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”.


Read more...

Responses to 'Older Words', Ancient Creeds, Basis of Union

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

Name: ______________ Date: __________ (optional)

Session 1: “Older Words of Faith”

Basis of Union – Articles of Faith

Read the headlines aloud – ask who recognizes them, from when & where.

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 1925 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?




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

Name: ______________ Date: __________ (optional)

Session 1: “Older Words of Faith”

“Ancient Creeds” - Apostles & Nicene Creeds

Read them aloud – and ask who recognizes them, from when and where.

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

If not, whose words are they – what group, or part of the wider church?

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 some notes from participants in our sessions:
Session 1: “Older Words of Faith”

“Ancient Creeds” - Apostles & Nicene Creeds

Read them aloud – and ask who recognizes them, from when and where.
• I remember them when I was a teenager preparing to join the church in Hartland NB
• Used to know them both by heart!
• From Church of England childhood, sung Eucharist

Are these “our” words of faith – in the group, the congregation, the wider church?
• NO – underlined 4 times
• NO
• No
• NO
• I find the creeds more dated/distant than articles of faith
• No – not current – gender based – reference to “Virgin” Mary
• Maybe for ‘wider church’
•
If not, whose words are they – what group, or part of the wider church?
• ‘elderly’? (crossed out) – not known
• Somewhere in the wider church?
• Maybe for wider church
• Some of our congregation and wider church might accept the language – it is not what works for me.
• Wider church, perhaps
• Wider Christian church probably more confortable than many in the UC
•
Are they ‘cherished’, ‘honoured’, ‘living’? Which word fits this statement best?
• Honoured – underlined 3 times – noted ‘archaic’
• Honoured, maybe
• Honoured understood as archaic
• archaic
• As discussed, these creeds may be honoured as out historic words but they are no longer relevant.
• Cherished? Yes, emotional ties to youth and family origins
• Honoured? Yes
• Living – no
• Honoured
• Honoured
•


Do they express and inform, or reflect:
• Continuity with historic, older ways…?
• YES
• Check
• Check
• check
• Yes
• Yes
• Yes – this is our heritage
• Yes
Current practice of the United Church… as it is emerging?
• NO
• X
• x
• No
• No
Local practice of Thornhill UC…
• NO
• X
• x
• No
• No, although these words might suit some

What parts, lines, or words were easiest for you to say with us?
• ALMOST NOTHING
• None
• We believe that God has revealed himself in nature and history, and in the heart of man. Holly Spirit dwells in every believer as the spirit of truth, power, holiness and love.
• First two lines
• I believe in God
• Both get tricky immediately after the first paragraph!
• Communion of saints

What parts, lines, or words were hardest for you to say with us?
• ALMOST ALL
• Trinity
• Holy Scriptures – some not very ‘holy’ – not only infallible rule of faith and life
• Sovereign design – predestination
• Article 5 – sin of man
• Article 7 – conceived of Holy Spirit – suffered for sins of the world, intercedes for us
• Rose from dead ascended into heaven
• Article IX
What parts, lines, or words were hardest for you to say with us? (cont’d)
• He descended into hell
• Most of it
• Very patriarchal, exclusive, supernatural, unbelievable, judgmental, fearful
• Creed and Lord’s Prayer are too anthropomorphic
• Too much father language
• Virgin birth
• Descended into hell
• Resurrection of the body??
• He was crucified for our sake? Uncomfortable with the whole sacrifice/propitiation thing to appease a judging God
• Descended into hell
• Rose again from the dead
• Not really sure about “Holy Ghost”
• Resurrection of the body
• Born of the Virgin Mary
• Conceived by the Holy Ghost
• Born of the Virgin Mary
• He descended into hell
•

Basis of Union – Articles of Faith

Read the headlines aloud – ask who recognizes them, from when & where.
• Never heard them before

Are these “our” words of faith – in the group, the congregation, the wider church?
• I do not think so – they are certainly not mine
• Hard to say they are “ours” if so few people are familiar with them

What group, or part of the wider church would buy or reject them in 1925 or now?
• Actually, I found I was okay with most of it

Are they ‘cherished’, ‘honoured’, ‘living’? Which word fits this statement best?
• Cherished – check
• Honoured – check
• Living – not really
• Honoured in that they reflect heritage





Do they express and inform, or reflect:
a) Continuity with historic, older ways…?
• Yes
• Check
•
b) Current practice of the United Church… as it is emerging?
• I suspect many people would stumble over the same parts as I did, but much of it still resounds
• No
•
c) Local practice of Thornhill UC…?
• Not sure
•

What parts, lines, or words were easiest for you to say with us?
• Of God to the end of “truth”. I am not sure about any of the balance…

What parts, lines, or words were hardest for you to say with us?
• This is very dogmatic and unworkable for me.
• Article 19 – I do not believe in a Hell nor in any physical resurrection
• II – scripture inspiration, infallible
• VII Jesus the only mediator between God and man / satisfied Divine justice
• XI ? sonship ?
• XIX – NO!
• XX – make disciples of all nations – teach okay – but convert??
• I am unable to say, in good conscience, any of the older creeds – makes me feel hypocritical, because I cannot believe in the God described therein. I believe that there are too many words whereas my faith and belief is very simple – to love and care for others.

Notes from Discussions:

 These older words of faith are not ‘our’ words of faith!

 We’ve got some nostalgia, and respect for antiquities

 If the church rejects all of the three newer statements, we’re left with these older words alone, which bother us more than the newer words…

 We are not a dogmatic bunch – would never kick anybody out, though they might exclude themselves from our ‘impure’ or ‘sloppy’ church

 Notes from Discussions:
Notes from Discussions: (cont’d)
 We get on with helping, doing, and don’t have much patience for expressly articulating why we do and help..

 Can you be ‘bilingual’ – able to think and speak in these old terms, and not need to translate every word into current diction without dissonance?

 Integrity and hypocrisy – we want to rationalize and come to peace with – or reject – these older words – but it would take so much time…

Additional Notes forwarded

Would like to see all these documents be honoured as historic documents and replaced with one only…

What words of faith do I accept for my faith?
How would I describe my faith? What do I believe?

“This I Believe”

I know and belive that you are here, God,
Beside me as I write
I know that you guide and direct me
to use my mind and my sight for the good of others.
I know and feel your presence, not only when I search for help
I know and believe that you send others
to comfort me in my sadness,
to help me grow in kindness,
to urge me to laugh in gladness,
to raise me up in spirit,
so that I, in turn, do for others
what you have done for me.
You are with me all the while.
You protect me from the world’s dangers.
Forever, you show your love, mercy and forgiveness
in the reflection of others.
Thank you.
Read more...

