So, here is my first post regarding the Basis of Union of the United Church of Canada.
I am exploring the Basis of Union in regards to interpretating it as I continue to explore my role within the United Church. It is my hope that by adding my own personal reflection to the ongoing discussions across the church, that I can enter into meaningful dialog as to what it means to be in ministry within the UCC.
I start with section 2.0, an introduction to the church’s doctrine.
2.0 We, the representatives of the Presbyterian, Methodist, and Congregational branches of the Church of Christ in Canada, do hereby set forth the substance of the Christian faith, as commonly held among us. In doing so, we build upon the foundation laid by the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone. We affirm our belief in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the primary source and ultimate standard of Christian faith and life. We acknowledge the teaching of the great creeds of the ancient Church. We further maintain our allegiance to the evangelical doctrines of the Reformation, as set forth in common in the doctrinal standards adopted by the Presbyterian Church in Canada, by the Congregational Union of Ontario and Quebec, and by the Methodist Church. We present the accompanying statement as a brief summary of our common faith and commend it to the studious attention of the members and adherents of the negotiating Churches, as in substance agreeable to the teaching of the Holy Scriptures.
What draws my attention in this section are the statements “In doing so, we build upon the foundation laid by the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone. We affirm our belief in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the primary source and ultimate standard of Christian faith and life. ”
Where else are we to find the standards to which we are to live? The world around us has been subject to sin since creation. We need only to look to the serpent in the garden to know this. We are tempted continually by the world around us. In today’s increasingly consumerist world, we are increasingly attacked by ads focused on an individual’s greed and pride. And in these attacks, are lead to believe that these are what makes a person whole.
Scripture teaches us a different lesson. A lesson that we are only whole when sharing the love and teachings of Jesus the Christ; a lesson that we can only learn through the reading and study of the entire Bible that is central to our faith.
More to come…