Say it Like you Mean it: Reformation II

July 3^rd, 2016        “Reformation II”        Rev. Heather Jepsen

Summer Sermon Series: Say It Like You Mean It – Confessing our Faith

Matthew 28:16-20 and 2^nd Peter 1:19-21

          This morning we continue our summer sermon series “Say it like you mean it” about the Book of Confessions.  We have already discussed the ancient creeds that we share with our Roman Catholic and Orthodox friends, and last week we began our discussion of the Reformation.  Today we continue discussing the Reformation creeds as these documents take up the majority of our Book of Confessions.

          As I have mentioned before, the whole point of this sermon series is for us to become more aware of the history of the church.  We are all comfortable calling ourselves a part of the church; and a part of this church family in particular.  It is important, therefore, that we know the history of the church of which we are a part.  Being a Presbyterian, the story of the Reformation is an important part of the story of our church.

          We talked last week about the first two Reformed confessions in our Book of Confessions.  Those that were here may remember the exciting stories around the formation of the Scots Confession and the Heidelberg Catechism.  Both of the confessions we will discuss today were also formed in the violent crucible that was the Reformation in Europe.

          The first confession that we will look at today is the Second Helvetic Confession.  Helvetic is the Latin word for Swiss, so it comes as no surprise that this confession is from Switzerland.  The Second Helvetic Confession was written by Heinrich Bullinger in 1566.  He originally intended it as a personal confession of faith to be attached to his will upon his death, but he was moved by the plight of Fredrick III to make the confession public.  Those that were here last week might remember that Fredrick III was Elector of the Palatinate in Heidelberg, and was responsible for the creation of the Heidelberg Catechism.  Fredrick ended up on trial for heresy and Bullinger was persuaded to release his confession as a basis for Fredrick’s defense at trial.  It was a good thing too, as Bullinger’s confession got Fredrick exonerated.

          So who was this Heinrich Bullinger and why did he write his confession?  Bullinger was a student of Ulrich Zwingli and a big part of the Reformation movement in Switzerland where John Calvin also played a major role.  Bullinger and Zwingli were good friends and made a good combination of Reformation leadership.  Zwingli was militant for the cause and liked to push the envelope by doing things like serving sausage to folks during Lent, while Bullinger was more calm and pastoral in his leadership style.  Zwingli died in battle, sword in hand, fighting for the Reformation cause, and Bullinger took his place as minister of the great cathedral in Zurich where he served for many years.

          One issue of great importance during Bullinger’s time of service to the church was that of Baptism.  This period of time in Switzerland saw the rise of the Anabaptist movement.  Anabaptist was a name given to many loosely organized groups who claimed that baptism was for adults only and who rejected the idea of infant baptism.  Hutterites, Mennonites, Brethren, and Quakers all trace their roots to the Anabaptist movement.  The Anabaptists spoke loudly against Zwingli and Bullinger in Switzerland because of their support of infant baptism.

          Surprisingly, and I would say horrifically, this disagreement over when baptism should occur led to tremendous violence.  In Zurich in 1525 it was decreed that anyone who was baptized as an adult should be executed without the benefit of a trial!  Many leaders of the Anabaptist movement were thus killed.  Anabaptists were seen as anarchists who were bent on destruction of society and they were persecuted terribly.  By the early 1520s hundreds of Anabaptists were drowned, beheaded, or burned at the stake.  All for their beliefs surrounding baptism!

          Many Anabaptists were peaceful and promoted nonviolence, just as their modern day counterparts often do.  But in 1533 a militant Anabaptist faction arose in the Dutch city of Munster.  The Munsterites, as they came to be called, took over the community and declared that all who refused adult baptism would be banished.  They believed it was the end times and that it was their job to kill all the ungodly.  In May of 1535 they attacked the city hall in Amsterdam and killed the mayor and several citizens.  Other Anabaptists ran naked through the streets announcing the end of the world.  Well, it was the end of the world for them, as the Roman Catholic bishop’s army entered the area and killed every Anabaptist leader, displaying their bodies in iron cages around town.  Talk about a Game of Thrones! 

          The damage to the Anabaptist movement was irreparable and all talk of religious tolerance was over.  This continued to drive a wedge between Lutherans and Roman Catholics against the Swiss Reformers Zwingli and Bullinger who at one time had shared a peaceable relationship with the Anabaptist Swiss Brethren.  The Reformers seemed to be forever pitted against each other.

