What do Presbyterians believe about Jesus?
A perusal of presbytery debates across the denomination reveals that the question, “What’s the big deal about Jesus?” refuses to go away. It is asked in numerous forms, often in the context of presbytery ordination examinations. In recent years, the trend among presbyteries has been to refer such discussions to small groups, typically their Examinations Committee or Committee on Ministry, thereby keeping potentially inflammatory disputes under wraps. On occasions when committee decisions are challenged before the whole presbytery, they are often settled, not as theological issues, but on questions of polity e.g., did the committee have the right to make its decision? rather than the more substantive question of did the committee make the right decision? After all, without standards, who is to determine if a decision is right? Occasionally, in the midst of such disputes, the suggestion is made that the underlying theological issue be referred to higher governing bodies ultimately to the
