Editor’s Note: With the recent conclusion of the GAFCON meeting in Jerusalem–with significant leadership led by African Anglican leaders–the following material might be of interest when it comes to the trajectory of the Christian Church when measured demographically through history.

Drawn from “Ockenga Connections” (A Ministry of the Ocknga Institute of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

(volume 11, number 2 Summer 2006)

Which in turn is drawn with supporting methodology and documentation, appears in an expanded form in International Review of Mission, Vol. 93, No. 369, April 2004, pp. 166-81)

Authors: Todd M. Johnson, Director of the Center for the Study of Global Christianity, GCTS; and
Sun Young Chung, M.Div., GCTS

Introduction

Throughout the history of Christianity, the Christian message has often been embraced by whole villages, tribes, or peoples. Consequently, groups of followers, including their ethnicity and language, can be named, located, listed, counted, mapped, and tracked over time. As a result, Christians as a whole, at any given time in history, have a definable geographic boundary and demographic or statistical center. In practical terms, a single geographic point on Earth can be seen as the statistical “center of gravity” of all Christian followers at any given date–where the number of all Christians living to its north, its south, its easat, and its west is exactly the same.

The demographic history of Christianity is viewed precisely through this lens in Map 1: “Trajectory of the Statistical Center of Gravity of Global Christianity, AD 33-AD 2100.” A single geographic point has been identified as the statistical center of gravity of Christianity for each of 25 different dates in Christian history, beginning with AD 33 (traditional date for the origin of the church) and projecting to AD 2100 (one hundred years into the future). The points have been connected in order to approximate a “trajectory” of the demographic center of gravity of Christianity throughout its history, helping us to visualize the overall demographic growth of Christian expansion.

[Editor’s Note: The point begins in Jerusalem in AD 33. It moves slightly northwest to south of Turkey for 100. 200-600 are in the eastern portion of the Mediterranean. 700-1900 sees the migration through southeastern Europe, then west and south to Spain in 1900. 1970 has the point in northeastern Africa, with the line migrating sharply to the south and east through 2100. The section titles in the article are “From South to North and Back Again“; “What Does the Trajectory Signify?”; “Features of the Present Southeastern Trajectory”’ “Theological Implications of the Trajectory”; “ ‘They speak in many tongues’”; “Whose Mission?” There is also a graph showing the percentage of all Christians and dividing it up between north and south. In 1900 approximately 15% of all Christians were southern. In 2100 it is estimated they will be at almost 80%.

Conclusion

The 2,000 year trajectory of Christianity reveals a fascinating story of Christianity’s demographic roots in Asia and Africa, its gradual move into Europe, and its recent return to the South. Christianity’s great institutions and leaders have followed this trajectory. Therefore, the present southeastern trajectory of Christian demographics represents a new chapter in global Christianity. What is certain is that Christianity can no longer draw on a dominant Northern cultural, linguistic, or political framework for direction. Neither can the future be seen exclusively through the lenses of Southern Christianity. Global Christianity today is a phenomenon, not of uniformity, but of ever-increasing diversity. Paul-Gordon Chandler writes, “It is like the canvas of a beautiful painting with contrasting and complementary colors. The foundation for our unity as Christians throughout the world is not our likeness but our diversity.” The unanswered question for Christians from both the North and South is how well we will work, minister, and grow together in the context of this astonishing diversity. Today, the southeastern trajectory of global Christianity’s statistical center of gravity provides clues about where one might look to find both the answers and the leadership for that quest.”

Christian Released Time in Philadelphia resumed in November of 2002 and has been going on ever since. In fact, new schools have been added every year.

What is CRT (Christian Released Time)?

It has long been allowed that public school children, with parent permission, may be released to off-campus locations during regular school hours to receive religious instruction. This instruction may included the worship of Jesus, singing, learning the Gospel of salvation, studying the Bible, praying, and praising God for His Creation.

Who is Responsible for This?

Ultimately, the Lord Jesus Christ is responsible for this. He said He would build His church, and churches all over Philadelphia, in obedience to the Lord’s command, have been reaching out to public school children so that they can come to faith in Jesus.

On a more secular level, CRT is legal in every State of the Union, but there are some States that actually have a law explicitly affirming Released Time. In Pennsylvania, for example, the law says that if parents sign, etc, then the superintendent “shall” release the students.

What About the So-Called Separation of Church & State?

Many people are confused about this. Here’s what the Supreme Court said about Released Time: “When the state encourages the religious instruction or cooperates with religious authorities by adjusting the schedule of public events to sectarian needs, it follows the best of our traditions. For it respects the nature of our people and accommodates the public service to their spiritual needs.” (Justice William O. Douglas, in Zorach v. Clauson (343 U.S. 313-14, 1952).)

About the so-call separation, Chief Justice William Rehnquist wrote: “The ‘wall of separation between church and state’ is a metaphor based on bad history, a metaphor which has proved useless as a guide to judging. It should be frankly and explicitly abandoned” (1985).

Recent democratic and republican presidents affirm the legitimate place of faith in America. For example, here is what former President Bill Clinton had to say: “Nothing in the First Amendment converts our public schools into religion-free zones, or requires all religious expression to be left behind at the schoolhouse door. While the government may not use schools to coerce the consciences of our students, or to convey official endorsement of religion, the public schools also may not discriminate against private religious expression during the school day. Religion is too important in our history and our heritage for us to keep it out of our schools…[I]t shouldn’t be demanded, but as long as it is not sponsored by school officials and doesn’t interfere with other children’s rights, it mustn’t be denied” (July 12, 1995).

So How can People get Involved with CRT?

One person you are welcome to consult is Paul G. Humber. Paul has had decades of experience in the fields of education and theology; he is familiar, in other words, with the worlds of principals and pastors.

CRT can happen without Paul, but he has been integrally involved with just about every CRT effort begun in Philadelphia since November of 2002. His website is www.CRMinistriesPhilly.com. He lives in Philadelphia, has met with many principals and pastors, and one of his books has a whole chapter on how CRT got restarted in Philadelphia. The book is available on www.amazon.com; it is called Evolution Exposed.

What are the Main Steps?

After praying, identify a school you would like to reach for Jesus. Then, locate a building near the school (perhaps a church building). Contact the pastor and/or board. Ask if they are willing to reach out to students in the school. If they are, then contact the principal of the school and set up a meeting. Prepare a flier for distribution to students. There are a variety of approaches of getting the fliers into the hands of students. One that has been very successful is giving attractive fliers to children as they leave school for home. (There is a School District Policy allowing for this.) A parent signs the form, and the student returns the form to the school office. Once signed forms arrive, CRT classes may begin. You can do this on your own, or you can solicit Paul Humber’s free assistance.

