Evangelical Covenant Order Of Presbyterians (ECO), Conservative Denomination Launched To Break Away From PCUSA

By Daniel Burke
Religion News Service

(RNS) Conservative Presbyterians launched a new denomination on Thursday (Jan. 19), saying that the Presbyterian Church (USA) is too consumed by internal conflicts and bureaucracy to nurture healthy congregations.

"This 'new Reformed body' is intended to foster a new way of being the church, just as traditional, mainline denominations rose to serve in their day," wrote leaders of the new Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians.

More than 2,000 people attended the ECO's meeting in Orlando, Fla., this week, but a straw poll indicated that most have not yet decided whether to leave the PC(USA), according to the Presbyterian Outlook, an independent magazine.

The creation of the ECO follows the PC(USA)'s churchwide vote last year to lift its longtime ban on gay clergy. Though homosexuality is not mentioned in the ECO's founding documents, its stated commitment to conservative theology and the inerrancy of the Bible indicates that gay clergy will not be tolerated.

The ECO also hopes to distinguish itself by creating peer review systems for churches, promoting leadership training, and instituting a less hierarchical form of government than the PC(USA), according to a statement.

Incoming congregations will be given the option of pursuing joint membership in both the PC(USA) and the ECO, or joining the ECO as full members, which would require dismissal from the PC(USA).

Several dozen congregations have already started to leave the PC(USA) to join another conservative denomination, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. Unlike that denomination, the ECO says it is "fully committed" to allowing female clergy.

Though still the largest Presbyterian denomination in the U.S., the PC(USA) lost more than 500,000 members between 1998 and 2009, according to church statistics, and now has about 2 million members.

In a joint statement, eight PC(USA) elders pleaded with conservatives not to leave the denomination, even as they acknowledged tensions over the gay clergy decision.

"Do not allow one-sided presentations to be all you consider as you seek to discern God's call to you and your congregation," the elders wrote.

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Comments

[DrPhrogg]

12:02 PM on 01/28/2012

I cannot find any prohibition in the Bible against gays. There is a reference to a prohibition against sodomy, but does that apply to lesbians? The prohibition does not say that sodomy is an abomination, but the Bible used the word, "to'ebah" to refer to the violation of Jewish prohibitions. Other prohibitions that are also included as to'ebah include adultery, eating non-kosher foods, marrying a divorced woman and crossbreeding livestock, A child cursing their parents was To'ebah, punishable by the death of the child.(Leviticus 20:9) Jesus preached tolerance, as represented in the parable of the Good Samaritan. New members of my church cited the inclusive nature of the church as a reason for joining, I believe this is in line with the teachings of Jesus.The entire purpose of the discussion is against the teaching of Christ, and should be rejected. History will most likely treat this issue similar to the PCUSA ban on women, Black and even smokers as ordained members of the church. WE can't pick & choose which parts of the Bible you follow.. If we want to live by the literal language of the Bible as the last word, then all adulterers should be removed with this same action. Jesus did not directly condemn homosexuality, but he clearly condemned marriage to a divorced person. How many of our clergy fit this category. Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone.

[bannorhill]

06:27 PM on 01/29/2012

The Bible says "If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads."

"They are to be put to death" sounds like a prohibition to me.

[detroitblkmale30]

03:54 PM on 01/25/2012

Good for them for not being led astray into secular-based theology and standing on Biblical principle.

[bob riversmith]

08:48 PM on 01/25/2012

[Good for them for not being led astray into secular-ba­sed theology and standing on Biblical principle.]

The Bible was written by men...all theology has a secular basis. The various denominations are like different flavors of ice cream. All religions are both true...and false.

"Lively up yourself...and don't be no drag." (Bob Marley)

[detroitblkmale30]

07:59 AM on 01/26/2012

I disagree.The Bible is God's inspired word, transcribed by men.

Right, Bob Marley the ultimate Christia theologian.

[builder101]

12:34 PM on 01/25/2012

Conservative Presbyterians launched a new denomination on Thursday (Jan. 19), saying that the Presbyterian Church (USA) is too consumed by internal conflicts and bureaucracy to nurture healthy congregations.

So in response to the above mentioned conflicts we will create our branch (sect), run and hide! Heaven forbid any one might try to work together. I say lets herd them all to Mississippi and then build a very high fence.

[Romans 9 16]

08:01 PM on 01/26/2012

Everyone should "work together" and then the next breath is a desire to take everyone you don't agree with and put them into isolation presumably so you will not have the need to work together? Let’s be honest there is no way these two groups can work together on this issue at this time I don’t see a problem with that.

[sweetlilthing]

09:36 AM on 01/25/2012

What this does is break the Presbyteri­ans into smaller pieces. Let it happen. The smaller the group the less political power they have.

[Hillbilly49]

09:35 AM on 01/25/2012

Christianity seems to have the ability to accept any ones bigotry simply by forming a new sect; that is more bigoted than the previous one.

