As I mentioned two months ago, I recently taught a class on the book of Judges. I’m going to post the exposition over the next few days. It will be fun.
Because someone asked, UPC 2.0?
Making it shorter doesn’t change that it is a contract. I believe a contract is inappropriate for a church community unless it wishes to be a denomination. Being a denomination is not necessarily a bad thing, what is a bad thing is trying to be a non-denomination with the rules of a denomination. Make up your mind, get comfortable with the term, move on. For a temporary agreement, it never seems to go away.
The new document is a summary, that means despite intent, 1.0 is in effect. Wishing it otherwise does not make it so. Changing the agreement means that the 1.0 ratifiers or affirmers need to re-affirm 2.0. Calling it summary gets around this, but as stated earlier means that 1.0 is in effect. As such, this is really a supplemental to the UPC, not a separate document.
Because the original UPC is still in effect, it’s still a bad deal.
I could pepper and salt this with verses, but that is not really necessary. There’s no need to convince anyone, their minds are already made up. Will there be a 3.0? Only if the churches in Atlanta do not affirm this agreement. If churches in Georgia affirm (and it’s their prerogative to do so), I really believe that this will finally go away.
Why Gerogia? If Douglas Jacoby and Sam Laing are part of official UPC congregations, then one or both can be part of the club again. If not, neither can chair a committee, only serve on it. Personally, I would love both of them to chair a few committees, just to demonstrate the lack of utility the UPC holds.
No, I believe that the situation is more complicated than whether or not Georgia (USA) is part of a UPC congregations. There are churches in Europe, mostly smaller ones, that did not affirm. I’m sure the intent of the UPC and its supplemental summary is to also strengthen regional groups all over the world.
It would appear from the summary that regions need to be able to enforce doctrine and determine membership in the UPC. I do not agree that they have this need, I believe they should serve the same function as the ‘big’ committees that meet at the ILC. Why does there need to be someone or some group outside of a local congregation that has the power to vote a church in or out?
I do not believe there is a great conspiracy at work, only a tremendous resistance to change. That inertia will likely become our undoing in the end. This inertia is at work in other areas as well but that is outside the scope of this sidetrack. All I will say is that change is inevitable. It happened in the first century church. It happens in every area of God’s creation.
Perhaps it was vanity to answer here instead of return email. If so, forgive me. I think a part of it was seeing an old friend at church today that I really miss. I know that they are searching for peace with God and in search of a community of believers. I know that the answer is not inside the ICoC, even a congregation that is progressive in some ways like the one I attend. I pray that his or her struggle will end very soon.
As I was saying earlier before I so rudely interrupted myself, see you next time with an exposition of Judges.