What Presbyterians Believe |
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Reformed
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At the heart of the Reformed tradition is a
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By Carnegie Samuel Calian
To be Presbyterian is to be part of a "Reformed" heritage associated with the Swiss Reformers of the 16th century. Two of the noted Swiss reformers were Ulrich (Huldreich) Zwingli (1484-1531) of Zurich and John Calvin (1509-1564), who came to Geneva as an immigrant Frenchman.* We continue to be influenced through Calvin's legacy of writings, especially his Institutes of the Christian Religion.
At the heart of the
Reformed tradition is an essential commitment
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Presbyterians have long been identified as exponents of predestination, but a more significant characteristic is our emphasis on "always being reformed" according to the Word of God. The Latin slogan, "Ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda" ("The church reformed and always to be reformed") places importance on the church's need to seek constant renewal. The church is a living organism, subject to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Implicit in the Presbyterian understanding of the church is dissatisfaction with the status quo. The church is always in need of improvement; we must never cease learning with relevance and sensitivity in response to changing realities. But at the heart of the Reformed tradition is an essential commitment to God's grace witnessed in Scripture, encountered in Christ, and experienced in daily life.
Trusting in the sufficiency of God's grace enables Reformed believers to rejoice in the limitless power of God. Yet in the same breath we are faced with the mystery of God that lies beyond human comprehension. We experience God's mysterious power as Trinity, a triune nature interceding in our lives but exceeding our understanding.
God is greater than our grasp; at the same time, the distance between us is narrowed by our experiences of God's grace. This in turn enables us to celebrate the Divine presence in our midst, nurtured as we are from grace to grace, from mercy to mercy every moment of our lives. Presbyterians believe we have no other guarantee in life than the reality of God's grace. In the Reformed tradition all experiences of genuine forgiveness and love are attributed to Divine grace and mercy.
Presbyterians pride themselves on being realistic Christians. One of the Reformed emphases is that human nature is not perfect, nor are human achievements self-sufficient. From a Reformed perspective, all cultural and scientific "advancements" are subject to theological scrutiny. What is called for is a reforming attitude toward the totality of life. In the spirit of "always being reformed," believers are challenged to question existing practices and innovations both in the church and in society.
Our freedom in Christ enables us to work for justice with love in a changing world. Our reforming stance also encourages us to be ecumenical in our outreach and concern for others.
Influenced by the Reformed tradition, Presbyterians take their work ethic seriously. Whatever our means of livelihood, our jobs and professions are viewed as a calling, a vocation that demands our best efforts.
This attitude is at the center of the Reformed understanding of stewardship. Influenced by Calvin's teaching, we are expected to view life as a process of holy living exhibiting self-denial and always seeking God's will and destiny. We are encouraged to live a life of simplicity, to be savers and conservers of personal and natural resources.
Responsible stewardship for Reformed followers leads us to a life of gratitude and generosity. Although an unending passion for God's will characterizes Reformed Christians, obviously most fall short of the mark. Presbyterian realism sees our lives oscillating between forgiveness and thanksgiving. Through a spirit of thanksgiving and sharing we give glory to God, grateful that there is a Divine purpose for each of us, whatever our circumstances in life. We see ourselves as the people of God called to be chaplains to one another, whatever our particular gifts may be, looking always to the Spirit's leading in the employment of our talents and resources.
While the historic development of the Reformed tradition is indebted to the Swiss Reformers, and especially to Calvin, there is no consensus on a single definition of Reformed faith. This is due in part to the tradition's reforming stance, which is reflected in our history of confession-making (exemplified in our Book of Confessions). Calvinists, or followers of the Swiss Reformers, became a Protestant alternative to Lutherans and Anabaptists. But common to all interpretations of the faith by Swiss Reformers is an underlying commitment to the Word, the sacraments, and discipline.
To anchor theological reflections in the Word of God is the cornerstone in the formulation of Reformed beliefs. The Bible continues to have an authoritative place in shaping Presbyterian reality today. This is seen in the discussions and debates taking place in the life of the church.
The common ground for all followers in the Reformed tradition is the centrality of Christ--his life, death and resurrection offering salvation from our alienation from God and neighbor. This is the message behind the symbols of baptism and Communion. Our participation in these sacraments expresses our acceptance of God's healing power on our behalf. The cross of Christ signifies hope at the center of our life together.
Discipline in the Reformed churches is manifested through several forms of church governance: congregational, episcopal and presbyterian. The word presbyterian refers to the practice of church governance consisting of clergy and laity elected by the church and organized through judicatories at the local, regional and national levels to enforce church order and discipline. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) follows its forebears in Scotland and England in the practice of representative governance. We owe much of our discipline to the Scottish Reformer John Knox (1514-1571).
All three of the forms of governance mentioned share a common Calvinistic heritage, and internationally the churches of this heritage have been organized into a fellowship called the World Alliance of Reformed Churches. The Alliance represents 70 million Christians in 99 countries and consists of 198 member churches, primarily of Presbyterian and Congregational origin.