          It is into this climate that Bullinger wrote his confession.  Bullinger continued to dream of unity between the German Lutheran and the Swiss Reformed churches.  He worked with colleagues to write a unifying confession, the First Helvetic Confession.  It was accepted by the unified Swiss Reformed Church but Luther rejected the document.  It was from this that Bullinger was then moved to write his own private confession, the Second Helvetic Confession that we have today.  The confession is an all-encompassing document and is quite an impressive work when we consider that it was written by one man alone.

          The second confession we are going to talk about today is what is known as the Westminster Standards.  This includes the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Shorter Catechism written for the instruction of youth, and the Longer Catechism which was meant as an aide for preachers.  The Westminster Confession arose from the ashes of the Reformation and was written in 1647 with the goal of uniting England under a Presbyterian system of government. 

           History students will remember that in its own way, England missed the Reformation.  Most of us know the story of Henry VIII, and his struggle to obtain a divorce from Catherine of Aragon in 1531.  Henry created a new national church, the Church of England, and declared himself its leader.  What followed was years of strife as Kings and Queens battled with Parliament for control of the country.  Unity of England and Scotland, as well as of the Reformation movements was desired, and in 1643 the Westminster Assembly was established to write a unifying document.  Over 150 pastors and lay people met for several years to write the confession.

          There were three main groups in play at the time: the Royalist Episcopalians who supported the rights of the kings and an Episcopal style of government with bishops, the Parliamentarian Presbyterians who wanted more power for Parliament and a Presbyterian style of government, and then Oliver Cromwell and his Congregationalists who wanted everyone to be free to believe and worship in their own way.  The whole thing ended in shambles as Cromwell’s army forcefully took over in 1649, killing King Charles and dissolving the Parliament.  The confession was written, but England was a mess!  It wasn’t until the 1660s that order was restored and England settled on an Episcopalian style of government.  The Presbyterians had lost, but the greater church had gained a wonderful theological document.

          So why do I care?  Just like always, the issues at play during the days of the early church are still a part of our lives.  The Second Helvetic Confession addresses the issue of baptism among other things, and many of us still have questions about that today.  In our reading from Matthew, we have what is called the Great Commission.  Jesus tells his followers to make disciples of all nations, “baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”  Jesus tells us what we are supposed to say, but he doesn’t tell us if we should baptize babies or adults. 

          Our tradition supports the baptism of infants, with the understanding that God reaches out to us before we are even able to respond to God.  Other traditions make the argument that only adults can make a decision of faith, so therefore only adults are eligible for baptism.  Both are solid arguments, and to know that people died for which side they stood on this issue makes it all the more significant.  Religious tolerance is definitely not something we should be taking for granted.

          One issue that was prominent in the Westminster Confession was the authority of Scripture.  All of these differences that we have been talking about in this sermon series really boil down to his one issue.  How do we interpret the Bible and how do we understand its authority?  Differing denominations mean differing interpretations.

          Today in the Presbyterian Church, we still follow the guidelines spelled out in these confessions hundreds of years ago.  Following the advice given in 2^nd Peter, we believe that understanding scripture is a matter of group discernment and not left to the individual.  The working of the Holy Spirit is essential in this act, as where two or three are gathered in God’s name, God is working amongst us.  We believe that one is to use the whole of the story of the Bible to understand God’s message, rather than to remove one line or sentence and make it the most important.  We also believe that the Bible should be studied in earnest, and that all interpretation should fall under the rule of love.  If it doesn’t promote love of neighbor, then it is not an accurate interpretation of scripture.

          So, what do you think?  Where do you side on these issues?  Should we baptize babies or only adults?  How should we work together to understand the words of the Bible in relation to the modern challenges of our lives?  These are wonderful things to think about this week, as you consider your place in a church that has a long history of wrestling with these very questions.

          Next week we will leave the past behind and move into the 20^th century with a discussion of the Theological Declaration of Barmen which comes out of WWII.  We close today with the Declaration of Faith printed in your bulletin.  This comes from the Second Helvetic Confession and discusses how we interpret scripture.  Let us stand together and “say it like you mean it!”