Midweek Musing- 11/13/24

The Belhar Confession: A Testament to Unity, Reconciliation, and Justice

In case you missed last week’s edition of The Midweek Musing, I have decided to write a series of messages about some of the creeds and confessions of our church.

Our creeds and confessions have and continue to serve significant roles within our tradition, as these statements of faith are not just historical documents, but they function as theological compasses, guiding the church through the complexities of faith and helping us consider how we might live out our lives in light of each era’s complexities.

Indeed, these documents are not just statements of theology and doctrine, but they are also tools for education, communal identity, spiritual formation, and how we might live peacefully together.

In the Presbyterian Church (USA), creeds and confessions are even a part of our constitution. These writings comprise the first part of our constitution and is known as The Book of Confessions. (I know not a very original title!) And this collection of documents reflects a broad theological spectrum, encapsulating centuries of Christian thought and experience from a variety of times and places.

It’s important to note we do not see these confessional statements as just old static reflections but rather as dynamic living documentation helping guide us in the present by engaging us with thoughts on scripture and on our relationship with God and one another.

Through these texts, the church connects with the ancient and global community of believers, affirming its commitment to a faith that is both ‘catholic’ (universal) and reformed, and always reforming according to the word of God.

Additionally, it is important to note that the presence of multiple creeds and confessions acknowledges that no single human expression can fully encapsulate the vastness of divine truth. This diversity encourages theological dialogue and offers a framework through which believers can explore and express their faith.

For a denomination like the PCUSA that values both tradition and the continuous reexamination of belief, these texts provide a foundation for unity as well as a platform for growth and change.

Today, I want us to spend time exploring the most recent addition to the PCUSA Book of Confessions. The Belhar Confession was added less than a decade ago, though it was written decades earlier.

Now it is important to remember that in the journey of faith, the words we hold onto often shape the paths we choose. The Belhar Confession contains such words, and it stands as one of the profound testaments within our Book of Confessions.

This document calls for the church’s unyielding commitment to unity, reconciliation, and justice. Its story and its messages are particularly resonant today as we strive to create and build a welcoming and inclusive community of faith.

The Belhar Confession originated during a turbulent period of South Africa’s history. This period had been marked by apartheid and its system of racial segregation and discrimination.

This statement was drafted in 1982 by the Dutch Reformed Mission Church (DRMC), a branch of the Reformed tradition that largely consisted of colored members who were themselves victims of apartheid. The understanding of this context is crucial, as it colors every line of the confession with a profound sense of urgency and a deep longing for justice and equity.

Alas, Apartheid not only segregated the South African society racially but also inflicted deep divisions within the church itself.

The DRMC, seeing the grave theological and moral failings of apartheid, responded with the Belhar Confession. This document was a bold statement, identifying not only the sin of racial segregation but also the ecclesiastical mandate to confront such inequality and injustice.

Much like our own Presbyterian Church, the DRMC studied this statement in committees which edited and perfected it. Finally, the confession was officially adopted by the DRMC in 1986.

The journey of the Belhar Confession into the Presbyterian Church USA’s Book of Confessions was marked by significant reflection and discussion, highlighting this statement’s relevance and theological significance.

In 2016, the 222nd General Assembly of the PCUSA ratified the inclusion of the Belhar Confession after a majority vote from presbyteries nationwide. This inclusion marked a pivotal acknowledgment by a major American denomination of the ongoing need to address issues of racial injustice and division within the church and society.

The Belhar Confession is structured around three central themes: unity, reconciliation, and justice. Each of these themes carries profound implications for how we live out our faith today.

Unity: The confession asserts that unity is both a gift and an obligation for the church. This unity is not a superficial agreement but a heartfelt solidarity among believers, transcending racial, social, and economic barriers. In a world increasingly polarized by various divides, the call to unity challenges us to look beyond our differences and embrace the commonality of our faith in Christ.

Reconciliation: At the heart of the Gospel is the message of reconciliation between God and humanity, and individuals and groups. The Belhar Confession’s emphasis on reconciliation speaks powerfully against the backdrop of a society still wrestling with the legacies of discrimination and inequality. It calls for active peacemaking and bridge-building as essential to the Christian witness.

 Justice: The confession makes a compelling case that justice is not just peripheral but of vital importance to the Gospel. This statement challenges the church to stand against any form of injustice and to work towards a more equitable world. This aspect of the confession resonates deeply today, urging believers to advocate for those who live on the margins and suffer oppression.

As followers of Jesus dedicated to building a welcoming and inclusive community of faith, the Belhar Confession beckons us to act justly and love mercy. It serves not only as a historical document but as a living call to embody the values of the Kingdom of God—where justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. By embracing its teachings, we commit to being agents of change and reconciliation in a broken world and light-bearers of hope where darkness and despair reside.

The Belhar Confession is more than an artifact; it is a prophetic voice for our times, challenging us to live out the radical implications of the Gospel in our relationships, churches, and communities.

