The Things We Smoothed Out

Another reason for appreciating the revised EFCA Statement of Faith is the way certain inconsistencies and ambiguities were smoothed out. Take for example the centuries-old tension between Arminianism and Calvinism. Is the EFCA Arminian -- do we believe that conversion precedes regeneration? If you read articles four and eight of the 1950 SOF, you might think so. But then if you read articles five and six, you might think that the Free Church is in fact Calvinist -- that we believe that regeneration precedes conversion. So which is it? Or is it neither?

In fact, it's neither. The EFCA has never taken a position on Calvinism or Arminianism, not because the debate is not important, but because we have resolved not to divide over it. And as a Calvinist who values unity with my Arminian brothers and sisters, I am glad for that stance. The goal of the 1950 SOF was not to define the ordo salutis, but rather to define the composition of the church as only the regenerate. The revised SOF better reflects our unity and our intention by sidestepping the debate and putting our intention into more precise language in articles six and eight. And that is something to be grateful for.