Historic & Modern Presbyterianism and Our Distinctives

In previous sermons, we have learned some things about the Reformation. First of all, we have seen that it was not a revolution, but reform by the Bible. Those who wanted to continue the status quo tried to suppress this work of reform. Some of the most thorough reformation occurred among those called Presbyterians. However, over the years, as often happens, many Presbyterian churches began to drift away from these reforms. In some cases, this was radical (Auburn Affirmation—1924 General Assembly). This led to division, of course. Believing ministers and members were driven out of the church. They then formed the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. I could say more about this major drift, but the person who made the suggestion asked me to look at some of the more minor differences—such as those and other ARP Churches. We have looked at some he suggested, and in the future, we will cover others, but there are two that we will look at today—singing of only Psalms and no instruments. It should be noted that our practice is aligned with the older practice of the Presbyterian church.