Living Values:Pre-reading 1
Introduction
Welcome to the ELM Living Values Course. This course will cover polity, ethos, code of ethics and ministry practice and Sexual Misconduct Awareness and Prevention training.
The course is designed to be done face to face, and so most of the learning you will do, will be done in the course. This is because we believe that it is not only educationally best to learn together but learning and doing theology in community is one of the great values that the UnitingChurch espouses. We are pilgrims on a journey together!
However, in order to fit it all into three days there is a need for a significant amount of pre-reading to be done. This is what this document is all about.
I have placed some of the pre-reading in this document. However you will still need to read Andrew Dutney’s Introduction to the UnitingChurch in Australia and the other documents available for download from the ELM website:
The material in this document is from various places including the Pilgrim Learning Community Study booklet, “The Uniting Church in Australia: What is it all about?” It is used by permission and we are extremely thankful and appreciative of Rob Bos for allowing some of this quite simply excellent material to be used and reproduced in this course.
So I hope you enjoy reading a bit about the church in which you exercise your ministry and look forward to seeing you at the next Living Values Course.
Grace and Peace
Jorge Rebolledo
The History of the Uniting Church
The UnitingChurch did not just appear. We will look at the three Uniting Churches in the course, but for now it suffices for you to have a general idea of the key chronological steps in the journey towards union.
1901 1st general Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, most probably in the spirit and opportunities offered by federation, addressed the possibility of joining together with other churches.
1905 Methodist, Presbyterian & Congregational churches started formal discussions regarding church union
1957 Joint Commission on Church Union established and began its work
1959 “The Faith of the Church” 1st report of the Joint Commission for Church Union was released
1963 “The Church: Its Nature, Function and Ordering”; 2nd report was released
1963-1964 Methodist General Conference, Presbyterian General Assembly and Congregational Assembly discuss 2nd report
1971 Proposed Basis of Union publication was released
1977 The UCA inaugurated on June 22
Key Documents of the Uniting Church
Along with having a general idea of the chronological journey, it is really important for you to have an idea of the key documents of the church. Some of them you will have already come across, some others you may need to source for yourself. The point is that you become aware of what they are and that you know that these are all available from the Uniting Church Assembly website. You should have at least one copy of each of these documents in your office – really!
Basis of Union (1977, rev. 1992)
UCA Constitution (1977, amended 2001)
UCA regulations
UCA Code of Ethics and Ministry Practice
A Manual for meetings in the UnitingChurch
Sexual Misconduct Complaints procedures
Key Confessions of the Church: Creeds
The Apostles' Creed
The Apostles' Creed is one of the oldest creeds of Christianity, dating in an early form to at least the middle second century with roots in the biblical traditions of the Gospels.Some phrases were added for clarity as late as the fourth century, but the basic creed remained intact. The clearly Trinitarian structure was likely intended to counter the teachings of Marcion who denied that the God of the Old Testament was the same God revealed in Jesus the Christ. This Trinitarian formulation would remain the basic structure of all the early creeds. The Apostles' Creed has often been divided into 12 sections for catechesis, instruction for new converts or children.
There has been some misunderstanding surrounding the phrase "he descended into hell." In fact, some church traditions omit this phrase from public recital of the Creed because some see this phrase as confirming an early belief that Jesus preached to the dead during the time between his crucifixion and resurrection (cf. 1 Peter 3:19, 4:6). However, many biblical scholars do not agree that the biblical traditions actually describe Jesus preaching to the dead, and therefore understand the phrase to be a metaphor for burial: "he descended into the realm of the dead," that is, that he spent the time among the dead. Some Protestants have also objected to the phrase "holy catholic church," assuming that this is a reference to Roman Catholicism when in fact the term simply means "universal," "inclusive," or "unified".
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth,
And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried; He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From there he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, I believe in the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Apostles' Creed has often been divided into 12 sections for catechesis, instruction for new converts or children.
1. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth,
2. And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord,
3. Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,
4. Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried; He descended into hell.
5. The third day he rose again from the dead;
6. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
7. From there he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
8. I believe in the Holy Spirit,
9. I believe in the holy catholic church, the communion of saints,
10. The forgiveness of sins,
11. The resurrection of the body,
12. And the life everlasting. Amen.
The Nicene Creed
The Nicene Creed was developed by the early Church largely in response to the teachings of Arius. Arianism taught that Jesus was not truly divine and of a different "substance" than God, which challenged the developing doctrine of the Trinity in the early church. The emperor Constantine, newly converted to Christianity, called a Church Council at Nicæa in AD 325 to bring some unity to the church amid developing controversies and false teachings. The Council at Nicæa adopted an early form of the creed, although the basic present form emerged from the Council of Constantinople in AD 381. It was officially adopted by the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451.
A major controversy in the church has swirled around one phrase of the creed, the so-called filioque clause. In the phrase, "We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son" the debate concerned whether the Holy Spirit proceeded from only the Father, or from the Father and the Son [filioque in Latin]. The phrase "and the Son" was not in the original Greek version of the Creed accepted at Nicæa and Constantinople. It was added in the Latin versions used in the Western (Roman) church in AD 589 as an attempt to clarify the relationship of the three persons of the Trinity. The concern was that the original wording made Jesus the Christ subordinate to the Father, a view that the Western church felt endangered the doctrine of the Trinity.
However, the Eastern tradition was committed to the earlier Greek version of the Creed and resisted any change. This highlighted the growing rift between the Eastern and Western traditions that would eventually lead to a permanent break in AD 1054. As a result, the Eastern Church has never used the version with the filioque clause, while most churches that derive from the Western tradition use the creed with the filioque clause. However, the Episcopal Church has recently approved omission of the filioque clause in new editions of the Book of Common Prayer.
