The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum Evangelical Presbyterian Church

Hi, everyone,

I'm new here..It appears you have a very nice board! Congrats to you all....I'm new to Reformed Theology,
I've been visiting an Evangelical Presbyterian Church and have been to their website, www.epc.org......

It's been so very interesting for me and I am really so interested in continuing on this journey. I am from a Restoration Movement background (churches of Christ/Christian Churches), so my background (as I am learning) is more Arminian that Calvinistic.

Was just wondering if anyone here would have anything to say to a newbie like me?

Blessings to you all,
Don

1) I think you will find that the EPC is not held in high regard by most here. I'll let others tell you why. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/giggle.gif" alt="" />

2) There is tons of reading material on The Highway website which you can access and which covers nearly every subject concerning theology, practical Christian living, etc. Since you are admittedly "new" to Calvinism, you might want to browse through some of the articles here: In the Beginning. There are specific sections on subjects such as The Atonement, Predestination, and of course the large section with sub-sections located here: Calvinism and the Reformed Faith.

On the homepage there is a Search box where you can search for key words or phrases (surround phrases in "quotes").

If you have questions or comments of any subject, you can post them in the relevant forums here too. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

In His grace,

Thanks, Pilgrim!

Hi Don, and welcome!

A few years ago I was caught up in the Charismatic movement (a very widespread form of Pentecostalism) and for a part of that time attended an EPC church. I never heard any teaching about God's sovereignty and grace there (which of course is no indictment of the entire denomination - just that one church), but we loved it because the "gifts of the Spirit" were abundant and the worship was absolutely thrilling.

One of the reasons the EPC may be held in low regard by folks on this site is because "Charismania" is incompatible with Reformed theology. Now by that I don't mean that we allow our theology to "quench the Spirit" or that we're so bound to our system of theology that we can't see past the Westminster Confession of Faith and it's catechisms. What I mean by that is that biblically and in terms of how Scripture is to be used, the two are incompatible.

One of the most foundational rallying cries of the Reformation was "Sola Scriptura" (Scripture alone). In other words, whatever we believe or practice must be founded only upon the Bible (rightly interpreted) and nothing else. If one accepts "extra revelations of the Spirit" as we did in our Charismatic EPC church, he or she betrays that foundational truth.

Most reputable Reformed bodies reject Pentecostalism. The EPC permits it (most EPC churches are not Charismatic, I think, but by allowing churches to go down that path, the denomination has forsaken its members). Since it is the duty of ecclesiastical authority to protect the sheep from harmful heresies and from being enticed away from the truth by "seducing spirits" (1st Timothy 4:1), any denomination that accepts "new revelations" in any form betrays the sheep and abandons them.

I'm not advising you to leave your church! I'm merely explaining one of the reasons the denomination is regarded in less than favorable light in this forum. But it is something you should be aware of nonetheless - the denomination allows Charismatic "manifestations" and "new revelations," thus rendering their churches and members vulnerable to a myriad of abuses and deception.

Been there, done that, got the teeshirt.

-Robin

Hi Don

Welcome to the Highway <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I found the following quote from the site interesting and quite telling about the EPC

You can find where I got this quote here
The issue of ordaining women as officers is even more of a thorny issue than the charismatic issue is as far as I am concerned.
Do you think they are non-essential?

Tom

I have a relative in the EPC. Now, obviously, this is one church among many, but I was shocked to hear of them going through Warren's Purpose Driven Life and now through Beth Moore's The Beloved Disciple. Also, the church apparently (or so says my relative....she is elderly and doesn't always see things clearly) they have a Catholic priest come in, play the organ, and then leave before the preaching. And they even had him preach once!

<img src="/forum/images/graemlins/flee.gif" alt="" />

Hi Don,

I was raised in the Church of Christ from birth. God pulled me out of there a few years ago (Praise The Lord!). You have come to the right place for fellowship and sound Biblical doctrine. Welcome.

David

It might seem okay at first glance to not argue about differences, but to ignore differences is in my opinion not the way to go. How and by whom is decided what the basic essentials are? As Tom rightly remarked, ordaining women as elders already raises some serious questions.

Johan

The EPC started because of the disenchantment with the PCUSA. The organizers, I assume, thought that denoms such as the PCA and OPC were too rigid and had too much in-fighting. I heard that 4-5 years ago that the EPC had less than 10 women RE's in their churches. It would be interesting if the numbers stayed the same or even smaller, or has there become a movement to add women officers. At that time, the charismatic gifts were really the sticking point.

This was also a major issue in the CRC back in the 1970's and finally came to a head in their General Synod where they passed "Report 44", which was a statement concerning Scripture. And THIS is what underlies most of these so-called "non-essential" disagreements. It isn't the doctrines themselves but the doctrine of the Inspiration and Authority of God's Word. There is no possible way for someone to hold to the traditional doctrine of verbal plenary inspiration and at the same time ordain women into church offices. Yes, yes... there are some/many who would disagree and tenaciously insist that they do in fact hold to the traditional doctrine of biblical Inspiration but also believe that women should be ordained as Elders and/or Deacons. But the fact of the matter is that the two issues are diametrically opposed and thus such individuals hold to these two views inconsistently and in contradiction, despite their protest to the contrary. The same holds true for the alleged ecstatic "gifts of the Spirit".

What it comes down to is one's "hermeneutic" (method of interpretation). Either one uses the Bible's own method or one devised by man. Since I hold to propositional truth (true truth), there can be only ONE correct view/answer. And I am totally convinced that women are not allowed to be ordained to any office in the church nor to have any position where one is to have authority over men. Likewise, I also hold to the cessation of the ecstatic gifts; they being a temporary phenomena for the purpose of building the foundation of the Church; i.e., bringing Gentiles and Jews together into the one body of Christ.

So, a weak view and/or use of the Scriptures will always bring about erroneous views/doctrines. The EPC, regardless of what they might claim, re: Scripture do hold to a weak(er) view of the Bible than what the Reformed Confessions and the more notable theologians throughout history have taught.

In His grace,

Thanks, David, but I think I might have come to the wrong place! Anyway, thank you all for your responses,
and blessings to all....Don

Don,

And just what leads you to believe that you might have come to the "wrong place"??