Lessons – Hope Orthodox Presbyterian Church

Camden Bucey teaches an introductory lesson about the Afscheiding (Dutch for “secession”), which began in Ulrum, Groningen, when a church pastored by Hendrik de Cock seceded from the National Church in 1834. Other churches later joined them. The Afscheiding remains a subject of historical inquiry and reflection, highlighting its enduring significance in shaping the religious landscape of the Netherlands.

We consider a key quotation from the OPC’s third historian, Charlie Dennison, which points the church toward her mission in service of her savior.

In this lesson, we consider John DeWaard, Oscar Holkeboer, and Arthur Perkins in their fight against modernism in the Presbyterian Church in the USA.

In this lesson, we conclude our consideration of cultural and theological notions of identity with a view toward applying those conceptions to narratives of Orthodox Presbyterian history.

We have had an unexpected hiatus from our Christian Identity and OPC History adult Sunday school course, but I am planning to resume our study tomorrow. We will consider more closely our identity in Christ, seeking to answer the question, “What does it mean to be a Christian?” from biblical, theological, philosophical, and even psychological perspectives.

We will explore the theology of union with Christ, covenantal and redemptive-historical aspects of identity, and contemporary issues with the notion of the self. If you would like to prepare ahead of time, please read Ephesians 4:17–24; Romans 5:1–21; 1 Corinthians 15:35–49; and John 15.

I recommend Carl Trueman’s forthcoming book, Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution, which is a condensation and reworking of his larger work, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self.

These subjects are not merely intellectual curiosities. We are in a crisis of the “self,” and it is critical that we understand who we are: created in the image of God, redeemed by Christ, and being conformed to his image in life, death, and resurrection.

We continue to study modernism in early twentieth century American Presbyterianism, looking more closely at a sermon preached at First Presbyterian Church, New York on May 21, 1922 by Harry Emerson Fosdick, titled “Shall the Fundamentalists Win?”

The video recording ceased partway through the lesson, but the audio remains.