Within the family of Reformed churches we have disagreements and unresolved issues. But in the midst of the debates we can recognize the fact that our tradition is not dead. This vital tradition embodies a conflict of interpretations; there is no norm that satisfies all members of the Reformed family. A healthy family does not press for uniformity at the expense of testing ideas and a range of views.
A split on one issue may cause turmoil, but a family can find space for agreement and disagreement on varied concerns while staying bonded together in love, mutual forgiveness, and hope. Members continue to wish each other well in the journey of faith under the guidance of the Holy Spirit--and by the grace of God seeking "always to be reformed."
* Other Swiss Reformers were Heinrich Bullinger (1404-75) of Zurich, John Oecolampadius (1482-1531) of Basel, Berchtold Haller (1492-1536) of Berne, and Guillaume Farel (1489-1565) of Neuchatel.
Carnegie Samuel Calian is president and professor of theology at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. His latest book is Theology Without Boundaries: Encounters of Eastern Orthodox and Western Tradition (Westminster John Knox Press).
James Ayers, pastor of the South Frankfort Presbyterian Church in Frankfort, Ky., is Presbyterians Today's "Q&A" columnist.
Comparisons . . .By James Ayers |
| It may be helpful to understanding what it means to be
Reformed to look at how Presbyterian beliefs compare with those of Protestant
denominations not in the Reformed family. We can say "what Baptists (or Methodists or Lutherans) believe" only with some reservation. Devout members of every denomination hold a wide variety of opinions on key questions of the faith--and Presbyterians are no exception. In general, however, Presbyterians have proven to be the great moderates of church history. The "Presbyterian position" can usually be found by taking the average of the two most divergent opinions on a given issue, as the following questions illustrate. How should the church be governed? All denominations believe in the orderly exercise of governance, but they differ on where they vest decisive authority. Episcopally governed churches give primary decision-making power to bishops: for Lutherans, Episcopalians and Methodists, as for Catholics, policies are set and pastors are appointed by one designated leader. Congregationally governed churches place this authority in the individual congregation: Baptist and Congregational churches hire and fire their clergy and decide on their own bylaws and beliefs. Presbyterians, wanting to avoid both those extremes, set primary power in a presbytery made up of the clergy and elder representatives of the churches of a given region. What does the Eucharist mean? The sacramental churches (especially Anglicans as well as Catholics) hold that when you receive the Communion bread and wine, you are truly receiving Jesus, because the bread and wine have been transformed into the body and blood of Christ. Rejecting this, the ordinance churches (almost everybody else) argue that nothing happens to the elements: the bread and wine remain bread and wine, nothing more. They are simply symbolic tokens to help you remember that Jesus died for you. Presbyterians (and, with minor differences, Lutherans) insist that while the substance of the bread and wine remain unchanged, Christ is truly there to be received into the inmost being of those who partake. Who should be baptized? In the view of Pentecostal, Baptist and Holiness churches, baptism focuses on the testimony of the believer: it is the symbolic act of obedience by which a person declares his or her allegiance to Christ--and so it is appropriate for those who have expressed their own faith in Jesus (and not for infants). For Lutherans, Episcopalians and other Protestants, like Catholics, baptism is especially the act of God by which saving grace is given to the one being baptized. It is the ordinary means by which you receive this grace, and so it is necessary for all members of the family of faith (and therefore for infants as well). Presbyterians see baptism as an affirmation of faith on the part of the whole congregation, as we express our confidence in God's call to the one being baptized. And we see baptism as receiving the promise of God, which the one baptized will live out in the time to come. How should we read Scripture? In most congregations there are those who see the Bible as an intriguing collection of ancient folk tales, and others who claim every Biblical word is absolute and authoritative. Unitarians and some others would expect that we today might well be inspired by pondering on the lessons of some of those tales, while members of the Church of Christ and other denominations would scrupulously expect to apply every Biblical detail to contemporary life. Most Presbyterians would place themselves between these two positions: we take seriously questions about the sources and genres of the Biblical text, and yet we have confidence that the Bible is the pre-eminent way through which Jesus calls and teaches his people. What is the relative importance of Word and sacrament for the spiritual nurture of church members? Some denominations (Baptists, Pentecostals, many others) emphasize the Word, the Bible, with detailed 30- to 40-minute sermons each Sunday, but celebrate the Lord's Supper perhaps as infrequently as twice a year. Other Protestants (Episcopalians, for example) join the Catholics in celebrating the Eucharist at least once a week, usually accompanied by a 5- to a 7- minute homily. Lutheran and Disciples of Christ churches are notable for their stress on both Word and sacrament, with extensive preaching and weekly Communion. Presbyterians also claim Word and sacrament as an emphasis, but they are rather diverse in how often they receive the Lord's Supper: the "average" church probably celebrates Communion once a month, but many congregations do so every Sunday and many others follow a quarterly Communion schedule. |
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