Religion Thread: After reading lots Scottish works the past few months, it’s clear that “Presbyterian” is a theology not just a form of gov’t. Ergo, lots of PCA churches aren’t too Presbyterian so much as they are Reformed evangelicals with a Presbyterian gov’t structure:

Instead of covenant theology, they’ll just preach grace; the liturgy would be unrecognizable to the original Scottish Presbyterians b/c it’s a barebones evangelical one; will be local church-focussed instead of presbytery-focussed to reach communities from evangelism to mercy;

Presbyterian identity & formation won’t exist, instead doctrine will be the focus of catechesis; connectionalism won’t be built on Presbyterianism; Presbyterians have a distinct political & social philosophy built pastors don’t know it and won’t teach it (Lex Rex, etc.);

Lots more to say, but I was on a website last night a PCA church described its theology as “Reformed” & its government as “Presbyterian.” It’s an odd distinction. You can be a non-denom and say the same thing. The Presbyterian should be leading major identifier.

This is what happens when your identity is built on “not being liberal” & traded-off Presbyterian identity for HUP’s church growth movement with wagons hitched to GOP evangelicalism rather than Knox, Melville, Bruce, Henderson, Rutherford, Books of Discipline & Common Order, etc.

I can’t stress how much more connectional, operational, covenantal, catechetical, liturgical, common good oriented, evil intervening, etc. the PCA could be if had shaped its identity on the Prophet, Priest, King model rather than GOP revivalism of the 70s-90s. Really sad.

The PCA motto could be (dare I say “should”):” Faithful to the Scriptures, True to the Presbyterian Faith, and Obedient to Loving God and Neighbor.” This pivot could solve so many problems & dismantle so many unless debates (& people’s kids would stay in the denom after college).

One could argue that PC-USA church changed their views on the first section, which changed the other two. In reaction, PCA founders left Scottish Presbyterianism behind & traded it in for revivalist/pietistic conversionism, apologetics, & GOP religious syncretism.

I’d probably faint if I walked into a PCA and experienced a pre-1959 Scottish Liturgy like this. Haha!