Tag Archives: Presbyterian Church

“Pastor” Who Says There Is No God Insulted When Told He’s Not A Christian

A man who claims to be a Presbyterian minister but denies God exists…and still heads a “church” in Oregon…claims he’s very insulted when people tell him that he’s not a Christian.

“The concept of ‘God’ is a product of myth-making and ‘God’ is no longer credible as a personal, supernatural being,” John Shuck wrote in a blog post on his site “Shuck and Jive.” “Jesus may have been historical, but most of the stories about Him in the Bible and elsewhere are legends.”

Shuck rejects the Bible as literal and denies the existence of Heaven and Hell as well as God.

“Even though I hold those beliefs, I am still a proud minister. But I don’t appreciate being told that I’m not truly a Christian,” he stated. “Many liberal or progressive Christians have already let go or de-emphasized belief in Heaven, that the Bible is literally true, that Jesus is supernatural, and that Christianity is the only way. Yet they still practice what they call Christianity.”

Many observers of Shuck say that he is just openly doing what many others who have similar beliefs are trying to do:  tear down the church from the inside.

“What you see here is nothing more than someone who wants to infiltrate the Church in an attempt to destroy it,” Andrew Rappaport of Striving for Eternity Ministries in Jackson, N.J. told Christian News Network. “The two things that he does not understand is, first, the Church will not be destroyed, and second, his whole argument that God does not exist is based on intelligence, logic, ability to reason and morality—all of which require the God that he denies, because immaterial things are not the product of chemical reactions; they require God.”

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Divest From Companies Involved With Israel

A slim majority of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s general assembly has shown their lack of support for Israel by voting to sell any stock with companies that do business with Israel.

The 310-303 vote to sell stock in Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard and Motorola Solutions came two years after a similar proposal was rejected by only two votes.  The people who supported the move claim the vote is only against companies that help Israel build homes in the Palestinian territories, showing they support Palestinian claims over Israel.

The Anti-Defamation League and other groups that support Israel met the group’s action with immediate criticism.

“The claim by the PC(USA) that it does not support the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement is simply not reflected in this resolution and the overall tone of the discussions,” The ADL said.  “[The measure is] driven by hatred of Israel.”

The Jewish Council for Public Affairs said the decision will have a “devastating impact” on the denomination’s relations with Jewish groups.

“We hold the leadership of the PCUSA accountable for squandering countless opportunities, not only to act responsibly to advance prospects for Middle East peace but also to isolate and repudiate the radical, prejudiced voices in their denomination,” the council said in a statement.