Introducing Background for 'Our Words of Faith'

Our Words of Faith:
Cherished, Honoured, and Living ?


(i) Introduction


Our national United Church is asking local churches what we believe.
Our council will speak for us, whether to claim any or all of 3 statements of faith as ‘subordinate standards of faith’ in our denomination:


Statement of Faith (1940)
A New Creed (1968/80/94)
A Song of Faith (2006)




A. Older Words of Faith
Sun Nov 20 noon, repeated Tues Nov 22 7:30pm
We’ll start with the older words: Bible, creeds, Basis of Union, Articles of Faith


B. Mid-Century Meanings
Sun Nov 27 noon, repeated Tues Nov 29 7:30pm
We’ll visit some 1940 words, written amid World Wars and Depression: 'Statement of Faith'


C. Modern Poetry
Sun Dec 4 noon, repeated Tues Dec 6 7:30pm
We’ll echo a ‘New Creed’, from ‘hip’ 1968, revised ‘80 and ‘94


D. Post-Modern Lyrics
Sun Dec 11 noon, repeated Tues Dec 13 7:30pm
We’ll sample a ‘Song of Faith’ to see if we can sing along to it


Find this background package posted here at www.hereticslikeus.com in the first week of November, or pick up a paper copy at the church library desk. Come to any one or all 4 sessions (each one repeated Sunday after church and Tuesday eve).  If you miss the sessions, we'll leave this posted online, and welcome your responses!


Bill Bruce takes the risk of going first, online and at church – then you respond:
Which, if any, of these words are ‘cherished, honoured, and living’ for you?


If you just happened on this - you can find us at:
Thornhill United Church
25 Elgin St (at Dudley)
Thornhill ON L3T 1W5
905 889-2131
http://www.thornhillunitedchurch.ca/

Click on 'read more' below, to see a summary of the questions we are being asked, to inform your browsing and participation in this study a bit more. 

(i) Our Words of Faith – Framing the Questions

Our national church is asking local congregations what we believe.

Since 1925, our United Church ‘Basis of Union’ already says that scripture is our main standard, and ‘Articles of Faith’ clarify our interpretation of scripture. Do we believe even that stuff, here and now, us, at Thornhill UC? Are these historic statements “Our Words of Faith”?

Each of 3 statements of faith may be recognized in 2012 as a ‘subordinate standard of faith’ and included in our Basis of Union through this year’s process: 1940 Statement of Faith, A New Creed (1968/80/94), and A Song of Faith (2006). Are these, any more than the others, “Our Words of Faith”?

Do each, or any of these ‘words of faith’ reflect

a) continuity with historic, older expressions you knew?

b) the practice of the United Church as you experience it now (emerging)?

c) the faith of our worshipping community at Thornhill UC?

Here is some background reading, in an accessible format, based on a study guide also available at www.united-church.ca by the same name. On the next two pages are some orienting comments and questions for the 4 sessions. Appended are the texts of 3 historic statements, and the 3 new ones that we’re asked to weigh as possible additional and 'subordinate standards of faith'.  Are they 'Our Words of Faith'?  Are they 'Cherished, Honoured, and Living'?

How would you vote, if you were a council member? Join the conversation, here onsite on 4 Sundays, repeated 4 Tuesdays, or online at www.hereticslikeus.com.

Background reading is posted here, and copied at the church in November. Each week before the session, I’ll post some notes about additional preparation for the Sunday or Tuesday sessions. Each week after the sessions, I’ll post some notes about our discussions during the Sunday and Tuesday sessions.

Questions? Answers?Contact Bill Bruce:
bill@thornhillunitedchurch.ca
905-889-2131
416-275-3547 Read more...

Background for 'Older Words of Faith' - 'Ancient Creeds and Basis of Union Articles of Faith'

A. Older Words of Faith
Sunday Nov 20 noon, repeated Tuesday Nov 22 7:30pm


How did we speak ‘words of faith’ a century ago? Methodists, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Baptists and others proposed ‘Articles of Faith’ in 1905, which would be claimed as ‘our words of faith’ by the new United Church in 1925 – but declined by half the Presbyterians, and all the Baptists, and others.


Before you come, you could read two ‘ancient creeds’ as we called them in the opening section of our Articles of Faith: The Apostles Creed and The Nicene Creed. They’ve been around in various formulations since the 4th or 5th century. Did you ever learn them, recite them, or study them? Are they our words of faith?


You could also read the ‘Doctrine’ section of our 1925 Basis of Union, including an opening section and 20 Articles of Faith. This is the set proposed in 1905, and accepted by the new denomination in 1925. Why would Presbyterians or Baptists – or Anglicans or any Christian – say no to them? Are they our words of faith?

Click on 'read more' below to see two of the 'ancient creeds' that our denomination has claimed as 'our words of faith' from its beginning; the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed.  Continue to scroll down through the 20 Articles of Faith from our Basis of Union - or pick up a hard copy of this and other background materials at the church library.

(A) ‘Ancient Creeds’ and ‘Basis of Union’

Apostles Creed I believe in God the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord;
who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;
he descended into hell;
the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost;
the holy catholic Church;
the communion of saints;
the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body;
and the life everlasting


Nicene Creed We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God,
begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.

For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.

On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.

We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.


(A) Basis of Union

DoctrineWe, the representatives of the Presbyterian, Methodist, and Congregational branches of the Church of Christ in Canada, do hereby set forth the substance of the Christian faith, as commonly held among us. In doing so, we build upon the foundation laid by the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone. We affirm our belief in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the primary source and ultimate standard of Christian faith and life. We acknowledge the teaching of the great creeds of the ancient Church. We further maintain our allegiance to the evangelical doctrines of the Reformation, as set forth in common in the doctrinal standards adopted by The Presbyterian Church in Canada, by The Congregational Union of Ontario and Quebec, and by The Methodist Church. We present the accompanying statement as a brief summary of our common faith and commend it to the studious attention of the members and adherents of the negotiating Churches, as in substance agreeable to the teaching of the Holy Scriptures.


Article 1. Of God.We believe in the one only living and true God, a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in His being and perfections; the Lord Almighty, who is love, most just in all His ways, most glorious in holiness, unsearchable in wisdom, plenteous in mercy, full of compassion, and abundant in goodness and truth. We worship Him in the unity of the Godhead and the mystery of the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, three persons of the same substance, equal in power and glory.


Article II. Of Revelation.We believe that God has revealed Himself in nature, in history, and in the heart of man; that He has been graciously pleased to make clearer revelation of Himself to men of God who spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit; and that in the fullness of time He has perfectly revealed Himself in Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, who is the brightness of the Father's glory and the express image of His person. We receive the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, given by inspiration of God, as containing the only infallible rule of faith and life, a faithful record of God's gracious revelations, and as the sure witness of Christ.


