8 October 1935 A.D.
Constitutional Covenant Union—American Presbyterian’s Slow
Demise & Counter-reaction
October 8: The Constitutional Covenant Union (1935)
A Call to Arms
The first mass
meeting and rally to challenge and encourage the conservative
members in the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. took place on October 8, 1935 at
the Central North Broad Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The sponsoring
organization which called for this first meeting was the newly formed
Presbyterian Constitutional Covenant Union. This independent organization had
been formed for two purposes: (1) to reform the Presbyterian Church,
U.S.A. from the inside, stopping the encroaching apostasy; (2) if that
fails, to continue on a true Presbyterian church outside of the PCUSA.
It was this second purpose which caused the most trouble and resulted in many
who had originally supported Westminster Seminary and the Independent
Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions to become lukewarm
to Dr. Machen and those associated with him. But the latter was
not the case at this mass meeting as close to one thousand people came together
for this first meeting.
The first speaker, as
reported by Mr. Thomas Birch of the Presbyterian Guardian in their
October 21st edition, was Dr. Charles Turnbull, editor of the Sunday School
Times. He spent a good time of his speech showing with much evidence the
growing modernism which characterized the pulpits of the land and Sunday School
rooms. Challenging the Christian audience to be faithful to the Word of
God, and contend earnestly for the Christian faith by supporting the
newly formed institutions, like the Presbyterian Constitutional Covenant Union,
Westminster Seminary, and the Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign
Missions.
Speaking secondly was Dr. J.
Gresham Machen, President of the Independent Board and professor at Westminster
Seminary. Using James 1:22 at his text, which states, “But be
ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (KJV),
the stalwart of the historic Christian faith, outlined the events
which led to this crisis of faith in the Presbyterian Church.
Speaking last was
the General Council of the Presbyterian Constitutional Covenant
Union, the Rev. H. McAllister Griffiths. He spoke of future plans of the Union
as well as the Presbyterian Guardian.
The closing hymn was an apt
one, in that the great crowd sang Martin Luther’s hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is
our God.” Truly another Reformation was being accomplished by those
gathered on that Tuesday night in Philadelphia.
Words to live by: We
have the advantage of looking back and seeing history as it unfolded. Attempts
to reform the Presbyterian Church from the inside went nowhere as the apostate
machine simply suspended, for example, two of the three speakers at that
meeting — J. Gresham Machen and H. McAllister Griffiths — from the
ministry. They were joined by a number of faithful ministers who were
also kicked out of the church. So a new church — the Presbyterian
Church of America — was formed in 1936 at the last meeting of the Constitutional
Covenant Union.
The question is really quite
simple, dear reader, if you find yourself in a liberal congregation or
denomination. You may think that you are holding them back from moving further
away from the Bible. But what influence are they having upon you? Are your
biblical convictions becoming less and less important to you. Are your stands
for righteousness becoming more and more distant and rare? Pray about this
fervently, not only for yourself, but for your family, and then acknowledge the
sad truth that it is the liberal church who has left you and who
has left the faith given unto the saints. Support a Bible-believing,
gospel-preaching, Great Commission-fulfilling church today with your
membership.
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