BIRMINGHAM — Two highly visible study documents — one on the nature of the Trinity and the other on sacramental practices — will go to the floor of the General Assembly after prolonged debate in the Assembly Committee on Theological Issues and Institutions
The report on the nature of the Trinity — called “The Trinity: God’s Love Overflowing” — was approved by a huge margin (42-16-3) after a strong Christological statement was inserted into a much-debated section of the document that offers a plenitude of images of the Trinity.
The committee is recommending that the paper be approved and commended to the church for study and that the Congregational Ministries Division, the Office of Theology and Worship, and the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation prepare both print and electronic studies for use in the church, as well as liturgical resources.
The second paper, “Invitation to Christ: Sacramental Practices,” invites congregations to engage in a two-year commitment to intensified sacramental practice, with the intention of theologically reflecting on that experience to deepen understanding of the links between baptism and communion.
Those practices include setting the font in full view of the congregation, opening the font and filling it with water on every Lord’s Day, setting the cup and plat on the Lord’s table every Lord’s Day, leading appropriate parts of weekly worship from the font and from the table, as well as increasing the number of Sundays on which the Lord’s Supper is celebrated.
It was approved by a vote of 58-2.
There were moves within both committees to send each paper back for more work; each was soundly defeated after hours of discussion.
At press time, the Rev. Jeffery Smith of Salem Presbytery was drafting a minority report to send “God’s Love Overflowing” back for revision, an action sought earlier in the day in an overture from the Presbytery of Shenandoah that was defeated.
Hesitation within the committee surrounding the Trinity paper was summed up succinctly by a youth advisory delegate from the Presbytery of St. Augustine, Andrew Casper. “We want to clear up the confusion. And we may be — in a lot of ways — putting in more confusion,” he said, referring to the impact of the document on the wider church.
Much of the debate focused on how to speak of the Triune God — and the Trinity Working Group’s efforts to draw upon scripture to speak of the Trinity in “historically faithful, yet freshly imaginative ways.” While classic trinitarian theology speaks of the ‘first, second and third’ persons of the Trinity, scripture also refer to the three in other patterns, such as the apostolic benediction which invokes “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit.”
(2 Cor. 13:13)
Attesting that the traditional trinitarian formula of Father, Son and Holy Spirit is the “anchor” for trinitarian images, the report proposes alternative triadic language that it calls consistent with the scriptures and theological and liturgical tradition. Examples are “the One From Whom, the One through Whom, and the One in Whom we offer our praise” (Rom. 11:36), “our Rainbow of Promise, our Ark of Salvation, and our Dove of Peace,” “Lover, Beloved, and the Love that binds together Lover and Beloved.” (Augustine).
Some balked that some of the references, such as “our Rock, Cornerstone and Temple” are impersonal.
The committee adopted Christological language proposed by the Rev. Aurelio Garcia of San Juan Presbytery to help breach the impasse. Summarizing the document’s underlying theme, it said that scripture affirms Jesus Christ as the “very image of God. This means that the Triune God has chosen to reveal the divine identity in the life and work of Jesus Christ.”
It continues, “Christ is the mystery of our salvation and the revelation of God in the world.”
Organized in three parts, the paper addresses the Trinity as a 1) confession, summarizing theological convictions; 2) a liturgy, showing how Christians participate in the life of God in worship and 3) a missional statement, addressing how Christians embody trinitarian love in service.
Daniel Migliore, professor of theology at Princeton Theological Seminary and a member of the Trinity Working Group, told the committee that the paper is designed to be a help to Presbyterians who may be confused by or indifferent to the doctrine of the Trinity. The paper, he said, is not an exhaustive doctrine of the Trinity, but an evangelical tool, written to show the practical significance of the doctrine for life.
Migliore said that while the triadic formula of Father, Son and Holy Spirit is “highly honored” language to describe the Trinity, scripture employs other ways of describing and addressing God. Migliore said the goal is not to discard traditional language, but to amplify it.
He said that metaphor — deemed inadequate by some as a way of speaking of God — has always been part of Christian tradition: “O Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.”
“The reality of God is always greater than we can express,” he said.
While some committee members felt the paper may cause unnecessary controversy, others — like Nick Valadez, a theological student advisory delegate, said that being fearful of change is normal. But the information in the paper may “open hearts and minds to something new.”
The Rev. Cheryl Homsher of Tres Rios Presbytery said the committee ought not “sell laypeople short … by saying they won’t understand” the document. She said that she learned in seminary 20 years ago that she cannot fully understand the mystery of God. “Any help I can get to expand how I can know God, I welcome that.”
If the report is approved by the Assembly, it will be deemed “worthy of study,” according to Charles Wiley, associate for theology in the Office of Theology and Worship and staff to the Trinity Working Group. The group debated asking the Assembly to receive the paper, a term which indicates only that the paper is available.
In approving “Invitation to Christ: Sacramental Practices,” the committee is recommending that the Assembly direct the stated clerk to send an invitation to congregations to be more intentional about sacramental life and to send insights and learnings to the Office of Theology and Worship as its Sacraments Study Group considers establishing more open communion.
Some of the questions include: What parts of worship, in addition to the sacraments themselves, involve the font and the table? What kinds of preparation for participation in the Lord’s Supper does your congregation offer? For whom? When?
The reflection concludes by asking congregants to compare their previous patterns after use of the five practices. What insights about the sacraments arise out of your experience with these practices? What do you sense the Spirit of God is leading you to explore further?
The study group was established in 2003 after overtures in 1998 and 2004 requested that the baptismal requirement be abolished in order to receive the Lord’s Supper. Overture 98-33 from the Presbytery of the Twin Cities requested that “All persons of faith be welcomed to the table, baptized or not, child or adult, in order to be assured of God’s love and grace in Christ Jesus.”
The Rev. Chip Andrus of the Office of Theology and Worship told the Presbyterian Outlook that more dialogue with the wider church is essential before such a historic change in Christian tradition can be considered.
Although a 40-page theological statement was missing from the documents presented to commissioners, the committee instructed that some theological reflection accompany the task force’s report to congregations.
In other business, the committee is recommending that the Assembly authorize the Office of Theology and Worship to undertake a study of salvation and sin and report the results of the study to the 218th General Assembly.
It is also sending a revised overture (13-01) from the Presbytery of Mississippi urging all members of the church to search the Holy Scripture to seek God’s revealed Word regarding issues “that may touch the church.”
