How liberal is the Presbyrterian Christian church?

[George_Bonanza]

I am particularly interested in how liberal my family's sect is, the Presbyrterians. Does it matter that it's a Korean congregation, in Canada? Honestly, I don't feel like doing the research right now, and I'm in way over my head with all those different denominations. I'd really appreciate it if somebody with knowledge and experience could just tell me.

[JVS]

1. Check it out yourself.

Go to church with them sometimes or just to a church of the same denomination. Observe for yourself what they preach and how they act.

On edit: It's not as though there is some kind of Michelin rating guide to religion.

[HEyHEY]

3. Trying to recruit to your bible study again JVS?

;-)

[JVS]

6. Hell no. I was brought up Lutheran

Protestantism of the British isles is nothing! They never had to fight Rome as hard as us folks on the continent. Bunch of light-weights! :-)

[HEyHEY]

8. I once puked in a lutheran church

Told the story many times on DU before...nice bathroom...they're the "Clean bathroom denomination" as far as I'm concered!

[JVS]

9. Had you been drinking?

[HEyHEY]

15. you better believe it

the night before I got totally haggard with the minister's daughter.

[George_Bonanza]

4. Probably a good idea

[pasadenaboy]

2. Korean Pres churches

are generally more conservative, in line with Korean culture.

[La_Serpiente]

5. I know that a lot of Koreans are

either Methodists or Presbyterian. My great-grandfather was a methodist pastor who immigrated from Korea in 1903.

However, our current family is not that religious. Our Korean family is very different from the ones that immigrated during the 1980s and 1990s.

Are a lot of Korean Presbyterians conservative? I am not sure, but I think they are. There are the more liberal Koreans (Margaret Cho) and the more conservative types (Rev. Sun Myung Moon). As for me, I am from a totally different immigrant generation.

[Creideiki]

11. Also a lot of Korean Lutherans

There were a bunch in Seattle when I was going to school and I've known more in the midwest than any other denomination.

Granted, "Lutheran" doesn't mean much any more when it is applied equally to the Bible-thumping Missouri Synod and the women-as-pastors-and-gays-don't-all-need-therapy ELCA.

[JVS]

13. The Churches identify themselves by synod on the signs

I'm in Pittsburgh, and even though we don't have many Lutherans here, whenever you see an ELCA church there is a MS church a block or two away. Kind of like Sakkio and Manchu Wok at mall food-courts

[Creideiki]

14. Usually--one of the Seattle churches

was a University outreach mission. It turned out to be Missouri Synod, but you couldn't tell from the outside. What I considered the primary University Lutheran Church was ELCA. Unfortunately, I was young and stupid and thought that my liberal Missouri Synod church in the Chicago suburbs was the norm. Heard my first fire-and-brimstone shouting sermon in a Lutheran church in Seattle.

Of course, now I'm excommunicate, so it doesn't really matter. If I feel a need, I'll transfer membership to a more liberal ELCA congregation, but I'm not likely to need that type of political move.

[bloom]

7. They can vary quite a bit

Esp. depending on if the church is urban, suburban or rural.

I've been to a huge suburban Presbyterian church that was very liberal in their biblical beliefs (seeming not to believe much) and to a rural church that seemed more conservative. But even then, not near fundamental, either.


And I have no idea what difference being a Korean congregation would have.

[Rabrrrrrr]

12. Here's the difference - korean Presbyterians are quite conservative

Not to the realm of the hatefilled asses like Falwell or Robertson, etc., but they are far more traditional. They aren't so keen on women in leadership positions (though they do ordain women, and let women vote, they do so reluctantly). They are also VERy presbyterian - taht is, very hierarchical, stay true to the "proper forms" of worship, liturgy, Scriptural interpretation, how to run meetings, how to make decisions as a church, what to wear, etc.

Doesn't make them bad, but I do find them frustrating quite often.

But on the other hand, there is a nice movement in Korea, started by the phenomenal theologian Chung Hyun Kyung, who is Presbyterian (though she tends toward Buddhism and animist theology, she still calls herself Christian). Man O Lordy, she did a great presentation at the World Council of Churches in Canberra in, I think, 1990. You can read about her here: http://www.uts.columbia.edu/fac/chung.html . I learned (Korean style) Zen meditation from her, among many other things.

But, here's my "in general" take: Presbyterians, of all stripes, are more traditional and conservative, but not the hate-filled type. The Korean Presbyterians have taken the 1800s-style of conservative/traditional presbyterian and held on to it, for the most, with clenched fists.

But I like them! Good friend of mine, a woman, is a Korean presbyterian minister, and she is, if she had the space to be fully free, quite radical. :-)

[HereSince1628]

10. Their statement of faith is pretty fundamental but

individual congregations reflect their members and individual members are all over the place.

I taught zoology at 2 Presbyterian Colleges and never had the kind of resistance to evolution that I experienced teaching in public universities in Minnesota and Arkansas.