Religious Pluralism and Headship of Christ

1991 Church of the Brethren Statement

Whereas: We find ourselves in the midst of an ever increasing religious pluralism of non-Christian faiths in our society; and,

Whereas: The need for clarity about the uniqueness of Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world needs to be stated by the church in effecting evangelistic endeavors in the United States and abroad in fulfillment of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19,20); and,

Whereas: The Christian church is presently in dialogue about the teaching of the centrality of Jesus Christ as the only way to salvation, and the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference has not recently spoken to the doctrine of the headship of Christ in the church;

Therefore: The Atlantic Northeast district board petitions the 1991 Annual Conference, meeting in Portland, Oregon, July 2-7, 1991, through the Atlantic Northeast district conference meeting at Midway Church of the Brethren in Lebanon, Pa., October 12-13, 1990, to formulate a clear and concise statement concerning Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world and as head of the church according to the Scriptures.

Action of Atlantic Northeast district board

The district board, meeting August 11, 1990, recommends that this paper be adopted and passed on to district conference.

Action of Atlantic Northeast district conference, meeting October 12-14, 1990, at Lebanon, Pennsylvania.

Passed to 1991 Annual Conference.  Cynthia J. Haldeman, Clerk; Paul Boll, Moderator

Action of the 1991 Annual Conference

Harold Bomberger, a Standing Committee member from the Atlantic Northeast district, presented the recommendation from Standing Committee that the Query, Religious Pluralism and Headship of Christ, be accepted and that the Annual Conference of the Church of the Brethren affirms that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, Savior of the World and the Head of the Church, according to the Scriptures. The delegate body adopted the recommendation of Standing Committee with one amendment from the delegate body, which has been incorporated into this action.