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The Order of St. Andrew
Ideas For Which We Stand
The Complete List of Comprehensive Criteria are as follows: (Remember, there is no requirement for entry into the Order, except for the profession of faith in Christ alone and His finished work for your salvation. However, these are the ideas for which the Order stands):
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CRITERIA
1. Commitment to continuing Biblical study and prayer. All should be prayer warriors. The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous man availeth much.
2. Promised conformance to the teachings and tenets of the Order (social, religious, political etc.); Loyalty to the Order and to those who govern it, inasmuch as they are your teachers, assisting you to gain ever more nearly complete understanding of the great doctrines and truths of the Bible.
3. Continuing conformance to the rules and tenets of the Order, as they are biblically derived.
4. Courage to openly and wisely espouse the tenets of the Order, never failing to be ready to give an answer on behalf of the faith that lies within you. This courage must be evidenced by its manifestation and display.
5. Be Edified in Knowledge !!! This entails intense study in the Word as well as intense study of works by others who understand that Word well. We maintain that knowledge of history and science may be found to be particularly helpful in gaining understanding of the Word of God. Readings typically include (but are most often not limited to) the King James Bible, A Defense of Virginia and the South by Robert L. Dabney, The Cause of God and Truth by John Gill, The Sovereignty of God by Arthur Pink, Anthology of Sermons and Controversial Issues in the Church by Steve Woods, and the Introductory Essay to the Works of John Owen by J.I. Packer. Other works typically used are Which Bible by David O. Fuller (or an approved substitute), The Text of the New Testament by Bruce Metzger (or an approved substitute), The Theocratic Kingdom by George Peters (or an approved substitute), and studies through one or more approved commentaries on specific books of the Bible. Approved suggestions in this last category are Ephesians (David Martyn Lloyd-Jones), Romans (Donald G. Barnhouse), Psalms (The Treasury of David by Charles Spurgeon), and the Gospels (Discourses and Sayings of Our Lord by John Brown). The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God, which is sharper than any two-edged sword.
6. The Interview and/or oral evaluation allow us to gain confidence in the ability and willingness of members to defend and advance the tenets of the Order. We, not only wish to assess the level of knowledge possessed by the applicant, but also the commitment to the faith and the ability to express that commitment. This evaluation may be done by any member of the Order.
7. Accord with either the Westminster Confession of Faith (original), the original 39 Articles, the Belgic Confession, or the Second London Confession of Faith is important as these documents offer a systematized view of orthodox Christianity. Variances from these documents ought to be clearly stated by any applicant.
8. Ordination: To be recognized by the Order, this must be received from a denomination which reflects the basic system of beliefs of the Order. For example, ordination in denominations which ordain females to the pastorate, approve of homosexual practices or abortion, or otherwise fail glaringly to adhere to the final authority of the Holy Scriptures will not be recognized in satisfaction of this requirement. The Order may provide satisfactory ordination for able preachers and teachers of the Word who are worthy recipients of ordination in rare cases. The Order is not a denomination itself, however, and it does not have member congregations.
9. Church Membership: Members are expected to be active members in local churches, attending regularly, and standing up strongly for the Biblical Christian principles of the Order. Members of the Order are expected to live lives which speak loudly to the world about their faith; when the world looks at a member of the Order, it is to see a reflection of our Lord Jesus Christ, and not a reflection of itself! You may not expect that the world will take your claims to true Christian faith very seriously if your lifestyle does not bear out that faith. Be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves ... for as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (James 1:22; 2:26)
10. Respect for Heritage: The applicant is expected to make continuing efforts to know and understand his/her ethnic, cultural, and religious heritage, and to defend ably any heritage issues which arise from time to time. We especially hold our Anglo-Celtic heritage in high regard.
11. Racial Consciousness: We espouse the philosophy that all races need to be preserved. We recognize the differences in races, and we respect all races. We contend that different races are typically endowed with differing gifts from God, and we call upon each race to exercise the gifts that it has been given, while lessening its encroachment upon the gifts that it has not been given en masse. We oppose the mixing of the races as we believe this is a degradation to all races, and we seek to secure a future for each individual race and its children. Moreover, we do not ascribe to the false and unbiblical doctrine of evolution. The applicant must generally ascribe to this view in order to satisfy this criterion.
12. Faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, of course, is the primary criterion, and the one criterion necessary to join the Order.
13. King James Bible: Recognition of the superiority of the King James Bible to other English translations, and the superiority of the Textus Receptus to minority texts is required to satisfy this criterion. Conformance to this tenet of the Order of St. Andrew requires the use of the King James Bible at all times when preaching and teaching.
14. Leadership: It is incumbent upon the members to actively seek positions of leadership (political, ecclesiastical, or other).
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I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me ...
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