Covenant Reformed Baptist Church

2013-04-12T13:05:30Z

Yeoberry:

Covenant Reformed Baptist Church is a Baptist Church in Providence, North Carolina, in the Danville, Virginia area. It professes three distinctives: being "Reformed", "Inter-racial" and "Active".<ref>Covenant Reformed Baptist Church pamphlet </ref>

==Origins==

The church was begun in March, 2008, first as "Covenant Fellowship", meeting in the Caswell County Parks and Recreation Gym, as an experiment seeking if their area needed a new church "committed to being Reformed, Inter-racial, and active." After a three month exploratory stage, the initial congregants decided to go forward, naming themselves Covenant Reformed Baptist Church (CRBC), seeking a founding membership willing to be committed to the church's covenant and statement of faith, being inter-racial and active in out-reach. That "formation stage" of the church ended in November 2008 when it members ratified a church constitution and called as pastor Dr. John Carpenter and as a lay-elder Joe Scruggs.<ref>"New Church Forms and Expands," ''The Caswell Messenger'', November 12, 2008, p. 11.</ref> In early 2009 the new church purchased the gymnasium originally built for the Piedmont Academy, a now defunct segregated school in Providence, North Carolina, which has since served as it's main facility.<ref>"Covenant opens new building in Providence," ''The Caswell Messenger'', March 2009.</ref>

==Reformed==
Professing to being "Reformed" is exceptional in North Carolina. It designates a theological commitment to what are known as "the five point of Calvinism" Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace and Perseverance of the saints. In the case of CRBC, it also shows a commitment to specific matters of church practice, in worship and polity. For example, the church eschews high pressure altar calls or manipulative use of music.<ref>DeVane, Steve. "‘Reformed’ in church name shows Calvinism’s growth," ''The Biblical Recorder'', November 24, 2008. http://www.brnow.org/News/November-2008/%E2%80%98Reformed%E2%80%99-in-church-name-shows-Calvinism%E2%80%99s-growth</ref>. The church aligns itself to "The 9 Marks of a Healthy Church", thus professing support for expository preaching through all of the Bible, meaningful membership, and church discipline.<ref>http://www.9marks.org/churchsearch/locator.php?zip=27379&radius=5&x=81&y=32&action=search</ref>. Taking Colossians 3:16 literally, the church sings a psalm every service, sequentially singing through the psalter.

==Inter-racial==
From it's origins the church has sought to be "inter-racial". John Carpenter said, "We're not playing church, not cultural Christianity for just one kind of people but a loving flock for all of God's people."<ref>"Another Milestone for new church," ''The Caswell Messenger'', September 2008.</ref> In February 2009, the church took a group of youth from it's area to see the Martin Luther King, Jr National Historic Site in Atlanta, Georgia.<ref>''The Caswell Messenger'', March 2009.</ref> The church, led by Mary Yeo of Singapore, has reached out to and included the area Chinese community. Besides welcoming Chinese into membership, Yeo brought back a small library of Chinese language Christian books. John Carpenter said, From our beginnings in 2008, we've sought to be a truly inter-racial church, with black, white and now Chinese. We don't believe in segregated churches. . . . Here there has been a shameful racial segregation. We're working, with Jesus' love, to bridge those gaps and let Jesus build one church out of many believing people."<ref>"Covenant reaches out to Chinese community," ''The Caswell Messenger'', July 2011.</ref> Upon the death of an 13-year old African American boy, Demion Farmer, who attended the churches functions, Carpenter wrote, "We're also reminded of why we've been called to be a church for all kinds of people. Our building was originally built in the 1970's for a segregated school, to keep the races apart. But apparently King Jesus decided that He had a better use for that building: to welcome all kinds of children (and adults) in."<ref>Carpenter, John, "Loss of a Child," ''The Caswell Messenger''. February 22, 2012.</ref>

==Active==
The church professes a commitment to evangelism and says that because of that commitment it purchased a gymnasium.<ref>"Church refurbishes Providence Gym, since purchase in 2009," ''The Caswell Messenger'', July 13, 2011, p. A9.</ref> The church runs two programs geared toward outsiders: Gym, Jr and Gym. Gym, Jr is for children ages six to twelve, led by Justin Scruggs, a certified Physical Education teacher. GYM is an acronym for "Godward Youth Ministry". The youth ministry, for those 13 and over, allows local youth to use the gym and the church provides snack and Biblical instruction.<ref>"Gym Jr celebrates Christmas for local children," ''The Caswell Messenger'', January 2, 2013, p. 9.</ref>