The Church has widely used the Nicene Creed since the fifth century. In some liturgical churches, for example the Episcopal/Anglican Churches, it is recited every Sunday. In others, the Nicene Creed is alternated with the Apostles’ Creed for Sunday worship, although the Apostles’ Creed is more often used at Baptismal services. The Eastern Orthodox tradition uses only the Nicene Creed. While most non-liturgical Protestant churches prefer the shorter Apostles’ Creed, none would object to the doctrines the Nicene Creed summarizes. It is the only creed accepted by all three major branches of Christendom: Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox. -Dennis Bratcher, ed.
We believe in one God the Father, the Almighty, creator of heaven and earth, and of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being [substance] with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made truly human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father [and the Son]. With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen
The Nicene Creed is also sometimes divided into 12 sections for catechesis:
1. We believe in one God the Father, the Almighty, creator of heaven and earth, and of all that is, seen and unseen.
2. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being [substance] with the Father. Through him all things were made.
3. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made truly human.
4. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.
5. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures;
6. he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
7. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end..
8. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father [and the Son]. With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets.
9. We believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.
10. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
11. We look for the resurrection of the dead,
12. and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Adapted from a translation by the International Consultation on English Texts, 1975
Confessions and Documents from our three Traditions:
The three churches that came into union are the Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational churches. They all came with their own distinctive characteristics, history and contributions.
This next section is a brief summary of the main doctrinal document(s) from each tradition.
Presbyterian:
The Westminster Confession
This Confession affirms God’s work in Creation to resurrection & last judgement
God is preeminent in all things
Divided into 35 Chapters!
Begins with God’s self revelation in Scripture
Humans, however, did not remain in blessed harmony with God’s will
God has made a covenant of grace with humans
In 1643, the English House of Commons adopted an ordinance calling for the “settling of the government and liturgy of the Church of England(in a manner) most agreeable to God’s Holy Word and most apt to procure the peace of the church at home and nearer abroad.” After the ordinancepassed the House of Lords, an assembly to accomplish this work convened in Westminster Abbey.
The Parliament nominated one hundred fifty-one persons to the assembly. Thirty were members of Parliament; the others were “learned,godly, and judicious divines.” Five Scottish clergymen were in attendance and had the right of discussion but not vote. Churches in Holland,Belgium, France, Switzerland, and the American colonies were invited to send delegates, though none came. The assembly held 1,163 sessions, finallyconcluding in 1649.
The Westminster Confession affirms God’s work from its beginning in creation to its end in resurrection and last judgment. God is first, last, and preeminent in all things. God’s people are to understand and bring their lives into accord with God’s wondrous ways and magnificent will.
The confession begins with God’s self-revelation in Scripture:
God is the “one living and true God, infinite in being and perfection, invisible, immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, most wise, most holy, most free, most absolute.” Out of nothing, God created all that is, including humans, whom God upholds, directs, and governs.
Humans, however, did not remain in blessed harmony with God’s will.
Sin’s intervention, which God permitted but did not cause, resulted in corruption of the human condition and of humans’ relationship to God.
Yet, God has made a covenant of grace with humans; through Christ, relationship to God is restored. The Christian life—nurtured by prayer, preaching, and the sacraments, and lived in grace and glory—prepares for God’s predetermined end of mercy (salvation of the elect) and of justice (damnation of the reprobate).
The Scots' Confession(1560)
The Scots' Confession was written in 1560 at the direction of the Scottish parliament. Bitter struggle had erupted between the supporters of the Roman Catholic Church led by the Queen Regent Mary of Guise and those who embraced the Reformation and opposed Catholicism, which is derogatorily referred to as Papism. Mary had adamantly opposed all attempts at reformation of the church in Scotland. When Mary died in 1560, Protestant leaders petitioned the Scottish parliament to take action. John Knox, the leader of the Reformation in Scotland, and five other ministers drew up the Scots' Confession in four days, which was promptly ratified by the Parliament. Its central doctrines are those of election (predestination) and the nature of the Church.
Outline of the Scot's Confession
Chapter 1 - God
Chapter 2 - The Creation of Man
Chapter 3 - Original Sin
Chapter 4 - The Revelation of the Promise
Chapter 5 - The Continuance, Increase, and Preservation of the Kirk
Chapter 6 - The Incarnation of Jesus Christ
Chapter 7 - Why the Mediator Had to Be True God and True Man
Chapter 8 - Election
Chapter 9 - Christ's Death, Passion, and Burial
Chapter 10 - The Resurrection
Chapter 11 - The Ascension
Chapter 12 - Faith in the Holy Spirit
Chapter 13 - The Cause of Good Works
Chapter 14 - The Works Which Are Counted Good Before God
Chapter 15 - The Perfection of the Law and The Imperfection of Man
Chapter 16 - The Kirk
Chapter 17 - The Immortality of Souls
Chapter 18 - The Notes by Which the True Kirk Shall Be Determined From The False
Chapter 19 - The Authority of the Scriptures
Chapter 20 - General Councils, Their Power, Authority, and the Cause of Their Summoning
Chapter 21 - The Sacraments
The Heidelberg Catechism
The Heidelberg Catechismis a teaching tool
Elector Frederick III (1562 CE) ordered it as a new catechism partly because:
“…our blooming youth is disposed to be careless in respect to Christian doctrine, both in the Schools and Churches of our principality…”