3.The United Lutheran Church in America receives and holds the Unaltered Augsburg Confession as a correct exhibition of the faith and doctrine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, founded upon the Word of God, and acknowledges all churches that sincerely hold and faithfully confess the doctrines of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession to be entitled to the name of Evangelical Lutheran.
4.The United Lutheran Church in America recognizes the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, the Smalkald Articles, the Large and Small Catechisms of Luther, and the Formula of Concord as in the harmony of one and the same pure scriptural faith.
[2252] An impetus was given to the unionistic spirit by the 400th celebration of the XCV Theses, 1917, and the spirit has shown itself most recently in the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the reading of the Augsburg Confession, during the summer of 1930 in Augsburg.
The Basis of Union of the United Church of Canada.
The United Church of Canada was constituted, 1925, by the consolidation of the Congregational, Methodist and Presbyterian bodies, and represents the boldest act, thus far, resulting in organic Church union. An impetus as well as a challenge was given to the union of Church forces by the formation of the Dominion of Canada, 1867, comprising all the British territories of North America except Newfoundland, and a pressing ground for union was given by the waste of means and men in the attempt of the denominations separately to reach the people and to prevent overlapping in the widely scattered and small communities of the Western provinces. The union of 1925 was preceded by consolidations within the Methodist and Wesleyan Canadian communions, 1833-83, and of the four Presbyterian groups, 1875, under a single General Assembly.
The larger movement, [2253] resulting in the United Church, had its formal beginning in the appointment of committees on union by the Congregationalists, Methodists, and Presbyterians in 1902, 1903. The exact event to be looked for as the starting-point of the union was the suggestion made by Principal Patrick of Winnipeg College as a fraternal delegate of the Presbyterian Church before the Methodists' meeting in General Conference in Winnipeg, 1902. In response, the Conference appointed a committee, 'for finding and formulating a Basis of Union with the Congregational and Presbyterian Churches.' In 1903 the Presbyterian General Assembly pronounced 'organic union both desirable and practicable' and placed Principal Caven as head of a committee appointed by it. The Congregationalists also having appointed a committee, the three committees met as a Joint Committee, 1904, in Toronto, and, 1909, it presented its report. Previously, 1906, the Joint Committee invited the Episcopal prelates in Canada and the Baptists to join in the movement, but the invitation was declined. The Methodist and Congregational Churches were almost unanimous in favoring the union. Within the Presbyterian Church a noticeable difference of opinion shewed itself from the beginning and grew more impressive as the movement progressed. The first vote on the Basis of Union, 1910, was as follows:
Congregationalists: Of 10,689 members, 2,933 voted for and 813 against.
Methodists: Of 293,967 members of eighteen years or over, 150,841 voted for and 24,357 against.
Presbyterians: Of 287,944 members, 106,755 voted for and 48,278 against. Upon the Basis of Union as amended--the call for amendment having come from the Presbyterian General Assembly--the vote in the Presbyterian Church, 1915, was as follows: Of the 76 presbyteries, 53 voted for, 13 against, the other 10 being either tied or sending no return. Of the members, 106,534 voted for and 69,913 against.
The Congregational and Methodist Churches having accepted the union, the Presbyterian General Assembly voted, 1922, to proceed 'to organic union as expeditiously as possible.' By act of July 19, 1924, "The United Church of Canada was authorized by 'his Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada.'" At the first meeting of the General Council, 1925, 150 delegates represented the former Methodist Church, 150 the Presbyterian, and 40 the Congregational churches. To this number were added 10 delegates from the Council of the Union Churches of Western Canada, which represented Christian communities that had united for worship or been amalgamated.
The Boards and Committees of the three constituent bodies, numbering twenty-six, have been merged into six agencies, the three denominational newspapers into the New Outlook, and the three missionary periodicals into one. [2254]
The Basis of Union contains sections on doctrine and polity and includes a statement of the qualifications and training for the ministry and on administration, together with an Appendix on legislation. The polity of the Church calls for three superintending bodies, the presbytery, the conference and the General Council, the last meeting every two years. The Basis of Union is as follows:
General.--1. The name of the Church formed by the union of the Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational Churches in Canada, shall be "The United Church of Canada." 2. It shall be the policy of The United Church to foster the spirit of unity in the hope that this sentiment of unity may in due time, so far as Canada is concerned, take shape in a Church which may fittingly be described as national.
Doctrine.--We, the representatives of the Presbyterian, the Methodist, and the 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 corner-stone. 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.