Pedagogically Sound!

There are benefits to students participating in Released Time classes. Such classes reinforce the class-room skills of reading, public speaking, drama, singing, and critical thinking. They also help students understand how to get along with others in constructive ways by doing for others what they would like others to do for them. This challenges the default worldview that to “survive” in this world you must push and prove yourself be the “fittest”. The classes help students receive hope and motivation to do better even with respect to their regular classes. They learn that they are not “accidents” in the universe. The classes encourage responsibility and initiative to keep up with homework assignments. In other words, the students actually have an increased academic workload. Many educators would consider this a positive thing.

Note: You can read Part 2 here

Jesus said of the Philadelphia Church that He had put before them an “open door which no one can shut” (Rev. 3:8). Though originally a different Philadelphia was in view, it is interesting that for the last three years, Christian released time (CRT) Philadelphia[i] has been entering through new doors, and public school children are learning about creation and the God of creation.

With parental approval, classes meet off campus during regular school hours. The Philadelphia Inquirer[ii] featured our efforts, and mention was also made in WORLD Magazine.[iii] Eleven public schools in or near Philadelphia were involved in the 2004-2005 school year, and CRT is legal in every state. Not only have public school children been hearing about creation and Creator Christ, but the Gospel of salvation has been taught, too!

At this point, I want to become anecdotal. The victory I share below happened near the beginning of our efforts to establish CRT in Philadelphia. As Nehemiah encountered opposition, so did we. If God’s people can take courage that God helped in centuries past, perhaps they can also take courage from more recent efforts to overcome opposition.

It was on a Monday. I wrote, “This may be the best day yet for CRT Philadelphia!” Following a meeting with the superintendent of Philadelphia’s school district, a sister in the Lord, who had served in the District for thirty-six years, prayed out loud as we walked to my car. She was exhilarated and thanked the Lord for, as she put it, shutting “the lion’s mouth.” She was not referring to the superintendent, who actually had been very gracious toward us.

As we were driving home, she said that a song was in her heart, and we both started to sing: “What a mighty God we serve! What a mighty God we serve! Angels bow before Him; heaven and earth adore Him! What a mighty God we serve!”

Here is what happened that gave us a sense of victory. We had arrived at the superintendent’s office just after noon and were waiting in the outside office, looking over yearbooks from different schools in the city. A man walked into the same office a few minutes after we arrived and told the secretary that he was to meet with the Superintendent in a few minutes. I surmised he might be the lawyer with whom we had been having difficulty.

Let us jump back in time by a few months to provide context. This was the lawyer who had informed a principal by e-mail that our CRT class could not begin on the day we had, in agreement with parents and principal, set for it to begin. It was a critical moment. One student had already arrived at the school office anticipating the commencement of classes. The principal was in the office with me and my coworker (the very same one who was singing with me months later on the way home). The administrator was perplexed. What should she do? Certainly she did not want to get fired for disobeying the school district’s lawyer. I asked her if I could use her phone to call that lawyer. The outcome was that we were able to start CRT classes that day, but it was not without a struggle.

Returning now to our encounter with this lawyer outside the superintendent’s office, I called across to him asking if he was who I thought he might be. I stood up and extended a hand, introducing myself and my coworker. He made a comment something like, “It’s nice to put a face on a name.”

A few minutes later, the superintendent came to the door and invited us all in. His office was busy with paperwork, so he decided to use an adjacent conference room. I noted that he was wearing an educational tie. I had seen another one on the front cover of the Inquirer Magazine (where he had been featured) and decided to ask how many educational ties he had. He said he had about fifty–some being pretty worn. The one he was wearing was new looking.

He then turned the first part of the meeting over to me, since I had complained about actions from the lawyer present. I gave a copy of my prepared letter/document to the superintendent and also to the lawyer (sliding it across the table to him). I commented that one advantage of having something in writing is that one can see as well as hear the concerns. (I did not make it explicit, but I had in mind the lawyer’s disrespectful wording he had written using a red font and which eventually found it ways into e-mail boxes of about forty-five principals.) I then proceeded to read what I had prepared. The document pointed out how the lawyer had actually discouraged Christian released time in Philadelphia, something the federal government said should not be done. Discouraging released time, in other words, is not being neutral.
I heard the superintendent flipping through the three and one-half pages. When I got about halfway through reading aloud, the superintendent said that he was a fast reader and had read through the document. He added that he was willing to send out word to all the Philadelphia school parents the availability of religious released time. I did not fully grasp his intent at first, so I queried about the damage that had already been done by the lawyer’s communication. I was also concerned that our efforts to communicate nuts and bolts information to particular parents regarding a specific released time opportunity might be frustrated, but my host was apparently saying this concept (communicating nuts-and-bolts specifics) was OK. In fact, he said that he wanted to “push the envelope” to encourage faith-based initiatives.

The superintendent then stepped out momentarily to contact an associate of his, the Assistant Director of School and Community Relations. He wanted him to participate in the meeting. (I had previously met this man and had also conversed with him over the phone.) When the superintendent was out, I asked the lawyer who was still present where it says in writing that schools may not send brochures home about released time. His response was that it was part of the Constitution. (I did not respond that passing out brochures–thus informing parents of a released time opportunity–was not the establishment of religion; nor did I suggest that he himself should not be “prohibiting the free exercise” of the same.) The lawyer did say that he and I had a different interpretation of the law.

The superintendent returned, and eventually his associate. He directed him to facilitate a near-the-end-of-school-year communication to be sent out to all the parents informing them of various opportunities–including religious released time. I sensed that the superintendent wanted to be supportive of what Skilton House was doing. He even suggested that churches perhaps could help with extended hours. In this concept, students could leave an hour early (for released time instruction) and maybe beyond that for character development and moral training.

I asked explicitly about brochures that we had prepared for parents to be sent home via homerooms–fliers that gave specific times for specific locations, etc. He did not seem to have a problem with this–even mentioning the church name would be OK. He encouraged me to send samples of what we had done in the past to his associate who, in turn, could run it by both the superintendent and the lawyer. Basically, the superintendent seemed to be open to the position I was advocating. He tipped his hat to the lawyer by saying that it should be legal, but he seemed open to giving the law considerable latitude (as opposed to a very narrow interpretation).

Near the end, I passed a copy of one of our recent CRT newsletters to the superintendent. He seemed pleased that the Marshall School (featured on the front) was involved. I also showed him a picture of Christian released time happening at the Levering School.

