I'm looking towards ordination in the future and I'd love for that to be with the PCA. However, I'm wondering just how much we must agree with
and if we are allowed to take issue with some points in the WCF. My biggest issue is in the confession chapter 28 article 4. The wording of the confession says
that children "...are to be baptized." Is that taken to mean that the children of elders and members must be baptized?
Basically, I don't have a problem teaching infant baptism. I wouldn't have a problem adminstering the sacrament of baptism to an infant. However,
through study of the scriptures with my wife we have decided not to baptize our children until they make a profession of faith. I think that this is an issue
that has caused too much division because the scriptures aren't incredibly clear as to which view is correct. I'm okay with people and interpretations
on both sides that have made a careful review of the scriptures and sought the Holy Spirit in guidance for this issue. Would this be enough to keep someone
like me from ordination in a PCA presbytery? Does it depend on the presbytery? Is this issue and point of difference important enough to keep someone from
working in a particular church or presbytery?
P.S. I also posted this in the seminarians forum, but I wasn't sure if that was the right place so I posted it here after that.
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 shadrach
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Agreement with WCF? |
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Posts: 13 07/08/08 13:43:33 |
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rodkirby |
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Posts: 484 08/20/43 15:15:54 |
There are some areas in the WCF with which you can take exception and still be ordained (example: the Puritan view of the Sabbath). However, if you do not
adhere to infant baptism (including the fact that you don't want to baptize your children), you would not be approved for ordination. That does not keep
you from being a member in good standing of a PCA church -- you just cannot be ordained as a teaching elder, and should not be ordained as a ruling elder or
deacon. (I distinguish those, because I am confident that there are PCA churches which would ordain non-paedo-baptists as ruling elders or deacons. I do not
know of specific cases, but I am familiar enough with the PCA world to say that such churches most likely are out there.)
This exclusivity (not ordaining non-paedo-baptists) does not imply that those who disagree are not Christian brothers, nor does it imply that the Lord can and does work mightily through such brethren (e.g., Charles Spurgeon). It is just to say that, within the broad universe of true believers, our denomination adheres to certain positions, and if you wish to serve as an ordained officer in the PCA, you need to be in agreement with those positions.
Rod Kirby, Ph.D.
Dominion Christian High School Marietta, GA dominionchristian.org |
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5 Solas |
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Posts: 256 07/08/08 15:49:10 Administrator |
+1 to what Rod said.
In Christ,
5 Solas |
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Quick Reply
Replies
| Agreement with WCF? | 07/08/08 13:43:33 | shadrach |
| Re: Agreement with WCF? | 08/20/43 15:15:54 | rodkirby |
| Re: Agreement with WCF? | 07/08/08 15:49:10 | 5 Solas |
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