Can we answer the question?
I must include myself among the many Moravians who felt very
comfortable about my Church and its position on essential doctrines of faith
and salvation. I was initially in denial when the first reports in the media
reported that my belief in salvation through Christ was challenged by a
Minister in the Moravian denomination.
See
Journal article on Minister at Odds
The article revealed not only that an ordained minister
believed and was teaching non Christian theology, but that leaders of
our denomination who were presumed to stand watch over our theology were
aware that this issue had been around and un-addressed. They took no
action to correct a reported view on salvation that the Moravian Church does
not support. The church's
governing body backed off when Dunn's congregation supported him, and PEC
President Bob Sawyer responded to the media:
Dunn's
assertions "brought into public discussion issues that everybody knew
were there and gave us the impetus to talk about something we didn't want
to talk about,"
"We need to
have conversations to clarify what his personal beliefs are, and where he
stands with respect to the church, There are challenges to the whole
church in this."
Sawyer declined to say what
would happen if Dunn doesn't change his beliefs, but did say, "I
wouldn't want him to do anything but be authentic in terms of his own
conviction and be a person of integrity."
The lack of action to publicly correct such a deviant theological view in
the article was an opportunity lost. Many were concern on what beliefs
our leaders felt they should stand watch over.
Indeed our leaders had been contemplating the question of Discerning
Theological Position within our Church. Following is a very challenging read
that was composed by the The Moravian Interprovincial Faith & Order
Commission. It posted to their web site as official positions,
declarations and statements of the Commission in October 2000. ( 18
months earlier )
Discerning
Theological Perspectives and Positions
Within the North American Moravian Tradition (October
2000)
In
order to guide its work in the service of Jesus Christ and
the larger Church, the Commission offers the following
statement of how Moravians discern theological
perspectives and positions. The 500-year-long,
international traditions of the Moravian Church present us
with a wide variety of theological approaches and
principles that have been tested, used, discarded, or
accepted over the course of time. Thus, we remain aware
that our formulation of the theological task will
necessarily be selective and reductive in light of the
rich diversity of our tradition. Yet, we strive to make
our understanding (1) reflect major theological principles
and practices that have guided and should continue to
guide the Church and (2) open to those times when minority
voices and often-neglected considerations should
appropriately guide the Church.
Central
to the Theological Task
In
developing theological positions, Moravians begin with a
heart relationship with Christ and a love for one another.
The motto, “in essentials, unity; in non-essentials,
freedom; in all things, love,” expresses the Moravian
understanding that a life grounded in love allows wide
diversity of theology and practice to thrive in the midst
of a deeper unity. Although this motto remains an
oft-quoted and meaningful statement of our general
approach to matters of faith and life, its simple polarity
between “essentials” and “non-essentials” obscures
a three-fold distinction among “essentials,” “ministerials,”
and “incidentals” that also has played a significant
role throughout the history of the Unity and that can
continue to be useful for theological discernment today.
The
“essentials” of our faith have been variously
described throughout our history. In both the Ancient
Unity and the time of Zinzendorf, the “essentials”
were understood in terms of relationship with God through
Christ and the receiving of God’s grace and salvation.
One of the earliest formulations of the essentials
expressed them as—from the side of God—the grace of
God, the saving work of Christ, and the presence of the
Holy Spirit, and—from the side of humanity—faith,
love, and hope. In this understanding, the essentials are
expressed primarily in “relational” terms. In a move
toward a more doctrinal approach, the General Synod of
1879 defined eight “leading doctrines” that are still
often cited as “the eight essentials.” In this case,
the essentials were defined primarily in terms of beliefs
rather than in relational terms. In 1957, in a return to
earlier approaches, the General Synod set a statement on
“The Ground of the Unity” into the Church Order of the
Unitas Fratrum at the place where the eight essentials had
previously been listed. “The Ground of the Unity”
upholds our relation-ship with God through the Lord Jesus
Christ as central and essential.