In summary, the superintendent indicated that he wanted to encourage faith-based initiatives. He referred to ”Ten Commandment” book covers he had made available to students in Chicago. I told him that we would be willing to help him with such a project in Philadelphia. He seemed pleased and receptive to the suggestion, and we have since facilitated such. We ended very cordially, shaking hands, etc. The lawyer was still across the table; I waved a good-bye to him.

The superintendent’s associate walked with my coworker and me as we left, going down the elevator and even out to the sidewalk. It was a delightful day in many ways. He wanted me to put some paragraphs together and send to him for his adjusting. I reminded him that there were two things that needed to be done. In addition to preparing something for all the parents in Philadelphia, we needed to encourage the principals who already were hurting due to the lawyer’s previous communication. He agreed, and I was to send him both pieces of information.

I really got a kick out of my coworker’s comment as we walked away to the car–something like: “The Lord shut the lion’s mouth!” She was referring, of course, to Daniel’s experience in the lion’s den. Daniel was unharmed by the lions because the Lord had shut their mouths.

Much work still had to be done. What area is there for the reader? May we all get out of the stands and onto the playing fields for the Lord. He has won the battle, but there is still much cleanup to do for Him. Bruised lives are all over the field. Satan has left a mess, but this is the victory that overcomes the world–even our faith. Believing in creation and the Creator involves walking by faith. Some people think that public school children cannot learn about creation during regular school hours, but they can! Let the enemy wince from our salt. Let the light of the Lord shine deep into the hearts of public school children.

What To Do Next …

The Creator is creative. As image bearers, let us be creative. Not long ago, I sent out an offer to various CRT workers, principals, and administrators, asking, “Would you like a free subscription to the beautiful Creation magazine? All you have to do is send me the name and address you want me to use.” Here is a response I received from one principal: “Hi Paul. Thank you for the gift subscription. My home address is …. Merry Christmas to you and prayers for continued blessings this New Year. Your friend ….”

We can be practical in other ways. With help from brothers and sisters in Christ, you and I both can at least try to start up a Christian released time effort for public school children near you! Here are some steps:

First, be in love with the Lord Jesus yourself. Realize that He is far more than just a great religious leader. He is the Creator of the entire universe! If you do not have an intimate, loving relationship with Him, then you must get right with Him. Pray: “Jesus, I am unworthy of Your love. I have done many things that displease You. Please forgive me. Let Your blood cover over all my sins, and bring me into Your heaven when the time comes. Thank you. I love You. In Your precious Name, Amen.”

Second, pray for your project. Humans can be proud, but the Lord wants them humble. He wants you dependent on Him. People know from the Bible that He wants them sharing their faith, but He wants them doing so in His strength. He does not want them forgetting Him. Bathe your efforts in prayer; seek His blessing. Ask Him to establish the work of your hands.

Third, discern a school close to your home (or church building). Write down its name. Get the name of the principal. Envision the kids you see running around at recess getting to know you personally in a CRT class. They may be foreigners to you now, but you want to get to know them for Jesus.

Fourth, walk around the school in ever widening circles until you come up with some idea for a location in which to conduct classes. It might be a church building or a community building of some kind. Most frequently, a church building will be located not too far away. It does not have to be the one you attend.

Discover, like Sherlock, who the pastor or leader is responsible for that building. Get names, address, phone numbers, and maybe even an e-mail address. After working with us for three years, here is what one pastor wrote who wants to continue in as we were contemplating year four: “Thank you for the information. I wish to stay involved with released time and do more partnering with Levering School. Bob”

Fifth, you may contact me (through www.CRMinistriesPhilly.com ). What you need to do at this point is to set up a meeting with the pastor or community leader. Pray that the Lord might open the eyes of this person to catch the vision of reaching public school children for Jesus.

Sixth, meet with that pastor/leader. I can provide you with documentation that this is legal and that it has been happening in other parts of the country. Discuss with the pastor times he might be able to meet with the principal. Encourage him to be thinking about people in his church who might be able to help as walkers, listeners, and even teachers.

Seventh, you can call the principal and say something like this: “Thank you for answering my call. I have met with Pastor X, who pastors Y Church near your school. We would like to meet with you to discuss implementation of released time for religious instruction. If you do not know much about it, then we can help you have a better understanding. If you already know about it, then we can help you see how it is being applied in other parts of our country.” Try to secure a specific time, location, and date—consistent with the information you have already received from the pastor/leader.

Eighth, with my e-mail assistance, we can prepare a draft brochure so that when the meeting time arrives, you will have something to show him/her. Principals like to see exactly how the implementation will work. It can be stated in the brochure that the times and days are only tentative but that you wanted to display some provisional ideas on how it all this can work together.

Ninth, after times and dates have been agreed upon for CRT to begin at the school, then there is a need to secure parental approval. There are several ways to do this. One of the most effective ways is to distribute fliers to children after school, on their way home. The School District of Philadelphia (SDP) has Policy #117.0 which states that it is okay to distribute fliers on school sidewalks, and it is likely okay for your school, too. SDP Policy 117.0 reads in part: “The sidewalks, walkways and streets around a school or school facility are deemed in most circumstances to be public forums on which citizens are entitled to engage in constitutionally protected forms of expression. These protected forms of expression include the right to: (a) hand out leaflets, circulars, papers, books, etc.; (b) solicit signatures on petitions; (c) picket or parade, including the use of posters and banners.” It continues: “Pamphlets or other printed materials may contain statements that anger or excite the reader or which are critical of the school or its administration.” If kids are enthusiastic, then parents are motivated to sign for release. I can help prepare this “kids-friendly” brochure. You would run off perhaps two hundred or more copies for distribution.

Tenth, you, with the help of others, may plan to distribute the fliers about a week or so before the first class (perhaps locating yourselves at different exit doors). To make your distribution effort more interesting, you can have a card table set up near you for free Ten Commandment book covers. (Ask me to mail one hundred copies free of charge from my supply.)

Eleventh, develop friendly relationships with the principal, secretaries, and other staff. When we first began, we did encounter resistance from a school district lawyer (referred to above), but this has improved. Lawyers in Philadelphia now know that what we are doing is legal. This does not mean that there will be no resistance from principals. Some are very friendly and cooperative, but others are not as friendly. This underscores the importance of prayer. Pray that the principals might be friendly and cooperative.

