An Appeal for Peace and Grace

An Appeal for Peace and Grace: To the Brethren of the Bible-Presbyterian Church

To the leadership, pastors, and congregations of the Bible-Presbyterian Church,

We have a rich heritage of holding fast to the Christian faith. Our roots were established in a sincere desire to honor God, to stand firm against modernism, and to treat the Scriptures with the utmost reverence. That dedication to truth is commendable. However, over the years, the very zeal meant to protect the church has too often become a sword that divides it.

I write this appeal out of a deep hope that the BP church might lay down its arms against its own brethren, and step into a season characterized by the grace, peace, and unity of Christ.

The Bible and the Bounds of Perfection

The Authorized King James Version of 1611 is a monumental achievement, a masterpiece of English literature, and a faithful, historically vital translation of God’s Word. Millions have come to know Christ through its pages.

However, we must candidly acknowledge that the KJV 1611 is a translation made by brilliant, yet fallible, human scholars. It is imperfect. Elevating a single English translation to a status of absolute, divine perfection—and making it a litmus test for orthodoxy—has caused profound and unnecessary heartbreak. When faithful Christians are labeled "unfaithful, misled, enemy" simply for acknowledging the historical and textual realities of translation, the focus shifts from the living Word of Christ to a battle over ink and paper. I pray that we will find the freedom to cherish the KJV without demanding it be perfect, and without making it a wall that separates us from other faithful believers.

Theology Should Humble, Not Harden

Reformed theology and the doctrines of grace—often summarized in the TULIP acronym—were meant to emphasize God's sovereignty and humble the human heart. Yet, somewhere along the way, hardcore Calvinism has too often been weaponized.

When TULIP is used as a rigid system to categorize who is truly "in" and who is "out," it breeds intellectual pride rather than spiritual humility. Theology is meant to lead us to worship, not to the courtroom. I appeal to all of us to soften our grip on the strict, unyielding enforcement of these theological frameworks. Let grace be broader than a five-point system, and let our theological rigor be matched only by our gentleness toward those who understand the mysteries of God’s election differently.

Letting Go of the Combative Spirit

The defining tragedy of the modern BP church has been its tendency to splinter. The instinct to "go to war" over perceived lukewarmness, secondary doctrinal disagreements, or variations in ecclesiastical practice has left a trail of fractured congregations and wounded believers.

Separation is sometimes necessary, but a culture of perpetual separation is a spiritual sickness. When a church’s identity becomes rooted in what it fights against rather than who it loves, the light of the Gospel is dimmed.

"By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." — John 13:35

I pray earnestly that all the Bible-Presbyterian church will let go of this combative spirit. May we no longer view neighboring churches, or even different factions within our own denomination, with suspicion or hostility.

May the future of the BP church be one where swords are beaten into plowshares. May we be known not for the battles we have fought, the schisms we have endured, or the theological lines we have drawn in the sand, but for the profound, unifying, and peace-making love of Jesus Christ.