A searchable, downloadable PDF of the original article appears below. This declaration is from the American churches, yet, many of the issues covered are those which concern us in the Canadian churches.
Wheaton, Illinois (March 22, 1990) — Responding to crises facing many historic denominations, a coalition of twenty-one evangelical renewal leaders from eight denominations drafted the DuPage Declaration: A Call to Biblical Fidelity, a three-page document articulating a common affirmation on critical theological and ethical standards currently under challenge in their respective communions.
After a first draft was written by Donald G. Bloesch, a minister in the United Church of Christ who teaches theology at Dubuque Theological Seminary, the Dupage Declaration underwent revision and refinement during a two-day consultation held on the campus of Wheaton College, March 19,20. The Reverend James V. Heidinger II, Executive Secretary of Good News, a Forum for Scriptural Christianity within the United Methodist Church, moderated the informative sessions as renewal leaders shared experiences in their common battle with abortion, language of God, biblical sexuality, and the erosion of biblical authority.
Not intended as a confession of faith or a complete commentary on every issue facing the church, the Call to Biblical Fidelity highlights eight vital issues cast in the form of affirmations and denials. Concerned about the potential of these issues to polarize denominations already suffering from severe membership losses, the signers hope that their prophetic, yet pastoral words in defense of the gospel might restore health and vigour especially to those historic, Protestant communions that for generations helped shape and define American culture.
Alarmed with the feminist agenda that is calling for substantive changes in God language of Scripture, liturgy, and hymnody — including efforts to redefine the Trinity as Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer — the Call to Biblical Fidelity holds to the historic trinitarian formula:
We affirm the Trinitarian name of God — Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We deny that these designations are mere metaphors drawn from the cultural experience of the past and may therefore be replaced by new symbols reflecting the cultural ethos of the day.
Responding to unrelenting pressures calling for homosexual and lesbian ordination within many denominations, the statement boldly and clearly sets forth the tradition, biblical standards for Christian sexuality.
In an effort to stem the continuing erosion of confidence in the Bible as the final aurhotiry in matters of faith and practice, the statement expresses a high view of Scripture:
We affirm that Holy Scripture is the written Word of God, the uniquely inspired testimony of God’s self-disclosure in the history of biblical Israel culminating in Jesus Christ. The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments take precedence over experience, tradition and reason and therefore our infallible standard for faith and practice.
We deny that Holy Scripture is a merely human document that records the religious experience of a past people, that it is only an aid in understanding our experiences in the present rather than a rule that is used by the Spirit of God to direct the people of God in every age.
In many respects the DuPage Declaration represents a major accomplishment for evangelical renewal leaders. Since 1978, the leaders have been meeting annually for fellowship, interaction, and discussion. Not until last year did a consensus emerge within the informal group that ecclesiastical and theological developments within the churches demanded a joint statement of concerns. As chronicled by Dr. Heidinger in the initial session, evangelical ministers are under increasing pressures to keep quiet, to conform, and to keep their biblical convictions to themselves. The policies of denominational power structures, he said, often result in the intimidation of those who have the courage to speak out for the historic faith.
Virtually all the leaders at the Wheaton meeting spoke of their common struggle as nothing less than intense spiritual warefare. The Reverend Matthew J. Welde, minister-at-large in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and one of the original organizers of the group, used biblical imagery in his assessment of the situation: “What we are facing today is not just another ecclesiastical dispute. We are engaged in war, in spiritual conflict, against principalities and powers at work undermining confidence in the Bible as the Word of God.” Other assessments recalled the voice of J. Gresham Machen, whose prophetic book, Christianity and Liberalism, nearly seventy years ago defined the fundamental conflict within the church as between true Christianity and a total alien Gospel.
“The real tragedy of the situation,” observed the Reverend Gerald M. Sanders of the United Church of Christ, “is that while 80 percent of the people in the pews are conservative theologically, only 20 percent of the church leadership are conservative. Since we have very little political clout, only an outpouring of the Spirit of God can turn things around.”