Twelfth, it is important to develop a growing list of approved students (students with parent-permission slips signed). It is good for you to have two copies of this constantly updated list handy for each session. You keep a personal copy, but you want to be able to submit an attendance report following the class (either when you return the kids to school for dismissal or the next day). You can use the master list to facilitate taking attendance. It is also good for the principal to have an official (updated) list so that teachers can be alerted as to which students have been approved for release.

Thirteenth, be aware that children are responsible to make up work missed, but according to a research study, released time actually improves academic performance and builds a foundation for positive character development. Barry Krisberg, President of the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, said, “An increasing number of studies are showing that religion has a positive impact on the behavior of students. In this study, it was interesting to find that academic performance was also significantly better than students who did not participate in the program.”[iv]

Fourteenth, ethnicity is an important consideration. Since public school children in Philadelphia are mixed ethnically, it is wise to have mixed support teams (those who will be with the children). Here is one area where Christians of different people groups need to come together, demonstrating Christian unity. I have a lesson called, “One Human Race” and am happy to share it by e-mail. Children sometimes will ask, “Why are there different kinds of people?” This is a good question, and it is good to have the answer (cf. 2 Peter 3:15).

Fifteenth, having two people who are able to teach is wise. If one falters, then the other is there to fill in the gap. The teachers also do not have to be great Bible scholars. Children can feel love and sincerity. Be humble and honest. If a student asks a hard question, you can tell him/her that you do not know but that you will try to get the answer for the following meeting.

Sixteenth, as far as lessons are concerned, be creative. I have a variety of lessons that I have used and can share free of charge. There are also other resources available. Being alert to current events is good. To the extent possible, try to be responsive to questions. It is also important for you to have a definite plan in mind should the children not have questions at the beginning.

Seventeenth, children like snacks at the end. Be ready with some refreshments. Also, you need to be prepared to escort the children back to the school. If your class is for the last hour in the school day, make sure you return the children in time for dismissal. (You do not want them to miss a school bus.) Of course, you also need to escort the children to the release time location at the beginning. Make sure ahead of time that the destination building will be open. It is difficult to arrive and find a locked building. I have, on occasion, met with student on outside stairs. It can work. Children like the outdoors, but inside is to be preferred.

Walking with the Lord, serving Him in this way, and promoting creation can be exhilarating. Many of the children know little about Jesus. What a privilege it is to share with them about the greatest Person who ever walked this planet—the Creator of the Universe and the One who saves unworthy people like them and us.

Final Words from a Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court and a Former President

Many people are confused by the so-called “separation of church and State” doctrine—that the two spheres are and should be almost antagonistic towards each other. This is absurd thinking. Imagine an atheist, for example, saying that all laws against murder or stealing should be repealed because both are condemned by the Ten Commandments (a religious document). No, church and state should be in agreement that murder and stealing are wrong.

Here is what former Chief Justice William Rehnquist wrote in 1985, “The ‘wall of separation between church and state’ is a metaphor based on bad history, a metaphor which has proved useless as a guide to judging. It should be frankly and explicitly abandoned.”

I quote another William. I did not vote for him, but I admire and appreciate his following words very much. They pertain to freedoms public school children should enjoy in the classroom. On July 12, 1995, former President William Jefferson Clinton affirmed:

Nothing in the First Amendment converts our public schools into religion-free zones, or requires all religious expression to be left behind at the schoolhouse door. While the government may not use schools to coerce the consciences of our students, or to convey official endorsement of religion, the public schools also may not discriminate against private religious expression during the school day. Religion is too important in our history and our heritage for us to keep it out of our schools…[I]t shouldn’t be demanded, but as long as it is not sponsored by school officials and doesn’t interfere with other children’s rights, it mustn’t be denied.

Endnotes

[i] CRMinistriesPhilly.com has been spearheading this effort in recent years; the author has been serving as Executive Director.
[ii] See the Sunday, November 2, 2003 issue (pp. B1 and 5).
[iii] Time Well Spent by Andree Seu, January 31, 2004, p. 43.
[iv] For a copy of the report, contact School Ministries at 803-772-5224.

Note: You can read Part 2 here

Editor’s Note: You may read the three previous installments of this series here: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 This is from a pre-event address by the Rt. Revd Robert Duncan, Moderator of the Common Cause Partnership in north America and Bishop of Pittsburgh delivered “Anglicansim Come of Age: A Post-Colonial and global Communion for the 21st Century.”

The following are excerpts of this 18th June Opening Plenary Address delivered in Jordan.

The African Bishops Conference of October 2004… was gathered by the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa, not by any of the present Instruments of Unity. An oft-repeated theme was “Africa comes of Age.” What happens as a global Anglican Communion comes of age? Is the result thirty-eight autonomous Provinces united only by their history? (The clear and unmodified use of the words “autonomous” and “autonomy” describing the Provinces in the St. Andrew’s draft of the proposed Anglican Communion Covenant delivers such a future.) Or is Anglicansim to renew itself as a globally coherent Christian Church? What new Instrument of Unity–what new Instrument of Communion–will emerge to meet the needs of an interdependent and coherent Christian Body, reliably evangelical, catholic and Pentecostal across the globe? If the interdependent rather than autonomous road is chosen –dare we say the “strait and narrow” rather than the “wide”–what post-colonial mechanism (or mechanisms) will emerge , as emerge it (they) surely must?….

The ecclesiological ground of a Global Settlement is the more elusive piece. But surely an answer will be begun here. That we are meeting together as pilgrims in this Global Anglican Future Conference–just as the African Bishops Conference four years ago gave similar witness–is a sign that some answer to the question of a globally appropriate Anglican ecclesiological future must already be in God’s mind. This is how our God has worked with us Anglicans since at least the end of the sixth century. That this Global Anglican Future Conference was called in the present Communion crisis… plants the inescapable question: “What Instrument of Unity will emerge to serve a Global Anglican Communion come of age?” Sometimes a question is enough….

What emerges is an ecclesiological structure… will be neither British nor Western. What emerges… will represent the conciliarism that has characterized Anglicanism at its best….

Archbishop Williams remarked at the beginning of the Dar es Salaam Primates Meeting: “It is all a question of who blinks first.” Neither the American orthodox, nor the Global South Primates, nor history would blink. Not then, not now. The so-called “blink” has taken place, but it has taken place in the re-definition of the Lambeth Conference as a place of managed conversation, not conciliar decision, and in the recognition that to call the Primates Meeting together ever again would be to confirm that the Communion’s engine has shifted to the South. Re-defining the Lambeth Conference and not calling the Primates Meeting are exercises of colonial control. But the inexorable shift of power from Britain and the West to the Global South cannot be stopped, and some conciliar instrument reflective of the shift is bound to emerge as the Reformation Settlement gives way to a Global (post-colonial) Settlement….

