Response 2: Mid-Century Meanings 1940

Our Words of Faith:
Cherished, Honoured, & Living
Response Sheet

Name: ______________ Date: __________ (optional)

Session 2: “Mid-Century Meanings”

1940 Statement of Faith

Read the Preamble (page 1) – for hints of why we updated the Basis of Union


What had changed in the national and global context from 1905 to 1940?


What had changed in the United Church of Canada from 1905 to 1940?



Read the 12 headings – compared to the 20 of 1925 – what’s changed?



Look closer, at the words and phrases, the diction: what’s changed?



Are these “our” words of faith – in the group, the congregation, the wider church?


What group, or part of the wider church would buy or reject them in 1940 or now?


Are they ‘cherished’, ‘honoured’, ‘living’? Which word fits this statement best?


Do they express and inform, or reflect:
a) Continuity with historic, older ways…?
b) Current practice of the United Church… as it is emerging?
c) Local practice of Thornhill UC…?

What parts, lines, or words were easiest for you to say with us?



What parts, lines, or words were hardest for you to say with us?
Here are notes from participants' responses:
Session 2: “Mid-Century Meanings”

1940 Statement of Faith

Read the Preamble (page 1) – for hints of why we updated the Basis of Union

What had changed in the national and global context from 1905 to 1940?
• Depression – war – men and women donned uniforms, women ‘went out to work’ – life changed – rationing – blackouts – bombing, etc
• Depression, world wars
• WWI, depression, WWII (one year) – prohibition, internal migrations, media (radio, movies), Christian vs Christian in WWI so whose side is God on?
• Much had changed but not much had changed in stated theology
• Stock market crash
• Music – jazz – Glenn Miller, big band, swing – emotion, longing, yearning
• Silent movies to talkies – newsreels, Walt Disney
• Urbanization
• Suffrage for women – persons case

What had changed in the United Church of Canada from 1905 to 1940?
• Much had changed but not much had changed in stated theology – social gospel more important than expressed in this document.
• Statement of faith does not seem to be so dogmatic and rigid, but allows some questioning –
• migration of people within Canada to cities and moving across Canada
• Social activism was added
• 1904 work began on Basis of Union, 1925 first General Council, 1925-29 colleges, offices of Methodist, Presbyterian, congregational churches merged – 1962 UCW formed
• Memory work children’s programmes, mission bands, young peoples union
• Pentecostal, Fundamentalism, Social Gospel, evolution/creationism choices developed
• New hymnals
• Families divided, communities in conflict about union and continuing Presbyterians

Read the 12 headings – compared to the 20 of 1925 – what’s changed?
• Exclusive language – to the inclusive in the 70’s – Apostles and Nicene Creeds not used
• Inclusive language?
• More king and father and military words than earlier documents had
• 8 of the 20 are dropped: revelation, divine purpose, creation, sin of man, grace of god and others gone – were they no longer acceptable?
• Not much had changed in stated theology
• No longer ‘descended into hell


Look closer, at the words and phrases, the diction: what’s changed?
• Both - written for clergy, not laypersons
• This document is of historic value only
• Ideas are separated for clarity –
• Words simpler
• Less repetition
• From legalese of a merger to college talk of academics
• 1925 words flowery – too wordy
• 1940 words simpler
• But after reading all these words my mind boggles!
• The 1940 statement leaves much to be changed and modernized!
• Human ‘above’ vs nature and creation
• Continuing revelation
• Assumes old science foundations and language
• Easier to identify wrong jarring bits than general OK parts
• Nothing I reject – might add
• Masterful condensation of earlier
• Lowest common denominator

Are these “our” words of faith – in the group, the congregation, the wider church?
• NO
• NO – underlined twice
• These words have greater appeal to me than the older words and I believe within the group. I am uncertain about a wider group.


What group, or part of the wider church would buy or reject them in 1940 or now?
• Most, I hope
• Expect that most would REJECT – underlined 3 times
• I think that the traditionalists might not like change but those who are searching for understanding and clarity would
• Episcopalians – reject – what is apostolic

Are they ‘cherished’, ‘honoured’, ‘living’? Which word fits this statement best?
• Perhaps ‘honoured’ in the archives!
• These would be honoured as they form history but have been updated and so may not have wide appeal
• Honoured
• Honoured, perhaps





Do they express and inform, or reflect:
a) Continuity with historic, older ways…?
• Check
• Yes
• Moving and changing
b) Current practice of the United Church… as it is emerging?
• No
• Not quite there
• NO – underlined twice
• x
c) Local practice of Thornhill UC…?
• X
• NO – underlined twice
• Uncertain
• No

What parts, lines, or words were easiest for you to say with us?
• Like the Preamble calling for Christians of each new generation to state it afresh
• ‘freedom of choice’ in man and man’s sin
• III Holy Spirit with exception that the Kingdom is here and now, not something in the future
• Preamble – but Christians of each new generation are called to state afresh, etc – no statement of ours can express the whole truth of God
• Holy spirit – 1st 2 lines, we believe in the holy spirit by whom God is at work in the minds and hearts of people
• The church – we believe all members of the church are one in him etc
• The ministry – Okay
• Holy Scriptures 1st sentence
• Most of sacraments…

What parts, lines, or words were hardest for you to say with us?
• God – overrules all things – god made man
• Jesus Christ – do not believe in ‘atonement’
• IV holy trinity
• V man and man’s sin
• VI redemption
• X sacraments – baptism – God’s cleansing from sin’
• XII the consummation – too judgmental
• Too much emphasis on sin and redemption
• Male gender throughout somewhat marginalizes women
• Wrath of God may result from freedom of choice
• Jesus, our Judge?


Subsequent notes

The 8 points of the Canadian Centre for Progressive Christianity

By calling ourselves progressive, we mean that we:
1. centre our faith on values that affirm the sacredness and interconnectedness of all life, the inherent and equal worth of all persons, and the supremacy of love expressed actively in our lives as compassion and social justice;
2. engage in a search that has roots in our Christian heritage and traditions;
3. embrace the freedom and responsibility to examine traditionally held Christian beliefs and practices, acknowledging the human construction of religion, and in the light of conscience and contemporary learning, adjust our views and practices accordingly;
4. draw from diverse sources of wisdom, regarding all as fallible human expressions open to our evaluation of their potential contribution to our individual and communal lives;
5. find more meaning in the search for understanding than in the arrival at certainty; in the questions than the answers;
6. encourage inclusive, non-discriminatory, non-hierarchical community where our common humanity is honoured in a trusting atmosphere of mutual respect and support;
7. promote forms of individual and community celebration, study, and prayer that use understandable, inclusive, non-dogmatic, value-based language by which people of religious, skeptical, or secular backgrounds may be nurtured and challenged;
8. commit to journeying together, our ongoing growth characterized by honesty, integrity, openness, respect, intellectual rigour, courage, creativity, and balance.
• I think the statement is cherished and honoured, but not so much living
• Statement expresses continuity with historic ways – yes; current practice - possibly in wider UC; local practice – not explicitly
• Parts easiest to say – I found overall I could say most of it comfortably, partly because it avoids whole sections of the Basis of Union, eg. virgin birth
• Parts hardest to say:
I. God orders and overrules all things to the accomplishment of his purposes – predestination? Free will?
II. Jesus, Son of God incarnate – still haven’t made up my mind on this
IV. Not sure about the whole Trinity thing
VI. Not sure how Jesus’ death on the cross break the power of sin?
IX. Makes it sound like Judaism and the Old Testament are partial / incomplete / insufficient if “fullness of truth and grace came by Jesus Christ”.