ARPTalk (166): Going Down, Part 2a continues ARPTalk (164) – that is, reasons why the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARPChurch) is a stone’s throw from death. And, if not dead, it is now a micro-denomination of about 25 healthy congregations. For 50 years, I (and others) dreamed a dream of the ARPChurch as a significant and influential denomination in the world of Reformed and Evangelical Presbyterianism. Like the movie, that dream is gone with the wind, and I am sad!…

The most self-condemnatory question ever asked was asked by Pilate when Jesus was brought before him. The questions is, “What is truth?” “What is truth?” The Moderator of General Synod sent out the following email today (May 22, 2023, see below). The purpose of this email is to offer an update on the recent activity of the Executive Board of the General Synod. On May 22, 2023, the former Reverend Charles (Chuck) Wilson appeared before the court in order to…

When I last saw my cardiologist, there was good news and bad news. The good news was he assured me I wasn’t dead, yet. The bad news was he assured me his diagnosis regarding my amyloidosis-wild and congestive heart failure hadn’t changed, and his prognosis regarding my death remained the same. He said the Vyndamax (which was recently released by the FDA) is retarding the migration of bone proteins to my heart; nevertheless, the damage to my heart is extensive…

Last Christmas ______________________________________________________ What would you do if this were your last Christmas? According to my doctor, there is a high probability this is my last Christmas. Last summer a year ago, I noticed I was  having  problems with fatigue. After visits with numerous physicians and many medical procedures, it was determined I had atrial flutter. I was shocked! How did that happen? I have spent two hours on most Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, in a gym, for the last…

The Great Punt If it were not for seeing old friends again and meeting new ones, the meeting of the General Synod of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church this summer would have been a total waste of time. As a friend said, “We’re doing it again. In good ARP style, we’re kicking the can down the road again. This Synod is nothing but a big punt.” Well, he nailed the essence of General Synod on the head. So, my title…

I’m old now, and I’m too old to do much but sit in my rocking chair and rock in my living room with my dog beside me, look out our picture window at the world, observe the curious goings-on, scratch my gray and balding head, and I wonder in amazement. One of the things I wonder about is this: WHY DOES THE ASSOCIATE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH CONTINUE HER SLOW AND STEADY MARCH TO THE GRAVE? ______________________________________________________ PAROCHIALISM AND XENOPHOBIA CONTINUE…

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Christmas poem below, written by the Reverend Tanner Cline, was presented on Christmas Eve to the congregation of the Bartow Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Bartow, Florida. I admire people with poetic creativity. I was blessed and intrigued by the poem. As you read it, I pray you find a belated Christmas blessing. ______________________________________________________ ‘Twas the night before Jesus came, when all thro’ the earth,Most people had given up on the Messiah’s birth. Caesar was taxing the…

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is by Reverend Seth Yi, the pastor of the Newberry Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, Newberry, South Carolina. Some may be offended by Seth’s words; however, pray consider, he may be right. If he is . . . ______________________________________________________ Jesus highlights how tragedy exposes the fragility and unpredictability of life and thus the eternal significance of being right with God. Therefore, no matter how protected or sheltered one’s life may appear to be (clearly not as much…

I hate the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. I love the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. I am capable of loving and hating the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church at the same time. After 50 years, I have come to this conclusion: one does not have to be mind-numbingly drunk or rip-roaringly crazy to be an Associate Reformed Presbyterian, but both mind-numbingly drunk and rip-roaringly crazy help. Yes, I attended the meeting of General Synod on June 8-10, and the experience was almost…

Once again, for the third year, General Synod will not meet at Bonclarken. In 2019, Synod met in Pennsylvania, at Geneva College, in Beaver Falls. Last year, because of the stringent Covid protocols in North Carolina, Synod met in the facilities of First Presbyterian Church, Columbia, South Carolina. Once again, because of Covid protocols, the folks at Bonclarken requested Synod not to meet at Bonclarken. Unexpectedly, a few days later, President Biden, CDC officials, and the governor of North Carolina…

A TRIBUTE 2021 began with the announcement of the death of the Reverend Henry Lewis Smith, my friend since 1970. In the summer of 1972, my wife and I became Associate Reformed Presbyterians when we united with the Covenant Presbyterian Church in Winter Haven, Florida. Henry was the founding pastor of the congregation. More than a pastor, Henry was my friend and mentor. What little I know about the political nature of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, I learned from…

Other than Jesus, do you have a favorite Christmas character? I do. It’s Joseph, and I call him the father of Christmas. However, before I tell you why, let me begin with a story. I don’t have many childhood memories of Christmas. I was the only child of older parents, who were no-nonsense people. They were in their 30s when they married in 1942, and they waited until after World War Two to have a child. Daddy explained he wasn’t going to chance dying in the war and leaving mama to raise a child alone.

DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY (2) A Two Part Analysis of the Meeting of General Synod In the last issue of ARPTalk, by identifying the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church as a dysfunctional family, I am sure I offended some of my more sensitive readers who live in the fragile world of nice. However, as I was taught in counseling (and I have found it to be true in ministry), families of more than one person are dysfunctional — and it’s to be expected.…

DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY (1) A Two Part Analysis of the Meeting of General Synod The meeting of General Synod last Thursday and Friday (October 22 and 23) sparked my imagination. In the beautiful sanctuary of the First Presbyterian Church of Columbia, SC, we heard numerous delegates speak of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church as “family.” Well, are we family because we are small (and, indeed, we are small and very scattered)? Are we family because so many of us are blood-related…

Recently, a number of friends have asked me about the goings on which are presently so troublesome. I have been encouraged to share my thoughts. So, I said, “Email me your questions, and I will see what I can do.” Below are a few of my responses to friends’ questions. I have given my friends noms de plume. QUESTION ONE: (Richard) “Am I correct in thinking what we appear to be seeing in America today is a conflict being fueled…

As a lover of long words, a long word describes my thinking in this post. In a time of financial uncertainty, watching the churchmen who run Central Services in Greenville applying for a government loan instead of appealing to God’s people in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church is gut-wrenching. Does this reflect a distrust of the people in the pews? Has the ARP Center become the Vatican of Greenville? Have the various boards and agencies distanced themselves so far from…

On an episode of Arial America about Hawaii, I heard the story of Father Damien of Molokai. Born in 1840 in Belgium, he became a Catholic priest and was sent as a missionary to the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1864. In those days, leprosy was considered contagious and incurable, and lepers were isolated in leper colonies. The secluded island of Molokai was designated a leper colony by the Royal Board of Health, and lepers were sent to Molokai to fend…

The meeting of General Synod of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church this year was at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, PA. In 2015, at our invitation, the delegates of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America traveled south, to Bonclarken, to meet with us, and this year, at their invitation, the delegates of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church traveled north (or most of us did) to meet with them. Traveling roundtrip, a total of 24 hours in the backseat of…

Unless there is great duress, a college board goes in the direction the president desires and sets. With the concurrence of the board’s chairman and input from chief administrators, the president oversees and approves the framing of agendas for board meetings. The Erskine board meeting in Due West last Thursday and Friday (February 21 and 22) was not an exception to the rule. The outcome saw the fulfillment of President Rob Gustafson’s agenda: the betrayal of those who worked to…

Since 1946, the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship sponsored Urbana Conference has probably been the leading platform in the evangelical Christian community for challenging young Christian men and women to a life of evangelism as missionaries. Held every three years, the most recent Urbana Conference occurred in St. Louis, MO, on December 27-31, 2018. I attended college and seminary with friends who found their way to the mission field through an Urbana challenge. In the past, I have either given or raised…

On Wednesday, August 26, I traveled to the Greenville Associate Reformed Presbytery Church were Outreach North American was holding a seminary on poverty with Randy Nabors and Will Broadus. Nabors is pastor-emeritus of New City Fellowship in Chattanooga, Tennessee and Urban and Mercy Ministries Coordinator for Mission to North America for the Presbyterian Church in America. He grew up in poverty in Newark, New Jersey and has extensive experience in cross-cultural ministry and ministry to the poor. Broadus, an African-American…

More Sports Programs Anticipated at Erskine College I must begin this issue of ARPTalk by apologizing to our readers. In the last issue of ARPTalk, I announced the following new sports were added at Erskine College: football, acrobatics, E-Sports, lacrosse, track and field, and rodeo. There are, however, other sports programs under consideration. At the time, I was unaware of them. I informed the readers of ARPTalk that the motion to pass the new sports programs was made by Bobby…

A year ago, after conversations with President Rob Gustafson and others to whom I turn for counsel, I put ARPTalk into hibernation. The new administration at Erskine needed the time and an opportunity to put together a plan. Indeed, with the hiring of Dr. Rob Gustafson as President, Dr. John Basie as Provost of the college, and Dr. Leslie Holmes as Provost of the seminary, a new day was upon us — or so we hoped. With hope abounding, many…