THE BELHAR CONFESSION

(English Translation)

September 1986

We believe in the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who by the Word and the Spirit of God gathers, protects, and cares for the Church—has done so since the beginning of the world and will do so to the end.

We believe in one holy, universal Christian Church, the communion of saints called out of the whole human race.

We believe

• that Christ's work of reconciliation is made manifest in this Church as the fellowship of believers who have been reconciled with God and with one another;

• that the unity of the Church of Jesus Christ is therefore both a gift and a command; that through the working

of God's Spirit it is a power which binds together but at the same time a reality which must be pursued and sought—one which the people of God must continually be built up to attain;

• that this unity must become visible, so that the world may believe that separation, enmity and hatred between human beings and human groups is a sin which Christ has already conquered, and that anything which may threaten this unity has no place in Christ’s Church and must be resisted;

• that this unity of the people of God must become visible and be given effect in a variety of ways: in our loving one another; in experiencing, pursuing and practicing fellowship with one another, in owing it to one another to give ourselves willingly and joyfully to benefit and bless one another; in sharing one faith and one calling, in being of one soul and one mind, in having one God and Father, in being steeped in one Spirit, being baptized with one baptism and confessing one Name, in partaking of one bread and drinking from one cup, in being obedient to one Lord, in devoting ourselves to one cause and sharing one hope, in together coming to know the height, breadth and depth of the love of Christ, in together being built up to the stature of Christ, to be the new humanity, knowing and bearing one another's burdens and so fulfilling the law of Christ, needing one another and building one another up, admonishing and comforting one another, suffering with one another for justice’ sake, praying together, serving God together in this world and fighting together against all that may hinder or threaten this unity;

• that this unity can take shape only in freedom and not under constraint; that the variety of spiritual gifts, opportunities, backgrounds, and convictions, as well as the diversity of languages and cultures, are by virtue of our reconciliation in Christ opportunities for mutual service and enrichment within the one visible people of God; and

• that true faith in Jesus Christ is the only condition for membership in this Church.

Therefore, we reject any doctrine

• which absolutizes either natural diversity or the sinful separation of people in such a way that this absolutizing hinders or breaks the visible and active unity of the Church or even leads to the constitution of separate churches;

• which purports that this spiritual unity is truly maintained in the bond of peace while believers who confess the same faith are estranged from one another on account of diversity and a lack of reconciliation;

• which denies that to refuse to pursue this visible unity as a priceless gift is sin;

• which, explicitly or implicitly, purports that descent or any other human or social factor needs to be considered in deciding who may be accepted as members of the Church.

3. We believe

• that God has entrusted the Church with the message of reconciliation in and through Jesus Christ; that the Church is called to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world; that the Church is called blessed because its members are peacemakers, and that the Church is a witness, by word and deed, to the new heaven and the new earth in which justice dwells;

• that by the life-giving Word and Spirit God has conquered the powers of sin and death and therefore also of alienation and hatred, bitterness and enmity; that by the life-giving Word and Spirit God will enable the Church to live in a new obedience which can open up new possibilities of life also in society and the world;

• that this message is deprived of its credibility, and its beneficial effect is obstructed, when it is proclaimed in a land which claims to be Christian but in which the enforced separation of people from one another on a racial basis promotes and perpetuates alienation, hatred, and enmity between them;

• that any teaching which tries to use the gospel to legitimate such forced separation, which is unwilling to venture on the road of obedience and reconciliation, and which out of prejudice, fear, selfishness, and unbelief denies the reconciling power of the gospel in advance is an ideology and false doctrine.

• Therefore, we reject any doctrine which in the name of the gospel or of the will of God sanctions the forced separation of people in such a situation on the grounds of race and color and thereby hinders in advance the ministry and experience of reconciliation in Christ and robs it of its power.

4. We believe

• that God’s own revelation has revealed God as the One who wishes to bring about justice and true peace between people; that in a world full of injustice and enmity God is in a special way the God of the destitute, the poor and those who suffer injustice and calls the Church to imitate this; that God brings justice to the oppressed and gives bread to the hungry; that God frees those in prison and makes the blind see; that God succors the downtrodden, protects strangers, helps orphans and widows and thwarts the path of the ungodly; that for God pure and undefiled religion is to visit the orphans and the widows in their affliction; that God seeks to teach the People of God to do what is good and to seek the right;

• that the Church must therefore stand by people who in any way suffer or are in need, which among other things means that the Church will witness and take up the fight against any form of injustice, so that justice may roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream;

• that as God’s possession the Church must stand where God stands, namely against injustice and with those who suffer injustice; and that the Church as made up of those who follow Christ must witness against all the powerful and privileged who selfishly seek their own interests and rule over others to their disadvantage.

Therefore, we reject any ideology that legitimates forms of injustice and any doctrine that is unwilling to oppose such an ideology on the basis of the gospel.

5. We believe that the Church is called to confess and to do all these things in obedience to Jesus Christ, its only Head, even if the authorities and human laws prohibit them and even if punishment and suffering be the consequence. Jesus is Lord.

To the one and only God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be honor and glory for ever and ever.