Office Bearers

GS 2025 Article 118 – Overture RSE 2024: Adding a Footnote to the Apostles’ Creed

1.   Material

  • 1.1    Overture from RSE 2024 re Footnote for Apostles’ Creed (8.4.2.1).
  • 1.2    Letters from the following churches: Attercliffe (8.5.1.1), Barrhead (8.5.1.2), Caledonia (8.5.1.3), Calgary (8.5.1.4), Carman East (8.5.1.5), Carman West (8.5.1.6), Chilliwack (8.5.1.7), Cloverdale (8.1.5.8), Edmonton (Immanuel) (8.5.1.9), Elm Creek (8.5.1.10), Fergus (Maranatha) (8.1.5.11), Fergus North (8.1.5.12), Edmonton (Providence) (8.5.1.13), Flamborough (Redemption) (8.5.1.14), Houston (8.5.1.15), Neerlandia (8.5.1.16), Willoughby Heights (8.5.1.17).

2.   Admissibility

  • 2.1    The overture was declared admissible.
    • Grounds: It was submitted by a regional synod and was received on time.
  • 2.2    The letters from the churches were declared admissible.
    • Grounds: They interact with an overture submitted to GS 2025 and were received on time.

3.   Observations

  • 3.1    RSE 2024 proposes to append an explanatory footnote to “he descended into hell” in the Apostles’ Creed. This phrase has a long history of disputed interpretation. Since this phrase can be easily misunderstood, for example, to mean that Christ went to a specific physical place called hell for three days after he died, the overture seeks to bring clarity by adding a footnote which reads, “These words are not to be understood as if Christ, upon entering death, went to the place of eternal torment called hell. See Heidelberg Catechism Lord’s Day 16, Q/A 44.”
  • 3.2    Many churches agree with this overture and support adding this proposed footnote.
  • 3.3    Other churches support a footnote in principle but desire to edit the proposed footnote, while another church (Carman East) doubts the need for a footnote (and finds it clunky) but also proposes an edit to the footnote if that idea is adopted by GS 2025. The following edits are proposed:
    • 3.3.1    The Calgary CanRC would like to delete the first sentence of the footnote since it explicitly rules out one interpretation.
    • 3.3.2    The Carman East CanRC finds the proposed footnote to be confusing which would defeat the purpose of adding a footnote. This church proposes the following footnote instead, “This phrase is intended as a summary of Christ’s humiliation, emphasizing the depth and lowest point of Christ’s suffering.”
    • 3.3.3    The Edmonton (Immanuel) CanRC would prefer that the footnote affirms what the phrase means instead of only what it doesn’t mean.
    • 3.3.4    The Edmonton (Providence) CanRC would like to add to the footnote a reference to the Canons of Dort chapter 2, article 4 as done by the URCNA in the Trinity Psalter Hymnal. The text of that footnote reads, “See Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 44; Canons of Dort, 2.4; Westminster Larger Catechism, Q&A 50.”
    • 3.3.5    The Fergus (Maranatha) CanRC offers the following alternate footnote, “that is, on the cross Jesus suffered the agony of hell which our sins deserve (HC, Q/A 44).”
    • 3.3.6    The Fergus North CanRC offers the following alternate footnote, “that is, he descended into the realm of the dead.”
  • 3.4    The Barrhead CanRC and the Neerlandia CanRC are opposed to the overture for four reasons:
    • 3.4.1    There has been no footnote for many years and during all those years the need was never felt to add a footnote. Rather “the Church simply taught what this part of the Creed meant. We believe this is how things ought to continue taking place.”
    • 3.4.2    The Apostles’ Creed is broadly accepted and no other church has added a footnote.
    • 3.4.3    This footnote would create an inconsistency within the creeds since the Athanasian Creed also mentions descending into hell, but no footnote is proposed to explain the descent there.
    • 3.4.4    The Creeds are not meant for visitors but for believers; if visitors have questions, it is a good opportunity for the Church to teach its doctrine.

4.   Considerations

  • 4.1    The phrase “he descended into hell” has had a long history of challenging interpretation in the church. Also in our time, some church members can struggle with the meaning of this phrase, as reflected in some of the letters from the churches. It is good to help them with these struggles in the best way possible. The overture seeks to bring clarity by adding a footnote which reads, “These words are not to be understood as if Christ, upon entering death, went to the place of eternal torment called hell. See Heidelberg Catechism Lord’s Day 16, Q/A 44.”
  • 4.2    The letters from the churches propose a multiplicity of alternative suggestions for the content of the footnote, indicating that the adoption of a footnote may result in disagreement among the churches.
  • 4.3    The Barrhead CanRC is incorrect that no other churches have added a footnote since the Trinity Psalter Hymnal, used by the United Reformed Churches in North America (URCNA) and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC), has added a very brief footnote, as noted in 3.3.4 (the word “catholic” is also footnoted).
  • 4.4    In the life of the church, there are sometimes statements in our creeds and confessions which can be difficult to understand upon first reading. When this happens, it is good for the church to provide more instruction in these matters of faith to help everyone to make progress in their understanding.
  • 4.5    It is neither desirable nor feasible to add footnotes to everything which may be difficult to understand upon first reading. There are more expressions in the Apostles’ Creed which might need further explanation such as “catholic” or “only-begotten.”
  • 4.6    If a believer has difficulty understanding or accepting the teaching of the Church in LD 16 Q/A 44, the addition of a footnote referring to this confessional explanation will not resolve the issue. The appropriate way to deal with this is through instruction which comes in the preaching, teaching, catechesis, and pastoral work of the Church.
  • 4.7    Adding a footnote to one of the most foundational statements and summaries of the Christian faith could convey doubt by the church and create doubt in the reader. The fundamental articles of the Christian faith should be affirmed without qualification or reservation, as reflected by the common practice of the Church of all times and places.

5.   Recommendation

That Synod decide:

  • 5.1    Not to adopt the overture.

ADOPTED