Well Jack certainly got that one wrong.
Jack — Rev. John Weir Foote — was a beloved member of St. Andrew’s, Cobourg, Ont., where I served as minister in the period during which we produced Living Faith. From time to time I would tell him about our progress on the document. I could tell that in fact he was not all that interested and one day he told me why. “You can work all you want on that document but when, and if, it is accepted it will just sit on a shelf in Knox College and no one will pay any attention to it.”
But the summer after it was accepted in 1984, it went on to sell over 20,000 copies. At this point I do not know the actual number sold but would guess that the figure is around 200,000. In any case, the current copy I have before me states that it is the 21st printing and the year was 2003. That’s very different than a lonely copy sitting on a shelf, unconsulted, in the Knox College library!
The desire for a new statement of faith goes all the way back to the 1940s and the very formation of what is now called the committee on church doctrine. I have not actually consulted those early documents but would guess that the desire sprang from a consensus that seemed to have formed in our church that classical Calvinism contained several important overstatements — especially in the areas of sin, which was viewed as total depravity, and double predestination. The concern over the latter resulted in a report made to assembly in 1970 expressing sharp disagreement with the view of the Westminster Confession of Faith on that matter.
The report, highly influenced by the views of Karl Barth, was accepted by assembly, indicating a shift in the theology of our church.
If you think these things do not matter, then gauge your own reaction to these statements in the Westminster Confession of Faith. On total depravity: “… we are utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good and wholly inclined to all evil.” (6:3) On double predestination: “By the decree of God, for the manifestation of His glory, some men and angels are predestined unto everlasting life, and others foreordained to everlasting death.” (3.3) It is technically correct to say that the Confession does not teach double predestination — the predestination of some to damnation and the election of others to salvation. The modern reader would simply say, “So what?” and observe that there is no difference between predestination and being foreordained. Note, too, that Calvin put his doctrine of predestination in Book 3, far from the beginning of the Institutes. The Confession puts it in chapter 3, right near the start.
On predestination, Living Faith reverts to the much earlier Scots Confession and asserts simply that we are elect in Christ. (3.6.1,2)
There had been an earlier attempt to write a new statement of faith, and by the early 1980s there was a feeling that we should try again. Under the authority of the committee on church doctrine, a committee was formed comprised of myself as chair, along with Pat Hannah, Doug Herron, David Marshall and Garth Wilson. We decided to work intensely and met for several months virtually every two weeks. Our material was submitted to the doctrine committee and also the faculties of Knox and Presbyterian Colleges. We also consulted with three people on style. We were much aided in our efforts by making an early decision to follow the style and outline of the Declaration of Faith of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Those who have studied Living Faith will know how indebted we are to Reformed confessions, both ancient and modern. We also recognize the valuable input of many people, especially those who served then on the doctrine committee. It is true to say that many people helped to shape Living Faith.
The year 1984 constituted a magic moment for me as the document was presented to the assembly. I knew it would pass based on my sense of the votes that were out there, but I expected a stormy passage accompanied by much anger and sharp criticism. But none of that happened! After being subjected to a rather gentle line of comment for about an hour, Rev. Ian Victor moved that an immediate vote be taken. His motion passed and only about three or four voted against it — a result anticipated by no one, least of all by me.
That magic moment was repeated in 1997 when a motion was made at assembly to send it down under the Barrier Act to be made part of our subordinate standards. When contentious motions are made at assembly one can always see people drifting up to the microphones stationed in the aisles and long lines forming as they wait to speak. I looked about at those mics and was astonished to see not a single person at either one. The motion was put and passed with a huge majority.
So in 1984 — 26 years ago — Living Faith was received as “an acceptable statement of faith useful in worship and for study.” In 1998 (the year after the original motion, as required by the Barrier Act) it was made part of our subordinate standards. Many have rejoiced at these developments.
Living Faith has now taken on a life of its own, as is the case with any written document. We intended one thing; it is entirely possible that people will see it differently than we intended. I can only speak for myself: I wanted the overstatements dropped. Few today would wish us to speak of double predestination and total depravity in the language of other times. Most today would wish the great teaching of our church restated in the language of today and addressed within the ethos of our times, yet ever holding fast to the good news of God in Jesus Christ. So here indeed is the ancient faith of the church restated for our time — including the Trinity, the deity and virgin birth of our Lord, his atoning death upon the cross and his glorious resurrection.
The initial intention of the committee that worked on Living Faith was not to replace the Westminster Confession, but rather to make an acceptable modern statement of faith. But as stated above, the document took on a life of its own and a movement began in the church which neither I nor the committee had anything to do with, to make it part of our subordinate standards. After it was initially passed another minister in the church told me that when she and others heard who was on the committee they doubted that we would ever agree to a single line of doctrine, never mind an entire statement of faith. But our differences were much exaggerated. The meetings were all pleasant and I pay tribute to the essential Christianity and absence of ego that were present in those who worked with me on this remarkable venture.
From the first meeting I knew how I wanted the document to end, that is with Romans 15:13: “May the God of hope fill us with joy and peace in believing so that by the power of the Holy Spirit we abound in hope!” I was delighted when the committee agreed to this ending. So Living Faith ends with hope; and maybe that is what all this effort has really been about — hope in God and the joy and peace that comes with such hope. To use the word again — I hope Living Faith has done that and continues so to do.
