# Presbyterian Reformed Church



## VirginiaHuguenot

Today is the 39th anniversary of the Presbyterian Reformed Church, which was founded by the late Prof. John Murrary on November 17, 1965.

For the history of how this denomination was born, see http://www.presbyterianreformed.org/ourhistory.phtml


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## Me Died Blue

Is it true that the denomination denies common grace? I heard that in another recent thread. In any case, it's good that they are faithful to the standards in our relativistic church age.

[Edited on 17-11-2004 by Me Died Blue]


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## VirginiaHuguenot

> _Originally posted by Me Died Blue_
> Is it true that the denomination denies common grace? I heard that in another recent thread.



I believe you are thinking of the Protestant Reformed Church, which has the same initials and takes an agressive approach in opposition to this doctrine, regrettably (I am a strong believer in the Reformed doctrine of common grace, and so is my denomination, the Presbyterian Reformed Church).


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## Me Died Blue

Yeah, it was mentioned by the initials PRC, and so far the Presbyterian Reformed Church was the only denomination with those initials of which I was aware. How many churches does your denomination have? I know it's extremely small, regretfully.


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## C. Matthew McMahon

Andrew - are there any of them in the South Florida Area?


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## VirginiaHuguenot

The Presbyterian Reformed Church is distinguished by a couple of features. It is exclusively _a cappella_ Psalm-singing, only the King James Version is used in the pulpit, and it is (to the best of my knowledge) the only North American denomination to hold to the original Westminster Confession without exceptions or revisions.

My PRC is indeed a small denomination (but I think it has one of the largest presbyteries in the world geographically speaking, ranging from Oregon to Canada to England). I'm sorry to report that there are no congregations in Florida. Here is info on where our congregations are located: http://www.presbyterianreformed.org/congregations.phtml


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## VirginiaHuguenot

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Presbyterian Reformed Church on November 17, 1965 by John Murray and others.


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## WrittenFromUtopia

Our denomination has a Presbytery in Japan, Andrew!


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## VirginiaHuguenot

> _Originally posted by WrittenFromUtopia_
> Our denomination has a Presbytery in Japan, Andrew!



Yep, I haven't forgotten my RP roots, Gabe! 

But its geographical boundaries don't cross the Pacific, unless I am mistaken. The PRC presbytery crosses the Atlantic and the whole North American continent.


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## kceaster

*Andrew...*

I understood that Prof. Murray helped with the establishment of this denomination, but I was unaware that he had ever transferred his credentials out of the OPC. Same goes for G.I. Williamson. Are you sure that this is correct?

The OPC does not have associate memberships. I'm not sure if they can be membered in another denomination and still be membered in the OPC.

In Christ,

KC


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## LadyFlynt

I was also looking to see what reformed churches were in Guam today (just a hobby of mine...looking to see the latest on the island) and there was Faith Presbyterian Reformed Church...so apparently they've crossed the Pacific as well.

Funny, but that church isn't listed on the site you gave. Wonder who they are with then???

[Edited on 12-23-2005 by LadyFlynt]


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## LadyFlynt

Okay, looked at the church's site again...they were listed as Faith Presbyterian Reformed Church in the directory...but their site says Faith Presbyterian and Christian Reformed Church. What is that?! (claim they follow the WCF)

WOW! Interesting history (and confusing)...anyone care to translate what they might actually teach? http://www.faithchurchguam.com/history.php

[Edited on 12-23-2005 by LadyFlynt]


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## VirginiaHuguenot

> _Originally posted by kceaster_
> I understood that Prof. Murray helped with the establishment of this denomination, but I was unaware that he had ever transferred his credentials out of the OPC. Same goes for G.I. Williamson. Are you sure that this is correct?
> 
> The OPC does not have associate memberships. I'm not sure if they can be membered in another denomination and still be membered in the OPC.
> 
> In Christ,
> 
> KC



My apologies. My attempt at clarification on another thread went awry. Sorry for any confusion about G.I. Williamson. He is and was OPC (long ago briefly in the RPCNA), not PRC. John Murray founded the PRC, but it is not clear to me that he left the OPC to join the PRC. I am going to check the history on that. 

I may have had in mind when I was typing William Young who signed the 1947 OPC minority report on psalmody along with John Murray, and did leave the OPC for the PRC in 1976, and remains a minister in the PRC to this day.

[Edited on 12-23-2005 by VirginiaHuguenot]


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## VirginiaHuguenot

> _Originally posted by LadyFlynt_
> I was also looking to see what reformed churches were in Guam today (just a hobby of mine...looking to see the latest on the island) and there was Faith Presbyterian Reformed Church...so apparently they've crossed the Pacific as well.
> 
> Funny, but that church isn't listed on the site you gave. Wonder who they are with then???
> 
> [Edited on 12-23-2005 by LadyFlynt]



That church is not associated with my denomination, although it has a similar-sounding name.

[Edited on 12-23-2005 by VirginiaHuguenot]


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## kceaster

> _Originally posted by VirginiaHuguenot_
> My apologies. My attempt at clarification on another thread went awry. Sorry for any confusion about G.I. Williamson. He is and was OPC (long ago briefly in the RPCNA), not PRC. John Murray founded the PRC, but it is not clear to me that he left the OPC to join the PRC. I am going to check the history on that.
> 
> I may have had in mind when I was typing William Young who signed the 1947 OPC minority report on psalmody along with John Murray, and did leave the OPC for the PRC in 1976, and remains a minister in the PRC to this day.
> 
> [Edited on 12-23-2005 by VirginiaHuguenot]



It's okay. I'd really like to know what you find out because I'm unsure as well.

Blessings,

KC


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## JohnV

> I may have had in mind when I was typing William Young who signed the 1947 OPC minority report on psalmody along with John Murray, and did leave the OPC for the PRC in 1976, and remains a minister in the PRC to this day.