Article III. Of the Divine Purpose.We believe that the eternal, wise, holy, and loving purpose of God so embraces all events that, while the freedom of man is not taken away, nor is God the author of sin, yet in His providence He makes all things work together in the fulfilment of His sovereign design and the manifestation of His glory.


Article IV. Of Creation and Providence.We believe that God is the creator, upholder and governor of all things; that He is above all His works and in them all; and that He made man in His own image, meet for fellowship with Him, free and able to choose between good and evil and responsible to his Maker and Lord.


Article V. Of the Sin of Man.We believe that our first parents, being tempted, chose evil, and so fell away from God and came under the power of sin, the penalty of which is eternal death; and that, by reason of this disobedience, all men are born with a sinful nature, that we have broken God's law and that no man can be saved but by His grace.


Article VI. Of the Grace of God.We believe that God, out of His great love for the world, has given His only begotten Son to be the Saviour of sinners, and in the Gospel freely offers His all-sufficient salvation to all men. We believe also that God, in His own good pleasure, gave to his son a people, an innumerable multitude, chosen in Christ unto holiness, service, and salvation.


Article VII. Of the Lord Jesus Christ.We believe in and confess the Lord Jesus Christ, the only Mediator between God and man, who, being the Eternal Son of God, for us men and for our salvation became truly man, being conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, yet without sin. Unto us He has revealed the Father, by His word and Spirit, making known the perfect will of God. For our redemption, He fulfilled all righteousness, offered Himself a perfect sacrifice on the Cross, satisfied Divine justice, and made propitiation for the sins of the whole world. He rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven, where He ever intercedes for us. In the hearts of believers He abides forever as the indwelling Christ; above us and over us all He rules; wherefore, unto Him we render love, obedience, and adoration as our Prophet, Priest, and King.


Article VIII. Of the Holy Spirit.We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who moves upon the hearts of men to restrain them from evil and to incite them unto good, and whom the Father is ever willing to give unto all who ask Him. We believe that He has spoken by holy men of God in making known His truth to men for their salvation; that, through our exalted Saviour, He was sent forth in power to convict the world of sin, to enlighten men's minds in the knowledge of Christ, and to persuade and enable them to obey the call of the Gospel; and that He abides with the Church, dwelling in every believer as the spirit of truth, of power, of holiness, of comfort, and of love.


Article IX. Of Regeneration.We believe in the necessity of regeneration, whereby we are made new creatures in Christ Jesus by the Spirit of God, who imparts spiritual life by the gracious and mysterious operation of His power, using as the ordinary means the truths of His word and the ordinances of divine appointment in ways agreeable to the nature of man.


Article X. Of Faith and Repentance.We believe that faith in Christ is a saving grace whereby we receive Him, trust in Him, and rest upon Him alone for salvation as He is offered to us in the Gospel, and that this saving faith is always accompanied by repentance, wherein we confess and forsake our sins with full purpose of and endeavor after a new obedience to God.


Article XI. Of Justification and Sonship.We believe that God, on the sole ground of the perfect obedience and sacrifice of Christ, pardons those who by faith receive Him as their Saviour and Lord, accepts them as righteous, and bestows upon them the adoption of sons, with a right to all privileges therein implied, including a conscious assurance of their sonship.


Article XII. Of Sanctification.We believe that those who are regenerated and justified grow in the likeness of Christ through fellowship with Him, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and obedience to the truth; that a holy life is the fruit and evidence of saving faith; and that the believer's hope of continuance in such a life is in the preserving grace of God. And we believe that in this growth in grace Christians may attain that maturity and full assurance of faith whereby the love of God is made perfect in us.


Article XIII. Of Prayer.We believe that we are encouraged to draw near to God, our Heavenly Father, in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and on our own behalf and that of others to pour out our hearts humbly yet freely before Him, as becomes His beloved children, giving Him the honour and praise due His holy name, asking Him to glorify Himself on earth as in Heaven, confessing unto Him our sins and seeking of Him every gift needful for this life and for our everlasting salvation. We believe also that, inasmuch as all true prayer is prompted by His Spirit, He will in response thereto grant us every blessing according to His unsearchable wisdom and the riches of His grace in Jesus Christ.

Article XIV. Of the Law of God.We believe that the moral law of God, summarized in the Ten Commandments, testified to by the prophets and unfolded in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, stands for ever in truth and equity, and is not made void by faith, but on the contrary is established thereby. We believe that God requires of every man to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God; and that only through this harmony with the will of God shall be fulfilled that brotherhood of man wherein the Kingdom of God is to be made manifest.


Article XV. Of the Church.We acknowledge one holy Catholic Church, the innumerable company of saints of every age and nation, who being united by the Holy Spirit to Christ their Head are one body in Him and have communion with their Lord and with one another. Further, we receive it as the will of Christ, that His Church on earth should exist as a visible and sacred brotherhood, consisting of those who profess faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to Him, together with their children, and other baptized children, and organized for the confession of His name, for the public worship of God, for the administration of the sacraments, for the upbuilding of the saints, and for the universal propagation of the Gospel; and we acknowledge as a part, more or less pure, of this universal brotherhood, every particular church throughout the world which professes this faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to Him as divine Lord and Saviour.

Article XVI. Of the Sacraments.
We acknowledge two sacraments, Baptism and the Lord's Supper, which were instituted by Christ, to be of perpetual obligation as signs and seals of the covenant ratified in His precious blood, as a means of grace, by which, working in us, He doth not only quicken, but also strengthen and comfort our faith in Him, and as ordinances through the observance of which His Church is to confess her Lord and be visibly distinguished from the rest of the world.


Baptism with water into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit is the sacrament by which are signified and sealed our union to Christ and participation in the blessings of the new covenant. The proper subjects of baptism are believers and infants presented by their parents or guardians in the Christian faith. In the latter case the parents or guardians should train up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and should expect that their children will, by the operation of the Holy Spirit, receive the benefits which the sacrament is designed and fitted to convey. The Church is under the most solemn obligation to provide for their Christian instruction.


The Lord's Supper is the sacrament of communion with Christ and with His people, in which bread and wine are given and received in thankful remembrance of Him and His sacrifice on the Cross; and they who in faith receive the same do, after a spiritual manner, partake of the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ to their comfort, nourishment, and growth in grace. All may be admitted to the Lord's Supper who make a credible profession of their faith in the Lord Jesus and of obedience to His law.


