Presbyterian Church (USA)

The Presbyterian Church (USA) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. It is part of the Reformed family of Protestantism, descending from the branch of the Protestant Reformation begun by John Calvin. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the USA and was established by the 1983 merger of the former Presbyterian Church in the United States, a southern branch of American Presbyterianism, and the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, a northern branch. The unified body currently has approximately 2.4 million members, 11,100 congregations, and 14,000 ordained ministers. It is a member of the National Council of Churches.

Recent controversies about the role of Christ in salvation

In 2000, the Reverand Dirk Ficca was invited by the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program to give the keynote address at the 2000 Presbyterian Peacemaking Conference. In his speech, entitled "Uncommon Ground: Living Faithfully in a Diverse World" he asked "Okay, well if God is at work in our lives whether we're Christian or not, what's the big deal about Jesus?" The Full text of Ficca's address can be found here, where it is obvious that he was asking a rhetorical question.

Related Topics:
Dirk Ficca - Presbyterian Peacemaking Program - Rhetorical question

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Following the controversy which ensued, the PC(USA) published a statement stating "...regardless, Rev. Ficca speaks for himself and not for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)." Later, in 2003, the General Assembly declared that "there is salvation in none other than Christ."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 2005 a female minister in Pennsylvania came under scrutiny after performing a marriage between a lesbian couple, including infusion of Buddhist rites in the ceremony. Her case is to be heard by the church's court.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Officially the church condones blessings for same sex and dual-faith unions, given that they are not "marriages."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~