GC41 A Church with Purpose: Towards an Ecclesiology for The United Church of Canada in the 21st Century
These words from A Song of Faith represent the most recent articulation of the ecclesiology of The United Church of Canada. Ecclesiology can be defined as theological reflection on the nature and mission of the church – “a statement about where Christians are in the world, who 41st General Council 2012 Ottawa, Ontario For Information they sit with, and what they affirm and challenge.”
Our Words of Faith
The 40th General Council that met in Kelowna, British Columbia, in August 2009 approved a motion to add to the Doctrine section currently in the Basis of Union three other doctrinal statements that General Councils of the United Church have approved since 1925. Those three statements are the Statement of Faith (1940), A New Creed (adopted in 1968; revised in 1980 and again in 1994), and A Song of Faith (2006). For this proposed action to take place, the General Council authorized remits, which are votes by presbyteries and, in this case, also by pastoral charges, on whether to add some or all of these three statements to the Doctrine section of the Basis of Union. This background document is intended to help your pastoral charge’s session, church board, or church council as you prepare to vote on whether to include these other doctrinal statements in the Basis of Union.
Mending the World
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel used to tell the story that when God, the Holy One, gets up in the morning, God gathers the angels of heaven around and asks this simple question: "Where does my creation need mending today?" And then Rabbi Heschel would continue, "Theology consists of worrying about what God worries about when God gets up in the morning."
Drawing from the Same Well
In winter 2003, twelve persons named by The Anglican Church of Canada (ACC) and The United Church of Canada (UCC) met in Vancouver to consider their new mandate to explore the relationship between our two churches. It was clear to us from the outset that we were not commissioned to prepare plans for a new “church union,” a successor to the failed project of the 1970s. What we should make our task was initially less obvious.
Living Faithfully in the Midst of Empire
The 37th General Council 2000 of The United Church of Canada approved the report To Seek Justice and Resist Evil: Towards a Global Economy for All God’s People. The report described, analyzed, and denounced “the global reality of systemic economic injustice” (neo-liberal economic globalization) and called the church “to seek justice and resist evil so that together in mission we can build a global economy for all God’s people.” It was both critical of the global economic status quo and its exclusionary tendencies, and filled with hope for the fulfillment of God’s promise of justice for all people and creation.
GC36 Bearing Faithful Witness
The 36th General Council (1997) authorized this document for study in The United Church of Canada. People of the United Church responded thoughtfully and prayerfully to the study document and the proposed policy statement. The final policy statement encompasses that response and seeks to be a faithful expression of our understanding of United Church–Jewish relations. It was overwhelmingly and enthusiastically approved at the 38th General Council in 2003.
GCE Statement on Antisemitism (2002)
In the face of the recent upsurge of attacks against Jewish people and property in Canada and around the world, The United Church of Canada reiterates its absolute condemnation of all acts of antisemitism. Antisemitism is an attack on the dignity and worth of people. Such acts and attitudes attempt to obliterate the truth that all people are made in the image of God. Keywords: Israel, Palestine, occupied, territories, peace, antisemitism, settlements
GC37 Seek Justice and Resist Evil, Towards a Global Economy for All God's People
To Seek Justice & Resist Evil invites us to SEE global economic injustice, to discern or JUDGE what this means for our Christian faith, and to ACT in common mission for justice. This document provides a snapshot of stories that illustrate the devastating reality for the majority of people living under the present economic system in the world today. It does not intend to suggest blanket opposition to all aspects of the global economic system or to oppose all international trade or profit-seeking activity. Nor does this document attempt to present a blueprint for an alternative society. Rather, through this document the global partners of The United Church of Canada have issued both a Cry and a Call to seek justice and resist evil so that together in mission we can build a global economy for all God's people.
GC30 World Religions: Teaching of in Secondary School Curricula (1984W562)
The issue here is the moral issue of loving our neighbour as ourselves, recognizing our common humanity; education in the history of religions is needed by any responsible person in our society, in order to combat the ignorance that feeds racism, prejudice and bigotry. This petition is not advocating any particular theology of religion or a missiology of any kind. It is simply recognizing that knowledge of other religious traditions is necessary for peace and reconciliation in the world. WHEREAS our Canadian society is becoming increasingly pluralistic and multicultural, with people of many different religious traditions living in close proximity; and WHEREAS racism is at least partly a product of ignorance about the different cultural orientation of other people; and WHEREAS a knowledge of the religious traditions of the major participants is an essential element in understanding world affairs; and