Ministry in a Multi-Cultural and Unchurched Society

Sess i on 7: Chur ch Mat ter s and Go i ng Back to the Future

125

“When, however, the Gnostics are confused from the Scriptures, they turn round and accuse the same Scriptures as if they were not correct, nor of authority. They say that they are ambiguous, and that the truth cannot be extracted from them by those who are ignorant of tradition. . . . But, again, when we refer them to that tradition which originates from the apostles, . . . they object to tradition” (Irenaeus, c. 180 [cf. David W. Bercot, ed. A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs . Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1998, p. 599]).

B. The Great Tradition was grounded in a deep creedal affinity.

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The rule of faith, indeed, is altogether one, alone immoveable and irreformable. The rule is: to believe in only one God Almighty, the Creator of the universe, and His Son Jesus Christ, born of the virgin Mary, crucified under Pontius Pilate, raised again the third day from the dead, received in the heavens, sitting now at the right [hand] of the Father, destined to come to judge the living and the dead through the resurrection of the flesh. ~ Tertullian, c. 207. Cf. David W. Bercot, ed. A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs . Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1998. p. 28).

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1. The Scriptures require a traditional orthodox theological screen in order to determine their meaning: no one is free to exegete the text to deny the historically orthodox faith of the Church.

2. The creed captures the essence and core of the faith without interfering with contextualization within culture and further illumination by the Spirit. “Wherever it will be manifest that the true Christian rule and faith are, there likewise will be the true Scriptures and the correct expositions thereof–and all the Christian traditions” (Tertullian, c. 197 [cf. David W. Bercot, ed. A