Back in 1967, Dr. John Stott, defending his commitment to spend his ministry within the Church of England, spoke these words:

In conclusion, can we envisage a situation in which orthodox believers feel absolutely obliged to leave? Such an extreme situation might be

- when an issue of first order is at stake, such as deserves the condemnation “antichrist” (1 John 2:22) or “anathema” (Galatians 1:8-9)

- when the offending issue is held not by an idiosyncratic minority of individuals but has become the official position of the majority

- when the majority have silenced the faithful remnant, forbidding them to witness or protest any longer

- when we have conscientiously explored every possible alternative

- when, after a painful period of prayer and discussion, our conscience can bear the weight no longer

Until that day comes, I for one intend to stay in and fight on. [From The Living Church (2008), Historical Appendix, pp. 164-165.]

In the United States and Canada every one of Dr. Stott’s conditions has been met. There remains no way to go forward together…. Priests are deposed for nothing more than being faithful to what the Church has always believed. In a few cases, a similar fate has befallen bishops who have acted to serve those who are bravely standing. In one case, my own, the Episcopal Church actually proposes to remove me for “abandonment of the Communion of the Church” just for speaking out and for drawing together the fragments while still a sitting diocesan bishop….

The whole world is watching. This gathering is about the future….

We are here on pilgrimage. With the author of the Letter to the Hebrews, we know ourselves to be strangers and exiles, aliens here. We are headed to a lasting city.

We know that everything we do has to do with the story: the old, old story. Finally, it is not about England, or Caterbury, though these relationships matter to us. Our life, our witness, our leadership, our pilgrimage here is all about Jesus.

What comes out of this gathering we cannot predict. But we are confident that God is not done with Anglicanism. We are confident that GAFCON is one piece of what God already has in mind as part of a Global Settlement of Anglicanism. This Global Settlement of Anglicanism we also understand to be but one aspect of a 21st century Reformation of the whole Christian Church.

It is tempting to be impatient. But impatience is just that, a temptation. Impatience does not become servants. We will do our part here. Will work hard here. We will build relationships here. We will focus on the story here. We will try to get out of God’s way here. We will say our prayers here. We will dream here. But finally we will entrust everything to our Master here. Our God is sovereignty re-forming his Church, of that we may be sure, and of that this Global Anglican Future Conference is an unmistakable sign. The Prophet Jeremiah has a word for us: “I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jer. 29:11) We do well also to remember St. Paul’s assurance at the end of I Thessalonians: “He who has called [us] is faithful, and He will do it.” [5:24]

This promise is true, as are all the promises, not least for us Anglicans.

Brethren, we are here

Because we are bound together in a godly fellowship by the Gospel-the gospel that shaped the theological and ecclesiological foundations of our Church-the same gospel with its transforming power that made the difference in the lives of our heroes like Thomas Cranmer, William Wilberforce, the Clapham brothers and Ajayi Crowther.

Because we are convinced that GAFCON is a veritable tool within the Communion which God is using to bring together all who are concerned not only about the need to preserve the faith, but also to persevere and bequeath a legacy of wholesome, undiluted faith to future generations of Anglicans. It is God’s gift to the Anglican Communion and to the world.

To draw fresh inspiration to enable us ‘contend for the faith once and for all delivered to the saints’ both for our sake and for the sake of future generations of Anglicans.

Because we want to renew our commitment to our sacred duty to preserve and proclaim uncompromisingly, the undistorted word of God written to a sinful and fragmented world. GAFCON is a meeting of ordained and lay leaders concerned about the mission of the Church and how best to carry it out and be poised to address the ever-present challenges of self-reliance, good governance, overcoming corruption and to prepare a strong and stable platform for upcoming generations.

Yes, GAFCON offers fresh hope for a meaningful spiritual haven for orthodox Anglicans who can no longer hold out and be truly Anglican under revisionist leadership.

We are here because we know that in God’s providence GAFCON will liberate and set participants [particularly Africans] free from spiritual bondage which TEC and its Allies champion. Having survived the inhuman physical slavery of the 19th century, the political slavery called colonialism of the 20th century, the developing world economic enslavement, we cannot, we dare not allow ourselves and the millions we represent be kept in religious and spiritual dungeon.

Because we know that together as lay leaders, clergy and bishops of our Church we can banish the errors plaguing our beloved Communion-for we will not abdicate our God-given responsibility and simply acquiesce to destructive modern cultural and political dictates.

We are here because we know that in spite of the fractures in our Communion, as orthodox Anglicans, we have a future and so we are here in the holy land to inaugurate and determine the roadmap to that future.

Our Journey into the Future

From The Way, the Truth and the Life

Copyright The Latimer Trust

Over the past ten years the journey that we, as orthodox Anglicans, have taken together has confirmed what we feared: some Churches in the Anglican Communion are radically redefining the received faith, and abandoning fundamental parts of it. We recognize that many in these Churches believe that the challenges they are making are Spirit-led, and necessary in order to respond to the challenges that the Church faces today.

Our own experience has been different. We have upheld the received biblical faith. We have found it to be relevant and powerful in addressing contemporary challenges. And we bear testimony to the gospel’s transforming power, in our own lives and in our churches….

Over the last ten years we have journeyed together in the search for a definition of faithful, orthodox Anglican identity. GAFCON is no new or reactive phenomenon. It is the culmination of years of witness, discussion, listening, engagement and prayer. The setting up of GAFCON came to be seen as a necessity, ikn order that we might meet together, affirm our identity as orthodox Anglicans, and identify the challenges to that identity, both from within the Anglican Communion and from without. We meet together as a people under Biblical authority, as a people called to mission. We meet to maintain and to strengthen the unity of the Body of Christ….

As we, in our time, face this dividing of the ways, we will need to depend absolutely upon God’s guidance, discernment and judgment….

We recognize in humility that we are called to share our testimonies of how God’’s truth judges and transforms us. We also recognize that we must uphold God’s truth and act on it. Paul asks the Corinthians ‘not to judge before the appointed time’ (1 Cor. 4:5, but to wait till the Lord returns. However, this is not a call for inaction and endless process.

In the very next chapter, Paul does not hesitate to tell the Corinthian Church that he has already passed judgment on one of their members (1 Cor. 5:3). In prayer we seek God’s judgment on his Church, and seek to act on that judgment. What might this look like in practice?

