What do Presbyterians believe?

The short answer is Presbyterians believe a lot of things. Below, you'll see a list of common beliefs, but you'll notice as you read through them that we often understand them differently than one another.

Does this mean that Presbyterians are argumentative sorts?

No, not really. It's simply that one of our core beliefs is that "God alone is Lord of the conscience" which means that ministers or councils do not dictate to us what to believe.

What about scripture? Does that determine what we are to believe?

Yes. Presbyterians claim that the Bible is the word of God, but we also understand that it must be interpreted. Two people can read the same scripture and understand it differently.

Well, then, how do you keep from reading it however it suits you best?

Self-interested readings are a danger. That's why Presbyterians always do two things when we interpret scripture. First, we pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we read. Second, we read scripture with other people who can help us see our blind spots. Sometimes those 'other people' are scholars who've written commentaries on the scripture we're reading and sometimes they are people from other cultures and sometimes they are our Christian brothers and sisters who live radically different lives. For instance, reading about Jesus with a man who lives on the streets can provide amazing insight into a man who said, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." Above all, though, at Wayne, we practice what is called a hermeneutic of love. Any interpretation of scripture must be loving.

But Presbyterians do have some common beliefs, right?

Yes. First, we believe that God loves us. Each of us. This is the starting point of faith. Some of our brothers and sisters in the faith will acknowledge this central fact of Christianity but then speak words that sound like hate. That won't do. God is a God of love. This makes sense of everything else. For instance, creation. God creates this world out of love. It is a good world. It is not a prison or a place to waste away a life waiting for heaven. It is our home—and the home of all God's creatures. We are to have dominion over it the way God has dominion over us. That is, we are to love it too.

What's incarnation?

Incarnation is the word we use to describe God becoming a human in Jesus. It means "in the flesh." It's an act of love. Whatever flavor of Christianity, we all agree that in some way Jesus was reconciling the world to God—because "God so loved the world."

You mean by paying the debt of our sin?

Yes. That's one way scripture talks about it. That's a legal/economic metaphor for what Jesus did. But there are others: overcoming the power of sin and death, paying a ransom, reconciling estranged parties, making sacrifice, restoring the fullness of humanity, and a host of others. Each way of speaking about it points at removing whatever separates us from God. In Jesus, God has taken the initiative to end that separation. That's love. That's how we should always talk about God.

Why are we separated from God anyway?

That's a question you could spend a lifetime answering. Some have looked at the story of the garden of Eden and come to the conclusion that humanity had a "fall," that is we became a broken people through our disobedience. This is the interpretation Paul makes in one of his letters. In Christian history, it has been the most influential answer.

Others look at the Bible and at their fellow humans and simply note that we live in a broken world without offering a reason why it happens. They are not very satisfactory answers, I know, but we can only acknowledge that the moment humans have had a chance to choose, we've often chosen to hurt each other.

Well, can we talk about Adam and Eve? Because I'm not sure they're real.

That's okay here. We have some members who believe they are and some who think they aren't, that the Bible is conditioned by the times in which it was written. That doesn't mean it doesn't have great wisdom in it. You do not have to believe that the Bible is without scientific or historical error in order to be a Christian. The Bible, rather, is a revelation of God's character.

Holding that position means that by reading scripture, particularly about Jesus, we can more fully know what God is like. If we look at Jesus, we discover that God cares about healing; we discover that God cares about the outcast; we discover that God cares about how we treat each other; we discover that God cares about us.

But isn't it easier to just believe everything exactly as written?

Sure, if that doesn't cause internal trouble for you. If it does cause trouble for you, you don't have to forsake scripture though. Scripture still holds great vitality for those who have trouble believing it all. It reminds me of a story about a great theologian last century named Karl Barth. Barth was traveling in the U.S. and was giving a lecture on the very text you asked about, Adam and Eve, when a student raised his hand and asked, "Dr. Barth, you're an intelligent man. You couldn't possibly believe that a serpent could talk to Eve, could you?" Dr. Barth replied, "I'm not interested in whether the serpent could talk. I'm interested in what it had to say."