Article XVII. Of the Ministry.We believe that Jesus Christ, as the Supreme Head of the Church, has appointed therein an Ordained Ministry of Word, Sacrament, and Pastoral Care and a Diaconal Ministry of Education, Service, and Pastoral Care and calls men and women to these ministries; and that the Church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, recognizes and chooses those whom He calls, and should thereupon duly ordain or commission them to the work of the ministry.

Article XVIII. Of Church Order and Fellowship.We believe that the Supreme and only Head of the Church is the Lord Jesus Christ; that its worship, teaching, discipline, and government should be administered according to His will by persons chosen for their fitness and duly set apart to their office; and that although the visible Church may contain unworthy members and is liable to err, yet believers ought not lightly to separate themselves from its communion, but are to live in fellowship with their brethren, which fellowship is to be extended, as God gives opportunity, to all who in every place call upon the name of the Lord Jesus.


Article XIX. Of the Resurrection, the Last Judgment, and the Future Life We believe that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and of the unjust, through the power of the Son of God, who shall come to judge the living and the dead; that the finally impenitent shall go away into eternal punishment and the righteous into life eternal.

Article XX. Of Christian Service and the Final Triumph.We believe that it is our duty, as disciples and servants of Christ, to further the extension of His Kingdom, to do good unto all men, to maintain the public and private worship of God, to hallow the Lord's Day, to preserve the inviolability of marriage and the sanctity of the family, to uphold the just authority of the State, and so to live in all honesty, purity, and charity, that our lives shall testify of Christ. We joyfully receive the word of Christ, bidding His people go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, declaring unto them that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, and that He will have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. We confidently believe that by His power and grace all His enemies shall finally be overcome, and the kingdoms of this world be made the Kingdom of our God and of His Christ. Read more...

Background for 'Mid-Century Meanings' - Statement of Faith 1940

B. Mid-Century Meanings
Sunday Nov 27 noon, repeated Tuesday Nov 29 7:30pm


How did we speak ‘words of faith’ in mid-20th century United Churches? What do you remember of our context and ways of being church in the 1940’s? How had World Wars and a Great Depression mattered? Who had we included in our church – and who and what had we left behind, like militant temperance?


Before you come, you could read the 1940 Statement of Faith, including a Preamble and 12 doctrinal statements. Which of these are ‘our words of faith’? Which sound like people and parts in the United Church you remember? What parts, if any, can you claim as your words of faith now? What parts do you reject?


What changes can you recognize between this statement and last week’s words? Why might people have made such changes? Why might people you know now reject these changes and prefer the older statement? Why might people you know now reject this language and want something more different in our new century?

Click on 'read more' to see the whole text of the Statement of Faith from 1940, or pick up hard copies of this and other background reading at the church library.  If you get to this too late to come to the sessions, you can still talk about it with each other, and with council or staff!


(B) Statement of Faith (1940)

Preamble
It is the purpose of this Statement to set out briefly and simply the substance of the Church's faith.

No attempt is made to answer all the questions which devout men may reasonably ask in regard to God and man and salvation. But we believe that we have included what is essential to the life of the Church. If our purpose were apologetic we should have to use more of the language of modern science and philosophy. Because our purpose is affirmative we have as far as possible adopted rather the language of Scripture, a language which matches the supreme facts it tells of, God's acts of judgment and of mercy.

The Church's faith is the unchanging Gospel of God's holy, redeeming love revealed in Jesus Christ. It is declared in Scripture; it is witnessed to both in the creeds of the Universal Church and in the Confessions of the Reformed Churches; and it is formulated for a specific purpose in our Basis of Union. But Christians of each new generation are called to state it afresh in terms of the thought of their own age and with the emphasis their age needs. This we have attempted to do for the people of The United Church of Canada - seeking always to be faithful to Scripture and to the testimony of the Universal Church, and always aware that no statement of ours can express the whole truth of God.

I. God
We believe in God, the eternal personal Spirit, Creator and Upholder of all things.
We believe that God, as sovereign Lord exalted above the world, orders and overrules all things in it to the accomplishment of His holy, wise, and good purposes.

We believe that God made man to love and serve Him; that He cares for him as a righteous and compassionate Father; and that nothing can either quench His love or finally defeat His gracious purpose for man.

So we acknowledge God as Creator, Upholder, and Sovereign Lord of all things, and the righteous and loving Father of men.


II. Jesus Christ
We believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, Who, for us men and our salvation became man and dwelt among us.

We believe that He lived a perfect human life, wholly devoted to the will of God and the service of man.

We believe that in Him God comes face to face with men; so that they learn that God loves them seeks their good, bears their sorrows and their sin, and claims their exclusive faith and perfect obedience.

We believe that in Jesus Christ God acted to save man, taking, at measureless cost, man's sin upon Himself; that the Cross reveals at once God's abhorrence of sin and His saving love in its height and depth and power; and that the Cross is for all time the effectual means of reconciling the world unto God.

We believe that Jesus was raised victorious over death and declared to be the Son of God with power; and that He is alive for evermore, our Savior and our Lord.

So we acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Son of God Incarnate, the Savior of the world.


III. The Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit by whom God is ever at work in the minds and hearts of men, inspiring every right desire and every effort after truth and beauty.

We believe that the Spirit of God moves men to acknowledge their sins and accept the divine forgiveness and grace.

We believe that the Spirit was present with power at the beginning of the Church, enabling the disciples to bear witness to what they had seen and heard, filling them with love of the brethren, and hope of the coming Kingdom, and sustaining them in the sense of Christ's continuing presence in their midst.

We believe that by the same Spirit the Church is continually guided and empowered, and her members fortified against temptation, fear and doubt, and built up in faith and holiness unto salvation.

So we acknowledge the Holy Spirit as the Lord and Giver of life, through whom the creative, redeeming love of God is ever at work among men.

IV. The Holy Trinity
Knowing God thus, as Creator and Father, as Redeemer in Christ, and as Holy Spirit working in us, we confess our faith in the Holy Trinity.

So we acknowledge and worship one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

V. Man and Man’s Sin
We believe that God gave to man, as He did not to the lower creatures, capacity to share His thought and purpose, and freedom to choose whether he would or would not love and serve Him.

We believe that man has used his freedom of choice for low and selfish ends, thus estranging himself from God and his brother man, and bringing upon himself the judgment and wrath of God, so that he lives in a world of confusion and distress, and is unable of himself to fulfill God's high purpose for him.

So we acknowledge man's sin, God's righteous judgment, and man's helplessness and need.

VI. Redemption
We believe that in the greatness of His love for man God has in Christ opened up a way of deliverance from the guilt and power of sin.

