The Confessing Theologians Commission, a group of prominent theologians from most all of the mainline Protestant denominations in North America, met in Dallas, Texas, September 20-22. The commission gathered at the invitation of Dr. Thomas Oden of Drew University School of Theology, who called the group together under the auspices of the Association for Church Renewal (ACR). The ACR is an association representing the leadership of numerous confessing and renewing movements that have come into existence in most all of the mainline Protestant denominations in North America.
"This team represents what we think are the best qualified theologians at work in the mainline Protestant renewal movement," reports Oden.
The following document, "Be Steadfast: A Letter to Confessing Christians," was developed by the Confessing Theologians for the Confessing the Faith Conference. It is their response to three urgent questions put to them by the Association for Church Renewal. In our plenary session Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m., we will consider a response to their letter
Be Steadfast: A Letter to Confessing Christians
God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: 'The Lord knows those who are his,' and, 'Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.'" 2 Timothy 2:19
Sisters and brothers in the Lord:
God alone
renews and continues to bless his people. God has not abandoned his
church, and calls us to keep faith with him and those dear to him. We are
called to be obedient to the faith once for all delivered to the saints.
In thanksgiving for God's promises fulfilled in Jesus Christ,
we seek to humble ourselves before him, pray, seek his face, and turn from sin,
that he may hear, forgive, and heal. We all stand under divine judgment;
we all are in need of divine grace
We give thanks also for this, the first North American
gathering of renewing and confessing movements. Your conveners have asked
confessing theologians to address three urgent questions facing all mainline
renewal movements.
* Why should we remain in our churches?
* Why do our churches need faithful confessors?
* Why does our society need faithful Christian confessors?
1. Why should we remain in our churches?
The
challenges facing our churches today are indeed immense. We have all seen
declines in biblical and theological literacy, catechesis, and spiritual
formation. Our churches have experienced severe declines in numbers of
congregations and in absolute numbers of members. We have also seen our
church rent by contentious argument, exhausted by never-ending conflict.
Many grow weary, and wonder if they and their congregations should stay.
Our own experience speaks to this question, too. We
have all passed through long seasons of anguish and travail, and we anticipate
more. We are still here. The Holy Spirit has not abandoned our
churches, neither will we.
Resignation, quietism, and despair do not serve the church
catholic and the communion of saints. We urge our brothers and sisters not
to withdraw, but mutually to encourage one another to a struggle in which there
is good hope. Our Lord reminds us, "God removes every branch in me
that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit, he prunes to make it
bear more fruit" (John 15:2). We pray God will give us courage,
perseverance, and mettle for the task.
Much work has been begun by the various renewal movements
among our churches. We note with thanksgiving the revival of Bible study,
renewed interest in evangelization, fresh seasons of prayer, and renewed concern
with the plight of the poor. We have committed ourselves to the ongoing
life of the churches in which God has placed us, and we pledge our best efforts
as theologians of the church to those who are engaged in this divine work of
reform and renewal.
It is a beginning, and must continue, commending ourselves
and our denominational leadership to God with fear and trembling.
But ultimately the reason we cannot and must not leave our
denominations is that the Gospel can still be freely proclaimed in them and the
sacraments administered without hindrance. However true it may be that
"other gospels" are also heard in our midst, none of our churches have
legislated against the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In such a
situation, it is unnecessary for congregations to turn their backs on their
churches.
2. Why do our churches need faithful
confessors?
Churches
need faithful confessors for one essential reason: a church that is unable to
confess its faith is a lame and withered church. The church needs faithful
witnesses in order to be the church of Jesus Christ.
We believe that God's call to be faithful witnesses within
the churches requires not only truthful confession, but also a long-term effort
to reform our institutions. Our deliberative, legislative, administrative,
and educational structures in many instances do not faithfully serve the
church's mission and pastoral obligations. The work and witness of
faithful confessors helps to reclaim and redirect these institutions toward
their proper ends. We, therefore, believe that confessing movements are
necessary if the institutional forms of our churches are to be tied to God's
purposes for his church.
We note with joy how renewal movements in many churches have
led to the discovery of a common bond in the faith of the church catholic and
mutual encouragement in the Gospel. Across the renewal movements, we
rejoice in the recovery of sound doctrine, for example the doctrine of the
Trinity, and the doctrine of the unique, saving significance of Christ's person
and work. God has enabled many to recover their intellectual nerve.