As
with the common polarity between essentials and
non-essentials, Moravians often approach theological
discussions and decisions in terms of whether we are
fundamentally a “doctrinal” or a “relational”
church. Although the “in all things love” part of the
motto gives primacy to relationships, again, understanding
our theological task in terms of a simple polarity between
doctrines and relationships, or head and heart, obscures a
deeper complexity that was not overlooked by the Ancient
Unity. As a Church, we do give primacy to relational
elements of our faith and life. At the same time, we most
helpfully approach theological discernment when we see the
categories of “essential and non-essential,”
“doctrine and relationship,” and “head and heart,”
not as “either/or” polarities standing in tension, but
as “both/and,” complementary components of faith and
life. These are not opposing ends of a continuum, but are
dif-ferent threads that must be interwoven in order for
the fabric of the life of the Church to remain sound and
whole.
The
three-fold approach to essentials, ministerials, and
incidentals avoids seeing life and faith in terms of
overly-simple polarities. By affirming the wisdom of a
three-fold perspective, we can avoid forced choices
between what are sometimes (falsely) perceived as two
opposing impulses. Simply stating the motto might help
clarify our over-riding approach to our life together. It
can also provide a well-intentioned but damaging sanction
not to undertake the difficult steps needed to discern
when we’re faithfully adhering to enduring truths and
when we’re “piously,” but unfaithfully resisting
God’s call for us to change. Simply dividing all matters
into “essentials” and “non-essentials” can lead us
away from perceiving a more “graded,” multi-level set
of distinctions that can clarify our theological task.
In
the Moravian tradition, theological reflection has not
served as an abstract, intellectual enterprise, but has
been directed toward opening up individuals,
congregations, and our denomination to the possibilities
Christ offers us in life, action, and mission. In general,
“right belief” has not been secondary to “right
action,” but it has been understood to stand in service
of right action. Theology and practice necessarily grow
and change with each other. As we seek Truth in our
deliberations and practices, we call upon all the gifts
God gives us to enable our discernment—the guidance of
scripture, the leading of the Holy Spirit, intellectual
rigor, prayer, devotional contemplation, God’s call(s)
to individuals, God’s call(s) to our Church, and God’s
call as manifested in other Christian traditions. We seek
openness to God’s leading, wherever that might take us,
whether it is to “tell the old, old story,” or to
follow along new paths toward unprecedented ways.
This
approach is consistent with a relational understanding of
the “essentials”—the grace of God, the saving work
of Christ, the presence of the Holy Spirit, and our
response of faith, hope, and love. At the same time, it
creates the expectation that while our understanding of
“right action” in faith, love, and hope can change
over time, we perpetually live under the call to discern
what those “right actions” might be in our own day. We
do, in fact, live, organize, and structure our lives
individually, congregationally, and denominationally
according to our current understandings of the call of
God. Even if we do so imperfectly, we strive to reach that
goal. In the midst of that striving stands the “middle
ground” of the “minis-terials”—the Word of God,
both as found in scripture and in proclamation, the
sacraments, church discipline, and the Church itself in
its role as the people of God.
The
ministerials stand in service of the essential
relationships we have with God, with each other and with
the world. They are not “essentials” for salvation.
However, neither are they “non-essentials,” since they
constitute the ways in which we actually live in response
to the essential relationships that undergird our lives.
Thus, the simple polarity between essential and
non-essential does not accurately capture the complex
dynamics of individual and communal lives of faith. Our
understandings of the ministerials can change over
time—and thus those understandings stand as
“incidentals” or “non-essentials—how we baptize,
how we celebrate communion, what hymns we sing, what we
include in our Book of Worship, who or how we ordain, etc.
Our status as people of God, however, places a necessity
upon us to discern true understandings and genuinely
faithful and loving practices—we do baptize, celebrate
communion, engage in ministries, etc. We best respond to
God’s gracious calling by weaving together the differing
and vital threads of doctrine and relationships, head and
heart, essentials, ministerials, and non-essentials into
the actual practices of a living Church. A three-fold
perspective on the life and faith of the Church helps us
along that way.
Guidelines
Along the Way
We
recognize that we undertake our theological tasks in the
context of the great creeds of the larger Christian Church
and in dialogue with people living within other faith
traditions. Our full communion agreement with the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America invites a more
sustained, intentional, ecumenical consultation into the
Church’s theological work. When asked for a statement of
our practices and beliefs (which combines the essentials,
the ministerials, and the incidentals of our Church), we
might point to our Book of Worship, which expresses our
living faith, and to the Book of Order, which varies
somewhat by province but also contains in common “The
Ground of the Unity.” Though we use these documents as
expressions of our life and faith, we also understand them
to be historically and culturally conditioned. They are to
be treasured without being seen as final or above critique
and change.
