Since our last site update in June, we are thankful to report that the ARP Synod did approve a memorial from 1st Presbytery calling for a commission to investigate Erskine’s faithfulness to its mission as an institution of Christian higher education. We appreciate the prayers of many for the work of the Synod last month, and we urge everyone to pray for the ARP Moderator, Dr. John R. de Witt, as he prepares to appoint men to serve on the commission. We are also thankful for the increased visibility to the situation at Erskine brought by Joel Belz’s article on the Synod and Erskine in the recent issue of World magazine.*

While many Erskine alumni, students, and ARP pastors found the website helpful in providing some substantive reasons for the broad concerns expressed by the petition, since the Synod responded to the concerns expressed by the petition letter in going forward we think it is appropriate for most of the specific concerns about Erskine to be communicated to the commission. As former PCA Moderator J. Ligon Duncan noted, our publishing the website and publicizing the petition was in the context of appealing to “the appropriate ecclesiastical authority to act.” (Westminster Theological Seminary West Professor Dr. R. Scott Clark linked to Rev. Dr. Duncan’s post here.) Since that authority has taken action, we consider the ultimate purpose of this website to have been accomplished.

However, since Synod many questions and rumors have arisen concerning the content, goals, and purpose of this website and of the petition effort. Given the public nature of this endeavor, we thought it would be helpful to provide resources that may bring some clarification to those who are interested. For the sake of ease in navigation, the links to these updates may be found here.

*As noted in one of the FAQs, the World article contains one factual inaccuracy: the petition letter was signed by 144 students and alumni, and not 144 current students.

-The Editors