The Commission on Faith and Witness

Members of the Commission on Faith and Witness working during their 2016 meeting in Ottawa.

What is the Commission on Faith and Witness?

The Commission on Faith and Witness (CFW) engages churches in theological reflection to foster greater understanding of the faith we hold in common, and to provide an ecumenical witness to Christ’s mission in the world. The Commission provides a meeting place—a lively and fertile ground for reflection and work, among Christians of different families. Together, we think theologically about matters that concern CCC member churches. Read more

What does the Commission do?

(see also Other Commission responsibilities)

Some major topics the Commission has addressed:

• Baptism: In the course of its reflection on Christian initiation, the Commission identified common elements on Scripture, theology, and experience pertinent in the preparation for initiation into the Body of Christ. Read the resulting document Initiation into Christ: Common Teaching and Ecumenical Reflections on Preparation for Baptism (1991).

• Marriage: This project aimed at furthering a Christian understanding of marriage in a secular and pluralist society. The principal project outcome was the book Together in Christ: The Hope and Promise of Christian Marriage. This book contains general reflections on Christian marriage, information from 14 Christian denominations, and Biblical reflection questions to help pastors and couples preparing for marriage, and those interested in ecumenical perspectives.

• Theological Anthropology: The Commission reflected on a number of theological issues arising from contemporary genetic science and engineering—including stem cell research, cloning, and genetically-modified foods—and produced a resource for ordinary believers called Becoming Human: On Theological Anthropology in An Age of Engineering Life.
  

• Suffering and Hope: Suffering is a universal characteristic of the human condition. Christianity’s response to suffering is both the hope offered in and by Jesus Christ and concrete action to relieve suffering. The Commission explored Christian perspectives on suffering and hope, which resulted in the personal and pastoral resource in the form of a book, The Bruised Reed: Reflections on Suffering and Hope.  You can also download the project working papers prepared by Commission members.

• Doctrine: This project dealt with the different approaches to church doctrine among the members of the Council. The working papers by Commission members considered in the course of this reflection were published in the journal Ecumenism (Vol. 45, No. 179-180, 2010) and are available for downloading.
  

• Salvation: The Commission has examined the notion of salvation and related themes such as redemption, justification and union with God, in the context of modern secularism and widespread indifference to spiritual concerns and religion. It is hoped that the Commission’s work in this area, focused in part on the question “Why be a Christian?”, will assist in making the essential Christian message more relevant to our contemporaries who see little value in religious commitment. As a part of this reflection, Commission members produced short statements in response to the question “Why be a Christian?”

• Religious Pluralism: In 2013 the Commission began consideration of theological questions arising from religious pluralism. This is a natural follow-up to the Commission’s role in fostering and monitoring interreligious contacts and dialogue on behalf of the Council (see “Interfaith Dialogue” below).

• Physician-Assisted Death: The Statement of Support for Universal Access to Palliative Care in Canada (October 2016) is a consensus statement of all the delegates of the thirteen churches which comprised the membership of the Commission on Faith and Witness in 2015-2016.

Other Commission responsibilities

In addition to in-depth consideration and reflection on specific theological questions such as those mentioned above, the CFW has several on-going responsibilities within the Council.

• Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, held from January 18 to 25 each year since 1908, is both a witness of Christian unity in prayer, and an appeal for divine assistance in completing the unity of the Body of Christ, in accord with Christ’s own prayer “That they may be One” (Jn 17:21-22). To commemorate the centenary of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in 2008, the Commission sponsored the preparation and publication of Liturgies for Christian Unity: The First Hundred Years 1908-2008, with prayers and texts from the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity over the years, and ideas for liturgies of all forms and sizes.

• Biotechnology: Together with the Commission on Justice and Peace, the CFW participates in the work of the Biotechnology Reference Group (BRG), established by the CCC Governing Board as a reference group for the gathering and exchange of information on biotechnology.

• Canadian Forum on Inter-Church Dialogues: The CFW has brought together people involved in Canadian inter-Church dialogues for symposia aimed at furthering understanding/exchange of experiences of these dialogues, and awareness of international dialogues. Together with the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism and the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism, the CFW is sponsoring additional symposia on inter-Church dialogues in Canada—to be held in Saskatoon in 2015, and in Montreal in 2017.

• Interfaith Dialogue: The CFW participates in and supports the work of the Interfaith Reference Group, an ecumenical body which fosters the engagement of Council members with religious diversity and participation in dialogue with different faith communities present in Canada, including involvement on the Canadian Christian Jewish Consultation and National Muslim-Christian Liaison Committee, and other interfaith bodies. The Council’s involvement in interfaith dialogue has resulted in several useful documents, including:
  • Guidelines for Religious Ceremonies Involving More than One Faith Tradition
    
  • Interfaith Resource Kit
  • A study of the interfaith experience of Canadian churches entitled Who Is My Neighbour? A Window into the Interfaith Experience and Potential of Member Churches of the Canadian Council of Churches.

• Emergency Planning: The National Advisory Group on Emergency Planning (NAGEP) is a standing committee of the Commission with a mandate to improve the response of member churches to emergency situations. The Advisory Group has produced several documents, notably a Code of Engagement and Understanding the Role of Spiritual Care in Times of Disaster for Disaster Response Volunteers, First Responders and Disaster Planners.