History for a Pilgrim People

OPC Committee for the Historian
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  • History
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History for a Pilgrim People is a podcast of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church produced by the Committee for the Historian. Hosted by OPC historian Camden Bucey and Danny Olinger, chairman of the Committee for the Historian, the program explores the history of the church as a living inheritance rather than a merely academic subject. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by the biblical vision of God’s people as pilgrims journeying toward their eternal rest, the podcast reflects on how the Lord has preserved, corrected, and sustained his church through real people, events, and decisions across time. Each episode examines key moments, figures, and themes in the history of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and its antecedents, situating them within the broader story of God’s redemptive work. The goal is not nostalgia, success, or survival, but faithful service—learning from the past so that the church may walk wisely, humbly, and obediently in the present. History for a Pilgrim People seeks to preserve institutional memory, encourage gratitude for God’s providence, and help Christ’s church understand her place within the great cloud of witnesses as she presses on toward the promised rest.

Episodes

  1. 3d ago

    Home Missions and the Identity of the OPC

    Camden Bucey and Danny Olinger continue their discussion of Fighting the Good Fight, D. G. Hart and John R. Muether's history of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, by examining the chapter on home missions. Beginning with the small and financially limited denomination of 1939, they trace the development of the Franklin Square congregation, the Committee of Nine's debates over evangelism, and the OPC's emphasis on preaching, catechesis, Sabbath observance, prayer, and the ordinary means of grace. The conversation then turns to Jack Miller and New Life Presbyterian Church in Jenkintown, whose rapid growth and innovative ministry practices raised important questions about worship, church government, evangelism, and denominational identity. Camden and Danny discuss the proposed OPC-PCA reunion, debates over “every-member ministry” and Ephesians 4, controversies within the Committee on Home Missions and Church Extension, and the subsequent work of Ross Graham and Dick Gerber. Throughout the episode, they reflect on how Christians should evaluate church planting without reducing faithfulness to numerical success. The history reveals an OPC committed to missions while continuing to wrestle with how its confessional identity should govern the methods, expectations, and organization of that work. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction02:07 Fighting the Good Fight, Chapter 403:16 The OPC's Home-Missions Challenge in 193906:07 Franklin Square and New Life Jenkintown10:03 The Committee of Nine and Evangelism14:19 Slow and Steady Congregational Growth18:02 Pastors and Daughter Churches at Franklin Square21:03 Preserving the Results of Evangelism24:23 The Ordinary Means of Grace and Evangelical Trends27:04 Rethinking Success and Failure in Church Planting31:55 Jack Miller and the Founding of New Life34:41 New Approaches to Worship and Ministry37:33 The New Life Network and Presbytery39:58 The OPC-PCA Reunion Vote and Its Aftermath44:28 Denominational Clarity and Ecumenicity46:45 Ephesians 4 and “Every-Member Ministry”53:08 Lewis Ruff and the Home Missions Controversies58:42 Ross Graham and a Reformed Approach to Church Planting61:08 OPC Growth by the Numbers64:08 Reviews, Future Research, and Conclusion History for a Pilgrim People is produced by the Committee for the Historian of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. https://www.opchistory.org/ https://opc.org/

  2. Aug 4

    How the Orthodox Presbyterian Church Got Its Name

    In episode 7 of History for a Pilgrim People, Camden Bucey and Danny Olinger trace the young Presbyterian Church of America through the difficult years following the division of 1937. They begin with Charles Woodbridge’s brief service as general secretary for home and foreign missions and the extraordinary poverty endured by ministers and missionary families—sometimes receiving only 31 cents on the dollar and living on potatoes, apples, or unmarked “mystery cans.” The conversation then turns to constitutional turmoil in the presbyteries of Chicago, Iowa, California, and the Dakotas; the Fourth General Assembly; the founding of the Machen League for covenant youth; and the Christian Reformed Church’s important gesture of fraternal recognition. Finally, they recount the 1938 court ruling that barred the denomination from using the name Presbyterian Church of America and the remarkable Fifth General Assembly of February 1939, when commissioners debated eleven proposals and took six ballots before adopting the name Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Throughout the episode, Camden and Danny reflect on the humility, courage, and Christ-centered faithfulness of believers who accepted hardship without complaint and trusted the Lord to preserve and build his church. Chapters 0:00 Introduction 2:57 Charles Woodbridge and the foreign missions committee 7:31 The Southern Presbyterian Church and the new denomination 11:36 A missions funding crisis: 31 cents on the dollar 16:15 Ed and Eleanor Kellogg’s “mystery cans” 19:44 Could an entire presbytery withdraw? 20:25 Chaos in Chicago, Iowa, and California 26:09 The Presbytery of the Dakotas 29:19 The Fourth General Assembly and church government 35:56 The Machen League for covenant youth 39:59 Fraternal relations with the Christian Reformed Church 41:47 The court ruling against the church’s name 44:25 A one-issue General Assembly to choose a new name 47:24 Eleven proposed names and the first ballots 49:18 California’s telegram and the Presbyterian Church of Christ 54:36 Dinner, coalition-building, and the final ballot 57:55 Why “Orthodox Presbyterian”? 62:49 Lessons from the church’s survival 63:03 Looking ahead to home and foreign missions History for a Pilgrim People is a podcast of the Committee for the Historian of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