The renewal leaders were encouraged and challenged to maintain their witness in their denominations by the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE). While NAE is composed of forty- six more distinctively evangelical denominations, some of the renewal groups represented at the Wheaton conference hold membership in the association. Over the years a collegial working relationship has developed between NAE and the renewal coalition.
“We are grateful for the testimony and fortitude of these key evangelicals in the mainline churches,” said NAE executive director, The Reverend Billy A. Melvin, a signer of the declaration. “They are to be commended for their courage in standing on the front lines of battle today, contending vigorously for the Christian faith. Our constituency, while largely outside the mainline community, upholds them in sustained and serious prayer. We, too, share their vision for genuine revival and renewal within the church of Christ.”
The DuPage Declaration: A Call to Biblical Fidelity
PREAMBLE
We evangelical renewal leaders from North American mainline churches gathered at Wheaton in DuPage County, Illinois, March 19, 20, 1990 express our concern for the church of Jesus Christ in its drift away from the evangelical faith. What is needed, we believe, is a genuine revival rooted in the Word of God. We, therefore, present this declaration: A Call to Biblical Fidelity.
This declaration represents our understanding of theological and moral issues that are now in dispute in our churches. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of church doctrines and concerns.
It is offered in the spirit of Christ, our Saviour and Judge, who calls each of us to confess our complicity in private and public sin, “For it is time for judgement to begin with the family of God” (1 Peter 4:17, NIV; cf. 2 Timothy 4:1-5). We resolve to serve him with total fidelity and obedience to his Word.
DECLARATION
I
We affirm the Trinitarian name of God — Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We deny that these designations are mere metaphors drawn from the cultural experience of the past and may therefore be replaced by new symbols reflecting the cultural ethos of today.
II
We affirm that God has revealed himself fully and decisively in Jesus Christ as attested in Holy Scripture.
We deny that there are other revelations in nature or history that fulfill or complete this one revelation of God.
III
We affirm that there is only one way to salvation — God’s way to us in Jesus Christ, which is apprehended by faith alone through God’s grace.
We deny that other religions are pathways to salvation, or that one can be in a right relationship with God apart from repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.
IV
We affirm that Jesus Christ is God incarnate in human flesh, fully human and fully divine, different from all other human beings in kind, not simply in degree.
We deny that Jesus Christ is essentially the flower of humanity, a spiritual master, a paradigm of what all human beings can become.
V
We affirm that Holy Scripture is the written Word of God, the uniquely inspired testimony to God’s self-disclosure in the history of biblical Israel culminating in Jesus Christ. The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments take precedence over experience, tradition and reason and are therefore our infallible standard for faith and practice.
We deny that Holy Scripture is a merely human document that records the religious experiences of a past people, that it is only an aid in understanding our experiences in the present rather than a rule that is used by the Spirit of God to direct the people of God in every age.
VI
We affirm the biblical guidelines for human sexuality: chastity outside of marriage, lifelong fidelity and holiness in marriage, and celibacy for the sake of the kingdom.
We deny that premarital or extramarital relations, trial marriages, cohabitation outside of marriage, homosexual relations and so-called homosexual unions, can ever be in genuine accord with the will and purpose of God for his people.
VII
We affirm the sanctity of human life at every stage based on our creation in the image of God and our election by God for service in his kingdom.
We deny, for example, that the personal choice of either parent takes precedence over the right of the unborn child to life in the service of God’s glory. We deplore the continuing traffic of abortion as the slaughter of innocents, which can only be an abomination in the sight of God.
VIII
We affirm that the mission of the church is to spread the good news of salvation by word and deed to a lost and despairing humanity. This mission to proclaim the atoning death and resurrection of Jesus Christ to all nations calls people of faith to discipleship and obedience in the pursuit of personal and social holiness. We further affirm that the fruit of the gospel proclamation is justice, mercy and peace.
We deny that the mission of the church is the self-development of exploited peoples or the political liberation of oppressed peoples.