New Horizons

July, 2009: The 76th General Assembly

Contents The Seventy-sixth General Assembly by Peter J. Wallace Darwin on Christian Theism by William D. Dennison Total Depravity by "Uncle Glen"

The Seventy-sixth General Assembly

by Peter J. Wallace

After forty-two years, the Seventy-sixth General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church witnessed the completion of the work of what may be the longest-serving special committee in the history of the OPC: the Committee on Revisions to the Directory for Public Worship.

The same Assembly also handled what may have been the shortest appeal in OP history: approximately thirty-five seconds! Since there were two appeals related to the same case, when the Assembly determined to send the first appeal back to the presbytery, the second appeal became moot, and so there was no point in discussing it further. Read more

Darwin on Christian Theism

by William D. Dennison

While Calvinists celebrate the 500th anniversary of John Calvin's birth this year, secularists are celebrating the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth. On this occasion, let's examine Darwin's argument against Christian theism as stated in his autobiography.

Darwin claims that he gradually lost his "orthodox" Christian beliefs during his famous voyage on the Beagle from 1836 to 1839. However, his "Christianity" was only a religion of morality, based on his mother's Unitarianism. Moreover, he disdained the God of the Old Testament as a vengeful and untrustworthy "tyrant." Read more

Total Depravity

by "Uncle Glen"

Dear James,

I cannot express my horror at learning about the bus accident that involved several Rutherford athletes last week, nor my relief in hearing that all lives were miraculously spared. I am sure that the trauma over the campus will not lift for a while, especially as the campus awaits news about the extent of the survivors' critical injuries. No doubt this has provoked discussions in the classroom and in the dormitories. Read more