We believe that Christ, by living our life without sin, by dying at the hands of sinful men with faith unshaken and unfaltering love, has done for man what man could not do for himself. On the Cross He bore the burden of sin, and He broke its power; and what He did there moves men to repentance, conveys forgiveness, undoes the estrangement, and binds them to Himself in a new loyalty.

We believe that by His resurrection and exaltation Christ stands victorious over death and all evil, and that He fills those who commit themselves to Him with such grace and strength that in Him they, too, are conquerors. His redemption of man is at once an awful mystery and a glorious fact; it is the Lord's doing and marvelous in our eyes.

So we acknowledge the unmerited love and the mercy of our God in giving His only-begotten Son that we might not perish but have everlasting life.

VII. The Church
We believe that the Church, the society of the redeemed, was brought into existence by God Himself through the work and risen power of Christ, Who in calling men into fellowship with Himself calls them by the same act into fellowship with one another in Him.

We believe that the Church is the organ of Christ's mind and redemptive will, the body of which He is the Head. Under Him the Church is called to the proclamation of the everlasting Gospel with its offer of salvation, to the worship of God, Creator and Redeemer, to the loving service of mankind, and to the care and nurture of the flock.

We believe that all members of the Church are one in Him, and that the life of the Church in every age is continuous with that of the first apostolic company. The groups commonly known as "churches" are called to share in the life of the whole Church, of all ages and of all lands, entering freely into the full heritage of thought, worship, and discipline, and living together in mutual confidence.

We believe that for the fulfillment of her mission in the world God has given to the Church the Ministry, the Scriptures and the Sacraments.

So we acknowledge one holy, catholic, apostolic Church, the Body of Christ, the household and family of God.

VIII. The Ministry
We believe that God has appointed a Ministry in His Church for the preaching of the Word, the administration of the Sacraments, and the pastoral care of the people.

We believe that the Church has authority to ordain to the Ministry by prayer and the laying on of hands those whom she finds, after due trial, to be called of God thereto.

We believe that, for the due ordering of her life as a society, God has appointed a government in His Church, to be exercised, under Christ the head, by Ministers and representatives of the people.

So we acknowledge the Holy Ministry appointed by God for the spread of the Gospel and the edification of His Church.

IX. The Holy Scriptures
We believe that the great moments of God's revelation and communication of Himself to men are recorded and interpreted in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament.

We believe that, while God uttered His Word to man in many portions progressively, the whole is sufficient to declare His mind and will for our salvation. To Israel He made Himself known as a holy and righteous God and a Savior; the fullness of truth and grace came by Jesus Christ. The writings were collected and preserved by the Church.

We believe that the theme of all Holy Scripture is the redemptive purpose and working of God, and that herein lies its unity.

We believe that in Holy Scripture God claims the complete allegiance of our mind and heart; that the full persuasion of the truth and authority of the Word of God contained in the Scripture is the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts; that, using Holy Scripture, the Spirit takes of the things of Christ and shows them unto us for our spiritual nourishment and growth in grace.

So we acknowledge in Holy Scripture the true witness to God's Word and the sure guide to Christian faith and conduct.

X. The Sacraments
We believe that the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper are effectual means through which, by common things and simple acts, the saving love of God is exhibited and communicated to His people, who receive them in faith.

We believe that in Baptism men are made members of the Christian society. Washing with water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit signifies God's cleansing from sin and an initial participation in the gifts and graces of the new life. The children of believing parents are baptized and nurtured in the family of God so that they may in due time take upon themselves the yoke of Christ.


We believe that the Lord's Supper perpetuates the fellowship between Christ and His disciples sealed in the upper room, that at His table He is always present, and His people are nourished, confirmed, and renewed. The giving and receiving of bread and wine accompanied by His own words signifies the gracious self-giving of Christ as suffering and living Lord in such wise that His faithful people live in Him and He in them.


So we acknowledge Baptism as God's appointed means of grace at initiation into the Christian fellowship; and the Lord's Supper as His appointed means of maintaining the fellowship in health and strength, and as the act of worship in which the whole soul of man goes out to God and God's grace comes freely to man.


XI. Christian Life and Duty
We believe that the Christian life is the life lived in fellowship with Christ and His Church. It begins with repentance and faith. In repentance men turn from sin to serve the holy and forgiving God with new and glad obedience. In faith they entrust themselves to Christ and rest upon Him alone for salvation.

We believe that by the teaching and example of Jesus the Holy Spirit shows men the way and the end of the Christian life, what it means to love God with all the heart and soul and mind and strength, and to love their neighbour as themselves.

We believe that Christian men are called to abide within the fellowship of the Church, to maintain its peace and unity, and to give diligent heed to prayer, to the reading of Scripture, to common worship and the sacraments.

We believe that they are likewise called to live as those who are of the Kingdom of God, and to seek His righteousness both in individual and social life, serving their fellow-men in love for Christ's sake, and striving and waiting in prayer for an ordered common life where the will of God for the well-being and peace of men shall be done over all the earth.

We believe that in denying themselves and in following Christ men are enabled by the Spirit of God more and more to die unto sin and live unto righteousness; that they are, under the hand of a faithful Father, in labour, love, and duty, in suffering, sorrow and defeat, renewed in the inner man after the image of the crucified and victorious Christ; and that they receive in this life a foretaste of the final redemption, assurance of the divine favour, peace and joy, and the confidence that He is able to keep them to the end.

So we acknowledge the Christian life as the life lived within the family of God, with the graces and privileges, the duties and discipline, through which the Christian man grows up in all things into Christ.

XII. The Consummation
We believe that the resurrection and exaltation of Christ, following on His crucifixion, gives assurance that the long struggle between sin and grace will have an end, the Kingdom be revealed in its fullness, and God's eternal purpose accomplished.

We believe that God will judge all men by Jesus Christ, the Son of Man.

We believe that, while salvation is offered to all, God does not take away or override the freedom with which He has endowed men. If they stubbornly refuse His mercy and prefer sinful ways they shut themselves out from the light and joy of salvation and fall under the righteous judgment of God.

We believe that those who accept the offer of salvation and persevere in the Christian way do after death enter into the joy of their Lord, a blessedness beyond our power to conceive. They see God face to face, and in the communion of saints are partakers with the Church on earth of its labours and prayers.

So we acknowledge the righteous and merciful judgment of God and we wait for the coming of the Kingdom which shall have no end.

"We know Whom we have believed, and are persuaded that He is able to keep that which we have committed to Him."


"To the only wise God our Savior be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever." Read more...

Background for 'Modern Poetry' - 'A New Creed' 1968, 1980, 1994

C. Modern Poetry
Sunday Dec 4 noon, repeated Tuesday Dec 6 7:30pm


How did we speak ‘words of faith’ from the mid-1960’s to the mid-1990’s? What changes to you remember in our context and our church life in those decades? Who and what were we trying to preserve, and to serve? What audience would be reached by our words of faith? What ‘words of faith’ were being rejected?


