Thursday, June 03, 1999                                                                                                            

Church at odds with its doctrine

Ian Hunter
National Post

John Wesley (1703-1791) was the English evangelist who founded Methodism. In addition to writing volumes of theology, history and biography, in his lifetime he preached something in excess of 4,000 sermons. So John Wesley's views are not in doubt; strict adherence to the precepts of historic Christianity was central to his teaching.

In 1885 and 1889 two parcels of land in Bermuda were conveyed to trustees, "to be used for the celebration of the worship of Almighty God . . . in accordance with the doctrine, rules, and usages of the Methodist Church and for no other uses, intents, or purpose whatsoever." For a century thereafter, Grace Methodist church honoured this trust. A 1930 statute confirmed the church's purpose was to provide a place of worship conformable to the teachings of John Wesley; meanwhile, the Bermuda church became a presbytery of the United Church of Canada.

And in 1988, the 32nd General Council of the United Church of Canada voted to ordain practising homosexuals.

The majority of the congregation worshipping at Grace Methodist church in Bermuda considered this decision contrary to Christian teaching, contrary to the teachings of John Wesley, and, most important, contrary to the trust by which the church derived its existence. They brought their concerns to Synod. Synod's response was to seek to impose a new minister. Worship became fractious. On Sunday mornings the old and new ministers vied for the congregation's attention; one announced one hymn, the other another. Since the organ was loudest, victory went to the first occupant of the organist's stool.

Eventually both sides went to court. No one knows more about John Wesley and his theology than Dr. Victor Shepherd, himself an ordained minister in the United Church of Canada, and holder of the chair of Wesley Studies at Tyndale Seminary in Toronto. Dr. Shepherd was called from Canada to testify as an expert witness. His evidence, the court's acceptance of it, and the resultant Supreme Court of Canada decision have implications for Canadian congregations that think the United Church of Canada has lapsed into apostasy. Dr. Shepherd testified: "Neither in its formal nor in its informal theology is the United Church consistent with Wesley's 25 Articles of Religion." More specifically, "The documents on sexuality would be rejected outright by Wesley. The new Creed and the Amendments to the Hymn Book Voices United are non-Methodist. The 'Authority of Scripture' is totally offensive to Wesley's 25 Articles, and 'Mending the World' violates the principle centrepiece of the Christian Faith and therefore of Methodism, namely the uniqueness of Jesus Christ."

Based on this evidence, Madam Justice Wade-Miller held that the current teaching and practice of the United Church of Canada is inconsistent with the trust by which Grace Methodist church came into being. She declared: "The UCC's decision to admit homosexuals is a deviation from the original doctrinal standards of the 25 Articles of Faith of John Wesley." Where congregational schisms occur over matters of doctrine, she held that the issue must be resolved in favour of the side that adheres to the original principles of the doctrine. In this case, the congregation of Grace Methodist church, not the Synod of the United Church, adhered to the "doctrine, polity and practice of Methodism," and were entitled to the property.

The United Church Observer called Madam Justice Wade-Miller's decision "a bombshell," and acknowledged it could have "far-reaching legal implications." Ian Outerbridge, the Toronto lawyer who acted for Grace Methodist, concluded the decision calls into question the 1925 Basis of Union by which Presbyterians, Methodists and others first came together to form the United Church of Canada.

But let Dr. Victor Shepherd, whose expert evidence was decisive in the Bermuda decision, have the last word: "A Supreme Court Judge within the British Commonwealth has pronounced the United Church to be wholly at odds with its own doctrinal basis. This I think has momentous significance. If a church is defined by its doctrine, are we a church? Not only that, but if the legal entity is related to the entity so defined, what is the legal status of the United Church? . . . Where are we with respect to church discipline?"

Ian Hunter is Professor Emeritus in the Faculty of Law at the University of Western Ontario.

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