GS 1968 ARTICLE 154
Committee I on Contact with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church presents:
Materials:
- a. Report Deputies for Contact with Representatives of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, I,1;
- b. Overture of the Church at Edmonton, Alta, III,5;
- c. Overture of the Church at Fergus-Guelph, Ont., III,13;
- d. Letter of the Church at Barrhead, Alta, III,18 (support for b.);
- e. Overture of the Church at Winnipeg, Man., III,29;
- f. Letter of the Church at Brampton, Ont., III,34 (support for c.);
- g. Overture of the Church at Hamilton, Ont., III,35;
- h. Letter of the Church at Smithers, B.C., V,3.
Considerations:
- 1. From the report of Deputies Synod may conclude that Deputies have fulfilled the 3rd and 4th part of their mandate, namely to explain to the Representatives of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church what the concept of church correspondence is in the Canadian Reformed Churches, and to familiarize themselves with the views of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in this respect. Deputies discussed the existing correspondence maintained by the Orthodox Presbyterian Church with other churches, as well as the member ship of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in the Reformed Ecumenical Synod. Important differences came to light with respect to these matters. Our Deputies did not define or evaluate these differences, but confined themselves to a review of opinions.
- 2. The second part of their mandate (C,2) “to compare these differences with the Word of God”, has not received full attention of Deputies. They inform Synod of the opinion and answers of the Representatives of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, but do not report on their own testing and examination of the received answers and the existing divergencies.
- 3. Deputies summarize in six points differences which exist between the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and the Canadian Reformed Churches, but do not indicate to what extent the differences might affect the possibility of correspondence with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
- 4. Deputies do not pay attention to the far reaching statements concerning church discipline in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, which statements are quoted in the overture of the Church of Fergus-Guelph from the report of February 1965 to the Regional Synod of Ontario, which report was sent to General Synod Edmonton 1965. Deputies should have made it clear whether these statements were justified or not.
- 5. Deputies rightly state “that considerable differences exist between the two churches in the implementation of the kingship of the Lord Jesus over His church”.
- 6. Deputies state, “These and other points showed that considerable differences exist” (see 5), but they do not mention what these “other points” are.
- 7. The consistory of the Church at Winnipeg “also learned from the report of our Deputies that the Orthodox Presbyterian Church does not gather the believers in the unity of faith as defined in our confession (catechism L.D.21), but that ‘common believers who want to join the Church … are· admitted to the Church on their profession of faith in the Lord Jesus as their Saviour and that no complete knowledge of the entire confession nor agreement with each section of it is demanded’ (Report, page 5)”.
- The consistory, without argumentation, places two statements in contra position, the first one being an expression of opinion of the consistory, the second a statement of the Representatives of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. This places Synod on the horns of a dilemma which can not be accepted.
- The consistory should have proved that not demanding “complete knowledge of the entire confession nor agreement with each section of it”, necessarily means “that the Orthodox Presbyterian Church does not gather the believers in the unity of faith as defined in our confession”, which the consistory fails to do.
- 8. This does not mean, however, that the statement of the Representatives of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church mentioned under 7, does not raise serious questions about the correctness of the distinction made between office bearers and “common” believers, its impact upon the maintenance of discipline, and the function of the creeds in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
- 9, The Church at Edmonton rightly overtures Synod to instruct Deputies to ask for more clarification on certain divergencies in the Larger Catechism.
- 10. The overture of the Church at Edmonton to instruct Deputies “to further discuss the matter of church-government, especially in order to serve the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, if possible and desired, with advice in their revision of the Form of Government”, is not without reason. It is, however, neither our task, nor that of Deputies, nor the purpose of seeking contact, to counsel the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
- 11. The information Synod received on the differences between the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and the Canadian Reformed Churches is not of such a nature as to instruct new Deputies for Contact with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church to come with joint proposals concerning the divergencies (as requested by the Church at Hamilton, 1st part of the Overture).
- 12. Re: Rules for Correspondence with Foreign Churches:
- a. ”The existing rules provide sufficient safeguards for maintaining the unity of faith with Churches abroad”, and “they serve the purpose of correspondence well”. (Acts Art. 79.6, of this Synod).
