An Atheist Preacher in Canada Keeps Her Pulpit



There has been a long running effort to remove an admitted Canadian atheist from her position as a pastor in a Christian denomination. The story is a fascinating look into what might been the long term future of the Christian religion.

The Pastor, Gretta Volper of the Toronto West Hill United Church, has been the preacher there since 1993 a few members of the church complained to the head office of the United Church of Canada. I gather the United Church of Canada is similar to the Untied Church of Christ in the U.S. but a little less doctrinaire. The UCC of the U.S. is not very doctrinaire.

There is a requirement in the United Church of Canada that a board of officials interview Pastor Volper to determine the validity of complaints against her. After the interview that committee issued a decision that Pastor Volper's ministerial credentials be taken from her. The reason given was that the Pastor went "too far" from the Church's official statement of beliefs.

While the United Church of Canada's founding documents have the usual stuff about how it believes in God, Jesus, the Resurrection, etc., here is what appears on the United Church of Canada's welcome page describing the denomination's view on "Faith and the Bible": The Bible is the shared standard of our faith, but members are not required to adhere to any particular creed or formulation.

 After the interview committee determined Pastor Volper unfit to continue as a Pastor in the denomination the matter went before the denomination's governing board. That board had two choices, dismiss the charges against her or hold an official church trial on charging her with heresy. The board weighed the consequences of charging her with heresy when its official position is that member are not required to "adhere to any particular creed or formulation." 

 The board decided holding a trail on heresy was ridiculous and dropped all charges against her. Pastor Vosper, the atheist, is again a pastor in good standing and most of her church members are delighted.

I think this decision to treat religious dogma as not that important bodes well for the future of Christianity.




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