Option 1: General Expression
—has largely departed from a meaningful application of the RPW or has totally redefined it; also has largely departed from strict subscription, observance of the Sabbath, rejecting holydays, purity of worship, establishmentarianism, ordinance of covenanting, holistic confessional piety/practice/discipline; contains many faithful men and churches and believers who are doing and will continue to do good, but is nevertheless in a state of decline or stagnancy institutionally; evangelical in the good and bad sense of the word; could perhaps be reformed if the Lord is merciful, but may see eventual splits with some men remaining, many going to group 2, and some going to group 3; where most believers find themselves; most attractive to moderates; not a bad option but lots of work to do.
Option 2: Catholic Expression
—has largely departed from the confessional view of the covenant, sacraments, church, regeneration, faith, etc.; focuses on second table issues (sexuality, culture, government, etc.); allows broad (i.e. “catholic”) latitude on worship, subscription, ecclesiology, interpretation, etc.; focuses on the “objective” and eschews the “subjective”; thinks it’s going to reform the world but doesn’t understand that judgment begins at the house of God; contains many edgy men, culture warriors, rhetoricians, plain-speakers, and men disillusioned with the moderates of group 1 and the principalists of group 3; takes pride in being non-evangelical; has men that can be helpful on second table matters; but it is not really presbyterianism when we get down to brass tacks; is on the ascendancy but will likely implode because it is inherently pluralistic, a walking contradiction, and its chief focus is biblically off-target; the most attractive to pragmatists and immediatists; a usually bad option, unless for the short term and temporarily.
Option 3: Faithful Expression
—holds to the old proven paths of historic confessional presbyterianism in a meaningful holistic way and all that entails as a fundamental commitment while being willing to adjust on non-essentials as needed; seeks to be faithful to its heritage rather than indifferent or equivocate or compromise; the vast minority; often dismissed as “niche” or “tiny” or “irrelevant” or “legalistic” etc.; not interested in being half-way presbyterian as many in the first group above nor in merging with various elements of anglicanism, lutheranism, and popery as many in the second group are; evangelical in the good sense of the word; recognizes that biblical reformation does not begin with the world, culture, politics, institutions, the family, or with second table law but begins in the household of God and with first table law, especially worship; is small but is slowly growing and expanding; least attractive to pragmatists and immediatists, but most likely to still be around in 100+ years because it’s eminently biblical; most attractive to principalists; the best option but also the costliest.
Choose wisely.