- b. No grounds have been adduced for the overture of the Church at Edmonton, that “as far as correspondence with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church is concerned” the first and fifth rule for Correspondence with Foreign Churches be changed.
- c. No grounds have been adduced for the overture of the Church at Hamilton (second part) that Deputies for Contact with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church be instructed to come to joint proposals concerning the rules for correspondence.
- 13. Deputies fail to elaborate on the difference between and the .implications of “fraternal relations” and “full correspondence” maintained by the Orthodox Presbyterian Church with divers churches.
- 14. No grounds have been adduced by the Church at Edmonton for its overture “to establish ‘fraternal relations’ in the sense as this is customary in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church”.
- 15. Information and quotations gathered by Deputies from the Minutes of the latest General Assemblies of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, especially on interchurch relationship and ecumenicity, as well as evaluation of these data, could have served Synod in its deliberations.
- 16. The following statement in “Report of the Committee on Ecumenicity and Interchurch Relations”, sub VII, “Conversations with the Deputies of the Canadian Reformed Churches”, p.98 of the Minutes of the Thirty-fifth General Assembly (1968), remains unexplained:
- “Discussion centered on the correspondence of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church with the Reformed Churches of the Netherlands. It appeared as if the fact that the Orthodox Presbyterian Church was expressing itself against re cent decisions of those churches would help considerably with the Canadian Reformed Churches, and might even allow them to entertain correspondence with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church even though the Orthodox Presbyterian Church was in correspondence with the Reformed Churches of the Netherlands.”
- 17. Seeing the deviations from the Truth in the (synodical) Reformed Churches in the Netherlands, it is necessary that Deputies-to-be appointed make it clear that the relationship of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church with the (synodical) Reformed Churches in the Netherlands forms an insurmountable obstacle to closer relations of the Canadian Reformed Churches with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
- so
- 18. The statement of Deputies, page 3, “the Orthodox Presbyterian Church could very well decide to discontinue the correspondence” with the (synodical) Reformed Churches in the Netherlands, leaves room for further discussions with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, and for more clarification of, and elucidation on the stand of the Canadian Reformed Churches in ecumenicity.
- 19. The Church at Winnipeg has not proved “that there is no need for further discussion between Deputies from our side and representatives from the side of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church”.
- Consideration 18 suggests a reason why such discussions might be fruitful.
- 20. The statement of the Church at Winnipeg that “the Representatives have no authority to answer without reference to the General Assembly”, has not been proved, and therefore can not serve as a ground on which contact by means of Deputies should be discontinued.
Recommendations:
Synod decide
A. to thank Deputies for Contact with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church for the work done, and to discharge them;
ADOPTED
B. gratefully to acknowledge the fact that the Orthodox Presbyterian Church can accept the Canadian Reformed Churches as true churches on the basis of their doctrinal standards and church government (Report Deputies, page 2);
ADOPTED
C. to express its gratitude that it is evident that in many respects the good fight of the faith is being fought in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church;
ADOPTED
D. to appoint four Deputies for Contact with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, and one alternate deputy;
ADOPTED
E. to instruct these Deputies as follows:
- 1. to examine the divergencies in confession, church polity and principles of church correspondence which exist between the Canadian Reformed Churches and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
ADOPTED
- 2. To compare these divergencies with the Word of God, to evaluate them as to the question whether they are of such a nature that they would prevent the Canadian Reformed Churches from recognizing the Orthodox Presbyterian Church as a true church of the Lord Jesus Christ and from entering into correspondence with this church.
ADOPTED
- 3. To investigate how the Creeds, the Form of Government and the Book of Discipline function in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and whether they are actually maintained.
ADOPTED
- 4. To explain to the Representatives of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church why it is impossible for the Canadian Reformed Churches to have a sister-relationship with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church as long as they maintain the sister-relationship with the (synodical) “Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland”, because of the deviations in these Netherlands Churches in, e.g., doctrine, church polity, and interchurch relationship.
ADOPTED
- 5. To keep the Churches informed about the result of their investigations, the matters dealt with in their contact, and the developments in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, to forward a report with recommendations to the next General Synod and copies of this report to the Churches.