There is much less to read this week. Start with the 1968 version, “Man is not alone, he lives in God’s world”. Then read the current version, reflecting inclusive language changes in 1980. Can you find the 1994 change to emphasize our ecological faith? Which, if any, are ‘our words of faith’ for you?


Possibly these are the first words in the background package that many at Thornhill United Church now could claim as ‘cherished, honoured, and living’. Can you imagine why anybody would not claim these as ‘our words of faith’? Continuity with older words is another measure to apply – do these pass?

Click on 'read more' to see the 1968, and then the current form of 'A New Creed' - or pick up hard copies at the church library of this and the other background reading.


(C) A New Creed (1968)Man is not alone, he lives in God’s world

We believe in God:

who has created and is creating,

who has come in the true Man, Jesus,
to reconcile and make new,

who works in us and others
by his Spirit.

We trust him.

We are called to be his Church:

to celebrate his presence,

to love and serve others,
to seek justice and resist evil,

to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,
our judge and our hope.

In life, in death, in life beyond death,
God is with us.

We are not alone.
Thanks be to God.


(In 1980, changes were approved for gender inclusivity.)

(In 1994, changes added ‘to live with respect in creation’ for environmentalism.)
(C) A New Creed (1968, as amended 1980 and1994)We are not alone
We live in God’s world

We believe in God:

who has created and is creating,

who has come in Jesus,
the Word made flesh,
to reconcile and make new,

who works in us and others
by the Spirit.

We trust in God

We are called to be the Church:

to celebrate God’s presence,
to live with respect in Creation,

to love and serve others,
to seek justice and resist evil,

to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,
our judge and our hope.

In life, in death, in life beyond death,
God is with us.

We are not alone.
Thanks be to God. Read more...

Backround for "Post-Modern Lyrics" - Song of Faith 2006

D. Post-Modern Lyrics - Song of Faith 2006
Sunday Dec 11 noon, repeated Tuesday Dec 13 7:30pm


In this new century, our denomination generates lots of words of faith, not all reconciled with one another. We treasure diverse perspectives and voices, and respect different audiences, in what is called ‘post-modern’ discourse. The first page of Preamble and last three pages of ‘Appendix A’ to ‘Song of Faith’ say so.


Read through the remaining 8 pages of the 2006 ‘Song of Faith’, listening to how it echoes, amplifies, or changes the ‘words of faith’ read in the last 3 weeks. Imagine who might say it this way (or not), or who might hear it this way (or not). Are these words ‘cherished, honoured, and living’? Are they ‘our words of faith’?


How do these words reflect continuity with older words, the practice of the United Church as you recognize it emerging, and the faith of our worshiping community at Thornhill United Church? As we finish these 4 groups of ‘words of faith’, can you claim many of these words as your own? Are they ‘our words of faith’?

Click on 'read more' below to see the whole 'Song of Faith 2006' - or pick up a hard copy at the church library. 

(D) A Song of Faith(2006)

Preamble
This statement of faith seeks to provide a verbal picture of what The United Church of Canada understands its faith to be in its current historical, political, social, and theological context at the beginning of the 21st century. It is also a means of ongoing reflection and an invitation for the church to live out its convictions in relation to the world in which we live.

The church’s faith is grounded in truths that are timeless. These truths, however, must be embraced anew by Christians of each generation and stated “in terms of the thoughts of their own age and with the emphasis their age needs” (Statement of Faith, 1940).

This is not the first time the United Church has formally expressed its collective faith. In the Basis of Union (1925), in the Statement of Faith (1940), and in A New Creed (1968), the United Church stated its faith in words appropriate to its time. This current statement of faith is offered within that tradition, and in response to the request of the 37th General Council (2000) for a “timely and contextual statement of faith” that especially engages “the church in conversation on the nature of the church (ecclesiology), ministry and the sacraments.”

This statement of faith attempts to reflect the spirit of The United Church of Canada and to respond to various defining elements in our social, political, and historical context, including the place of the church in society, the cultural and intellectual setting in which we find ourselves, the meaning of “truth,” the impact of the market economy on our daily lives, and the growing issue of the meaning of “security.” These contextual elements are further explored in the appendices to this document.

This is not a statement for all time but for our time. In as much as the Spirit keeps faith with us, we can express our understanding of the Holy with confidence. And in as much as the Spirit is vast and wild, we recognize that our understanding of the Holy is always partial and limited. Nonetheless we have faith, and this statement collects the meaning of our song.

God is Holy Mystery,
beyond complete knowledge,
above perfect description.

Yet,
in love,
the one eternal God seeks relationship.

So God creates the universe
and with it the possibility of being and relating.
God tends the universe,
mending the broken and reconciling the estranged.
God enlivens the universe,
guiding all things toward harmony with their Source.

Grateful for God’s loving action,
We cannot keep from singing.

With the Church through the ages,
we speak of God as one and triune:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We also speak of God as
Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer
God, Christ, and Spirit
Mother, Friend, and Comforter
Source of Life, Living Word, and Bond of Love,
and in other ways that speak faithfully of
the One on whom our hearts rely,
the fully shared life at the heart of the universe.

We witness to Holy Mystery that is Wholly Love.

God is creative and self-giving,
generously moving
in all the near and distant corners of the universe.
Nothing exists that does not find its source in God.
Our first response to God’s providence is gratitude.
We sing thanksgiving.

Finding ourselves in a world of beauty and mystery,
of living things, diverse and interdependent,
of complex patterns of growth and evolution,
of subatomic particles and cosmic swirls,
we sing of God the Creator,
the Maker and Source of all that is.

Each part of creation reveals unique aspects of God the Creator,
who is both in creation and beyond it.
All parts of creation, animate and inanimate, are related.
All creation is good.
We sing of the Creator,
who made humans to live and move
and have their being in God.
In and with God,
we can direct our lives toward right relationship
with each other and with God.
We can discover our place as one strand in the web of life.
We can grow in wisdom and compassion.
We can recognize all people as kin.
We can accept our mortality and finitude, not as a curse,
but as a challenge to make our lives and choices matter.

Made in the image of God,
we yearn for the fulfillment that is life in God.
Yet we choose to turn away from God.
We surrender ourselves to sin,
a disposition revealed in selfishness, cowardice, or apathy.
Becoming bound and complacent
in a web of false desires and wrong choices,
we bring harm to ourselves and others.
This brokenness in human life and community
is an outcome of sin.
Sin is not only personal
but accumulates
to become habitual and systemic forms
of injustice, violence, and hatred.