“The
Triune God as revealed in the Holy Scripture of the Old
and New Testaments is the only source of our life and
salvation; and this Scripture is the sole standard of the
doctrine and faith of the Unitas Fratrum and therefore
shapes our life.” We understand books of worship and
books of order to be derived from scripture. Through the
centuries, our relational emphasis has helpfully allowed
us to undertake our theological tasks without one
scriptural approach dominating and, thereby, limiting our
Church. Relational considerations have allowed differing
doctrines of scripture, head and heart, to intertwine.
Many different voices reflecting many different approaches
to scripture have influenced Church decisions.
Counter-balancing perspectives often prevent extremes from
leading us astray. At the same time, however, a perpetual
desire to find “the center” can misdirect our desire
to find Truth, which, scripture itself shows us, often
lies not only at the center, but also at the margins of or
beyond the boundaries of current understandings. Thus,
above, below, and within our own voices, we must listen
for the Spirit leading us into all truth.
Even
this principle, however, can be fiercely contested. In the
gospel of John—“"I still have many things to say
to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of
truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth” (John
16:12-13)—Christ’s words leave to the ongoing
discernment of the Church whether or not an existing
belief or practice adequately expresses the word of God in
scripture or whether we are being led to a new, fuller
understanding of the truth. The first epistle of John
offers a balancing admonition—“Beloved, do not believe
every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are
from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the
world.” (I John 4:1). Both admonitions apply to the
“old” as well as to the “new.” Thus, whether we
hold scripture as the “only” or the “primary”
basis of faith, life and practice, we must consider our
understanding of scripture in light of the leading of the
Holy Spirit, prayer, devotion, call, intellectual
critique, and the ecumenical tradition of the church.
Scripture and the Holy Spirit speak both to us and through
us, so that we must perpetually examine the validity of
our witness and the reality of our openness to their
leading. This caution, however, should not prevent us from
believing and acting boldly as the guidance of scripture
and the Spirit become clear.
At
times, bold belief and bold action will create
conflict—whether those beliefs and actions call for
change or for staying the same. Our relationally-oriented
Church, perhaps, could usefully understand some potential
conflicts as part of the discernment process itself.
Conflict can bring clarity to what is truly at stake in
certain beliefs and practices, and allow us to understand
more fully what we do and why we do it. Here, head and
heart, doctrine and relationship, essentials and
non-essentials—rather than being seen as oppositional
polarities—must find their most helpful balance, a
balance that necessarily will shift and change through-out
the course of the discernment process. Without a
willingness to explore in depth, and even in conflict, why
we do as we do, we circumvent our own desires to reach
Truth. Whether affirming or critiquing current theology
and practice, the Church acts with faith, love, and hope
when it acts circumspectly or boldly as the occasion and
the Spirit require.
Weaving
the Tapestry of Life and Faith
At
all levels of the life of the Church—individual,
interpersonal, congregational, provincial, denominational,
and ecumenical—we are called upon both to take up our
cross and to live in the power of the new creation. Thus,
we work out our salvation with fear and trembling while
simultaneously proclaiming the gospel with joy and
boldness. Our motto offers with simple clarity a
perspective that often directly contributes to the
building up of the Church. At the same time, too simply
applied, it can lead us to cover up or mislabel conflicts
that offer the possibility for genuine growth at all
levels of the life of the Church. Our essential
relationships with God, each other, and the world, in
response to the gracious, loving work of the triune God,
lay upon us the call to discern “right actions” of
faith, love, and hope. These essential relationships find
expression in the ministerials of scripture, proclamation,
sacraments, and the discipline and life of the church.
Although any particular doctrines and practices might be,
in themselves, incidentals or non-essentials, the
theological task of discerning the directions in which we
should go remains an inescapable vocation of the Church.