[Hillbilly49]

09:33 AM on 01/25/2012

This right wing fundamentalist nonsense seems to be spreading like the flue.

[bob riversmith]

08:50 PM on 01/25/2012

[This right wing fundamenta­list nonsense seems to be spreading like the flue.]

I would liken it onto the clap.

[Hillbilly49]

12:16 PM on 01/26/2012

I agree !

[Cranmer1549]

08:46 AM on 01/25/2012

Since Presbyterians believe in predestination, shouldn't the "conservatives" be open to the possibility that God wanted PCUSA to accept openly gay clergy?

[chemistrydoc]

11:38 PM on 01/24/2012

This is absolutely the height of hypocrisy - they don't want the divisive dialogue, but it is precisely that dialogue that leads to understanding....no, they just want a place to go, where everyone will know your name, and they're always glad you came......but, of course, where everyone hates the gays.

[bannorhill]

06:34 PM on 01/29/2012

The absolutely the height of hypocrisy is claiming your church believes in the Bible and is built on it's teaching and then support something that is called an abomination in the same book.

[chemistrydoc]

10:52 PM on 01/29/2012

Like eating shrimp?

[chemistrydoc]

11:37 PM on 01/24/2012

Pretty little words to simply use to wrap up more bigotry and hatred. Shame on you all.

[LeftyHeinz]

10:58 PM on 01/24/2012

We must look at the nature of God and His holiness and man's worthiness of the wrath of God.
Predestination is a Bible doctrine. Predestination was on behalf of God's elect and the elect were chosen before the foundation of the world. Since man is in a condemned natural state of wrath, God must be active in conforming him to the image of His son. Man is worthy of this eternal separation from God because all are sinners. However, God did not originally prepare the everlasting fire for human beings, but for the Devil and his hosts instead. God is not the tormenter in Hell. The Devil and his demons torment the lost. God is love.

[garyt1205]

12:24 PM on 01/25/2012

Predestination is a calvinist doctrine. John Calvin was a miserable man who killed and persecuted people in Geneva who did not believe as he did and destroyed any light that existed there. His puritan followers were no better in this country.

Additionally, none of the 3 words translated as hell mean a place of eternal torment. This comes from the ignorance and failure of evangelicals and others to study the bible in historical and cultural context. Hell as a concept comes from the middle ages and from Dante and the Roman church, not from anything Jesus taught. Ironically, I don't think Jesus, who taught freedom and hope, would be happy with what the church has done to his message through authoritarian religions.

[LeftyHeinz]

12:44 PM on 01/25/2012

When Jesus taught us about Hell, He mentioned those in Hell as being in agony. Consider the story of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man died and went to Hell and he said, “I am in agony in this fire.” Nearly everyone has been burnt and has felt that stinging pain and how it lingers. This is the description the Bible uses to show how painful Hell really is and how that pain will never go away. In Hell, sinners will be blaming others for being there. They will protest their being cast into Hell. They will never acknowledge the truth, that they are blameworthy for their sins, because denial and darkness reign in Hell.

[iamstymie]

09:06 PM on 01/24/2012

Our christians are better than your christians.

[FreedToChoose]

07:57 PM on 01/24/2012

This could be good news for the liberal and progressive Christians who have to combat the shrill admonitions of the fundamentalist and creationist members of their congregations. If they leave the mainstream, it can flows as Jesus taught, not as radical believers propose He confides in them alone.

[Janicot]

07:28 PM on 01/24/2012

Just read the story about Oral Roberts' gay grandson. Roberts actually had a gay son (who committed suicide) and two gay grandsons. I guess it never occurred to him (or to the rest of the family) that maybe God was trying to teach him something about love and acceptance.

[FreedToChoose]

07:55 PM on 01/24/2012

Or that sexual affectation may have an internal source...

[wakeupyouall]

11:11 PM on 01/24/2012

you'd think..........

[mggwa]

05:09 PM on 01/24/2012

" its stated commitment to conservative theology and the inerrancy of the Bible indicates that gay clergy will not be tolerated."

BUT

"The ECO ... instituting a less hierarchical form of government than the PC(USA)"

I believe that these two statements are rival. If ECO is not an heirarchy I think it will have some difficulty enforcing policy. At first, policy won't need enforcing, but as time passes and congregations start to drift a bit, either you split AGAIN or you have some mechanism of enforcing policy.

[revamk]

02:07 PM on 01/24/2012

This should have happened about thirty or forty years ago. Now maybe the PCUSA can get back to social justice, like Jesus wanted.

[mggwa]

05:09 PM on 01/24/2012

"Now maybe the PCUSA can get back to social justice,"

With the remnant of people who want to do it that particular way. Precisely so.

[revamk]

10:24 AM on 01/25/2012

Yeah, Jesus never claimed he'd have tons of followers.