Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: mib@churchy.ai.mit.edu (Michael I Bushnell) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Fellowship and doctrinal agreement Message-ID: Date: 27 Jan 91 08:45:13 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Free Software Foundation, Cambridge, MA Lines: 173 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu This post discusses the PCUSA practice, in an attempt to explain some of the differences observed between it and the PCA. In article mark@hubcap.clemson.edu (Mark Smotherman) writes: Our PCA church requires that each prospective member come before the Session (i.e., board of elders) and have a credible profession of faith. This involves sharing his/her testimony of faith and answering questions, which, for our pastor, always include one of the Evangelism Explosion questions: "If you died tonight, are you sure you would go to heaven?" + "Why?" "If you were to stand before God at death and he asked why he should let you into heaven, what would be your response?" This is true for anyone, even those who "want to move their letter". Membership, therefore, does not require acceptance of the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF), which represents what the denomination believes is a summary of what the Bible teaches. The PCUSA used to have specific questions to be answered by people being received into membership. With the new Directory for Worship, those questions have been removed, and the language is simply that they make a "profession of faith". Personally, I would like to see the old questions reinstated, to remove ambiguity. Nontheless, here is more about what the Book of Order has to say about the process: When persons baptized as infants reach an age when they are ready to make public their profession of faith and accept their responsibility in the life of the church, the session should invite, encourage, and help them prepare for their responsibility as active church members.... When persons who have not been baptized desire to profess their faith in Christ and be incorporated in the life of the church as believers, they shall do so by making public their profession of faith and receiving Baptism after appropriate instruction and examination by the session.... It is sometimes the case that persons who previously made a profession of faith and became active members in a particular church are unable to secure a certificate of transfer or other evidence of church membership. After instruction and examination by the sessoin, these persons shall reaffirm publicly their profession of faith and their acceptance of responsibility in the life of the church. (G-5.0101) A faithful member accepts Christ's call to be involved responsibly in the minstry of the church. Such involvement includes ... praying and studying Scripture and the faith of the Christian church. (G-5.0102) The session shall have responsibility for preparing those who would become members of the congregation. While the preparation is a part of the continuing nurture of the congregation, particular care shall be taken to prepare children of members for public profession of faith in Jesus Christ. Instruction shall be given in the meaning of this profession, the responsibilities of membership, and the faith and order of the PCUSA. Similar instruction shall be given to others who make a profession of faith. The session shall determine whether this instruction shall be given before or after the public profession. (G-5.0401, 5.0402) Those desiring the Sacrament of Baptism for their children or for themselves shall make vows that -- profess their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, -- renounce evil and affirm their reliance on God's grace, -- declare their intention to participate actively and responsibly in the worship and mission of the church. (W-3.3603) [The same requirement is made of children who are being received into active membership by W-4.2003.] The session ... has the responsibility and power ... to receive members into the church upon profession of faith, upon reaffirmation of faith in Jesus Christ, or upon satisfactory certification of transfer of church membership.... (G-10.0102a) As our moderator has pointed out, this all boils down to the lack of very strong doctrinal requirements on members. They are asked to participate in the church, to declare faith and trust in Christ, and to be subject to the discipline of the church. That discipline extends only so far as removal from membership, and is rarely exercised against those not ordained. However, the PCA was founded in 1973 with the idea that officers (teaching elders, ruling elders, and deacons) would strictly subscribe to the WCF and Larger and Shorter Catechisms. It's a current issue among some in the denomination as to whether "strict subscription" is being followed or not. The PCUSA (which has the same list as officers) also has stricter requirements. We find: It is necessary to the integrity and health of the church that the persons who serve in it as officers shall adhere to the essentials of the Reformed faith and polity as expressed in the Book of Confessions and the Form of Government. So far as may be possible without infringing on the rights and views of others, and without obstructing the constitutional governance of the church, freedom of conscience with respect to the interpretation of Scripture is to be maintained. It is to be recognized, however, that in becoming a candidate or officer of the PCUSA [candidates are those in the process of ordination to the minstry of word and sacrament] one chooses to exercise freedom of conscience within certain bounds. His or her conscience is captive to the Word of God as interpreted in the standards of the church so long as he or she continues to seek or hold office in that body. The decision as to whether a person has departed from essentials of Reformed faith and polity is made initially by the individual concerned but ultimately become the responsibility of the governing body in which he or she serves. (G-6.0108) [The confessions of the PCUSA] are subordinate standards in the church, subject to the authority of Jesus Christ, the Word of God, as the Scriptures bear witness to him. While confessional standards are subordinate to the Scriptures, they are, nonetheless, standards. They are not lightly drawn up or subscribed to, nor may they be ignored or dismissed. The church is prepared to counsel with or even to discipline one ordained who serious rejects the faith expressed in the confessions. (G-2.0200) One of the questions for all those to be ordained is: Do you sincerely receive and adopt the essential tenets of the Reformed faith as expressed in the confessions of our church as authentic and reliable expositions of what Scripture leads us to believe and do, and will you be instructed and led by those confessions as you lead the people of God? (G-14.0207c, 14.0405c) The important difference between this and the PCA is the degree of adherence required. The PCUSA requries acceptance of the "essential tenets", which the PCA requires "strict subscription". This allows an officer of the PCUSA to disagree about particulars, but not with whatever is "essential". The PCA requires a stricter standard. Under strict subscription, a sticky point comes with Sunday School teachers, small group leaders, music directors, etc. Should they be required to subscribe strictly or not? What our church has done in the past is to ask the candidates for these positions to read the WCF and state any points on which they disagree. These points are listed in the Session minutes along with the motions to accept the candidates, and the candidates are asked to avoid teaching on any areas of disagreement. When the church teaches, it is expected to use the confessions. This applies to Sunday School and all the rest. However, there is, again, much more latitude here. The job of the church's teaching office is not regarded in the PCUSA as inculcating the proper ideas and beliefs, but rather one of challenging people to think about their own faith and its relationship to the world. I once thought that the average member in the PCUSA really didn't know much about the doctrinal differences between their church and others. This, I still suspect to be true. But I have discovered, somewhat to my surprise, that the officers of the church, even when not consciously seeking adherence to the confessions, still have a distinctly Reformed tinge to their statements and ideas. They are easily identifiable as members of the Reformed tradition. -mib