We are all touched by this brokenness:
the rise of selfish individualism
that erodes human solidarity;
the concentration of wealth and power
without regard for the needs of all;
the toxins of religious and ethnic bigotry;
the degradation of the blessedness of human bodies
and human passions through sexual exploitation;
the delusion of unchecked progress and limitless growth
that threatens our home, the earth;
the covert despair that lulls many into numb complicity
with empires and systems of domination.
We sing lament and repentance.

Yet evil does not—cannot—
undermine or overcome the love of God.
God forgives,
and calls all of us to confess our fears and failings
with honesty and humility.
God reconciles,
and calls us to repent the part we have played
in damaging our world, ourselves, and each other.
God transforms,
and calls us to protect the vulnerable,
to pray for deliverance from evil,
to work with God for the healing of the world,
that all might have abundant life.
We sing of grace.

The fullness of life includes
moments of unexpected inspiration and courage lived out,
experiences of beauty, truth, and goodness,
blessings of seeds and harvest,
friendship and family, intellect and sexuality,
the reconciliation of persons through justice
and communities living in righteousness,
and the articulation of meaning.
And so we sing of God the Spirit,
who from the beginning has swept over the face of creation,
animating all energy and matter
and moving in the human heart.

We sing of God the Spirit,
faithful and untameable,
who is creatively and redemptively active in the world.

The Spirit challenges us to celebrate the holy
not only in what is familiar,
but also in that which seems foreign.

We sing of the Spirit,
who speaks our prayers of deepest longing
and enfolds our concerns and confessions,
transforming us and the world.

We offer worship
as an outpouring of gratitude and awe
and a practice of opening ourselves
to God’s still, small voice of comfort,
to God’s rushing whirlwind of challenge.
Through word, music, art, and sacrament,
in community and in solitude,
God changes our lives, our relationships, and our world.
We sing with trust.

Scripture is our song for the journey, the living word
passed on from generation to generation
to guide and inspire,
that we might wrestle a holy revelation for our time and place
from the human experiences
and cultural assumptions of another era.
God calls us to be doers of the word and not hearers only.

The Spirit breathes revelatory power into scripture,
bestowing upon it a unique and normative place
in the life of the community.
The Spirit judges us critically when we abuse scripture
by interpreting it narrow-mindedly,
using it as a tool of oppression, exclusion, or hatred.

The wholeness of scripture testifies
to the oneness and faithfulness of God.
The multiplicity of scripture testifies to its depth:
two testaments, four gospels,
contrasting points of view held in tension—
all a faithful witness to the One and Triune God,
the Holy Mystery that is Wholly Love.

We find God made known in Jesus of Nazareth,
and so we sing of God the Christ, the Holy One embodied.

We sing of Jesus,
a Jew,
born to a woman in poverty
in a time of social upheaval
and political oppression.
He knew human joy and sorrow.
So filled with the Holy Spirit was he
that in him people experienced the presence of God among them.
We sing praise to God incarnate.

Jesus announced the coming of God’s reign—
a commonwealth not of domination
but of peace, justice, and reconciliation.
He healed the sick and fed the hungry.
He forgave sins and freed those held captive
by all manner of demonic powers.
He crossed barriers of race, class, culture, and gender.
He preached and practised unconditional love—
love of God, love of neighbour,
love of friend, love of enemy—
and he commanded his followers to love one another
as he had loved them.

Because his witness to love was threatening,
those exercising power sought to silence Jesus.
He suffered abandonment and betrayal,
state-sanctioned torture and execution.
He was crucified.

But death was not the last word.
God raised Jesus from death,
turning sorrow into joy,
despair into hope.
We sing of Jesus raised from the dead.
We sing hallelujah.

By becoming flesh in Jesus,
God makes all things new.
In Jesus’ life, teaching, and self-offering,
God empowers us to live in love.
In Jesus’ crucifixion,
God bears the sin, grief, and suffering of the world.
In Jesus’ resurrection,
God overcomes death.
Nothing separates us from the love of God.

The Risen Christ lives today,
present to us and the source of our hope.
In response to who Jesus was
and to all he did and taught,
to his life, death, and resurrection,
and to his continuing presence with us through the Spirit,
we celebrate him as
the Word made flesh,
the one in whom God and humanity are perfectly joined,
the transformation of our lives,
the Christ.

We sing of a church
seeking to continue the story of Jesus
by embodying Christ’s presence in the world.

We are called together by Christ
as a community of broken but hopeful believers,
loving what he loved,
living what he taught,
striving to be faithful servants of God
in our time and place.

Our ancestors in faith
bequeath to us experiences of their faithful living;
upon their lives our lives are built.

Our living of the gospel makes us a part of this communion of saints,
experiencing the fulfillment of God’s reign
even as we actively anticipate a new heaven and a new earth.

The church has not always lived up to its vision.

It requires the Spirit to reorient it,
helping it to live an emerging faith while honouring tradition,
challenging it to live by grace rather than entitlement,
for we are called to be a blessing to the earth.

We sing of God’s good news lived out,
a church with purpose:
faith nurtured and hearts comforted,
gifts shared for the good of all,
resistance to the forces that exploit and marginalize,
fierce love in the face of violence,
human dignity defended,
members of a community held and inspired by God,
corrected and comforted,
instrument of the loving Spirit of Christ,
creation’s mending.

We sing of God’s mission.

We are each given particular gifts of the Spirit.
For the sake of the world,
God calls all followers of Jesus to Christian ministry.

In the church,
some are called to specific ministries of leadership,
both lay and ordered;
some witness to the good news;
some uphold the art of worship;
some comfort the grieving and guide the wandering;
some build up the community of wisdom;
some stand with the oppressed and work for justice.
To embody God’s love in the world,
the work of the church requires the ministry and discipleship
of all believers.

In grateful response to God’s abundant love,
we bear in mind our integral connection
to the earth and one another;
we participate in God’s work of healing and mending creation.
To point to the presence of the holy in the world,
the church receives, consecrates, and shares
visible signs of the grace of God.
In company with the churches
of the Reformed and Methodist traditions,
we celebrate two sacraments as gifts of Christ:
baptism and holy communion.
In these sacraments the ordinary things of life
—water, bread, wine—
point beyond themselves to God and God’s love,
teaching us to be alert
to the sacred in the midst of life.

Before conscious thought or action on our part,
we are born into the brokenness of this world.
Before conscious thought or action on our part,
we are surrounded by God’s redeeming love.
Baptism by water in the name of the Holy Trinity
is the means by which we are received, at any age,
into the covenanted community of the church.
It is the ritual that signifies our rebirth in faith
and cleansing by the power of God.
Baptism signifies the nurturing, sustaining,
and transforming power of God’s love
and our grateful response to that grace.