  3. Jul 8

    The Division of 1937, Part 2

    In the sixth episode of History for a Pilgrim People, Camden Bucey and Danny Olinger continue their discussion of the earliest years of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, returning to the events surrounding the division of 1937. The conversation begins with a brief return to the previous episode’s discussion of the tensions already present in the young Presbyterian Church of America. Camden and Danny then consider the death of J. Gresham Machen on January 1, 1937, and the profound sense of loss felt by the church. With Machen gone, long-developing disputes over dispensationalism, premillennialism, total abstinence, the Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions, and the meaning of Reformed Presbyterian identity came into sharper focus. They also discuss the roles of figures such as Carl McIntire, J. Oliver Buswell, R. B. Kuiper, Ned B. Stonehouse, Cornelius Van Til, and others in the controversy. The episode traces how the Third General Assembly responded to these questions, why the separation became unavoidable, and how the Bible Presbyterian Synod emerged from the conflict. Along the way, Camden and Danny reflect on the broader patterns of American Presbyterian history, the recurring echoes of old school and new school tensions, and the significance of Christian liberty, confessional integrity, and visible unity in the life of the church. Watch on YouTube Chapters0:00 Introduction1:01 Picking up the division of 19373:06 Ordinations, covenant children, and Richard Gaffin’s 90th birthday6:16 R. B. Kuiper’s report and the Scofield Bible controversy10:02 Dutch influence, Stonehouse, Murray, and the Guardian11:42 Premillennialism, dispensationalism, and Carl McIntire’s response14:34 Power struggles and the Independent Board17:26 Machen’s final trip and death in North Dakota20:38 Stonehouse’s eulogy: “We have become orphans”23:47 Three issues before the Third General Assembly24:08 Property, the 1903 revisions, and the Westminster Standards29:19 Total abstinence and Christian liberty34:10 Dispensationalism and the Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions38:22 The Third General Assembly of 193742:08 The split and the formation of the Bible Presbyterian Synod43:48 Old School and New School echoes in Presbyterian history48:56 Stonehouse, McIntire, and later ecumenical efforts51:24 Looking ahead to 1938 and the naming of the OPC53:03 Closing remarks History for a Pilgrim People is a podcast of the Committee for the Historian of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

  4. May 27

    The Division of 1937, Part 1

    In this special episode recorded live at First OPC in South Holland, Illinois, Camden Bucey and Danny Olinger tackle Chapter 3 of Fighting the Good Fight by Darryl Hart and John Muether: the division of 1937. What looked like a denomination born “in lively hope” on June 11, 1936, was fracturing within twelve months. Read more Watch on YouTube

  5. May 5

    The Founding of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church

    Camden Bucey and Danny Olinger discuss chapter two of D. G. Hart and John Muether’s book, Fighting the Good Fight. They trace the road from the missions controversy of the early 1930s to Machen’s trial, and the founding of the OPC in 1936. They reflect on why the OPC was founded not merely against modernism, but for faithful Presbyterianism—grounded in Scripture, committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ, and governed by Christ alone through his Word.

  6. Apr 2

    J. Gresham Machen and the Crisis of Presbyterian Identity

    Watch on YouTube In this episode Camden Bucey and Danny Olinger continue their walk through Fighting the Good Fight: A Brief History of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church by D. G. Hart and John Muether. They turn to pp. 11–26 of the book and discuss the origins of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church through the lens of J. Gresham Machen and the crisis of Presbyterian identity.

  7. Feb 10

    Our Pilgrim Identity: Introducing Fighting the Good Fight

    In this episode, we begin our journey through Fighting the Good Fight, reflecting on the preface and introduction of the book. Danny Olinger and Camden Bucey explore the Orthodox Presbyterian Church’s origins, its identity as a pilgrim people, and the importance of remembering and telling our story. Watch on YouTube

  8. Jan 13

    Why History Matters for a Pilgrim People

    In this inaugural episode of History for a Pilgrim People, OPC historian Camden Bucey and Danny Olinger introduce the vision of the series and explain why the Orthodox Presbyterian Church treats history as a living inheritance rather than a merely academic exercise.

  • 8 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

History for a Pilgrim People is a podcast of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church produced by the Committee for the Historian. Hosted by OPC historian Camden Bucey and Danny Olinger, chairman of the Committee for the Historian, the program explores the history of the church as a living inheritance rather than a merely academic subject. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by the biblical vision of God’s people as pilgrims journeying toward their eternal rest, the podcast reflects on how the Lord has preserved, corrected, and sustained his church through real people, events, and decisions across time. Each episode examines key moments, figures, and themes in the history of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and its antecedents, situating them within the broader story of God’s redemptive work. The goal is not nostalgia, success, or survival, but faithful service—learning from the past so that the church may walk wisely, humbly, and obediently in the present. History for a Pilgrim People seeks to preserve institutional memory, encourage gratitude for God’s providence, and help Christ’s church understand her place within the great cloud of witnesses as she presses on toward the promised rest.

Information

  • Creator
    OPC Committee for the Historian
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    8
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    History for a Pilgrim People

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