Among emergents, orthodoxy is left behind

Christians have always argued theology. Brilliant minds argued, especially about the essential identity of Jesus from Nazareth. The author of the Matthew Gospel puts one of the earliest confessions of faith in the mouth of Peter: “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.”

Paul was the first Christian-writing disciple. He gave Jesus divinity and his descriptions of the prophet from Galilee are prominent in every Christian theological discussion.

Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire and the arguments were a lively part of the spread among followers of “the way.” A significant amount of blood was shed over who had the correct theological understanding of Jesus.

There was no standard understanding of the particulars of Christian Faith until 325 CE.

The Roman emperor Constantine had converted to Christianity. The Roman Empire had degenerated into division with strong men competing for control of the entire kingdom. Constantine emerged as the winner. Constantine ruled the Roman Empire with complete authority. He decided that just as the Empire was forced into unity, that the diversity of Christian belief should be brought to an end and a unifying standard should be adopted.

Constantine called a meeting of Christian bishops from around the empire. They met in what is modern Turkey at the city of Nicaea in 325 CE. The focus of the Council of Nicaea was the defining of who Jesus was and his relationship to the Father God. The result of their deliberations was the “Creed of Nicaea,” the first theological statement in the history of Christianity considered binding on all believers. The Nicene Creed is still regularly used and embraced by Roman Catholics, the Eastern Orthodox churches, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Methodists and many smaller groups of Christians.

Throughout history there have been dissenting voices, but they have been regularly silenced and shunned. Heresy (a differing opinion) was not allowed. Christian orthodoxy was defined at Nicaea in 325 CE. As tumultuous as was the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, the standard of the Nicene Creed was never challenged.

I was born and raised a Baptist. Our Baptist worship services were dominated by vigorous singing, Bible readings, a prayer or two and sermons, many of which were too long. Not once have I ever heard a recitation of the Nicene Creed in a Baptist church. Baptists from their beginning in 17th century England have been non-creedal. The Bible was our authority and every believer was encouraged to both read and interpret the Bible. In a sense, Baptists represent the diversity of Christian belief that was present prior to the Council of Nicaea. In our roots, Baptists were religious libertarians.

When I prepared for ordination, I was required to write a statement of my beliefs. In the paper, I specifically denied the orthodox understanding of the Trinity. From the beginning of my Christian ministry, I rejected the authority of the Nicene Creed or any other creed that has been officially endorsed by a religious body.

My own background in non-creedal Christianity may well explain my special interest in what is now being called emergent Christianity. I have written several columns about emergent Christianity, and I suspect that I will write more. I have come to believe that something momentous is taking place among Christians. In a recent book titled “Emergence Christianity,” church historian Phyllis Tickle maintains that what is happening is every bit as significant as the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century.

The book is being cited as the first attempt by a major scholar to define the nature of current movements among Christians that is worldwide. The subtitle of the volume is, “What It Is, Where It Is Going, and Why It Matters.”

The emergent Christian movement has many faces. It is completely non-hierarchical. Diversity is rampant. For those who enjoy the security of institutional forms of Christianity, the great fear is chaos. For this Baptist, emergent Christianity is exciting and hopeful. I am reminded that the first rule of chaos is that chaos multiplies the possibilities.

Typical emergent Christians not only reject church authority, they also look past the historic creeds, such as the Nicene Creed. The Bible is no longer a book that is beyond question. The Bible is a collection of writings by people of faith who left their thoughts and beliefs for our pondering. The focus is not on a hierarchy, a book or a creed. The focus is on the life and teachings of the prophet Jesus from the town of Nazareth in northern Palestine.

When Constantine looked at the Roman Empire and saw the chaos of competing rulers, his instinct was to eliminate the competition and unify the empire. He did it ruthlessly. He was a great general. Ultimately, his plan failed and the Roman Empire disappeared from history. The council that he called at Nicaea obviously looked like a good idea to solidify Christians. It was a bad idea. Christians became the servant of a creed and dynamic Christianity was delivered a severe blow. The diversity that produces creativity was lost.

I am happy to be a Baptist emergent, who looks to the future with great excitement.

The Rev. Howard Bess is a retired American Baptist minister, who lives in Palmer. His email address is hdbss@mtaonline.net.

Opinions expressed on the Faith page are the author’s and are not necessarily those of the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, its staff or its parent company, Wick Communications Co. To submit a column or other news for the Faith page, send email to news@frontiersman.com, or call 352-2268.