Those of us who have been concerned, in recent days, about the desire of some to move the Church of the Nazarene away from our historical Wesleyan identity and toward a position on the Scriptures that would be more consistent with fundamentalism can breathe a sigh of relief . . . at least for the time being.
"The Report of the Scripture Study Committee to the Twenty-Eighth General Assembly" has been made public. In it, the Committee recommends rejecting a proposed resolution that would alter the Nazarene Article of Faith on Scripture in such a way as to affirm "complete inerrancy." Such a position would be quite different from Articles in the historical Wesleyan/Methodist/Anglican tradition. On the other hand, the position would be much more in line with modern fundamentalist statements about the Bible. - Thankfully, the Committee has proposed that we retain our current Article of Faith. Further, they have presented a helpful evaluation of the strengths of our current Article of Faith.
I said that we "can breathe a sigh of relief . . . at least for the time being," because this is only a report and recommendation of this Committee. It is a Committee charged with studying this situation, and, thus, the delegates of the General Assembly should give it the weight it is due. Nevertheless, it is up to the General Assembly, not simply this Committee, to make the final decision. So, it is possible for the Assembly to reject this Committee's recommendation. - However, the fact that the Committee has given such strong arguments for retaining our current position is a very good sign.
The Report can be read, here.
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