Our
theological explorations work out most faithfully,
lovingly, and hopefully when we avoid seeing our
theological task in terms of simple, oppositional
polarities. We cannot predict in advance the best balance
of head, heart, doctrine, relationship, essentials, and
non-essentials. We cannot pre-determine which spiritual
gifts or which guiding principles should exert the most
influence in our deliberations on specific issues. We
cannot predict in advance whether God will call us
steadfastly to reaffirm our traditions, beliefs, and
practices or boldly to re-shape them.
We
can, however, be sure that God calls us, that our task is
to remain open to the Spirit’s guidance, and that our
joy is to follow that call wherever it might lead us. Our
love for Christ and for each other guides us best in all
our discerning when it is genuine love that seeks, not
unity at all costs, but unity in Truth.
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This
statement was posted to the Moravian Church Southern Province web page in
2001 and began to revealed the many facets that this process would
involve. Given the many threads that must be woven into the fabric of this
statement as suggested by the Faith and Order Commission statement above,
the task begins to appear quite challenging.
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Vision Discernment
This process is designed to help us uncover and
rediscover the roots of our Moravian identity in the southern
province (our story), and from this foundation build enthusiasm and
commitment for God's vision for us. It asks the questions: Who are
we? What do we believe? What is it about our personal faith
experience with Jesus Christ that others cannot live without? This
is a process that comes before strategic planning or goal setting
and helps ensure that future strategic plans are on target and
achievable. This is not a brainstorming or wishful thinking process.
It is a spiritual formation process in which God's vision is
revealed in the context of our clarity and consensus around the
shared values and beliefs that are unique to us. Through faith and
trust in God, our common strengths and identity are reestablished.
Movements of the "Vision Discernment"
process:
Core Values: shared values, usually one-word
preferences that are lifestyle expectations of the people.
Bedrock Beliefs: profoundly held beliefs in
scripture, symbols, and personal stories, to which we return for
strength in times of confusion or stress.
Motivating Vision: spiritual growth to open
our hearts, minds, souls to hear God's call.
Key Mission: The PEC will assist Synod in
formulating a simple, powerful, graphic, mission statement to
establish and communicate our identity not only to us, but for us to
the public.
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Plans for meetings to involve
everyone in the process to determine what our common beliefs are was under
way months before the Truman Dunn issue was made public by the news media.
The following article was posted to the Southern Province web site in 2001.
It called all churches to become involved in the process. It also set a time
line for collected opinions to be compiled to find the common beliefs
that would be submitted to the PEC for distribution to all congregations for
consideration. Most important, congregation reviews would be submitted to
Synod committees for action at the 2002 Southern provincial Synod.
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Vision Discernment
in the Southern Province
God's will, nothing more, nothing less, nothing
else.
Core Values and Bedrock Beliefs
Small groups of pastors, Synod delegates, and
congregational members will gather in the southern province to talk
about who we are and what we believe. The information from these
small group gatherings will be given to Provincial Elders'
Conference and they in turn will discern the values and beliefs that
we hold in common as a province. Every person is invited to become
involved. If your congregation doesn't have a visioning process or
event planned and you are interested in participating, you are
invited to make reservations at a provincial wide gathering of
Moravians. The gathering for congregational members will be from
12:30 - 4:30 p.m., Saturday, February 16, New Philadelphia Moravian,
Fellowship Hall. Reservations are necessary for planning. Contact
Becky Honeycutt with your reservation by email: bhoneycutt@mcsp.org.
Prayers for Vision (wait, listen, question)
The PEC will announce the values and beliefs to our
congregations and everyone will have an opportunity to see those we
hold in common. At that point, each congregation is asked to create
intentional periods for reflection on these values and beliefs and
pray that God will reveal a vision of what we need to be or do. This
is a time for questioning God and questioning what we are currently
doing and ask God who he wants us to be. Some will choose to fast
and pray during this period, while others will meet in small groups
to pray, and others will incorporate prayer into daily devotions,
small groups, meetings, and services. We ask during this time for
every member to observe what's going on in our culture, outside our
congregations, and pray for God to show us how we can reach out to
those who are seeking God but haven't found a church home. What is
their life situation? What are their needs? How can we share our
faith experiences with Jesus Christ with them? What is God asking us
to do?
Visioning Event for congregations
A model for a congregational visioning event where
every person has the opportunity to share his or her vision may be
obtained by a pastor from Judy Knopf, jknopf@mcsp.org.
