October 1999 New Horizons

Seminary Education: Its Necessity and Importance

by Alan D. Strange

The Form of Government (FG) of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church requires seminary training for men who would be licensed or ordained to preach. FG XXI:3 puts it this way: "It is highly reproachful to religion and dangerous to the church to entrust the preaching of the gospel to weak and ignorant men. The presbytery shall therefore license a candidate only if he has received a bachelor of arts degree, or its academic equivalent, from a college or university of reputable academic standing, and has completed an adequate course of study lasting at least one year and a half in a theological seminary." FG XXIII:3 further requires for ordination "an adequate course of study in a theological seminary equivalent to that required for a regular three—year theological degree." Is the OPC justified in requiring seminary training for its ministers? After all, where does the Bible say that a preacher needs to go to seminary? Biblical Requirements It is true that the Word of God emphasizes the moral and ... Read more

Raised Up by the Lord: The Call of God to the Office of Pastor

by Mark J. Larson

In recent months, the "Shepherd—Finder Update" on the Home Missions pages of New Horizons has focused attention on the pressing need for pastors in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, both for mission works and for organized congregations. We have been reminded of our duty to pray, for the laborers are few. In prayer, we acknowledge that God alone can raise up true pastors for the work. A biblical pastor is a man who has been called by God. The Pastoral Doctrine of John Calvin A consideration of the scriptural teaching on the pastoral call is greatly facilitated by examining the teaching of the sixteenth—century Reformer, John Calvin. The advantages of reflecting upon Calvin's pastoral doctrine are twofold. First, his pastoral experience was extensive, lasting for nearly thirty years. Apart from his time in Strasbourg, his life's work was done in Geneva, where he served as one of the pastors in the cathedral parish of St. Pierre. It was in this setting of total engagement in the pastoral ... Read more

Venturing onto the Highway

by Linda Porter Foh

"Then the master said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled'" (Luke 14:23 NKJV). By now, most New Horizons readers have heard of the Information Superhighway, or Internet. The July 1997 issue of New Horizons featured several articles on computers in the church, including some discussion of the Internet. G. I. Williamson likened the impact of the Internet to that of the printing press: Try to imagine the Reformation without the printing press! It made it possible for bold men of God to spread the truth rapidly to the multitudes. It is my conviction that we are entering an age of information transfer that dwarfs the one that helped to spur on the Reformation. We who still hold to the Reformation gospel must make every effort to make maximum use of computers today. Books will never become obsolete, but it is astonishing how much information is "out there" on the Internet. As with books, of course, some of the ... Read more