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I the Free Press I ITHE FREE PRESS I Vol. 2-No. 2 1630 S. Hanover St., Baltimore 30, Md. November 9, 1956 Statement of Issues BY CARL McINTIRE In a few simple words we desire to or certainly in the dark, are unaware of founded on the basis of confidence and state the main issues that confront each what has happened in this regard. liberty thalt the Collingswood Church individual church and each individual This tyranny, however, is further rati­ should be told by the J udicial C~mmi~­ member in t~le Bible Presbyterian fied and established by the decision of sion that it is in danger of b~mg m Church. The crisis which confronts the the Judicial Commission of the Synod contempt, when, as a matter of fact, church bas been brought about over a on September 14, 1956, as reported in the Collingswood Church has. nev~r had period of time by four main factors. the Majority Opinion. Both the Col­ an opportunity to prese?t Its sl.de of I. lingswood Church and the Presbytery of the story or to defend Itself ag3:mst a New Jersey are warned that unless they judgment of contempt. The. Scnpture.s INCREASING POWER OVER TRE LOCAL say that a man is not to be rejected untIl CReRCH. The group in the church obey the directives of Synod they, are 3It least after the second admonition. which has sought for Synod control has in danger of being found in contempt! resorted to the "courts" of the church It is indeed a strange spectacle in the To us it is almost unthinkable that a to enforce their desires and decisions. In Bible Presbyterian Church which was situation like this could develop in the this process, the increased control over Bible Presbyterian Church, but it has. the \ocal churoh and II:he denial of lib- . It is real and we cannot accept such erties guaranteed to the toea.! church A CALL control or' power on the part of 'a Synod are clearly manifest. over the Collingswood Church or any A call for a 20th Synod of the church in the denomination. Synod has no power iq the Bible Pres­ 'Bible Presbyterian Church has been byterian Church unless ill: is specifically !issued in response to petitions from The Judicial Commission has promul­ given to it in the constitution. This we ministers of three presbyteries­ gaited the new doctrine in the Church that have emphasized and re-emphasized. In New Jersey, California, and Ken­ . its decisions in administrative cases must this we thought there was protection and tucky and Tennessee, which have re­ be obeyed, just as a decision of the Su­ guarantee of liberty to the local congre­ nounced the 19th General Synod. preme Court of the United States is ~o gations. Rev. J. U. Selwyn Toms and I The moderators of the tthree presby­ be obeyed. And yet, in the decisi.on were members of the Ithree.-man constitu­ teries signed the call. The text of which it made regarding thecomplamt tional committee which drafted the Bible the call follows: from the New Jersey Presbyltery, it went Presbyterian constitution and presented completely oeyond the bound's of .the it to the First and Second General Synods A CALL FOR A complaint, since no quest!on was ral~ed meeting in Collingswood, 1938 and 1939. TWENTIETH SYNOD in the p,!-rticular complamt c~ncermng the compliance of the Collmgswood But Ithe 19th General Synod simply A call is hereby made for a Twen- .. Church or II:he Presbytery with the order took to itself power over the Collings­ tieth Synod of the Bible Presbyte­ of the 19th General Synod. The Com­ wood Church. This church is the larg­ rian Church to be held in Collings­ mission proceeded on its own initiative est and has oontributed more to the wood, New Jersey, Friday, Novem­ to rule on the matter of contempt I For denomination than any other one tes­ 'ber 23, 1956, at 10 a.m., and con­ a 1udicial Commission to have i~s ~d, timony, yet Synod proceeded to order tinuing through November 27, 1956. rfiinistrative actions absolutely bmdlng the Collingswood Church to pIal.:.:' names Such a Synod is being called for upon the Church an~ w.ith the. ~mmis­ on its roll of members and then to issue the purpose: sion free to include m Its deClslons any letters to a group that was forming (1) Of reconsidering all actions matters that it may desire, though they another church from out of the Col­ relative to 'the American Council of are not properly brought before it anld lingswood Church. This oroer to the Christian Churches, the Internation­ have not been debated or discussed be­ Collingswood Church and to the Pres­ al Council of Christian Churches, fore the Commission, involves the ex­ bytery of New Jersey, if the Collings­ the Independerut Board for Presby­ oercise of a tyranny which simply can­ wood Church