# ECO Book of Confessions



## yeutter (Aug 22, 2017)

Some of us are ancient enough to remember when the Westminster Standards as modified by the United Presbyterian Church USA were replaced, in that body, by the Book of Confessions.

The Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians has issued its own Book of Confessions; which, sadly, looks a lot like the confessional book of their apostate mother church. They even include that ghastly PCUSA *Confession of 1967* and the *Brief Statement of Faith*. Though they wonder about the appropriateness of its inclusion.

The *Heidelberg Catechism* they include is the translation used by the Christian Reformed Church.
www.eco-pres.org/static/media/uploads/resources/print_verision_boc_may_2017.pdf


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## Dachaser (Aug 22, 2017)

yeutter said:


> Some of us are ancient enough to remember when the Westminster Standards as modified by the United Presbyterian Church USA were replaced, in that body, by the Book of Confessions.
> 
> The Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians has issued its own Book of Confessions; which, sadly, looks a lot like the confessional book of their apostate mother church. They even include that ghastly PCUSA *Confession of 1967* and the *Brief Statement of Faith*. Though they wonder about the appropriateness of its inclusion.
> 
> ...


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## Dachaser (Aug 22, 2017)

What would be some of their worst theological assumptions?


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## yeutter (Aug 22, 2017)

Dachaser said:


> What would be some of their worst theological assumptions?


Their Brief Statement of Faith is so vague that even a Quaker could subscribe to it.
The Confession of 1967 can be construed as universalist. It expressly rejects limited atonement.


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## yeutter (Aug 22, 2017)

Two groups have come out of the main line PCUSA in recent years. The Evangelical Presbyterian Church [EPC] which has become increasingly orthodox, as time goes by. The Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians [ECO] which are very broad Church but orthodox on moral issues. Both bodies are egalitarian.


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## Dachaser (Aug 22, 2017)

What would be some of their worst theological assumptions?


yeutter said:


> Their Brief Statement of Faith is so vague that even a Quaker could subscribe to it.
> The Confession of 1967 can be construed as universalist. It expressly rejects limited atonement.


Do they uphold the divinity of Jesus, and the Trinity?


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## yeutter (Aug 22, 2017)

Dachaser said:


> What would be some of their worst theological assumptions?
> 
> Do they uphold the divinity of Jesus, and the Trinity?


The ECO are orthodox on the full divinity and humanity of our Lord. They carried over from their apostate mother church creedal statements that are too broad and open to interpretation. Some men in the ECO would be comfortable in the PCA. Others, perhaps most, could not subscribe to the Westminster Standards.


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## Jake (Aug 22, 2017)

Does anyone know how the book is treated? I visited an ECO church nearby (despite being very skeptical of the denomination, some people I trusted had also been visiting there and said very good things). While not having Reformed worship and being accepting of egalitarianism in theory at least (all of their leadership is male), I definitely heard the five points of Calvinism including limited atonement come up during the sermon which was decidedly Reformed. If the 1967 confession rejects limited atonement, is it a problem if a minister confesses it?


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## yeutter (Aug 22, 2017)

As I read the document; I wonder is this is the ECO provisional book of confessions. I note they did toss the PCUSA version of the Heidelberg in favor of the CRC translation. A step in the right direction. I prefer the Eureka Classis translation of the Heidelberg. www.rcus.org/heidelberg-catechism-2011/


Jake said:


> Does anyone know how the book is treated? I visited an ECO church nearby .... While not having Reformed worship and being accepting of egalitarianism in theory at least (all of their leadership is male), I definitely heard the five points of Calvinism including limited atonement come up during the sermon which was decidedly Reformed. If the 1967 confession rejects limited atonement, is it a problem if a minister confesses it?


As to Jake's question; the ECO is not a confessional church, in the sense that her office bearers must strictly subscribe to the confessional statements in the book of confessions. Thus an elder could tell the Presbytery that he accepts the Heidelberg and Westminster and receives the other confessions only in so far as they do not contradict the historic orthodox confessions.


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## yeutter (Aug 22, 2017)

Jake said:


> Does anyone know how the book is treated?...


That question is answered in this article on their blog. 
www.eco-pres.org/blog/eco-theological-task-force-introduces-the-eco-book-of-confessions/


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## Dachaser (Aug 23, 2017)

yeutter said:


> As I read the document; I wonder is this is the ECO provisional book of confessions. I note they did toss the PCUSA version of the Heidelberg in favor of the CRC translation. A step in the right direction. I prefer the Eureka Classis translation of the Heidelberg. www.rcus.org/heidelberg-catechism-2011/
> 
> As to Jake's question; the ECO is not a confessional church, in the sense that her office bearers must strictly subscribe to the confessional statements in the book of confessions. Thus an elder could tell the Presbytery that he accepts the Heidelberg and Westminster and receives the other confessions only in so far as they do not contradict the historic orthodox confessions.


So they would not hold to a strict Confession, but would hold to whatever the minister would see as being the best one to hold with and to use?


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## yeutter (Aug 23, 2017)

Dachaser said:


> So they would not hold to a strict Confession, but would hold to whatever the minister would see as being the best one to hold with and to use?


Yes. The Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians were congregations that walked out of the mainline denomination over her departure from historic Christian teaching on morality. ECO is a mixed bag of congregations, some are generally reformed, more are generally evangelical, some are Pentecostal friendly. They are as a denomination egalitarian. One congregation here in Michigan, Church of the Straits in Mackinaw City, is a federated Church, ECO Presbyterian and United Methodist. www.thechurchofthestraits.com


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## Dachaser (Aug 23, 2017)

yeutter said:


> Yes. The Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians were congregations that walked out of the mainline denomination over her departure from historic Christian teaching on morality. ECO is a mixed bag of congregations, some are generally reformed, more are generally evangelical, some are Pentecostal friendly. They are as a denomination egalitarian. One congregation here in Michigan, Church of the Straits in Mackinaw City, is a federated Church, ECO Presbyterian and United Methodist. www.thechurchofthestraits.com


They would allow women to be pastors, and how would they view same sex relationships? They would be also open to charismatic viewpoints?


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## yeutter (Aug 23, 2017)

Dachaser said:


> They would allow women to be pastors, and how would they view same sex relationships? They would be also open to charismatic viewpoints?


Yes, some congregations are open to charismatic viewpoints. 
Yes, ECO allows women pastors, elders, and deacons.
ECO was founded by congregations and pastors who opposed a departure from historic morality. ECO Presbyterian Churches do not ordain practicing homosexuals, and do not bless homosexual weddings or unions.


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## Dachaser (Aug 23, 2017)

yeutter said:


> Yes, some congregations are open to charismatic viewpoints.
> Yes, ECO allows women pastors, elders, and deacons.
> ECO was founded by congregations and pastors who opposed a departure from historic morality. ECO Presbyterian Churches do not ordain practicing homosexuals, and do not bless homosexual weddings or unions.


Well, at least they got that aspect right, the one forbidding homosexual unions.


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## Edward (Aug 23, 2017)

yeutter said:


> The Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians were congregations that walked out of the mainline denomination over her departure from historic Christian teaching on morality.



No, they stayed long after morality had departed. They departed over homosexuality. They put up with everything else.

Reactions: Like 2


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