National Alliance of Covenating Congregations within the United Church of Canada

February 25, 2003

Faith Talk - A New Statement of Faith for the United Church

The Challenge

The last NACC newsletter (News Briefs, January 2003) advised that the NACC would be asking its member congregations to make sure their voices are heard as the United Church embarks on this (problematic) move to generate a new faith statement for the church. General Council has given oversight of the process to its Theology and Faith Committee.

Despite reassurances in the questionnaire's introductory materials, the NACC is deeply suspicious of this process. It promises to be yet another step away from the firmly orthodox stand the United Church embraced at the time of its founding. Our suspicions rest, for instance, on

• The series of "faith" documents approved by recent General Councils (much of their content heavily influenced by the advice of the T&F Committee),

• The assumptions detectable in the present questionnaire's supplementary materials,

• The unfocused nature of the questionnaire itself, which carefully deflects the focus from the fundamentals of the faith, and

• Comments from committee members, quoted in the February, 2003, Observer (see "Finding the Right Words").

The same Observer article reports there is a fairly wide interest in the Faith Talk process, and it is important that the case for orthodoxy be made clearly and forcefully by as much of the UCC as possible. Certainly, if those who embrace the sort of faith laid out in the Articles of Faith of the Basis of Union, do not take part, they will have little right to complain about whatever the General Council eventually approves, likely in 2006.

The NACC Contribution

In an attempt to be helpful, the NACC Executive has asked a knowledgeable team to draft a set of answers to the questionnaire. We hope people will find these responses helpful as they consider how to help point the UCC back to its orthodox roots.

These answers could be used in a variety of ways. For example:

• Some may choose to ignore them completely and to tackle the questionnaire on Faith Talk's own terms;

• Some may decide to jump into the questionnaire "cold", and then compare their answers with the NACC's, revising as they see the need;

• Some may want to start with the NACC answers, critiquing, discarding, amending as they see fit.

However, it is important that the questionnaire responses offered here not be submitted verbatim by others. They should, as just suggested, be used as a reference, a base for discussion. Even if substantively close to what is below, respondents are urged to phrase their answers in their own words.

What Next?

The "Faith Talk" materials (41 pages, in total) are available online at the United Church's website, http://uccan.org/home.shtm. To access them, just enter "Faith Talk" in the site's search box. It is likely the first "hit" on the list will give you all the Faith Talk materials, and you will be able to download them as you wish - i.e. in part or in total. However, doing so requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available online (free) at www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html.

Alternatively, the questionnaire and accompanying materials can be ordered from

Melodie Mui, Administrative Assistant
Faith Formation and Education
The United Church of Canada
3250 Bloor St. West, Suite 300
Toronto, ON M8X 2Y4
Phone: (416) 231-7680 ext. 4189

Please note, the response deadline is April 15, 2003.

NACC Responses: Faith Talk Questionnaire

Our Current Context

1. What images, beliefs, and practices most sustain your faith?

Answer Those which most clearly reflect God:

a. Our Father: loving, nurturing, and, when necessary, chastising
b. His Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ: who has, through his incarnation and suffering, paid the price for our fallenness; victorious over sin; our advocate with the Father
c. The Holy Spirit our Comforter: working among us to unite us to Christ, and, through him, to eternal life with the Father.

We are sustained in our faith as we apply this Trinitarian understanding of God to all we experience and do as Christians - meeting God in the sacraments, praying to him, worshipping him, praising him, serving him and our neighbours.

2. What is happening in the world to shake your faith?

Answer Our faith is unshaken. However, our trust in our denomination has been tested by (1) Its current unwillingness to affirm, unequivocally and unapologetically, the Trinitarian God described above, (2) Its current reluctance to accept scripture as "the only infallible record of God's gracious revelations, and as sure witness of Christ" (Basis of Union), and (3) Its capitulation to those conventional "wisdoms" which assert: the equal validity of all religions, the denial of obvious scriptural truth, sexual license, the blurring of sexual differences, the redefinition of marriage, etc.

the faith of your congregation?

Answer See above.

the faith of others around you?

Answer See above.

3. In what ways are these issues calling into question your understanding of God, Jesus, the Trinity, sacraments, ministry, and the church?

Answer How we understand these matters is not in question. Briefly put: we stand firmly on Holy Scripture and the collective wisdom of the Church Universal. In particular, we affirm the wisdom granted the Church through its two thousand year reflection on Scripture. This wisdom is summarized in such historic statements as the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds. Most immediately, we stand firmly within the Reformed Tradition of that Church's wisdom, well expressed in the "Doctrine" section of the Basis of Union.

