Much Needed Reformation

The January issue of the Record really thrills me. It includes a great variety of positive ideas for our denomination to consider and includes some of our problems. It could well become the basis for a much needed reformation of The Presbyterian Church in Canda. As a whole, these articles altogether in one issue appears to me as just too good to be true! All of them provide valuable contributions to such an end.
To begin with, Editor Harris clearly describes the sad state of our current decline; without excuses or denial! His expression “needing palliative care” well describes the state of health of a great many Canadian main line congregations at this time. However his reminder of world church growth and our denomination’s remaining assets along with his term ‘constructive anxiety’ provide reasons for hope and effort to move forward.

Andrew Faiz wisely notes the degree of ‘pathetic parenting’ as a cause of many of our current youth problems and moves on to describe his recent positive experience at Evergreen Centre of The Yonge street Mission where relevent means of hope for youth are succesfully applied. This reminds us of the growth of a similar ministry at our Evangel Hall and Portland Place. I like his suggestion of extending our idea of sacrament to include such personal engagement and pastoral care of troubled young people we may encounter, instead of looking the other way.

The Council Budget brings more bad news. One suggesion which at first glance looks radical is to focus on one good Theological College to replace the present three. More practical training could be more effective than the present academic preference. I remember the late Bishop Fulton Sheen’s description of “the intelligentsia” as “persons educated beyond their intelligence”. Another good suggestion, quite easy to implement, is to reduce expenses by having biennial, rather than annual General Assemblies. Surely our elders and clergy could be satisfied with a biennial big party in place of the annual spread with its large transportation expense to the people in the pew.

Then there is Diana Butler and her book “Christianity Beyond Religion” The title suggests a basic problem with many main line congregations and their pastors, when the latter is equated with the first. My expression with a similar thrust is “Christianity vs. Churchianity”. A current biting book on the same subject is “The End of Religion” by a Canadian Bruxy Cavey.

Of most significance for the motivation and direction towards church reformation in the January Record is the introduction of our readers to Tony Campolo, whose sermons and books have so much relevance to the church problems and opportunities of today. He is a Pennsylvania Sociology professor, of Italian birth and founding leader of a mission to young blacks in the Philadelphia area; (indeed his home congregation is black). His sermons and books are very inspirational and relevant, presenting the ‘good news’ Jesus brought to the world with the Spirit of tolerance, love and humour. For example, he draws a clear line of difference between evangelicals and fundamentalists. The former are much more likely to focus on the scriptural words and example of Jesus, the latter, more legalistic, judgmental and divisive. He quotes Ghandi “everyone knows what Jesus taught except Christians” and asserts that “the church is the only club that exists for its non-members”. My wife and I have met and heard him speak many times at the annual nine week summer Chautauqua Institute.

Jeff Loach’s article “Saviour and Lord” continues in the same vein, as he explains, the meaning of he word “atone’, quoting from our recent doctrinal standard, “Living Faith”

The scriptural words high-lighted by Lawrence Dewolfe “The joy of the Lord is my strength” continue the same positive note.

Fred Stewart reports that the fourfold focus of the Renewal Fellowship is Prayer, Community, Encouragement and Dependence on God. Perhaps it is because these are so basic to a living growing church that they are taken for granted and are ignored.

An appropriate end to this review is the wonderfully illustrated and documented mission of our Malawi Church in South America. Included are observations by John Vissers gained by his recent visit there, as moderator of our 2012 General Assembly. As he reports, “The average Christian there is more likely to be a poor mother, than a professional male as in Canada. He continues, “Even so, their church is growing numerically and spiritually, engaged in evangelism and social action. People are coming to a personal faith in Jesus Christ at the same time as being housed, fed and cared for”. He concludes that with these qualities they are much like the first generation Christian congregations as pictured in Acts 2.”