Presbyterians struggle with history
TORONTO, ON- Canada's Presbyterians will not change controversial wording in a historic document declaring the Pope to be an antichrist.
Delegates at the 127th General Assembly for the Presbyterian Church in Canada wrestled with historical context versus their modern-day relationship with the Roman Catholic Church during meetings June 3-8.
The statements in question come from the Westminster Confession of Faith, a historical statement of Presbyterian doctrine, completed in England in 1646. The Presbyterian Church in Canada adopted the Confession as a doctrinal statement in 1875.
Although a declaration was adopted by the assembly refuting the anti-Catholic statements in the Confession, four sentences in particular have spurred a long-running debate, specifically those dealing with "monastic vows, the Pope as the antichrist, the marriage of reformed people with infidels and papists, and the celebration of the mass as a blasphemous reflection on Christ's sacrifice."
The Confession "expresses the mind of the church when it was written," says a report prepared for the Assembly by the Church Doctrine Committee, reflecting a time when Protestants and Catholics came from very different viewpoints.
Moving on
However, the church of the 21st century has moved beyond that, says PCC moderator Joe Reed. "We're now deeply committed to ecumenism and the differences between our church and the Roman Catholic church pale in comparison to the things we have in common."
And, he says, for that reason, what to do about the language used in one of the key doctrinal documents of the church needs to be revisited. "Our problem is not with the Roman Catholics; it's within our own denomination to say what do we do with this statement."
Although several presbyteries have asked for changes over the years, the church has taken the stance that because the Confession is a historical document, it cannot be changed or amended.
A declaration approved by the assembly states in part that, "Although the Westminster Confession of Faith refers to the Pope as the antichrist, we do not believe it is now warranted to do so. We deplore the legacy of hatred and violence generated by such theological invective. We recognize the work of the Holy Spirit in and through the Roman Catholic Church, among others…"
"We seem to want to have our cake and eat it too," says past PCC moderator Glen Davis. "We want to maintain a historical document intact, without revision, and yet there's language in it we can't subscribe to. I don't think it's possible in this day and age, to continue to ask people to (agree) to something that they know contains language that they are unhappy with."
Davis says it may be time to consider other options. "While I think there's some wonderful doctrinal statements in the Westminster Confession, perhaps its time we put it on the shelf as a good historical document and proceed to develop, perhaps with other Reform churches, a contemporary statement."
Work is already underway to contemporize doctrinal statements with the development of a new catechism for the church. Previous catechisms, including one developed from the Westminster Confession, have largely fallen into disuse.
"Catechisms are not the most modern teaching tool," admits Davis. "On the other hand, they are a very concise statement of what we believe. Because this one has added more questions that are more relevant to this modern, secular age, it will be helpful."
The new 141-question and answer document outlines the basics of faith and creed, as well as engaging current issues such as faith and science, Christianity and world religions and care of the earth. It will be subject to revisions and approval after a four-year trial period.As the ancient sound of the shofar echoed through the Winnipeg Arena, hundreds of people lifted their hands in prayer. It was a call to worship and the beginning of the second annual Canadian Prayer Assembly.
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