==Founding Pastor==
John Carpenter earned a Ph.D. in church history studying Puritanism (Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago). He also has a B.A. from Samford University; an M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary; and a Th.M. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.<ref>"Church refurbishes Providence Gym, since purpose in 2009", ''The Caswell Messenger'', July 2011. Covenant Reformed Baptist Church pamphlet.</ref> Some of his sermons are available through youtube and at the church's web-site.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEWT0r86ch_R0bMwt1p4V2ZnheUiMBtCS. www.covenantcaswell.org.</ref> He is the author of "The Fourth Great Awakening Or Apostasy: Is American Evangelicalism Cycling Upwards Or Spiraling Downwards?" and various other articles.<ref>''Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society'', 44/4 (December 2001) 647–70. http://www.etsjets.org/files/JETS-PDFs/44/44-4/44-4-PP647-70_JETS.pdf</ref>

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Covenant Reformed Baptist Church

2013-04-12T13:04:42Z

Yeoberry: Covenant Reformed Baptist Church

Icon

2013-04-12T12:53:00Z

Yeoberry: added material from recent article on icons

The word '''icon''' comes from the Greek "eikon" which mean "image".
An '''icon''' can also mean somebody symbolizing a movement (i.e. [[conservative]] ''icon'' [[Phyllis Schlafly]]). <ref>[http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861619909/icon.html Icon definition], Dictionary - MSN Encarta</ref>

An '''icon''' is a holy image which is an art form of the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]]. The icon is not simply decorative. Many Orthodox churches have icons on the walls and the ceilings. In the ceiling or dome is the icon of Christ the Almighty, the Pantocrator.

The Eastern Orthodox Church does not permit icons representing God the Father. In addition, icons cannot be 3 dimensional (statues). The Eastern Orthodox Church also does not permit the Virgin Mary to be depicted in an icon without Christ (excluding the icon of the Annunciation).

It is common practice for iconographers not to sign their work in the belief that the glory goes to God, not to the artist.

The early church appears to have inherited the opposition to icons inherent in second temple, Talmudic Judaism. Hence, early Christians were accused of being "atheists" by Romans who assumed the absence of images meant the absence of belief in gods.<ref>For example, ''Martyrdom of Polycarp'', chapter 9; cited by John B. Carpenter, "Icons and the Eastern Orthodox Claim to Continuity with the Early Church," ''Journal of the International Society of Christian Apologetics'', Vol. 6, No. 1, 2013, p. 111.</ref> Origen (184-254) responded to the charge of "atheism" by admitting that Christians did not use images in worship, following the Second Commandment.<ref>Origin, Contra Celsus, Book VII, Chapter 64; according to John B. Carpenter, "Icons and the Eastern Orthodox Claim to Continuity with the Early Church," ''Journal of the International Society of Christian Apologetics'', Vol. 6, No. 1, 2013, p. 112.</ref> Canon 36 of the Council of Elvira (c. 305) states, “Pictures are not to be placed in churches, so that they do not become objects of worship and adoration.” About the year 327 the early church historian Eusebius (c. AD 263 – 339) wrote, "To depict purely the human form of Christ before its transformation, on the other hand, is to break the commandment of God and to fall into pagan error."<ref>David M. Gwynn, “From Iconoclasm to Arianism: The Construction of Christian Tradition in the Iconoclast Controversy” [Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies 47 (2007) 225–251], p. 227. </ref> Epiphanius (inter 310–320 – 403), bishop of Salamis, in Cyprus wrote, in Letter 51 (c. 394), to John, Bishop of Jerusalem about an incident of finding an image in a church in his jurisdiction: "I went in to pray, and found there a curtain hanging on the doors of the said church, dyed and embroidered. It bore an image either of Christ or of one of the saints; I do not rightly remember whose the image was. Seeing this, and being loath that an image of a man should be hung up in Christ's church contrary to the teaching of the Scriptures, I tore it asunder and advised the custodians of the place to use it as a winding sheet for some poor person." He goes on to tell John that such images are “contrary to our religion” and to instruct the presbyter of the church that such images are “an occasion of offense.”<ref>John B. Carpenter, "Icons and the Eastern Orthodox Claim to Continuity with the Early Church," ''Journal of the International Society of Christian Apologetics'', Vol. 6, No. 1, 2013, p. 118.</ref>

The [[Iconoclastic controversy]] was a dispute over the veneration of icons within Christianity.

[[Image:Icon2.jpg]]

== Sources ==

*Carpenter, John B. "Icons and the Eastern Orthodox Claim to Continuity with the Early Church," ''Journal of the International Society of Christian Apologetics'', Vol. 6, No. 1, 2013.

*[http://www.goarch.org Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America]

*[http://www.flickr.com Flickr Public Photos]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

[[category:religion]]

User talk:Yeoberry

2013-04-12T12:49:02Z

Yeoberry: missing articles

Hi, Where's my article on "Covenant Reformed Baptist Church"?
I also put one up about Gail Riplinger.--[[User:Yeoberry|Yeoberry]] 08:49, 12 April 2013 (EDT)