Bible Presbyterian Church

The Bible Presbyterian Church is an American Protestant

Bible Presbyterian Church
denomination in the Calvinist tradition.

History

Origin

The Bible Presbyterian Church was formed in 1937,

predominantly through the efforts of such conservative
Classification Protestant
Presbyterian clergymen as Carl McIntire, J. Oliver Buswell and
Allan MacRae. Francis Schaeffer was the first minister to be Orientation Calvinist
ordained in the new denomination. The First General Synod of the Governance Presbyterian
Bible Presbyterian Church was held in 1938 in Collingswood,
Origin 1937
New Jersey.
Collingswood,
The Bible Presbyterian Church broke from the Orthodox New Jersey
Presbyterian Church in 1937, the latter formed slightly earlier in Separated from Orthodox
1936 and a continuation of the Presbyterian Church of America Presbyterian
(not to be confused with the similar but later Presbyterian Church
Church
in America). The name had to be changed because of a successful
lawsuit in civil court by the mainline denomination regarding name Separations Evangelical
infringement – a trademark-violation issue. After the conservative Presbyterian
faction had left the Presbyterian Church in the United States of Church, American
America (PCUSA), considerable dissension became apparent Presbyterian
among the conservatives themselves, and it became evident that Church, Faith
there were two groups within the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Presbytery, Bible
The first group was more closely bound to traditional modes of
Presbyterian
worship, theological formulations, and the like. This group held to
Church
the classic formulations of Reformed theology (as mediated
through the Westminster Confession and the Catechisms) and Congregations 33
piety, thus forming an "orthodox" faction. Members 3,500

The other faction espoused a conservatism that showed a more

keen interest in cultural and political matters, and saw the actions of the PCUSA as symptomatic of a
rejection of long-held principles of conservative Christianity by much of the larger American society. This
group was essentially fundamentalist in nature, and became associated with the "Bible" faction. McIntire
laid the basis for much of what was to come to be called the "Christian right" in American religion and
politics.

Two main issues made the existence of these factions within the Orthodox Presbyterian Church evident.
The first had to do with a classic Reformed piety over against a piety of fundamentalism. It came down to a
conflict over the use of alcoholic beverages. The "orthodox" side condemned drunkenness, but
nevertheless did not agree that Scripture required Christians to totally abstain from drinking alcoholic
beverages, while the "Bible" side asserted that the Bible prohibited the consumption of alcohol entirely (see
also Christianity and alcohol).
The second issue was over faithfulness to covenant Theology versus the toleration of dispensationalism.
Those on the "Bible" side had come to tolerate, and even use, the popular Scofield Reference Bible whose
notes taught the theological system called dispensationalism, rather than covenant theology historically held
by most Calvinist churches. Scofield's notes were under considerable criticism by faculty members of
Westminster Theological Seminary, who led the "orthodox" faction. Historic premillennialism was tolerated
within the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, yet the dispensational form of premillennialism was considered
to be serious error. Those who came to call themselves "Bible Presbyterians" saw the serious criticisms
against Scofield's notes as a swipe against historic premillennialism itself, rather than merely the
dispensational form of premillennialism, and wanted the freedom to use the Scofield Reference Bible. The
formal exodus of Bible Presbyterian churches came about in 1938, only two years after the forming of the
Orthodox Presbyterian Church, immediately after the failure of Milo F. Jamison, a dispensationalist, to be
elected Moderator of the General Assembly. The split was not on unkind terms, as was the case with the
original split with the PCUSA. The Bible Presbyterian Church has always maintained the unity of the
covenant of grace (a decidedly non-Dispensational position), and, in later years, passed resolutions against
Dispensationalism in its annual Synod meetings.

First split

From 1955 to 1956, a fairly acrimonious split occurred in the Bible Presbyterian Church, resulting in the
Bible Presbyterian Church Collingswood Synod and the Bible Presbyterian Church Columbus Synod.

While the Bible Presbyterian Church Collingswood Synod remained under the influence of McIntire, the
BPC Columbus Synod, which included such men as Francis Schaeffer and Jay E. Adams would eventually
move beyond its Bible Presbyterian Church heritage and eventually would take the name the Evangelical
Presbyterian Church in 1961 (which is not to be confused with the current denomination of the same name,
founded in 1981). In 1965, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church merged with the Reformed Presbyterian
Church, General Synod, a denomination of "new light" Covenanter descent, to form the Reformed
Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod (RPCES). The RPCES would eventually merge with the
Presbyterian Church in America in 1982.

Shortly before the split, the Bible Presbyterian Church had established Covenant College and Covenant
Theological Seminary, both of which would be supported by the BPC Columbus Synod/Evangelical
Presbyterian Church and both would follow the Evangelical Presbyterian Church into first the RPCES and
then the PCA.

Second split

The remaining synod retained the name Bible Presbyterian Church. The group experienced another split in
1979; the American Presbyterian Church left the BPC over roughly the same concerns that led to the
original OPC/BPC split decades earlier.

Third split

On March 28, 2008, the South Atlantic Presbytery voted by a wide margin to disassociate from the Bible
Presbyterian Synod, in opposition to formal relations recently established between the Synod and the
Orthodox Presbyterian Church. The presbytery took the name Faith Presbytery, Bible Presbyterian Church.

Recent history
Today the North American body has 33 congregations. Bible Presbyterians do not have synod-controlled
boards for missions and education, but annually approve independent agencies for mission work, as well as
colleges and seminaries.