So what did the serpent have to say?

Come to church, and we can read it together.

Let me ask you something I've heard about Presbyterians. Do you believe in predestination?

Yes. But it's not what you think. Predestination is not the belief that everything we do in life has been pre-ordained. That's predeterminism. Predestination is the belief that God has given us salvation even before we are born. There is nothing we can do to gain it or to lose it. Like our birth, it is simply a gift.

Churches are so political these days. Are you one of those?

No and yes. We are a big tent church where Democrats and Republicans, Independents and apoliticals sit next to each other on the pew. We do not espouse a particular political platform. We do, however, believe that God is sovereign over every part of our life and that the demands of the gospel often cross over into areas where politics hold sway as well. Since we care for the poor, for instance, we might advocate for a kinder treatment for them from our some of our governmental programs. If that is political, then yes, we are a political church. If that is simply Christian, then no.

Two more theological question: Why do you baptize babies?

We baptize our children because we believe God chooses them before they can ever make a choice for God. When they come to an age where they can make conscious choices about faith, we ask those children to confirm their baptism by making the same vows their parents made for them when they were young.

Can anyone take communion at the Wayne church?

Yes. We practice what is called an open table. In fact, the language that we use before the sacrament says it all, "This is not a Presbyterian table, and this is not the church's table. This is the table of our Lord, and all those who trust in him are welcome to come."

If you have any further questions about what we believe or why we believe it, we would be happy to talk with you more. You can contact Rev. Dr. Heather Shortlidge at 610 688 8700, x214.

Who We Are

Wayne Presbyterian Church seeks to live and proclaim the gospel of Christ within our church family, our neighborhood, our region, and the world. Our vision for ministry is based on a commitment to offering meaningful worship, beautiful music, life-long Christian education, extensive mission programs, and nurturing fellowship.

We live out this vision through our three services each Sunday, where we join together to glorify God and grow spiritually through worship and music. We seek to provide sermons that deepen our understanding of Scripture and its relevance today. Our many choirs, legendary organ, 20-piece orchestra and magnificent sanctuary glorify God and inspire the soul. Services are live-streamed and recorded to share our worship with the world outside our walls.

We live out this vision through life-long Christian education programs, from Sunday School for pre-K through high school, college and young adult programs, and a vibrant Adult Education program. We offer bible studies and youth programs throughout the week, and a wide variety of retreats to deepen faith and community.

We live out this vision through our long tradition of seeking to be instruments for God’s mission in the world by putting faith into action. We continually learn how to identify and use the gifts of our congregants to answer God’s call to serve. Our programs and mission trips reach every corner of the world and enrich our faith.

We live out this vision through fellowship, which brings us together in a community of faith in love and support. Fellowship events include many breakfasts, lunches, dinners and picnics, milestone celebrations, young adult socials, career networking, grief support groups, and softball games.

What we are doing

We feel called to continue the work of Jesus by using using our time, talents and resources to address emerging needs by helping others, nurturing our members, and sharing our faith.

As a mission-minded church, we feel called to connect with and lift up those in need. We will continue to support our global, regional and local programs, and we will strengthen our impact with new initiatives and congregational engagement. Our new Love Your Neighbor program provides a multi-generational platform to engage our congregation in mission outreach and fellowship. And our changing socioeconomic, environmental and political landscape brings new challenges and opportunities related to social justice, so our church is expanding related education and advocacy work.

We also are deeply committed to serving our current congregants, and we strive to provide the pastoral and congregational care to help our church community through challenging life circumstances, and to stay connected to and supportive of our senior members. Our large and active Deacon board, pastors and committees call on congregants and develop new programs to address current issues such as mental health and aging.

We are also launching outreach initiatives to create an especially welcoming and inclusive church community where we can continue to grow and serve in Christ together. Our management, facilities, communications and programs are geared toward reaching members of the community and making them feel welcome and loved.

Please join us!

We belong to the Presbytery of Philadelphia

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