy that is anything but defensive.
The PCUSA's own panel survey on theological reflection turns up some good news and considerable confusion. Bush walks through the data carefully, including how the survey's own categories made a coherent answer harder than it had to be, and what the responses tell us about where Presbyterians actually stand.
After two decades of asserting that theology matters, Burnett asks the harder question: has it actually mattered? He surveys the major debates in the PCUSA over sexuality, the sanctity of life, and Book of Order revisions, and asks how often theology has actually shaped the outcomes.
What did Presbyterians mean by saying that God alone is Lord of the conscience? Randall Otto takes the eight Historic Principles of Church Order one at a time and asks what each says today about liberty, discipline, truth and Scripture.
What happens when a generation grows up not knowing the Lord? The Board of Directors of Presbyterians for Faith, Family and Ministry sets out a new vision for Theology Matters, widening its mission beyond the PC(USA) to teach doctrine, apologetics and a Christian worldview.
The 220th General Assembly's overtures to redefine marriage are the next logical step after 2011's repeal of fidelity-and-chastity ordination standards. Wisdom walks through the proposed changes, the constitutional process they would require, and what the church teaches that all of them quietly assume isn't binding.
What should faithful Presbyterians do after the PC(USA) dropped its “fidelity and chastity” standard in 2011? The Board traces the counterfeit gospel back to the Re-Imagining Conference, restates what Theology Matters believes, and pledges to keep contending for the truth.
What does Jeremiah say to people who have dug broken cisterns for themselves? Lisa Van Riper reads the presbyteries’ approval of Amendment 10-A through the prophet, draws six principles for congregations, and offers a word of hope for those in exile.
Why does the debate over ordaining practicing homosexuals matter so much to a congregation? W. P. Campbell, in a chapter from his book, argues that leaders shape the people who follow them, and that the church must avoid both the Sadducees’ compromise and the Pharisees’ legalism.
Which votes do the presbyteries face after the 219th General Assembly? Theology Matters recommends a no vote on three amendments and warns of a fourth issue, the Board of Pensions, that presbyteries will not vote on and that touches every congregation.
Does the proposed replacement for G-6.0106b keep the church under the Lordship of Christ, or quietly drop its standard for ordination? Tom Hobson and Susan Cyre compare the two texts, answer common objections and urge a vote of no.
In print, to anyone who asks.
"Sustained by readers."
Theology Matters is sent in print to anyone who requests it, sustained primarily by readers like you. Tax-deductible.
Give a Gift