Doctrine
The Westminster Confession of Faith, Larger Catechism and Shorter Catechism was adopted in the first
Bible Presbyterian Synod in 1938. It agrees with the original manuscript of the Confession. The
denomination describes itself as a confessional church which believes in historic Calvinism. [1]

Demographics
The denomination comprises 33 churches mostly in the United States and 1 church in Alberta, Canada and
4 presbyteries. These presbyteries are the Great Western Presbytery, the Eastern Presbytery, the Great
Lakes Presbytery, and the Florida Presbytery. The highest governing body is the Synod.

General Synod
Assistant
No Year Date City Venue Moderator Stated Clerk
Stated Clerk

Rev Dr H
Sep 6- Collingswood, Rev J U Selwyn
1st 1938 McAllister
8 NJ Toms
Griffiths
Rev G
Nov Collingswood, Rev Dr Harold S
2nd 1939 Douglas
14-16 NJ Laird
Young

Rev G
Oct Rev Dr Allan A
3rd 1940 Chester, PA Douglas
22-24 MacRae
Young

Rev G
Oct Rev Edgar A
4th 1941 Charlotte, NC Douglas
14-16 Dillard
Young
Nov 5- Rev J Gordon Rev Stanley
5th 1942 St Louis, MO
10 Holdcroft P Allen

Oct Wilmington, Eld Roland K Rev Stanley

6th 1943
14-19 DE Armes P Allen

Oct Rev Dr J Oliver Rev Stanley

7th 1944 Greenville, SC
12-17 Buswell, Jr P Allen
Harvey Cedars
May Harvey Rev Flournoy Rev Stanley
8th 1945 Bible Presbyterian
24–29 Cedars, NJ Shepperson, Sr P Allen
Conference

Bible Presbyterian
May Collingswood, Rev Dr Carl Rev Robert
9th 1946 Church of
23–28 NJ McIntire Hastings
Collingswood

Tacoma Bible
Jul 17- Rev Dr Roy T Rev Robert
10th 1947 Tacoma, WA Presbyterian
22 Brumbaugh Hastings
Church

May Bible Presbyterian Rev Francis A Rev Robert

11th 1948 Nashville, TN
13–19 Church of Nashville Schaeffer Hastings

May Bible Presbyterian Eld Dr Peter Rev Robert

12th 1949 Baltimore, MD
16–31 Church of Baltimore Stam, Jr Hastings

First Bible
Jun 1- Rev G Douglas Rev Robert
13th 1950 St Louis, MO Presbyterian
6 Young Hastings
Church of St Louis

May
Rev John W Rev Robert
14th 1951 31 - New York, NY Shelton College
Sanderson, Jr Hastings
Jun 5

Aug Rev Dr Robert Rev Robert

15th 1952 Pasadena, CA Highland College
21-26 G Rayburn Hastings

Jun 4- Elkins Park, Faith Theological Rev William A Rev Robert

16th 1953
9 PA Seminary Mahlow Hastings
 Bible Presbyterian
Jun 3- Rev Dr Linwood Rev Robert
17th 1954 Greenville, SC Church of
9 G Gebb Hastings
Greenville

Jun 2- Rev Dr J Oliver Rev Robert

18th 1955 St Louis, MO
8 Buswell, Jr Hastings

Apr 5- Rev Dr R Laird Rev W Harold

19th 1956 St Louis, MO
11 Harris Mare

Rev A
Nov Collingswood, Rev Dr Carl Rev Emanuel
20th 1956 Franklin
23-27 NJ McIntire Peters
Faucette
Rev A
Nov 2- Collingswood, Rev Dr Clyde J Rev John E
21st 1957 Franklin
6 NJ Kennedy Janbaz
Faucette

Rev A
Oct Collingswood, Rev Dr Charles Rev John E
22nd 1958 Franklin
22-27 NJ E Richter Janbaz
Faucette

Rev A
Oct Collingswood, Rev Dr Arthur G Rev Robert B
23rd 1959 Franklin
21-26 NJ Slaght Vandermey
Faucette
Rev A
Oct Collingswood, Rev John E Rev Robert B
24th 1960 Franklin
19-24 NJ Janbaz Vandermey
Faucette

Rev A
Oct Collingswood, Rev Dr J Philip Rev Robert B
25th 1961 Franklin
19-24 NJ Clark Vandermey
Faucette

Rev A
Oct Collingswood, Rev Dr Albert B Rev Robert B
26th 1962 Franklin
17-22 NJ Dodd Vandermey
Faucette
Rev A
Oct Rev Dr George Rev James
27th 1963 Cape May, NJ Christian Admiral Franklin
16-22 W Fincke, Jr Blizzard
Faucette

Rev A
Oct Rev Dr Lynn Rev James
28th 1964 Cape May, NJ Christian Admiral Franklin
14-20 Gray Gordon Blizzard
Faucette

Rev A
Oct Rev Dr Carl Rev James
29th 1965 Cape May, NJ Christian Admiral Franklin
19-25 McIntire Blizzard
Faucette
May
30th 1966 Boston, MA Statler Hilton Hotel
18–23

References
1. www.bpc.org/?paige_id=201 (http://www.bpc.org/?paige_id=201)

External links
Bible Presbyterian Church (http://www.bpc.org)
Far Eastern Bible College (http://www.febc.edu.sg)
Western Reformed Seminary (http://www.wrs.edu)
 "Machen’s Warrior Children" (http://www.frame-poythress.org/frame_articles/2003Machen.ht
m) by John Frame

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