Confessing Our Unity in Christ by Moravian Archivist Daniel Crews

CONFESSING OUR UNITY IN CHRIST
A
HISTORICAL AND THEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND
to
THE GROUND OF THE UNITY
PREPARED BY

C. Daniel Crews
Archivist of the Moravian Church
Southern Province

For presentation to the Moravian Clergy Association
January 6, 1994

Second edition, January 2000


Published at the request of the Provincial Elders Conference, Southern Province


 

This little booklet continues to be a convenient lens through which we can look back 500 years at our confession of faith.

I was introduced to this work as I was visiting the Moravian Archives back in the spring of of 2002. I was there trying to make sense of how Resolution 54 created such a stir.

After reading through this 38 page booklet, I could see exactly why Daniel Crews had handed me this book. "New theology" or the current of  liberalism has been steadily  causing a drift of our church doctrine and theology for hundreds of years, requiring occasional course correction on closely  predictable intervals in our church history.

I wrote a review of this booklet "Defining the Issues in light of Moravian History" .  In the review I discussed several events that emphasized the   resistance to make the needed affirmation by leaders of the church surrounding  2002 events.

I have taken a new interest in this booklet in the past few weeks.  I have been  discussing with representatives of the Delegate Preparation Committee,  an apparent shift in emphasis in their survey.  The New Survey/Questionnaire, prepared by the DPC, does not recognize the call by a significant number of congregations to affirm the authority of Scripture and its message on Salvation. Instead the new survey calls for recognition of the authority of Synod to formulate statements that will be the basis for our expressions of doctrine and faith.

 

Bishop Edwin Sawyer, in his book, "These Fifteen", has written, "By saying so much about Jesus Christ and the Bible, [John] Hus showed clearly that he did not trust the word of the Church apart from the Bible."
[ Comenius Press, 1963, P. 10 ]

From 2002 Review of "Confessing Our Unity in Christ":

Synod of 1782, facing growing pressure from the rationalism of the so-called Enlightenment, choose to add a section to the four points offered in the 1775 General Synod. This additional section on the divinity of Christ stressed that Jesus was more than simply an eminent messenger from God. The Brethren determined to adhere more faithfully in their teaching to the language of Scripture. Now the first Chapter before the “chief axiom” and the “four points”, states “ The Holy Scripture is the ground of our doctrine and the only rule of our faith and life.

Members of the Church were urged to acquaint themselves with Scriptures so as to guard themselves against the “erroneous teaching” which was prevalent at their time.
 

The 1848 General Synod continues to affirm that “The Holy Scripture of the Old and New Testament is and remains the only rule of our faith and life ( practice ). We revere it as God’s word, which He spoke to humanity in former times through the profits, and in these last days through the Son and His apostles, to instruct people in the way of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. We are convinced that all truths which are necessary for a person who desires to be saved to know and believe are fully contained therein.”

The outcome of the 1909 Synod was again to uphold doctrines of Synod 1899. The delegates were so anxious to affirm allegiance to traditional beliefs that they resolved to avoid all changes in the doctrinal section.

The newspaper Herrnhut summarized: What the lay people want and expect is a clear confession of Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, of his cross, and his bodily resurrection; in short, of the full and entire contents of the Holy Scriptures and the faith of our fathers as it has found expression in our hymnal from the time of Zinzendorf even to now. Finally, it was stressed that the church is not there for the theologians, but rather that the theologians are there for the church.

The last sentence speaks to us from 100 years and deserves another look. The church should not exist as a laboratory for clergy to experiment with the “ New Theology” rather clergy should serve the church by upholding the sound doctrine of the church. To do otherwise is clearly heresy.

The feeling of many delegates was expressed by Bishop Rondthaler in his parting remarks in the British missions magazine: “ We are thankful that our evangelical Christian doctrine has been maintained in purity, and we can now all go home with courage for the future of our respective provinces.”

The General Synod of 1957 gave birth to “The Ground of the Unity”

“The Holy Scripture of both the Old and New Testaments are and abide the only source and rule of the faith, doctrine, and life of the Unitas Fratrum.

The Unitas Fratrum realizes that the mystery of Jesus Christ to which the Bible bears witness cannot be fully comprehended in any human statement. Yet the Holy Spirit makes God’s purpose of salvation sufficiently plain in the Old an New Testaments. The Unitas Fratrum recognizes the Word of the cross to be the center of the Holy Scriptures and of the evangelical preaching. Its main commission and its reason for existence is to witness unfailingly to these glad tidings. We pray our Lord for strength never to desist from doing so.”

Not only does Synod of 1957 reaffirm authority of scripture and salvation through Christ , it also asks for Gods strength to continue doing so.

The Unity Synod of 1995 made a small but significant alteration to "the Ground of the Unity," the current doctrinal statement of the Moravian Church. Synod saw the need to emphasize that it is the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as revealed in the Holy Scripture, who is the only source of our life and salvation, not just the humanly transcribed Scripture itself.  In addition, 2,000 years of Christian tradition and wisdom are now set forth as a guide for our better understanding in proclaiming the Gospel of Christ.

 

The new revision continues recognition that Scripture reveals the  Triune God.  It offers clarification on where the source of life and salvation originates. The role of Scripture as the  only source and rule of the faith, doctrine, and life of the Unitas Fratrum is not changed. Some may read the 1995 revision as having removed Scriptural authority for determining doctrine and faith statements. Some may read the revision as the first step in removing Scriptural Authority requiring further work in future Synods. One must think carefully about the inclusion of the phrase "humanly transcribed Scripture."  In the context of the statement, this phrase calls into question Biblical accuracy by inspiration. Care must be exercised that future Synods do not make refinements to the 1995 revision that replaces Scripture with Synod as the source of Doctrine and Faith statements. The Ground of the Unity is a simple confession of our faith as understood from Scripture. Statements of our faith should always come after prayer and careful study of scripture.
 

 
See and read review of this  booklet

[ "Defining the Issues in light of Moravian History" ]
(this 38 page booklet available at the Moravian Book store in Winston Salem)