refused to obey, was in terian Foreign Missions, Faith The­ not be accepted. Yet this is the fact. violation, as Dr. Allan A. MacRae has ological Seminary, and other irtde­ pointed out in his Minority Opinion, of Another example of this tyranny which pendent agencies. has come to light as a result of the pres­ specific provisions in the constitution. (2) Of taking any and all actions Rights given 11:0 the local church were ent conflict is the decision of the Judicial within the limits of the constitution Commission relative to the Bible Preshy­ denied, transgressed, and usurped by rela:tive to complaints which have a Synod. If a Synod has this power terian Church Association, through been made against various presby­ which the churches, presbyteries, and in­ over a local church, it can divide a teries. church. In such division the .property dividuals in the denomination maintain rights of a congregation are involved. (3) Of re-establishing fellowship constituent membership in the Interna­ This is an indirect way of getting at the and oonfidence among the br6thren tional Ck>uncil of ChriStian Gurches. church property and seeing that the ma­ and churches and to take any and It is the Commission's judgment that jority as desired by a particular Synod all actions necessary and proper· and the Synod' has the right to extend or controls the property. iliat may be desired for a Synod to withhold the privilege of joining to under the constitution; and to set a local church. We are oonfident that the local the time and place for the next Gen-, This power over the local church on churches of our denomination, many of eral Synod. the part of the Synod is absolutely for­ which have 'been kept totally uninformed eign to the constitution of the Bible Page 2 THE FREE PRESS November 9, 1956 Presbyterian Church. As Dr. MacRae order to repudiate these men, they re­ even gotten to the place where they has pointed out in his Mir:ority OlJinion, pudiated the organizations with which ditl not mention i.t any longer to our local churches are free and our they were identified I t'heir people. The issues of separation presbyteries have silch authority under When the Bible Presbyterian Church are involved in the repudiation of the the constitution to unite with the Bible Association was first formed, it was free­ ACCC and ICCe. rHow can they build Presbyterian Church Association. This ly said that the churches were free to join a movement on a "tighter Church," "su­ liberty is now denied to the local church I as they felt led. But when the drive per policy" and "anti-McIntire" cam­ A more "powerful Synod" just takes claiming that the Association was un­ paign ?] power I constitutional and illegal developed, We believe God has given the ba11le The Synod that assembles in Collings­ churches were advised not to affiliate with into the hands of those who will gather wood, November 23-27, 1956, repudiates it. The Bible Presbyterian Ohurch Asso­ in Collingswood With both the zeal and all of this and is determined that it shall ciation provided' the only way through the fait!h of those who founded this continue the liberty and the freedom of which Bible Presbyterian ministers and Church. the churches under the constitution. The churches could maintain constituent group thatt will meet in Columbus stands membership in the ACCC and the ICCC, III. with ·the majority, in the Judicial Com­ and under the ICCC's consritution the of­ THE ATTEMPT TO DISCREDIT CARL mission's decision, and represents also ficers have to be from constituent bodies .. McINTIRE. There is little doubt now the group which has usurped and grabbed The drive againt the Bible Presbyterian in people's minds that the drive to change power in the Synod and tried to force C!lwrch Association was an extension the Church coupled with it a drive to dis­ the Collingswood Church <to put names of the drive against my continuing in my credit me, since I resisted the attack on and to take names off its roll. Only place as president of the Council. It upon the independent agencies, the the session of the church, under otlr was thought by many that, when the struggle for a "tighter church," and the constitution, has the authority to add church withdrew from the ICCC, I would policies of the ACCC and IeCe. This names to a church roll. This duty be­ either have to resign from' the Council's atttack was first carried on "under­ longs solely to the session. Every ses- presidency or leave the denomination; ground" for a number of years, and all ,sion and local church i~ involved in this and when the Association came into ex­ of this has been documented in the Chris­ effort Ito "force" Colhngswood.
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