UCC General Synod – Saturday, June 27
“Electrifying Preaching Punctuates Synod.” So says Keeping You E-Posted,” the electronic update the UCC just sent out. I would agree, and so do the ECOTs I’ve talked to at Synod.
The preaching of Jeremiah Wright’s successor, Otis Moss III, at last night’s worship service, other than the fact that ended late (almost 10:30 PM) and the preacher couldn’t resist a few political digs at former President George W. Bush, was powerful, biblical, and thoroughly grounded in an evangelical and orthodox faith. Click here to read a synopsis of the sermon.
ECOTs agree that “only God has the right to write a period.” We would just like to call attention to some of the periods God has written, and remind our sisters and brothers that we should never place a comma where God has placed a period. Last time I read the Bible there were not a few periods!
Otherwise, the highlight for me and for us at FWC was this morning’s first of two FWC-sponsored workshops on “Essentials and Non-Essentials.” My goal in the workshop is to get folks thinking about the periods – the essentials which draw the boundaries around what it means to be Christian.
For time’s sake (since my next workshop starts in 20 minutes!) I’ll just reproduce the handout for my workshop below. Overall this morning’s workshop had a good cross-section of the UCC, mixed by race, theology, and UCC background (Congregational, Christian, etc.). We came to agreement that there is a consensus in the UCC around the person of Jesus Christ and Scripture as the primary source for distinguishing essentials and non-essentials. If we can spread that message, I’ll be thrilled!
Essentials and Non-essentials:
The Formula for Unity
Rev. Dr. Bob Thompson
President, Faithful and Welcoming Churches
Pastor, Corinth Reformed Church, Hickory, NC
Community Building
1. Who’s here and why you came
2. Brainstorm: What are the ‘essentials’ that define UCC identity for you?
About the Famous Motto
3. Rupertus Meldinius (1582-1681)
a. Son of a priest
b. German Lutheran theologian and educator; scholar at home in Greek, Hebrew, Latin
c. Defended the Lutheran Concord (1580) and the founder of Pietism, Johann Arndt
d. Much of his ministry during the 30 years war (1618-1648)
e. Wrote a tract, “A Reminder of Peace at the Church of the Augsburg Confession of Theologians” (1626). According to Philip Schaff, Meldinius….
· Is anxious for peace in the church, though not ecclesiastical union
· Desires piety to replace barren scholasticism
· Condemns pharisaical hypocrisy of theologians; exhorts humility
· Believes too much controversy over truth endangers truth
· “Many contend for the corporal presence of Christ who have not Christ in their hearts.”
f. Key quote: in necessariis Unitas in dubiis libertas, in omnibus caritas
g. Translation: “In essentials unity, in doubtful things liberty, in all things charity.”
h. Schaff says Meldinius’ “prophetic voice” was “unheeded in a century of intolerance, and forgotten in a century of indifference, but resounds with increased force in a century of revival and re-union.”
4. Use of the “Essentials” motto
a. Often attributed to others (St. Augustine, Thomas a Kempis, Richard Baxter, John Wesley, Thomas Campbell among them), but without accurate citation.
b. Some form of the motto was/has been adopted to guide the Moravian church, Restoration movement, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, and many local churches.
c. It was approvingly quoted by Pope John XXIII in 1959.
d. In the UCC, the motto has been adopted by Eden Theological Seminary and quoted/used in many settings.
5. But what are the essentials? According to Meldinius, the necessaria are
a. Articles of faith necessary to salvation
b. Articles derived from clear testimonies of the Bible
c. Articles decided by the whole church in a synod or symbol
d. Articles held by all orthodox divines as necessary
6. How about non-essentials? Meldinius’ criteria for non-necessaria:
Dogmas…
a. Not contained in the Bible
b. Not belonging to the common inheritance of the faith
c. Not unanimously taught by theologians
d. Left doubtful by grave divines
e. Not tending to piety, charity, and edification
Essentials in our UCC heritage
[The following quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from Theology and Identity: Traditions, Movements, and Polity in the United Church of Christ, edited by Daniel L. Johnson and Charles Hambrick-Stowe (Pilgrim Press, 1990, revised 2007)]
7. Congregationalism:
a. Elizabeth Nordbeck notes various controversies throughout Congregationalism’s history coupled with an insistence on congregational autonomy – “a kind of pure ecclesiastical embodiment of American democracy itself” (p. 13).
b. Still, the Burial Hill Declaration (1865) asserted consensus on “great fundamental truths in which all Christians should agree”:
· “Faith in God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, the only living and true God”
· Faith “in Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word”
· “The common sinfulness and ruin of our race”
· “It is only through the work accomplished by the life and expiatory death that believers in him are justified before God…”
· Belief “in the resurrection of the body, and in the final judgment, the issues of which are eternal life and everlasting punishment”
· “Affirming now our belief that those who thus hold ‘one faith, one Lord, one baptism,’ together constitute the one Catholic Church, the several households of which, though called by different names, are the one body of Christ; and that these members of his body are sacredly bound to keep ‘the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace,’ we declare that we will cooperate with all who hold these truths. With them we will carry the gospel into every part of this land, and with them we will go into all the world and ‘preach the gospel to every creature.’”
