Commentary
Blest be the tie that binds
Commentary by Forrest A. Norman III, The Layman, May 2, 2011
A business trip recently took me to Italy. Pleasantly, the schedule kept me over a weekend, affording me both the chance to tour a bit and to attend worship at a local church. Asking the hotel’s concierge for a list of local protestant churches drew a somewhat bemused look. Yet performing his duties for the guest with European grace, he diligently checked every source he had at his desk to see if he could locate such an oddity for the American. Apologetically, he finally responded, “I am sorry, we have none; you see, we are all Catholic here.” He placed the inflection on the second syllable. “Catholic.” The pronunciation seemed to emphasize the great unity of the one true church. I was not surprised, this being Italy, and figured that I would still be able to praise God sitting in the back of a beautiful cathedral. Still, I wanted to be with Presbyterians.
God provides. Later that evening, on my walk back from dinner, I paused to look at the sign on a brick church “Comunita Cristiana Evangelica Di Bergamo – Presbyteriani.” That last word caught my eye. An Internet search confirmed my suspicions: There were Presbyterians in Italy.
They were, of course, not affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA), Evangelical Presbyterian Church, or Presbyterian Church in America. They were of the Waldensian Presbyterian line, a group dating back to the 1200s which sought reform within the Catholic Church, and then sought peaceful recognition as a smaller division within the larger body Catholic, before being declared heretical and summarily excommunicated.[1] Once severed from the larger church, the Waldensians endured centuries of persecution from the church catholic with its related governmental influence. The persecution of the small sect was brutal, including everything from forced confessions and admissions of error, expulsion and banishment, to forfeiture of property and wealth, and in extreme cases forfeiture of life.
On Sunday I joined my fellow Presbyterians in a traditional Italian service. Recognizing that there was an American couple in attendance, the pastor read the Scriptures in English. The sermon was a little too quick for my limited Italian, but my spirit was lifted up nevertheless.
The experience brought the hymn “Blest Be the Tie that Binds” to mind. The comfort and joy I felt by merely being together in worship with those whose faith stands on historical principles similar to mine was a blessing. I have more in common with the Italian Waldensian Presbyterians, at least by reported historical tradition, than I would have had worshiping among Christians of another tradition while sitting in the back of the above-mentioned beautiful cathedral where the rest of the town went. So it is not merely art or architecture, but something else, which draws us together. The hymn on my heart defines what constitutes the tie that binds – it is “the fellowship of kindred minds.”
The “tie that binds” is neither a common constitution nor claimed property clause. It is the fundamentals of the faith – common doctrine and theology. Or, as stated in The Book of Confessions, “the true harmony of the Church consists in doctrines and in the true and harmonious preaching of the Gospel of Christ.”[2]
As did the original Reformers, we must recognize that any other tie that binds can become fetters which no longer join believers together for a common cause, but rather unequally yoke us to labor against one another. As theological threads are shredded, these false ties bind and tighten to ultimately constrain the very mission they were once designed to promote.
The Waldensians learned the hard way that gentle efforts at reform are not always well received by the established order. God was not glorified by the earthly attempts at maintaining control over the small but gentle sect which no longer shared a “fellowship of kindred minds.” How much greater it would have been had the established church simply let the Waldensians go to worship in faith, laying no claim to their lands, wealth, or freedoms.
Today there is no denying that the PCUSA is faced with divergent belief systems: Two faiths seeking to live together in one house. The question is how it will respond when reformers seek gracious separation?
I do not doubt that even the most ardent institutionalists will not seek to deprive evangelicals of life or liberty. But will they continue to seek property which they did not pay for? Will they insist that the ties be tightened for a fictional unity apart from Christ?
When we are no longer in fact bound together by a fellowship of kindred minds, let us manage our divergence in a way that reflects grace and glorifies God. And as the hymn states, “When we asunder part, it gives us inward pain; but we shall still be joined in heart, and hope to meet again.” My earnest prayer is that we may one day all meet again in theological unity, sharing once more a common goal, being of the same mind, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. But if part we must, in order that all may move forward in faith and mission, then let us do so well.
[1] Waldensian beliefs which led to their persecution included rejection of Roman Catholic traditions such as purgatory, indulgences, the worship of Mary, and veneration of relics. During the Reformation, the Waldensians integrated their beliefs with Reformed theology.
[2] Second Helvetic Confession 5.141