Firstly, action must be taken by leaders. The Bishops of the Church are called to uphold her faith. In their relationship to the Spirit and the Holy Scriptures, they are a sign of the unity that God gives to the Church. So GAFCON is a meeting of bishops of the Church, with clergy and laity too, who seek God’s way forward in our day, on the firm basis of the truth he has revealed.

Secondly, action has to be taken in public. The heroes of the faith, mentioned in [the eleventh chapter of] Hebrews, are celebrated for their public actions, not their feelings. Even when filled with fear, they overcame their intellectual and spiritual doubt, they discerned God’s presence and will, and they acted on their faith. So GAFCON is, of necessity, a public gathering, because the issue at stake is the possibility of knowing the truth, and of obeying the truth in the public domain….

GAFCON is saying that there are Anglicans who are unwilling for the clarity of the Bible’s message to be clouded by confusion, by those who directly contradict its teaching….

Our journey is witness that the truth of God is accessible. We are convinced that God has made himself known, sufficiently for us to be able to respond to him, and make truly moral choices between obedience and disobedience. This is critically important for evangelism among the poor.

Our journey has been to challenge those who would exercise institutional power to suppress the truth. We make this challenge in the name of God’s love, and in order to honour the dignity and identity of the ordinary person, who does have access to God through the Scriptures.

Our journey is to seek our identity in relation primarily to that truth.

GAFCON identifies an area of public life today which is challenged to its heart by the gospel of the Lord Jesus. GAFCOM is a statement that the truth of God can be known; that it is the gateway to fulfilling and fruitful life for men and women, in marriage or celibacy, and that obedience and witness to that truth cannot be confined to the space or the form that is offered by the powerful.

GAFCONis seeking to give public and institutional expression to the truth of the gospel in the public ordering of the Church. Far from accepting unlimited diversity and disobedience to the truth, this will mean respecting the order that God has given for authority in his Church and wholesomeness in society.

[257] Bishops have responded to God’s call to action by holding a public gathering at GAFCON. As they gather, they will look again to God’s call for future action in faithful leadership of their Anglican Churches.

The Way, The Truth And the Life:

Theological resources for a Pilgrimage to a Global Anglican Future

[copyright by the Latimer Trust]

From the Preface:

The decision to write this handbook, to serve as a theological introduction and definition for GAFCON was reached on the same day, 14 December 2007, in Nairobi, that the leadership team resolved to organize GAFCON. The opening section, A most agonizing journey towards Lambeth 2008, explains how, in recent years, huge amounts of time, energy and money have been expended, in the search for an agreeable solution to the human sexuality controversy in the Anglican Communion. It has remained elusive.

In the course of time, it became clear that the issue at stake was much wider than the human sexuality issue concerning same-sex unions. What had been ‘in the works’ for some years–the challenge to the authority of the Bible, in all matters of faith and practice, both within the Church and in personal morality–suddenly became public reality when, in 2003, Gene Robinson, a practicing homosexual, was consecrated bishop in the United States of America. Later, in 2006, the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa (CAPA) produced a positional paper, The Road to Lambeth, which identified a crisis of doctrine and also of leadership, observing correctly that the Anglican Communion was at a crossroads; it had to decide, without further hesitation, which way to go. One road, that of compromising biblical truth, would lead to destruction and disunity. The other road might have its own obstacles, but it would to God and to life. It is this second road that has brought us to GAFCON….

It is not the intention of these papers to initiate a fresh debate. We should remember how the Church in North Africa and Asian Minor almost totally disappeared, at a time when Christological debate was raging in the Church. Instead, the book is offered with the purpose of guiding and educating everyone who comes to GAFCON……. So, we hope it will be found to be jargon-free and readable.

From A Most Agonizing Journey towards Lambeth 2008

The Most Revd Peter Akinola

Archbishop of Abuja and Primate of all Nigeria

[Ephesians 4:1-3 quoted]

We have been on this journey for ten long years. It has been costly and debilitating for all concerned, as demonstrated mot recently by the tepid response to the invitations to the proposed Lambeth Conference 2008. At a time when we should be able to gather together and celebrate remarkable stories of growth, and the many wonderful ways in which our God has been at work in our beloved Communion, with lives being transformed, new churches being built and new dioceses established, there is little enthusiasm even to meet.

There are continual cries for patience, listening and understanding. And yet the record shows that hose who hold to the ‘faith once and for all delivered to the saints’ have shown remarkable forbearance, while their please have been ignored, their leaders have been demonized, and their advocates marginalized. At the Lambeth Conference in 1998 we made a deliberate, prayerful decision with regard to matters of Human Sexuality. This decision was supported by an overwhelming majority of the bishops of the Communion. It reflected traditional teaching, interpreted with pastoral sensitivity. And yet it has been ignored, and those who uphold it have been derided for their stubbornness. However, we have continued to meet and pray and struggle to find ways to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace….

The leadership of the Episcopal Church USA and the Anglican Church of Canada seem to have concluded that the Bible is no longer authoritative in many areas of human experience, especially those of salvation and sexuality. They claim to have ‘‘progressed’ beyond the clear teaching of the Scriptures, and they have nt hidden their intention of leading others to these same conclusions. They have even boasted that they are years ahead of others in fully understanding the truth of the Holy Scriptures and the nature of God’s love….

These past ten years of distraction have been agonizing, and the cost has been enormous. The time and financial resources spent on endless meetings, whose statements and warnings have been consistently ignored, represent a tragic loss of resources that should have been used otherwise. It now appears, however, that the journey is coming to an end, and the moment of decision is almost upon us. But this is not a time to lose heart or fail to maintain vigilance. It would be an even greater tragedy if, while trying to bring others back to the godly path, we should ourselves miss the way or lose the race.

* We want unity, but not at the cost of relegating Christ to the position of another ‘wise teacher’ who can be obeyed or disobeyed.

* We earnestly desire the healing of our beloved Communion, but not at the cost of re-writing the Bible to accommodate the latest cultural trend.

As stated in The Road to Lambeth: ‘We Anglicans stand at a crossroads. One road, the road of compromise of biblical truth, leads to destruction and disunity. The other road has its own obstacles [faithfulness is never an easy way] because it requires changes in the way the Communion has been governed and it challenges [all] our churches to live up to and into their full maturity in Christ.’

The first road, the one that follows the current path of The Episcopal Church USA and the Anglican Church of Canada, is one that we simply cannot take: the cost is too high. We must not sacrifice eternal truth for mere appeasement, and we must not turn away from the source of life and love for the sake of a temporary truce.