The visions that come from members of our congregations will not
only be useful within each congregation, but also will be sent back
to the PEC office and distributed to Synod ministry groups. So every
member has the opportunity to contribute to the life and work of
this Synod. The visions will also assist Synod in formulating a
simple, powerful, graphic, mission statement. This will communicate
our identity, not only to Moravians, but also for us to the public.
The 2002 Synod will be held at Black Mountain, NC, April 17 - 21. |
The language of the
directive from the Faith and Order Commission back in 2000 was challenging
and seemed to cross too easily back and forth between "doctrine"
and "relational" issues. The following posting by Bob Rierson on
the Southern Province web site seemed to refocus with a greater degree of
simplicity what we were called to do and how we would do it. Bob cautioned
that Visions are not necessarily rational. They are not issue driven.
I think that this says that we don't run to the mountain on
every issue that society brings to the church.
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About Visioning
There is a difference between eating a plain piece
of bread and eating a piece of bread with cheese on it. There is an
even bigger difference between eating a plain piece of bread and
eating one with chicken salad on it. There is a major difference
between eating a plain piece of bread and eating one with lobster
salad on it. A person or a congregation with a vision or several
visions is like eating a piece of bread with lobster salad on it.
Cheese just won't get it-like having a good program. Not even
chicken salad can make it-like having a wonderful worship
experience. Even the bread is good but not like bread with lobster
salad.
I cannot imagine Jesus without a vision. Equally, I
cannot imagine a congregation or individual for that matter without
a vision or sharing in one articulated by someone else. Vision
begins to take shape in Jesus' life at his baptism. Some would go
back to his birth and the angels' voices to the shepherds.
Especially, at baptism it is recognized that Jesus' vision is formed
in the mind of God as the Spirit descends in recognition of Jesus'
Son-ship. Jesus knew who he was from baptism and wrestled with his
vision for months, even in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Visions are specific and concrete. "Then he
began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great
suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the
scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again." One
of the disciples rebuked him and Jesus replied, "For you are
setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."
(Mark 8: 31 & 33b) He stated his vision openly.
Visions are urgent. Not some day but soon. The
disciples had to be brought on board. But first they must know what
Jesus knew. They were moving through the villages of Caesarea
Philippi and Jesus was asking his disciples about their knowledge of
him. "Who do you say that I am?" (Mark 8:29) Peter seems
to get it, "You are the Messiah." (Mark 8:29b) This
chapter concludes with Jesus stating the requirements for his
followers. From that time on the followers of Jesus have had to ask
themselves who Jesus is and who they are before they can receive
God's vision for them.
Visions are of God. This is not grist for the mill
of a "think tank." Gather the best minds together and
present the conditions or rules under which they are to work and
allow them to hammer out a vision. Visions are not necessarily
rational. They are not issue driven. Visions from God are to lead us
to service.
Visions come to those of humility, to those who pay
attention and are willing to listen and receive. Philippians 2:5-8
states it well; "Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ
Jesus…did not regard equality with God as something to be
exploited…emptied himself…taking the form of a slave…humble
himself…became obedient to the point of death…" Give God
some time and room to be with us and to speak. No room. No time. No
humility. No vision. This is just a small piece of the meaning of
vision.
We all eat bread. Put some lobster salad on it.
It's a lot better. .................................Bob Rierson
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For those who were aware
of the impending challenge to basic tenets of our Christian doctrine of
faith the stage had been set by the directive of the Faith and Order Commission.
It may not be difficult to understand the origin of the language that
was to follow from church leaders and some others in the church community as
they attempted to defend the position of Rev Truman Dunn and actions of the
PEC.
As time approached for the 2002 Southern Provincial
Synod, there were those who had been giving great thought and Prayer
to the visioning process statement that PEC officials had requested be
presented to Synod Committee. One document that was sent was referred to as
Pre resolution 54.
The author of this document knew of the division that
was shaping around our beliefs on salvation and felt that this called
for focused attention to that aspect. He had conferred with others to
script the language that he felt would reaffirm who we were and what we
believe. It was a simple restatement of existing documents that Moravians
have sculptured from years of prayer and study of scripture.