Carrying a vision of creation healed and restored,
we welcome all in the name of Christ.
Invited to the table where none shall go hungry,
we gather as Christ’s guests and friends.

In holy communion
we are commissioned to feed as we have been fed,
forgive as we have been forgiven,
love as we have been loved.
The open table speaks of the shining promise
of barriers broken and creation healed.
In the communion meal, wine poured out and bread broken,
we remember Jesus.
We remember not only the promise but also the price that he paid
for who he was,
for what he did and said,
and for the world’s brokenness.
We taste the mystery of God’s great love for us,
and are renewed in faith and hope.

We place our hope in God.
We sing of a life beyond life
and a future good beyond imagining:
a new heaven and a new earth,
the end of sorrow, pain, and tears,
Christ’s return and life with God,
the making new of all things.
We yearn for the coming of that future,
even while participating in eternal life now.

Divine creation does not cease
until all things have found wholeness, union, and integration
with the common ground of all being.
As children of the Timeless One,
our time-bound lives will find completion
in the all-embracing Creator.
In the meantime, we embrace the present,
embodying hope, loving our enemies,
caring for the earth,
choosing life.

Grateful for God’s loving action,
we cannot keep from singing.
Creating and seeking relationship,
in awe and trust,
we witness to Holy Mystery who is Wholly Love.

Amen.


Appendix A

On the Purpose and Status of the Statement of Faith

Intended Audience
It may be worth asking, “Who is this statement of faith for?” Knowing who it is for may provide a clearer sense of what it is for. The short answer is that it’s written for The United Church of Canada—its members, congregations, and courts—as a means to help the church clarify and discuss its beliefs. Of course, it may very well be read with interest by individuals and bodies outside the United Church, and as such it serves more than one purpose.

Our ecumenical partners will find areas of common ground. They will find an affirmation of the Holy Trinity, of scripture as a source of revelation, and of the significance of Jesus Christ in our communal life. They may also find places where the interpretation or emphasis placed on particular aspects of the Christian tradition differs from theirs. We hope they will see in this document an invitation to ongoing dialogue.

Likewise, members of non-Christian faith communities may find an openness to conversation and cooperation. The statement of faith makes an explicit claim that the Spirit is active in all peoples, not merely in those who call themselves Christian, and that the church is challenged to recognize and celebrate the holy in all its expressions, both familiar and foreign.

Those who come to this statement of faith from no faith community in particular will find some insight into the essential beliefs of the Christian tradition, and into The United Church of Canada’s particular way of interpreting and living out those beliefs. There may be times in the statement of faith when the concepts or terminology used seem unfamiliar to an individual with no background in religious matters; if the document had been composed specifically as a primer in the faith, it would have been written quite differently. Nonetheless, such a reader will hopefully discover an adequate summary of the assumptions and values that ground the church.

Those who work for justice in our society and in the global context will find in this statement an expression of common goals and a desire for solidarity. The statement of faith names human diversity as a blessing and identifies as sinful those forces that threaten, oppress, and exploit. While it is an expression of faith and not a policy statement, it does name religious and ethnic bigotry, the concentration of wealth at the expense of the vulnerable, complicity with empires of domination, and the harming of the earth as areas of dire concern.

Those in the church and outside of it who have experienced hurt at the hands of the institution, or who continue to struggle with the role the church has played in historical injustices, will find in the statement of faith an acknowledgement that the church often failed to live up to its vision and a desire to repent, to reorient itself, and to work for the healing and reconciliation of all.

This statement of faith, clearly, will be different things to different people.

But first and foremost it is a document for the church itself. It is intended as a means by which the church can express its beliefs to itself and to the world, and a tool to help the church’s members reflect on their individual and collective faith. It is more descriptive than prescriptive, which is to say it does not claim to tell the church what it should believe so much as it attempts to put forward in an orderly and evocative way what the church seems to believe, based on its actions, its discourse, and its relationship to the Christian tradition in general and its own history in particular.

The expression of a denomination’s collective faith is not necessarily identical to the particular faith expressions of its individual members. The United Church has a long tradition of spiritual freedom, and this statement of faith should not be seen in any way as a condition of membership in The United Church of Canada. There is a wide theological spectrum in the United Church and a diversity of interpretations and understandings. This statement of faith seeks to be something of a metaphorical “tent,” encompassing the many divergent perspectives in the denomination. At times the “tent” can get stretched quite tightly; the section in Appendix D on United Church identity explores this point further. Members of the church are encouraged to find their own particular place in the theological tent, and are challenged to recognize the value of their tent-mates’ faith even when expressions and emphases differ. If this statement of faith facilitates greater understanding among members of the church, it will have achieved something quite remarkable.

In addition to being a tool for reflection, it is hoped that this statement of faith will provide theological grounding and support to the church’s work in the world—its various congregational and social ministries, its political witness, and its global partnership work. The statement may also prove useful in study groups and confirmation classes, again as an entry into a discussion of the relationship between personal faith and communal faith. Parts of this statement of faith may also find their way into the church’s worship life, although the statement was not intended to serve the same sort of liturgical function as A New Creed.

In the end, the practical purpose of this document will have to be determined not by the intentions of the committee charged with drafting it but by the use it ultimately finds in the life and work of the church.

Status

The status of this statement of faith as a document of the church will be determined formally by the General Council and practically by its usage in the church. It is up to the church to say what this statement, as it stands, is. The drafters of the statement, however, offer some suggestions and clarifications as to what it is not.

This statement is not intended to be in any way a replacement of the beloved New Creed, which is used in congregations across Canada. A New Creed (adopted in 1968) is a concise and usefully open-ended creedal statement for use, primarily, in liturgical settings. And people in the United Church love it. This current statement of faith is obviously longer and goes into more detail about the church’s understanding of itself and its faith convictions. It does not aspire to the same liturgical standing as A New Creed.

This statement does not seek to replace the Twenty Articles of Faith included in the United Church’s 1925 Basis of Union. The Twenty Articles have historical significance for the church, being an expression of the theological agreement negotiated among the founding denominations, which allowed significantly different bodies (the Methodist, Presbyterian, and Congregationalist denominations and the Local Union Churches) to come together as one united church.

Nor does the statement seek to replace the United Church’s 1940 Statement of Faith. Each statement—the Twenty Articles of Faith (1925), the Statement of Faith (1940), A New Creed (1968), and this current document—has its own particular character, use, and place in the church’s life. Each speaks to its time and context in its own way.

It will be up to the church to determine what place this document will have in relation to these other expressions of the church’s shared faith, and whether all of these statements can stand comfortably side by side. Read more...