18 February 2009

THE ADVENTURES OF GRAYING PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH: School bells ring.

Later that evening, Red thought back to the conclusions he had reached over the past few days. It all comes back to the need for elders to do the job, to execute the office of elder.

He picked up his copy of Leadership Training Guide—A Resource for Pastors, Elders and Church Leaders. As he thumbed through the book, he looked at the detailed questions that were posed.

How many of the session could answer most of these, he wondered?

--What issue was at stake at the Councils of Nicea and Chalcedon?
--Who were some of the principals in the First Great Awakening?
--What does it mean to be Reformed?
--What was the effect on Presbyterians of the [1801] Agreement with the Congregationalists?
--What do we mean when we say that Scripture is inerrant? Is this the same as saying that we take the Bible literally?
--What is the method of interpreting Scripture used by Dispensationalists?
--In what sense is the doctrine of the Trinity a guide in what not to believe?
--Summarize the Covenant of Grace.
-- What is “imputed righteousness”?
-- What is the “kenosis” passage? What does “kenosis” mean?
--Explain the major theories of the atonement.
--What does each letter of TULIP stand for? What is the meaning of each term?
--What are two differences between justification and sanctification?
--What is the filling of the Holy Spirit?
--What are the marks of a true church?
--What does it do to a sacrament if the person who administers it is not of good character?
--What is the primary difference among premillennialists, postmillennialists, and amillennialists? Briefly describe the different positions.
Not that many, I bet! But how to remedy that? That is the $64,000 question.

Tune in tomorrow when these and other burning questions will be debated in the further Adventures of Graying Pres.

4 comments:

Jody Harrington said...

Those are some very tough questions!I'm impressed.

Never mind the session, how many pastors could answer those questions?

Mac said...

All the questions are taken from chapter summaries of the EPC Leadership Training Guide--A Resource for Pastors, Elders, and Church Leaders. And while not seminary level discourse, the answers to all (and many, many more) can be found in the guide materials.

I purchased my first copy at a GA to use when my Senior High class asked for an 8 week class on the five principles of Calvinism. It was a great help.

While there is some EPC-specific information, and the only confessions that are discussed in any great detail are the Nicene and the Westminster, it is solid Reformed material and could be used by any Reformed church that wanted to educate its leadership.

And at 190 pages,it costs only 5 or 6 bucks!

Reformed Catholic said...

Sounds like a great resource. Only $5.00 from the EPC website.

Anonymous said...

I'm jealous of the EPC, I'll admit...