A RESOLUTION AFFIRMING SALVATION
THROUGH CHRIST ALONE
( has been referred to as pre-resolution 54 )
WHEREAS Jesus Christ declared that "no one comes to the
Father except through me" (John 14:6) ; and
WHEREAS St. Peter declared that "there is salvation in
no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among
mortals by which we must be saved" (Acts 4: 12): and
WHEREAS Paul wrote that "there is one God: there is also one
mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, who
gave himself a ransom for all" ( 1 Timothy 2:5-6a); and
WHEREAS the Ground of the Unity, the foundational theological
statement of the Moravian Church, states that "with the whole
of Christendom we share faith in God the Father, the Son and the
Holy Spirit. We believe and confess that God has revealed himself
once and for all in His son Jesus Christ, that our Lord has redeemed
us with the whole of humanity by His death and resurrection; and
that there is no salvation apart from Him” (Ground of the Unity,
Section 2); and
WHEREAS the Ground of the Unity further states that "it is
true that through the Holy Spirit the recognition of God's will for
salvation in the Bible is revealed completely and clearly"
(Ground of1he Unity, Section 4, Paragraph 3); and
WHEREAS the Church Order of Unitas Fratrum states that "the
Unitas Fratrum is committed to the victory of the lamb of God that
was slain as the hope of the world. It accepts as its central
commission the proclamation of this message in every place where the
Lord Himself opens the door” ( Church Order of the Unitas Fraltrum,
('Chapter III. Paragraph 2a); and
WHEREAS there are those within the Unity who would claim that
there are many ways to God, that Jesus Christ is but one way among
the many, and that there is salvation apart from him; therefore
BE IT RESOLVED that the 2002 Synod of the Southern Province
declares its belief that salvation is found in Jesus Christ alone,
and that there is no Salvation apart from him; and further
BE IT RESOLVED that the 2002 Synod of the Southern Province
declares its belief that this teaching is in harmony with the
teaching of Scripture and of the Ground of the Unity and the Church
Order of the Unitas Fratrum; and further
BE IT RESOLVED that the 2002 Synod of the Southern Province
declares that teaching there is a plurality of ways to God other
than through Jesus Christ is contrary to the Moravian understanding
of Scripture and the statements of our foundational documents.
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It is most important for you to know what
happened to this document that was redirected by a leader who stated that
they would prevent it from going to the floor for vote.
Read Birth and
Death of a Resolution
The reworked resolution that emerged from Synod had evolved
from a theological statement of belief to a relational statement. For
those who saw that theology was the issue, not relationships, this sounded a
warning that issues of theology would not be addressed by the PEC.
Indeed no other resolutions were brought to Synod for consideration on
the visioning process.
Later when asked what happened to the visioning process at
Synod, Judy Knopf who is leading the process, wrote that the Truman
Dunn issue diverted attention away from the effort.
The ink had hardly dried on the transformed Resolution 54
that Bob Sawyer and Bishop Graham Rights had such a hand in before its
message was delivered to the media.
President Bob Sawyer wrote a guest editorial for the Winston
Salem Journal where he stated:
"we
believe that sustaining relationships with one another is a divine
imperative
we have found over the centuries that dogmatic doctrinal definition
is neither necessary nor helpful to a growing life of faith.
An example is this statement from The Ground of the Unity. "We
believe and confess that God has revealed Himself once and for all in His
son Jesus Christ, that our Lord has redeemed us with the whole of humanity
by His death and His resurrection; and that there is no salvation apart
from Him."
Our recent synod chose not to adopt a resolution focused on this
statement, not because" Moravians deny it, but because we do not want
to force a meaning from the statement that is not really there.
Increasingly we live and minister in a context where we have much closer
contact with people of other faiths and cultures.
See
complete article
A virtual flood of articles and editorials began to show up in the
media, on this site and in public and private debate over the theological
ramifications of addressing the issue of Salvation through Christ or without
Christ as a relationship issue. Discussions often were diverted off of
"Theology" and on to "Relationships" by those who were unable
to keep the distinction separate.
I think that the Directive by the Faith & Order
Commission in 2000 may have lead many to think that theology and
relationship were not separate issues. I believe that the statement does
indicate that they are and always have been separate issues or threads that
must be woven together. For the fabric to hold together each thread must be
sound.