God has also blessed our churches in other ways through the
work of the renewal movements. In some quarters, we see fresh vitality in
worship and in preaching. In other quarters, we witness new ventures in
mission, the renewal of personal piety, and an increase in enthusiastic
discipleship. In still other places we see increased reading of Holy
Scripture, deepened petitionary prayer, and a more profound embrace of God's
concern for the poor.
God has given us a spirit of repentance and shed abroad his
love afresh in our hearts. We expect further blessings in the years ahead,
and we anticipate that God will continue to use renewal movements for the
sustaining and furtherance of such blessings.
3. Why does our society need faithful
Christian confessors?
Faithful
Christian witness humanizes society and heals the nations. St. Paul
teaches, echoing Isaiah, "The root of Jesse shall come, one who rises to
rule the Gentiles; in him the Gentiles shall hope" (Rom. 15:12).
Confessing Christ requires the discipline of life, personal and corporate,
private and public.
In the absence of faithful Christian witness, society
establishes false idols. The twentieth century is littered with the
victims of secular ideology. Nazi and Marxist ideologies produced
Auschwitz and the Gulag. The North American threat comes from a more
benign form of atheism that banishes Christian witness from the public square.
Consumerism, materialism, individualism, and hedonism rush in to fill the void.
Dogmatic atheism brutalizes and destroys the church. The more benign and
civil atheism seduces and marginalizes the church. Disoriented by the
ideology of moral relativism, some church leaders haphazardly champion
fashionable causes. In each case, the savor of the church and the light of
Christ is lost.
In the mercy and power of God, a renewed church will reform
public life. Christian witness reminds government of its accountability to
God and empowers the faithful to fulfill their duties as citizens. In
teaching us to render to Caesar that which is Caesar's, the Christian Church
supports space for political disagreement and debate. It endorses finite
patriotism -- loyalty without idolatry, criticism without cynicism. The
Gospel champions the sanctity of human life, urging us to protect the weak, the
vulnerable, and the innocent. A robust faith teaches us that the fruits of
our labor are a gift from God, to be used for the common good. Spiritual
renewal engenders a right ordering of sexuality and family life. A
confident orthodoxy fosters care for creation for its own sake and for the sake
of human flourishing. Most importantly, even in times of great social
crisis, the Lordship of Christ inspires a hoe that will not despair.
In our zeal for justice, we must not confuse specific policy
proposals for prophetic proclamation, nor collapse the church into a chaplaincy
for our favorite political party. Living in a powerful country, we must
not exaggerate our ability to influence events for either good or ill. A
renewed witness calls for appropriate humility, repentance, and self-criticism.
These are our prayerful and considered responses to the
questions that have been posed to us.
Be steadfast in faith and humility
We thank God
for the hunger that he has placed in the hearts of people for reform and
renewal, for clarity concerning the things of faith, for godly instruction, and
holiness in life. We rejoice in our work together for the faithfulness of
Christ's church.
We know that along with God's great blessings in the work of
the renewal movements come temptations to timidity, faithlessness, and
presumption. Our work for renewal involves repentance and amendment of
life as well as witness. The empowerment for our ministry comes fro
abiding in Christ the true vine, apart from whom we can do nothing.
Christ has told his disciples that persecutions will come,
but as James reminds us we are to count it all joy when we meet various trials.
In that joy, and confident of his great faithfulness, let us together proclaim
the Gospel by which we have been saved.
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.
SIGNATORIES
Presbyterian Church (PCUSA):
Bruce McCormack, Mark Achtemeier, Andrew Purves, Roberta Hestenes, Diogenes
Allen.
United Methodist Church:
Thomas C. Oden, William Abraham, Leicester Longden, James V. Heidinger II.
Episcopalian Church
(ECUSA):
Bishop James Stanton, Philip Turner, Ephraim Radner, R. R. Reno.
United Church of Christ:
Donald Bloesch.
Lutheran Church
(ELCA):
Russell Saltzman, Walter Sundberg.
American Baptist Church:
Donna Hailson.
United Church of Canada:
Victor Shepherd.