Art. I. Of God.--We believe in the one only living and true God, a Spirit infinite, eternal and unchangeable, in His being and perfections; the Lord Almighty, who is love, most just in all His ways, most glorious in holiness, unsearchable in wisdom, plenteous in mercy, full of compassion, abundant in goodness and truth. We worship Him in the unity of the Godhead and the mystery of the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, three persons of the same substance, equal in power and glory.
Art. II. Of Revelation.--We believe that God has revealed Himself in nature, in history, and in the heart of man; that He has been graciously pleased to make clearer revelation of Himself to men of God who spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit; and that in the fulness of time He has perfectly revealed Himself in Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, who is the brightness of the Father's glory and the express image of His person. We receive the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, given by inspiration of God, as containing the only infallible rule of faith and life, a faithful record of God's gracious revelations, and as the sure witness to Christ.
Art. III. Of the Divine Purpose.--We believe that the eternal, wise, holy, and loving purpose of God so embraces all events that, while the freedom of man is not taken away, nor is God the author of sin, yet in His providence He makes all things work together in the fulfilment of His sovereign design and the manifestation of His glory.
Art. IV. Of Creation and Providence.--We believe that God is the creator, upholder and governor of all things; that He is above all His works and in them all; and that He made man in His own image, meet for fellowship with Him, free and able to choose between good and evil, and responsible to his Maker and Lord.
Art. V. Of the Sin of Man.--We believe that our first parents, being tempted, chose evil, and so fell away from God and came under the power of sin, the penalty of which is eternal death; and that, by reason of this disobedience, all men are born with a sinful nature, that we have broken God's law and that no man can be saved but by His grace.
Art. VI. Of the Grace of God.--We believe that God, out of His great love for the world, has given His only begotten Son to be the Saviour of sinners, and in the Gospel freely offers His all-sufficient salvation to all men. We believe also that God, in His own good pleasure, gave to His Son a people, an innumerable multitude, chosen in Christ unto holiness, service and salvation.
Art. VII. Of the Lord Jesus Christ.--We believe in and confess the Lord Jesus Christ, the only Mediator between God and man, who, being the eternal Son of God, for us men and for our salvation became truly man, being conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, yet without sin. Unto us He has revealed the Father, by His word and Spirit, making known the perfect will of God. For our redemption He fulfilled all righteousness, offered Himself a perfect sacrifice on the cross, satisfied Divine justice and made propitiation for the sins of the whole world. He rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven, where He ever intercedes for us. In the hearts of believers He abides forever as the indwelling Christ; above us and over us all He rules; wherefore, unto Him we render love, obedience and adoration as our Prophet, Priest and King.
Art. VIII. Of the Holy Spirit.--We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who moves upon the hearts of men to restrain them from evil and to incite them unto good, and whom the Father is ever willing to give unto all who ask Him. We believe that He has spoken by holy men of God in making known His truth to men for their salvation; that, through our exalted Saviour, He was sent forth with power to convict the world of sin, to enlighten men's minds in the knowledge of Christ, and to persuade and enable them to obey the call of the Gospel; and that He abides with the Church, dwelling in every believer as the spirit of truth, of power, of holiness, of comfort and of love.
Art. IX. Of Regeneration.--We believe in the necessity of regeneration, whereby we are made new creatures in Christ Jesus by the Spirit of God, who imparts spiritual life by the gracious and mysterious operation of His power, using as the ordinary means the truths of His word and the ordinances of Divine appointment in ways agreeable to the nature of men.
Art. X. Of Faith and Repentance.--We believe that faith in Christ is a saving grace whereby we receive Him, trust in Him and rest upon Him alone for salvation as He is offered to us in the Gospel, and that this saving faith is always accompanied by repentance, wherein we confess and forsake our sins with full purpose of and endeavor after a new obedience to God.
Art. XI. Of Justification and Sonship.--We believe that God, on the sole ground of the perfect obedience and sacrifice of Christ, pardons those who by faith receive Him as their Saviour and Lord, accepts them as righteous, and bestows upon them the adoption of sons, with a right to all the privileges therein implied, including a conscious assurance of their sonship.
Art. XII. Of Sanctification.--We believe that those who are regenerated and justified grow in the likeness of Christ through fellowship with Him, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and obedience to the truth; that a holy life is the fruit and evidence of saving faith; and that the believer's hope of continuance in such a life is in the persevering grace of God. And we believe that in this growth in grace Christians may attain that maturity and full assurance of faith whereby the love of God is made perfect in us.