The following message from Bob Sawyer appeared on the
Southern Province website in August of 2003. It seemed now, to suggest
a more theological approach to issues than before the Decision was
made by the PEC to allow Truman Dunn to remain in his pastorate.
Finally it seemed that the urgency of relational issues were
behind us and now we could turn our attention to Theology without a
minister's future with the church being on the line. This posting called for
the Visioning Process to begin again. A core group would be selected to
formulate this simple statement.
Claiming Our Common Ground
The Moravian Church is called into being by the Lord
Jesus Christ so that it may serve Him here on earth until He
comes… The Unitas Fratrum is being called to serve humanity by
proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ… It recognizes this call to
be the source of its being and the inspiration of its services…
Jesus Christ is the one Lord and Head of His Body, the Church, and
this Church owes no allegiance to any authority whatsoever which
opposes His dominion.
These are some of the statements from The Ground of
the Unity that define and identify us as a church. In a time when
many in our post-Christian culture understand truth to be relative
and Christianity to be just one of many religions, it is important
that the world be clear about what God's people believe and
proclaim. It is imperative that we as Southern Province Moravians
claim and articulate our common ground for witness, mission, and
ministry. This is exactly the purpose of a vision statement.
As we give attention to developing a vision
statement, it is important that we keep before us The Ground of the
Unity in its entirety. At the same time our particular context
brings particular needs and some statements in The Ground of the
Unity merit particular attention. Among these may be mentioned the
following:
We believe and affirm that the Church is called into
being by the Lord Jesus Christ to serve humanity by proclaiming the
Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We profess a faith in God as Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit. We believe that God has revealed Himself once and for all in
His Son, Jesus Christ and redeemed us and all humanity by His death
and resurrection, and that there is no salvation apart from Jesus
Christ.
We believe that Jesus Christ is the atonement for
the sins of the whole world.
We believe that the Holy Scriptures are the sole
standard of our doctrine and faith and therefore shapes our life
together.
We believe in and confess the unity of the Church,
given in the one Lord Jesus Christ as God and Savior.
We believe that there is no distinction to be made
among those who are one in Jesus Christ; we, therefore, oppose any
discrimination in our midst based on race, social standing, or
gender.
We believe that Christ has called us to love and
serve our neighbor at home and abroad, including in particular
mission service among the peoples of the world as we confess Christ
and witness to His love.
Thanksgiving and praise for God's grace are the
keynote of our life and ministry, and in that spirit we await the
return of Christ, that we might be found ready to meet our Lord with
joy.
The simple but powerful words at the conclusion of our Lenten
Liturgy proclaim what has been and remains the central focus of our
message: Christ and Him crucified remain our confession of faith.
The P.E.C. has asked Judy Knopf, who has previously given leadership
in visioning, to guide us in claiming and articulating the unity we
have in a manner that meets the unique needs of the Southern
Province.
We have learned from the stories of our biblical ancestors that
vision comes within the context of a deeper spiritual life and only
after a period of waiting on God: Moses and the journey of God's
people (Exodus 13.17-22), Jacob (Genesis 28.10-22), Mary (Luke
1.8-21, 26-45), Peter and Cornelius (Acts 10). We believe that a
vision for the Southern Province will come only after an intentional
time of prayer, scripture study, and rediscovery of our Moravian
Christian identity.
The P.E.C. plans to invite a group of core leaders to participate
in a spiritual discernment process of prayer, reflection, inquiry,
conversation, and listening. They will synthesize the visions from
our 2002 Synod and current emerging visions; review the historical
images, events, and stories that have shaped our identity and
beliefs; and, discern and formulate the vision for the Moravian
Church, Southern Province. Their work will be submitted to clergy
and lay leaders for response.
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It looked as thought we were solidly on track as much of the public
debate had now ended over the Truman Dunn Decision.
Word began to circulate that theological differences among the core group
was making it difficult to arrive at a simple statement of "who we were
and what we believe". The Group of leaders were requested to keep
the details of their meetings and conversations private.
The product of their efforts has not come even though it was expected by
the end of the summer of 2003.
When I contacted Judy Knopf about the delay she indicated that the Lord
was speaking to the Group and a message hopefully will be ready in Dec.
03. She noted that God moves in his own time. She was encouraged that
the Group was arriving at a scriptural based statement that would be satisfying.