Is Dr. Young still alive?


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## VirginiaHuguenot

> _Originally posted by JohnV_
> 
> 
> 
> I may have had in mind when I was typing William Young who signed the 1947 OPC minority report on psalmody along with John Murray, and did leave the OPC for the PRC in 1976, and remains a minister in the PRC to this day.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Is Dr. Young still alive?
Click to expand...


Yes, he has health problems but still ministers to the Rhode Island congregation.


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## Peter

Andrew, how is the PRC related to the FPCS? What denomination did Murray belong to before he came to the US?


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## VirginiaHuguenot

> _Originally posted by Peter_
> Andrew, how is the PRC related to the FPCS? What denomination did Murray belong to before he came to the US?



One of the two congregations which formed the basis of the original PRC presbytery in 1965 had formerly been part of the FPCS. That was the congregation in Chesley, Ontario. William Matheson was the minister of that congregation and a good friend of John Murray. John Murray had been a member of the FPCS while living in Scotland and as a student at Princeton. Both men were "caught up" in the controversy that engulfed the FPCS in the 1920's and 30's over whether the church should debar members who used public transportation on the Lord's Day to get to church. William Matheson wrote a well-known tract called _May Sabbath Keeping Prevent Church Going?_. The FPCS broke ties with the Chesley, Ontario church in 1931. John Murray was unable to be ordained in the FPCS because of his position in that controversy (ie., that riding public transportation to get to church on the Lord's Day was not grounds to discipline a church member). Therefore, he soon thereafter joined the OPC. He brought about the union of the Chesley church with another like-minded church in Toronto and the PRC was born in 1965. The PRC website says: 



> The pastorate of William Matheson in this far-flung congregation commenced in 1919. Matheson was a native of Lochalsh, Ontario, but went to Scotland to train for the ministry, under the auspices of the Free Presbyterian Church. During his years in Scotland one of those who responded warmly to his preaching in the Highlands was a young Free Presbyterian named John Murray. Murray went to Princeton Seminary in 1924 to study theology. In preaching visits to Canada during his student days the friendship with Matheson continued to grow. Both men were eventually caught up in a controversy within the Free Presbyterian Church, when its Synod determined that use of public transport on the Lord's Day for the purpose of attending worship services was grounds for debarring church members from the sacraments. The result was that by 1931 the Synod had broken its ties with Matheson and the Free Presbyterian Church of Ontario. And when Murray completed his studies at Princeton and returned to Scotland, he found that the door to ordination in the Free Presbyterian Church was closed to him, because his views coincided with Matheson's. In these circumstances Murray accepted a call to teach at Princeton, soon became an instructor at Westminster Theological Seminary, and in 1937 was ordained to the gospel ministry in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
> 
> William Matheson ministered to the Chesley and Lochalsh congregations, and to extensions elsewhere in Bruce, Huron and Elgin counties, Ontario, until his death in 1957. Murray traveled to Chesley to conduct Matheson's funeral, and to pay tribute to him as his dearest friend. Murray continued to preach at Chesley and Lochalsh from time to time until his retirement from Westminster Theological Seminary in 1968. Writing after a communion season at Lochalsh, Murray said, "œI think I feel most at home here and at Chesley of all the places I visit." There had been some consideration that upon leaving the seminary, Murray might take a pastorate in the newly-formed Presbyterian Reformed Church, but the infirmity of his aged sisters at the home place necessitated his return to Ross-shire, Scotland. Murray died in Scotland in 1975.


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## Peter

Thanks Andrew.


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## VirginiaHuguenot

My denomination was founded 41 years ago on November 17, 1965.


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## jaybird0827

I think it's a good idea to spell out Presbyterian Reformed Church when refrerring to our denomination in public and avoid using the acronym, in order to reduce the potential for confusion.


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## caddy

Interesting.

What are you thoughts on the KJVO Andrew? They wouldn't _cotton_ the Geneva Bible?




VirginiaHuguenot said:


> The Presbyterian Reformed Church is distinguished by a couple of features. It is exclusively _a cappella_ Psalm-singing, only the King James Version is used in the pulpit, and it is (to the best of my knowledge) the only North American denomination to hold to the original Westminster Confession without exceptions or revisions.
> 
> My PRC is indeed a small denomination (but I think it has one of the largest presbyteries in the world geographically speaking, ranging from Oregon to Canada to England). I'm sorry to report that there are no congregations in Florida. Here is info on where our congregations are located: http://www.presbyterianreformed.org/congregations.phtml


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## VirginiaHuguenot

caddy said:


> Interesting.
> 
> What are you thoughts on the KJVO Andrew? They wouldn't _cotton_ the Geneva Bible?



The Presbyterian Reformed Church uses the King James Version only in the pulpit for the sake of uniformity within the denomination as to preaching / reading -- which is not the same thing as the KJVO-principle. The underlying TR / MT is appreciated concerning not only the KJV but also the Geneva Bible, et al., but a choice was made to use one text from the pulpit and the KJV fit the bill. Our denomination is definitely not in the KJVO-camp, fer sure.


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## caddy

Thanks for that clarification Andrew...


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## ADKing

Happy birthday (of sorts) to the Presbyterian Reformed Church! Thank you for your faithful witness these past years. May God grant you many more.


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## Peter

What's the difference between the PRC and the WPCUS? They seem quite similiar to me.


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## ADKing

Peter said:


> What's the difference between the PRC and the WPCUS? They seem quite similiar to me.



Our differences are minimal. We would love to develop better relations with the PRC. It just takes time.


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## beej6

On my website, I use the acronyms PRC for the Presbyterian Reformed Church, and PRCA for the Protestant Reformed Churches in America (their full name).


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