8. Reformed
a. John Shetler refers the reader to 16th century sources (Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin, Zacharias Ursinus, and the Heidelberg Catechism) in a search for theological identity in the German Reformed heritage. The 19th century Mercersburg Theology reinforced the need of the church to be catholic, evangelical, reformed, and apostolic.
b. Question 1 of the Heidelberg Catechism: “What is your only comfort in life and in death?” Answer: “That I belong – body and soul, in life and in death – not to myself but to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ, who at the cost of his own blood has fully paid for all my sins and has completely freed me from the dominion of the devil; that he protects me so well that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, that everything must fit his purpose for my salvation. Therefore, by his Holy Spirit, he also assures me of eternal life, and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.”
9. Evangelical Synod
a. Ralph C. Quellhorst quotes Walter Brueggemann in naming three theological themes in the UCC’s Evangelical heritage –
· Pietism between orthodoxy and rationalism
· No creed but Jesus Christ crucified
· Eden Seminary’s motto: “In essentials unity, in non-essentials freedom, in all things charity.”
b. “The seventeenth century Pietiest Phillip Jacob Spener called for the opening of the Bible in every part of the church, for the study of the Word by laity and clergy, for genuine nurture of the faith, and for the ministry of Christians to one another….Theology done faithfully brings a change of heart, for the Word of God brings an end to confessional boundaries and opens the door to one another.”
10. Christian churches
a. Richard Taylor notes the parallel between the rise of the American political system (Locke’s themes of freedom, passion, unity through law) and the Christian churches. James O’Kelly, Abner Jones, and others believed that creedal theology destroys unity and freedom. Scripture is sufficient and doctrine divides.
b. Principles of the Christian church:
· Christ is the only head of the church.
· Christian is a sufficient name for the church.
· The Holy Bible is a sufficient rule of faith and practice.
· Christian character is the only requirement for membership.
· The right of private judgment and the liberty of conscience are rights and privileges for all.
· Union of all Christ’s followers is sought.
11. Additional theological streams in the UCC
a. Black church (Samuel Slie) – the critical biblical and theological theme is liberation from oppression
12. Indigenous peoples (Rosemary McCombs Maxey) – a key theme is the sacredness of all creation – human, animal, vegetable, and physical – and the search for harmony under the Creator
13. The “texts of the church” (Gabriel Fackre)
a. Norm: “The decisive authority in the United Church of Christ charter is Jesus Christ: ‘The United Church of Christ acknowledges as its sole Head, Jesus Christ, Son of God and Savior’ (Constitution, Preamble).”
b. Source: “United Church of Christ ‘looks to the Word of God in the Scriptures’ (Constitution, Preamble). “The faith which unites us and to which we bear witness is that faith which the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments set forth…’ (Basis of Union, II).”
c. Resource: “The UCC ‘claims as its own the faith of the historic Church expressed in the ancient creeds and reclaimed in the basic insights of the Protestant Reformers.’ As the Scriptures are the source of our understanding in Christ, the historic ecumenical and confessional tradition is a key resource in construing its meaning.”
d. Setting: Our “united and uniting” church, a “just peace” church, lives out is ongoing quest for faith discernment in diakonia (service) and koinonia (community).
e. Substance: Norm, Source, Resource, and Setting lead us to continue affirming the “substance of the Christian faith” (Basis of Union) that carries meaningful theological content: the Trinity; Jesus Christ as truly human, truly God, and truly one; the one holy catholic church proclaiming the Gospel to all the world; the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, the future “consummation of the Kingdom of God” (Basis of Union).
f. Fackre: “The UCC is not so taken by ‘togetherness’ that it lacks defining edges. Its inclusivity excludes reductionism. Its Christological center and triune God cannot be confused with other centers or keep company with other gods. We are the United Church of Christ.”
14. John Thomas – “The Happy Balance of Creativity and Solidarity” (speech given to Faithful and Welcoming Convention, July 11, 2008)
15. Responses on Forums & Blogs
a. Comments to be added here in response to my open-ended query on UCC-Facebook, Theology Forum, and UCC Truths
16. From the “Pastor’s Class” at Corinth Reformed Church – Hickory, NC
a. “Core” and “Confessions” are essentials
b. “Convictions” and “Conscience” are non-essentials
Naming and Evaluating Our Essentials
17. The connection between “essentials” and “unity”
18. Moving Toward
a. Toward a Definition: An “essential” in this context might be a value, principle, or belief that has sufficient consensus across the ecclesiastical spectrum that it explains why we choose to join or remain in the UCC.
b. Toward a list of functional essentials in the UCC
· Freedom trumps conformity
· A balance of autonomy and covenant is possible
· God, who created all, is still active and still speaking
· Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is our crucified and risen Savior and the ultimate example
· Scripture is (at minimum) strong precedent for guiding faith and practice
· Catholic and sectarian antecedents deserve our careful attention
· Christian unity is a goal worthy of reflection, effort, and sacrifice
· We long for and work toward a world of justice and peace
c. What would you add, delete, or re-word?
19. How do these compare with Meldinius’ criteria?
a. Articles of faith necessary to salvation
b. Articles derived from clear testimonies of the Bible
c. Articles decided by the whole church in a synod or symbol
d. Articles held by all orthodox divines as necessary
20. Where do we go from here?