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Dr Cathy Northrup
The Reverend Doctor Cathy Northrup was born in Ft. Meade, MD, and was raised in a variety of places in the United State and Germany, as her father was in Counter Intelligence with the Army. She graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from Hamline University in St. Paul, MN, with a double major in English and Religion. She graduated from Georgetown Law Center in Washington, DC, and practiced law with the Federal Reserve Board for a number of years before attending Union Theological Seminaryin Richmond, VA. She graduated from Union, and served several churches in North and South Carolina, at the same time obtaining her Doctor of Ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, NJ. Dr. Northrup is currently the Pastor/Head of Staff of First Presbyterian Church, Wichita, KS. She is married and has two black Labrador dogs who were rescued from abusive situations. You can contact Dr. Northrup at cnorthrup@firstpresbywichita.org or by phone at (316) 263-0248, ext. 26.
Religion
2010-05-01 14:05:00
Sequence of events at the end times?
Answer: Presbyterians find their unity in Christ, but have a diversity of beliefs on a number of issues. The "end of the world" is one of those issues. Together, however, based on the Bible and tradition, we affirm in the Apostles Creed that Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead. We also affirm in that creed the resurrection of the body. Further, we trust in the promise of eternal life in a new heaven and new earth. Finally, we admit that we do not and cannot know exactly when Jesus will come again, but we live in anticipation of it. Now, to your specific question: as outlined by Presbyterian scholar Donald McKim, Presbyterians do not adopt any one view of the millennium, whether pre-millennialism (Christ comes before a thousand year reign), post-millennialism (Christ comes after a thousand year reign), or a-millennialism (a figurative view of the thousand year reign). We are comfortable with different views on this within our denomination, and we don’t require any one of these views for belief. Finally, you should know that we also differ on our interpretation of 1Thessalonians 4:13-18, which some believe describes a "rapture" event. But we look forward to Christ’s return as a positive event rather than having doubt or fear about it for ourselves. In our Brief Statement of Faith, we say "In gratitude to God, empowered by the Spirit, we strive to serve Christ in our daily tasks and to live holy and joyful lives, even as we watch for God’s new heaven and new earth, praying, "Come, Lord Jesus!"
 
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