Evangelical Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

[Maxirad]

Can someone who’s part of CAF possibly tell me this denomination’s position on abortion and contraception?

 

[CB_Catholic]

Can someone who’s part of CAF possibly tell me this denomination’s position on abortion and contraception?

Here is their statement of belief as far as abortion goes:

epc.org/about-the-epc/position-papers/abortion/

Their position on contraception (from the same website):

We acknowledge not every part of the Preventive Care Mandate offends the conscience of all believers. The Evangelical Presbyterian Church, for example, does not take a stand against artificial means of contraception. However, we do profoundly object to abortion on demand (see “Position Paper on Abortion,” epc.org/about-the-epc/position-papers/abortion/). Others, like many of our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters, object to artificial contraception.

 

[ltwin]

Can someone who’s part of CAF possibly tell me this denomination’s position on abortion and contraception?

I’m not sure if this is an actual denomination. I’m aware of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC), which is a US based denomination. I’m also aware of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A), commonly abbreviated PC(USA).

If you mean the EPC, it has position papers on Abortion and the Value and Respect for Human Life.

If you mean the PC(USA), according to the Pew Forum:

In 2006, the Presbyterian Church’s national governing body, the General Assembly, reaffirmed its belief that the termination of a pregnancy is a personal decision. While the church disapproves of abortion as a means of birth control or as a method of convenience, it seeks “to maintain within its fellowship those who, on the basis of a study of Scripture and prayerful decision, come to diverse conclusions and actions” on the issue.

 

[EvangelCatholic]

Anyone familiar with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church? I think they are similar to Evangelical Presbyterian Church.

 

[Per_Crucem]

Anyone familiar with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church? I think they are similar to Evangelical Presbyterian Church.

Theologically similar, as I understand it. The OPC is more confessional as regards the Westminster Standards. The EPC is more influenced by popular evangelicalism. The EPC ordains women, the OPC does not.

 

[ltwin]

Theologically similar, as I understand it. The OPC is more confessional as regards the Westminster Standards. The EPC is more influenced by popular evangelicalism. The EPC ordains women, the OPC does not.

The EPC’s ordination of women is not across the board, though. At present, whether women should be ordained or not is a decision left to each presbytery to determine. Each congregation gets to decide if women can serve as elders and deacons.

 

[Archaeopteryx]

Theologically similar, as I understand it. The OPC is more confessional as regards the Westminster Standards. The EPC is more influenced by popular evangelicalism. The EPC ordains women, the OPC does not.

The OPC is much more conservative in practice and opinion than the EPC. You might be confusing the OPC with the PCA (Presbyterian Church in America), which is somewhat more conservative than the EPC. Essentially within American Presbyterianism the PC(USA) is the very liberal mainline branch with the most members, the EPC is a relatively new denomination that was formed by those who felt the PC(USA) was becoming too liberal but still didn’t agree with much of the PCA’s more conservative slant. The PCA probably has the second largest number of members. The OPC is the most conservative branch of American Presbyterianism with a significant number of members. I know all the denominational politics because my Dad is a minister who started out in the PCA, and is currently ordained in the EPC.

 

[Stilldreamn]

Another conservative Presbyterian church is the Associate Reformed Presbyterian church. We were members of one of their congregations for a few years until my husband decided all religion was useless. I appreciate that some of my babies were baptized there, although I simply could not accept the reformed doctrines. Interestingly, when I said this to the pastor during our new member class, he said that did not prevent me from being a member - I merely had to agree to keep the peace of the congregation. OK. I can do that. I may be a Lutheran, but I’m not Luther!

Anyway - they are firmly pro-life. I never paid attention to their stance on ABC because we didn’t use it anyway. They were a very nice bunch of Christians and were very kind to our family at a time of loss.

Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church