March 03, 2000
Some Current Thoughts on the National Alliance of Covenanting Congregations
The National Alliance of Covenanting Congregations consists of more than 100 congregations, within the United Church of Canada, who have declared their loyalty to the orthodox Christian faith as it is defined in the Basis of Union on which our Church was founded. They make this declaration by adopting our Articles of Association which affirm the 20 Articles of Faith in the Basis of Union, and Christian morality including faithfillness in marriage and chastity in singleness.This covenanting movement began in 1990, after the Church's General Council re-affirmed its decision to permit the ordination of. avowed practicing homosexuals. This was an issue that alerted many people to the secular drift occurring within the General Council, the issue that offended many church members and congregations so severely that they were leaving the United Church in large numbers. The National Alliance of Covenanting Congregations provided a way for orthodox congregations to remain in the Church with integrity.
The homosexual issue is still with us, exemplified by such things as:
- the appointment of many avowed practicing homosexuals to pastorates and important administrative positions in the Church;
- the refusal of General Council to distinguish between homosexual "orientation" and activity;
- celebration in the United Church Observer, and elsewhere, of "covenanting" services for homosexual couples;
- the call by Moderator William Phipps, on his first morning in that office, for the General Council to celebrate the great gains made by "gays and lesbians' in recognition within the United Church;
- in the new service book, approved by the General Council Executive and due for publication before Easter 2000, a litany for marriage/life partnership
But the homosexual issue is only one symptom of deeper Christian issues that concern us, and which we see as undermining and violating the Basis of Union. We see denial of the Bible as THE authoritative word of God, denial of Jesus Christ as divine Head of the Church and Savior of mankind. And we see misuse of the Holy Spirit as an excuse for doing whatever satisfies the moment. Particular examples of these things are:
- Moderator Phipps being upheld by the General Council Executive in his repeated denials of the divinity of Jesus Christ or the fact of the resurrection, and his statement that such matters are not relevant;
- the General Council's promotion of worldwide "ecumenism" at the expense of good relations with other Christian denominations. They wish us to accept other religions as equally valid to Christianity, as "paths to God", even those that have many gods or no god. At its 1997 conference the Council demonstrated this view one morning by having its opening worship conducted by a Buddhist;
- the General Council Executive support of; and participation in, extreme feminist meetings which promote the worship of a goddess Sophia, who is identified as Astarte and other pagan goddesses;
- publications of the General Council's office which show an increasing tendency to refer to God as Mother, or to name him by one or other of his attributes instead of the Biblical name Father;
- the boast of one of our theological colleges, in its publicity, that it "imposes no religious test on its professors and students, and through the years has welcomed both professors and students from many religious traditions and denominations - and some who profess no religious faith at all." And a survey published by the United Church shows that more than half the teaching staff in our seminaries do not think it is important to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord.
- the proposal by the General Council Executive to introduce non-Trinitarian wording into the ordination oath. Fortunately this proposal was stalled at the 1997 Council by one of our friends asking whether the Basis of Union would allow such a change without previous approval by way of a remit (referendum). The Judicial Committee of the Church ruled later that a remit would be required, and nothing further has been heard of it.
- a proposal in the draft of the new service book, to introduce several alternatives to the Trinitarian wording of the litany for baptism. This was proposed even though it would have violated both the Basis of Union and ajoint agreement signed in the 1970s by the United Church and four other denominations. The National Alliance of Covenanting Congregations sent a pointed but respectful request that the legality of such changes be referred to the Judicial Committee, and again the Committee ruled that no changes could be made without a remit.
Over the years the General Council Executive and its office have made many changes without benefit of remit, in the United Church Manual of rules and procedures. For instance, new clauses in the 1998 Manual allow a congregation to have its minister removed "without cause", that is, without giving a reason. But even against the wishes of a congregation, this action (or any other kind of action) could be taken by Presbytery, or Conference, or the General Council, if they decided to do so. These changes permit the General Council (or its Executive) to exercise absolute power "without cause". We know of one petition, initiated by a friend of the covenanting movement; which questions the legality of this sweeping change, and we pray it will reach the floor of the General Council 2000.
With so many issues in the air, and more examples rising up constantly, it is hard for the National Alliance to keep track of them, or do anything about them. We can send an occasional letter to the General Council Office, but what else can we do?
The last two General Councils have voted to seat one representative of the National Alliance of Covenanting Congregations as a corresponding member, so we have at least got our existence to be recognized. We have established a legal defense fund, to help in the defense of evangelical ministers who are persecuted by the Church for their views. We try to keep our member congregations informed through meetings and regional newsletters. We try to reach beyond our own membership by our participation in the publication of Fellowship Magazine, which has a mailing list of about 12,000 including all United Church ministers. And the most we can do is to pray.
Prayer for all parts of the United Church is a important part of what vve do. We encourage our member congregations to have prayer chains, and we have an e-mail prayer chain that reaches across Canada. And we publish an annual prayer calendar, designed to inspire and assist a great nation-wide wave of intercessory prayer. In addition, for the year 2000 and the 75th anniversary of the United Church, we have invited our congregations to take part in a program of prayer and fasting. It began with one day a month for three months, then one day a week for two months, and then one whole week just before the United Church's birthday on June 10.
The United Church does need our prayers. For the past eleven years its membership has been decreasing quite a bit faster than that of other denominations, and it is no longer the largest Protestant denomination in Canada-that honor has passed to the Anglicans. Many people who might join the United Church are put off by its public image, the image of a church that welcoines avowed practicing homosexuals into its pulpits, that seeks fellowship with non-Christian religions rather than with Christian denominations, and that has a Moderator who does not believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ.
A congregation that does not agree with what is being decided by the higher courts of the Church oflen feels alone, that they by themselves can do nothing about it, that they will not be affected if they just keep their heads down and keep their own church doors open on Sunday. Of course they really are being affected by the public image of the United Church, and the ongoing agenda of the General Council. But they are not alone.
The National Alliance of Covenanting Congregations is a fellowship of congregations that do not agree with much of what has been going on in the higher courts of the Church. And instead of hiding their candles they have declared to each other, and to the United Church and the world, that they hold to the orthodox faith on which the United Church was founded. They offer a light of hope and encouragement and welcome to all like- minded congregations. They are not a splinter-group at the margin, waiting to break away-- they are new mortar in the foundation.
If the United Church is to be moved back on to its firm foundation, God alone has the power to do it. We can only stand to be counted, and we can pray.
Bob Blackburn, March 3, 2000
Posted at March 3, 2000 08:07 PM