This simple statement has had a rough journey over the past 4 years and
remains undelivered to this day. The following memo to active pastors on Mar
04, 2004, seems to suggest that no agreement can be reached among the group.
Attention: This email is especially for all active clergy in the
Southern Province. I realize there are some of you that are receiving
this that are not active clergy, but you are on this distribution list
and may disregard. Becky
March 4, 2004
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The Provincial Visioning Group, appointed by the P.E.C., has been
meeting since August 2003 to prayerfully listen to God and to one
another.
The group is composed of the following persons: Bob Sawyer,
Bob Hunter, Tom Shelton, Rick Sides, Donna Hurt, Bob Iobst, Graham
Rights, J.C. Hughes, Lane Sapp, Carol Foltz, Steve Wilson, Frank
Venable, Daniel Crews, and Worth Green (Betsy Bombick and Wayne
Burkette were not able to meet with us). Judy Knopf is our
facilitator.
We came together willingly to see the 2001 Visioning
Process to its conclusion and also to offer one response to the P.E.C.
call for "conversations and healing among the clergy." We have felt
that it is imperative for the province to claim and articulate our
common ground for witness, mission, and ministry together. This common
ground will be the vision that leads us into the future God has for us!
We give thanks for this opportunity to serve you and to give our time
to the province for this effort. So we have been diligent as we have
prayed, listened, and discussed. Our hope has been to discern a word
from the Lord, one that we can joyfully share with you, our brothers
and sisters in Christ, for your individual and corporate
discernment...a vision that can be a "Watchword" for at least the next
two years.
Through scripture, our Christian and Moravian history, from
the spiritual events in the lives of our congregations and in our own
lives, and the inner voice of the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ we
strive to be faithful before God. And so over these months we have
been drawn to one of St. Paul's powerful challenges in his letter to
the Corinthians:
So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has
passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who
reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry
of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to
himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting
the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ,
since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of
Christ, be reconciled to God. II Corinthians 5:17-20
This passage has been a true gift to our small group and we believe it
is from God. Once received, we each agreed to read it as a prayer, and
then wrote personal reflections on how it spoke to us individually.
Then a month later, we met together and shared the thoughts and
feelings we believe God gave to us. However, with all of the good that
has happened between us and with the discernment that has been given
to us, we are incomplete without you. We understand that as a small
group we cannot discern alone or choose a passage for the province
without the thoughtful spiritual involvement of our colleagues.
So at this time we implore you, our brothers and sisters in the faith,
to spend time with this passage, listen to what God is saying to you
personally through this scripture; then, take some time to commit it
to a journal, and allow it to be God's epistle to you.
In the near future we plan to provide for small groups to meet, where you may
gather with other clergy and share the thoughts and feelings God gives
to you about this passage in particular and also about our process
thus far. We earnestly desire to know if this passage brings as much
energy and excitement to others as it brings to us. Is God placing
this passage before us for a special purpose? We eagerly await the
opportunity to consider this question with you!
We covet your prayers for our group and the small groups that will
follow. "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the
communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of [us] you!" II Corinthians
13:13.
The Provincial Vision Group
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It would seem that the intended focus of this effort is to construct a
statement that is "relational" as opposed to theological.
This would seem to be inadequate for those who see a need for a statement
that affirms the authority of scripture and its message of salvation through
Jesus Christ alone. Evidence exists that a statement will not be agreed on
that recognizes the later.
What this simple statement finally says or
does not say may say volumes about our leaders and where our church goes
from here.
(submitted by Lee Sprinkle)3/10/04
1 ( PEC had organized a search for appropriate statements
of our identity and beliefs in the Southern Province. Attention to these,
Vision Statements would be given at the 2002 Southern Synod)
Visit the following links on the Southern Province
Web Site for more information: Vision
Discernment www.mcsp.org/new_future.htm
Vision Discernment in the Southern Province www.mcsp.org/new_future_vision_discernment.htm
About Visioning www.mcsp.org/new_future_about_vision.htm 2
(Standing Rules of Synod
Paragraph 4 All resolutions coming from the synod committees shall be referred to
the Steering Committee. This committee does not have the power to alter or
reject resolutions, but to see that resolutions are duplicated and
distributed to delegates before they are presented for action.)
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