Powell Sykes

Out of Order: the Self-destruction of a Mainline Denomination Powell Sykes

In 1927 American Presbyterians chose to stop listing and insisting upon "the essential tenets of the Reformed faith"; instead, they emphasized tolerance and essential action. Since then, historic, biblically based Christianity has been supplanted more and more by a different religion, dubbed Religious Liberalism by the author, within the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States. This, coupled with decades of removing practical means of holding pastors accountable for any of their beliefs and much of their behavior, is leading to that denomination's demise in the early years of the 21st Century. The author combines historical overview and perspective with his own experiences as a pastor of Presbyterian churches in North Carolina to make his case.