A Genealogy of the Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective

Abstract: This essay offers a genealogy, in Foucauldian sense, of Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective. Thus, it provides an account of origins of document and its uses over time with attention given to politics of both. essay argues that Confession was critical for merger of General Conference Mennonite Church and Mennonite Church especially as it took on function of teaching position of By way of a case study, essay explores recent uses to which Confession has been put. essay concludes by discussing an inherent tension in Anabaptist confessions between desire to fix a set of common beliefs and convictions, on one hand, and necessity for a discursive shift both in meaning and use amid a changing context, on other. INTRODUCTION In June 2005 Mennonite published an editorial by Everett Thomas that quickly became a point of some controversy in In that editorial, Thomas argued that Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective (along with A Mennonite Polity for Leadership and membership guidelines) played a crucial role in actions taken to revoke pastoral credentials of Weldon Nisly because he performed a same-sex wedding; to remove Hyattsville congregation from membership in Allegheny Mennonite Conference because church accepted as members individuals who were in same-sex committed relationships; and to deny rental privileges at Camp Friedenswald to Brethren Mennonite Council for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Interests, which had plans to host a Queer Camp there. (1) Thomas's argument in editorial was that church should be grateful that Confession of Faith (1995), together with these other documents, had made it possible for new denomination to take such decisive disciplinary action without, as he put it, roiling church. (2) We are better off as a church, Thomas argued, because these documents have given us the necessary framework of accountability and discipline. (3) With respect to Confession of Faith in particular, Thomas argued that as a document adopted almost unanimously by General Conference Mennonite Church and Mennonite Church, Our Confession of Faith ... is now bedrock upon which our discernment begins. (4) Thomas concluded editorial this way: While some leaders and congregations continue to disagree with our confessional statements ... it is helpful to have rules in place. They are necessary in our tradition, which has believed for nearly 500 years that church is discernment community--with ultimate authority to determine what is right and wrong. (5) Twenty years earlier, confession of faith study committee submitted a report of its work to general boards of General Conference Mennonite Church and Mennonite Church. This committee, which included representatives from both denominations, had been formed in order to figure out whether a new confession was needed. In its report, committee recommended that a new confession be written for purposes of building church unity and Christian faithfulness. (6) However, having identified those two ambitious goals for new confession, study committee then quickly added following: The committee members expressed some caution about expecting too much from a new confession. Partly because Mennonites ought not use confessions as tools of creedal governance ... a new confession will not solve all 'problems' or guarantee unity or faithfulness. (7) In course of two decades that passed between study committee's recommendation to write a new confession and Thomas's editorial, a disjuncture has emerged in our understanding of function of Confession of Faith (1995). Among those who recommended a new confession (some of whom then went on to write it), Confession was not to be used to govern church, including presumably decisions about whom to exclude or include. …