The other road is the only one that we can embrace. It is not an easy road because it demands obedience and faithfulness from each one of us. It requires an unequivocal acceptance of, and commitment to:

*the authority and supremacy of Scripture;

*the doctrine of the Trinity;

*the person, work and resurrection of Jesus the Christ;

*the acknowledgement of Jesus as divine, and the one and only means of salvation;

*the biblical teaching on sin, forgiveness, reconciliation, and transformation by the Holy Spirit through Christ;

*the sanctity of marriage;

*teaching about morality that is rooted and grounded in biblical revelation; [and]

*apostolic ministry.

These are not onerous burdens or tiresome restrictions, but rather they are God’’s gift, designed to set us free from the bondage of sin and give us the assurance of life eternal.

It is our hope and fervent prayer that, in the coming months, all those in leadership will be directed towards the restoration of true unity in the Body of Christ, by means of an unconditional embrace of the One who says to all who will listen, ‘‘If you love me, you will obey what I command.’

John Bunyan, the author of The Pilgrim’s Progress, describes the Christian life as a journey from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City. On his journey, numerous decisions and many crossroads confront Christian, the pilgrim. The easy road was never the right road. In the same way, we have arrived at a crossroads; it is, for us, the moment of truth.

This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses agains you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. (Deuteronomy 30:19, 20a)

Authentic Anglicanism By Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali

Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali, of the diocese of Rochester in the United Kingdom, told Global Anglican Future Conference pilgrims Tuesday that “the future of the Anglican Communion is to be found in its authentic nature, not in recent innovations or explanations.”

That nature, he said, is submitted to the authority of scripture, confessing, and governed by councils with the ability and authority to lead the church and teach the Christian faith.

No church, said Bishop Nazir-Ali, can have any other basis of authority than scripture. “The Bible is the norm by which we appreciate what is authentically apostolic. That is the reason for the Bible being the ultimate and final authority for us in our faith and our lives and this is the reason why Anglicans have taken our study of the Bible so seriously.”

Authentic Anglicanism is also a confessing church, said bishop Nazir-Ali. From the very beginning, being Anglican has meant confessing the faith that Christians have held always, everywhere and by all. “We have to be clear that we are a confessing church. Some people have the mistaken idea that Anglicans can believe anything, or that Anglicans can believe nothing. I don’t know which one is more serious,” said Bishop Nazir-Ali.

In a news conference that followed his lecture, Bishop Nazir-Ali, who has been a student of Islam for 30 years, clarified his comment related to the Christian’s right to witness to all, including to Muslims. “Just as Muslims have a right to invite others to join Islam [referred to as Da’wa], Christians have a right to invite others to Jesus,” he said. He added that he supported Christians serving Muslims in such practical ways as in schools and hospitals.

Church councils with the authority to teach and to make decisions are necessary for authentic Anglicanism. “We need to be a conciliar church. In the last few years I have been frustrated by decision after decision after decision that has not stuck. We cannot have this for a healthy church,” said Bishop Nazir-Ali.

In the past, the Anglican Communion’s instruments of unity have been enough to maintain the communion’s identity. However, those days are over. “In the crisis that is facing us at this time we have found them not to be enough. Because in the end they were based on English good manners. In our world we have found that English good manners are not enough.”

Bishop Nazir-Ali also spoke of Anglicanism’s “translatability” and the need for a increased emphasis on mission to those who have not yet heard the Gospel. Sadly, just as the need for Christian witness is greatest, there is a reluctance to speak about faith in Jesus, even among Christians. “Let us pray we are able to recover the Christian nerve in the west and to make sure the gospel is not lost,” said Bishop Nazir-Ali.

Bishop Nazir-Ali completed his address with words of encouragement for GAFCON pilgrims. “If you are anything gathered here together, you are the beginnings, the miraculous beginnings, we may say, of an ecclesial movement for the sake of the Gospel and for the sake of Christ’s church.”

When asked about his attendance at Lambeth in the news conference, Bishop Nazir-Ali said that his not going to Lambeth later this year is a matter of conscience for him. “My difficulty in attending has to do with being in Eucharistic fellowship with and teaching the common faith alongside those who have ordained a person to be bishop whose style is contrary to the unanimous teaching of the Bible and of the Church down the ages.” Though he added that if the impediment were removed, he would gladly attend.

Image and text courtesy Gafcon.org

Related Link - ENGLAND: Christianity Could Die Out Within A Century

To prepare participants for the conference, a document of theological resources has been drafted.

The Way, The Truth, and the Life: Theological Resources for a Pilgrimage to a Global Anglican Future

What implications does this hold for the United Church of Christ?

All our forefathers in the faith descended from the same Reformation GAFCON’s participants came from.

Anglicanism and the German Reformed church share a theological inheritance traceable to the Apostles through the work of the Reformers and, in particular, Heinrich Bullinger. Bullinger’s sermons were used as a form of “Theological Education by Extension” to train Anglican ministers without the benefit of a formal theological education. Bullinger, who has been called “The Father of All Christian Churches”, wrote perhaps the most universally accepted Reformed Confession, the Second Helvetic Confession, which dovetails well with the 39 Articles, the historic confession of the Anglican church. Bullinger in his day had a wider influence upon the Reformed movement than Calvin himself.

The Congregationalist branch of the church which formed the UCC has a more distant relationship with Bullinger, but the Reform encouraged by Bullinger lead the way for the developments of church life and doctrine that allowed Congregationalism to emerge as a Reformed movement out of Anglicanism in the aftermath of the Westminster Assembly.

All this to say that the UCC, with Anglicanism, shares a common inheritance in the Reformation. Perhaps if orthodox voices are going to be allowed to speak again in the UCC, this theological resource will prove useful to us in this hour.

In response to GAFCON, Biblical Witness Fellowship Executive Director David Runnion-Bareford issue the following statement of unity:

In the unity that is ours in the Holy Spirit, we stand in solidarity with the witness of you, our Anglican brothers and sisters gathered in Jerusalem for the Global Anglican Futures Conference. We appreciate your call to reformation of the Anglican Communion in the unity that is ours in Jesus Christ alone, and your rejection of the division caused by The Episcopal Church and the Canadian Anglican Church. We share your voice in calling the church to “The Way, The Truth and the Life”. In the words of this historic document you have been inspired to publish, we too would say to our denominations of the apostolic ecumenical church,

“In the church of Christ different identities (of race, nationality, class, gender) are not merely included, they are transformed. And they are relativised by being included in the identity of the crucified and risen Lord. They then bear one message: the good news of Christ’s death and resurrection, and his transforming power. Christians do not simply belong to a message, they bear that message in their lives.” (The Way, The Truth & The Life, p. 26)
”

Editor’s Note: You may read the other installments of this series here as they are posted Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

In their respective confessions, both groups acknowledged the right of children born to Christian parents to be brought to the baptismal font thanks to their understanding of the sacrament.