4. Are there theological principles from particular scriptural themes or traditions (e.g. creation, the wilderness wandering of the people of Israel, the exile of Babylon) that give guidance to our current situation?

Answer We understand scripture to be God-given, and that everything, in both Testaments, is there by his will. The themes suggested above are all subsets of scripture's central, unifying theme, which is God's consuming love for his creation, and his refusal to let it perish - even at the cost of the cross. Further, in this, he has a particular purpose for humanity, which is to act as his stewards in that creation. The particular calling of the Christian Church is to act as "a light to the nations", drawing the whole human race into fellowship with him and into an understanding of itself as his stewards on earth.

Comment: We are surprised that this question's sample "themes" do not include any that refer explicitly to Christ - the atonement, and the promise of resurrection, for instance.

Church

1. What relationship might there be between church and salvation?

Answer As the Body of Christ, the Christian Church is his visible presence on earth. Guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit, its core task is to make the news of salvation available to all. This it can do only through the power of the Spirit, expressing God's encompassing love and his wish that all people be saved. The Church does this through what it is, what it says, and what it does.

2. Can we as Christians be open to other faiths? Does such openness threaten the integrity of our particular Christian beliefs? If we can be open, how do we do this?

Answer We can accept that God, in his creation of the universe, offers all people persuasive evidence of his power and majesty. Many religions demonstrate such an understanding of him. However, we believe the one true and complete revelation of the heart of God has been given us in Jesus Christ. The Christian Church is called is to offer that Good News to those of other faiths (or of no faith) through mutually respectful interaction. Mutual respect requires that we act with love, honesty, and clarity. It also requires that we speak from a firm understanding of the faith entrusted to us, and of how it is centred on Jesus, the Christ.

Ministry

1. What is or should be the relationship between designated ministries (ordained, diaconal, lay pastoral, student supply, etc.) and the laity?

Answer Everything we do flows from shared responsibility. As individual parts of The Body, we owe each other loving support, loving admonishment, loving advice.

2. How is the role of a designated ministry different from that of the ministry of the whole people of God (that is, everyone)?

Answer In our tradition, designated ministries are understood to be in partnership with the laity. Even particular responsibilities based on the possession of special expertise are always shared to some extent with others. Before God, none stand over others. Humility is required of us all.

Sacraments

1. Do you think that there would be occasions when it would be appropriate for people other than the ordained, diaconal, or otherwise licensed minister to administer the sacraments?

Yes, we believe there may be such occasions.

2. How do the sacraments proclaim our theology?

Answer If the practices associated with baptism and communion point to Christ, if they underline what he has done for us, if they emphasize our relationship to him and to the Father, then they point to the theology of the Church. If they do not, they point to an empty gospel of self-sufficiency and worldliness: thus one is baptized into something other than Christ; thus the eucharist does not provide the true spiritual nourishment that alone comes from God.

3. How do you relate the sacraments to your understanding of God?

Answer Faithfully performed, they point directly and powerfully to Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and ascension - that is to God's intent that we all return to him.

Other

Historical and Contemporary Considerations

1. Are there elements of the historic expressions of faith that you would like to see considered? Are there elements of contemporary expressions that you would like to see considered?

Answer See the answer above. In fact, we see no need at all for "a new statement of faith". The "Doctrine" section of the Basis of Union remains the United Church's best summary of its foundational beliefs, and it possesses a unique legitimacy - including in Canadian law. Whatever our church has to say about its faith must necessarily be congruent with that.

2. Are there fresh concepts you would like to offer for our consideration?

Answer No.

3. Are there guiding theological principles from our scriptural traditions (e.g. creation, the wilderness wandering of the people of Israel, the exile in Babylon) that you find pertinent?

Answer Principle #1 - Each scriptural theme cited tells us something of God and of our relationship with him. Principle #2 - No single theme (or even group of themes) gives us the full picture. Principle #3 - It is only by faithful engagement with all of Scripture that we can hope to come close.

Style and Format

1. How would you imagine using a Statement of Faith?

Answer We would not use a new faith statement if it conflicted with the doctrinal statements in the Basis of Union.

2. Is there a particular format that you would find most useful? Some suggestions we are currently working with are

• a summary for easy reference or liturgical use
• availability on the Web with hypertext
• graphics and pictures
• appendices of historical documents and biblical references

(No suggestion)

3. What else would you like to tell the Committee on Theology and Faith?

Answer This is another defining moment in the life of the United Church. At issue is whether we have the nerve to be fully and distinctly Christian.

Posted at February 25, 2003 12:10 PM

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