Westminster Presbyterian Church in the United States
The Westminster Presbyterian Church in the United States (WPCUS) is a small Presbyterian denomination which was constituted in January 2006 in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania. The founding churches separated from their former denominations and came together because of perceived equivocation on central Protestant doctrines and because of tolerance of perceived excesses in worship practices in other Presbyterian denominations.[1] The founders were particularly concerned with the perceived spread of liberal teaching within Presbyterianism in the United States and in particular with Federal Vision theology, which they believe supplies a different understanding of doctrines such as justification and the perseverance of the saints.[2]
The WPCUS strictly subscribes to the Westminster Standards (The Westminster Confession of Faith, the Larger Catechism, the Shorter Catechism, the Directory of Public Worship, the Directory for Family Worship, and the Form of Presbyterian Church Government) as they were originally adopted by the Church of Scotland (1645–48) and the colonies of North America (1716).[3]
Distinctives
Regarding its doctrine, the WPCUS:
- rejects all perceived variations from the Westminster Standards on the doctrine of justification by grace alone through faith alone.
- adheres to young earth creationism in which creation took place within the space of six 24-hour days.
- believes in complementarianism and rejects the ordination of women to church offices (elder and deacon).
- adheres to and teaches that all nations have a moral obligation explicitly to recognize Jesus as king and supreme lawgiver in their constitutions, courts, legislatures, etc. and that the civil government has the duty to legislate in conformity with God’s moral law summarized in the Ten Commandments. Consequently, they work for the restoration of the establishment of the Christian faith in the United States and reject religious pluralism, secularism, and governmental authority that is not divinely mandated in accordance with their understanding of the Westminster Standards and the principles of the Solemn League and Covenant. (Compare Covenanting and Established Church.)
Additionally, the WPCUS adheres to the following distinctives related to public worship:
- A strict interpretation of the regulative principle of worship;
- The exclusive use of the biblical Psalter for public worship, unaccompanied by musical instruments ;
- The rejection of the ecclesiastical calendar and holy days;
- The rejection of traditional prayer books and liturgies.
References
- (April, 2006, Page 14). "News: Westminster Presbyterian Church in the United States." Banner of Truth Magazine, Banner of Truth.
- (January 3, 2006). "New Presbyterian Denomination." British Church Newspaper.
- The Westminster Presbyterian Covenant of Union
External links
- The Westminster Presbyterian Church in the United States, the official website
- The Westminster Guardian, the denomination's online magazine