This has lead to much misunderstanding by the crowds today whose doctrine of holy baptism begins in the Gospel of Matthew instead of the Book of Genesis! Sadly, many within the United Church of Christ have forgotten why we baptize infants as well! We are too ready to buy into what the Anabaptists of our own day have to say regarding this sacrament. As a result we tend to err on one of two sides - we assume all is well with our children’s souls because of a naive belief in their innate goodness or due to the presumption that their baptism somehow magically means they are spiritually “safe”. Or, at the other extreme, we leave off the practice of infant baptism assuming it has no meaning. Some seek to comfort their own consciences by provoking “quick decisions for Christ” and may do more harm than good to their children Dr. Beeke notes.

If we are to regain a uniquely Reformed and Biblical perspective on caring for the souls of our children and the benefits that result thereby, one useful resource will prove to be a free online “ebook”. It’s titled Bringing the Gospel to Covenant Children In Dependency on the Spirit by Rev. Dr. Joel Beeke.

In it, Dr. Joel Beeke

1. Defines what he means by “covenant children”

2. Examines the need for evangelizing them

3. Discusses the content of the evangelistic message

4. Discusses the proper methods for such evangelism

Beeke writes:

Some Reformed churches depreciate the covenant relation of children, not by rejecting infant baptism and the covenant relation altogether, but by reducing the sacrament to mere form and
custom without insisting on what it should mean for the lives both of the parents and their baptized children. In such circles, the church has no eye for the promises of God in baptism, no heart for pleading those promises in prayer, and no clear understanding of how God earnestly calls covenant children to a lifestyle consecrated to Himself and separated from the world….

Baptism affirms that the baptized child is placed under covenant privileges and responsibilities, but does not make the child a partaker of the saving, internal essence of the covenant. The external covenant relationship can be broken when a child grows to adulthood and abandons God’s Word and the corporate worship of His people. Baptized children must be linked to the internal, unbreakable essence of the covenant through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit ( John 3:3-7). Only then shall they be
given persevering grace for the rest of their lives….

Baptized children must be directed to Jesus Christ and His sacrifice as the only way of salvation. Christ’s cleansing blood, symbolized by the cleansing water of baptism, is the only way by which our children may be saved…

Baptism teaches that God, in and through the Second Adam, Jesus Christ, is able and willing to be the Redeemer and Father of our children….

Knowing such things should encourage us more to evangelize our children and to plead for their salvation, never giving God rest until they are all brought safely into His fold. Then, too, we must teach our covenant children and young people to plead with our covenant God on the basis of His promises to baptize them with the Spirit of grace and to grant them regeneration, repentance, and faith.

Hopefully these brief quotes will provide a taste of the devotional quality of Dr. Beeke’s book and that we will be lead to renew our zeal for our children and grandchildren! They ARE the “heritage of the Lord” and His special possession.

As we seek to renew ourselves and renew our congregations in light of God’s Word, part of that renewal comes as we return to the Reformed doctrine of infant baptism and rescue it from our neglect of it’s proper understanding.

Someone in every church I’ve served has said something like that at one point or another. But it just isn’t true.

A Congregationalist is someone who is part of the Free Church tradition. That is, a member of a church which acknowledges Jesus Christ as the head of the church and affirms the freedom of conscience and tolerance for differing theological viewpoints as essential for living one’s faith to the fullest.

For over 40 years the NACCC published a small pamphlet entitled, What It Means to be a Member of a Congregational Christian Church. On page three Dr. Henry David Gray writes: “We do not accept any formal statement of faith as binding upon all members of our churches. This is not because we think creeds do not matter, but because we think sincerity of conviction requires full opportunity for intellectual freedom and personal experience. Thus every Congregationalist possesses full liberty of conscience in interpreting the gospel.”

In Congregationalism there is freedom of conscience for interpreting the gospel. There is no freedom to ignore the gospel. From the earliest of days in the history of our Way respect for a learned ministry and laity has been profound.

When clergy and laity gathered in the 17th century in New England to articulate the essentials of our Way in the Cambridge Platform (1648) and in old England for the Savoy Declaration (1658) both gatherings, according to Williston Walker in his monumental work The Creeds and Platform of Congregationalism, affirmed the theology of the Westminster Assembly. Walker writes (page 350): “Like the Congregationalists of New England, they (those gathered at Savoy Palace) had nothing but approval for most of the doctrinal work of that famous body (the Westminster Assembly/Confession).” Clearly creedal articulation was acceptable to those who gathered at Cambridge and Savoy. However, those at Savoy also stressed the need for individual tolerance of differing views as well.

There was an overwhelming Calvinistic consensus as to theology in early Congregationalism. That consensus broke down in the 19th century. Theological liberalism came to dominate Congregational thinking in the late 19th century and throughout most of the 20th century. Individual perspective became more and more acceptable and affirmed as necessary. But Congregationalism has never articulated a perspective that one can believe whatever they want.

We have freedom to explore all aspects of faith so that we might know and articulate what we truly believe. We are called to study the Scriptures and theology until we can state what we believe with clarity and reasoned articulation. In an age of sound bites and 30-second infomercials we are to be people who use freedom of conscience to “own our faith” by knowing and fully articulating what we believe.

An inarticulate faith mocks the freedom of our Way and dishonors the strong theological tradition of Congregationalism. Therefore, let us use the freedom we enjoy as Congregationalists by affirming:

* It is only as individuals develop and articulate what they believe by study of the Scripture and theology that they honor the heritage of freedom that they enjoy in Congregationalism.

* The development of a personal creed is essential for faithful living, while maintaining tolerance for different beliefs which may emerge from others.

* The willingness to articulate one’s faith is understood to be a key spiritual discipline without which faithfulness cannot result.

* The exercise of the freedoms of the Congregational Way is the means by which Congregationalism becomes what the founders of our Way intended, which is, a Biblically modeled church that calls and encourages individuals to develop a viable, articulate and relevant expression of Christianity in the contemporary context in which they exist.

Therefore, there is no more un-Congregational statement than to say, “I’m a Congregationalist and I can believe what I want.”

Reprinted with permission from The Congregationalist magazine, by permission of the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches (NACCC)