Why does the proposed Charter of the ACC speak of ‘adherence to the Basis of Union’?
Our complaint is not with the Basis of Union itself. It is a fine Reformed and Evangelical confession of faith which affirms the centrality of Christ. But, sometimes, it has been blamed for the present crisis in the UCA. There are two reasons for this: First, it is often misquoted in official church statements to support the idea that the UCA is ‘united by diversity.’ Nowhere is that said in the Basis of Union! In fact, it insists that diversity arises from our unity ‘in Christ.’ Second, it is often criticised for having a ‘liberal’ approach to the Bible. This is not so! Paragraph 5 of the Basis of Union doesn’t compromise the authority of Scripture. It strengthens the connection between Christ who is the Word of God and the testimony to the Word in the unity of the Old and New Testaments. It insists that Scripture is ‘unique prophetic and apostolic testimony’ and that faith must be ‘nourished and regulated’ and preaching ‘controlled by the Biblical witnesses.’ It challenges both liber
