Membership qualification
Initially, the Civil Service Prayer Union was an agreement to pray. From
the 1890s to the present day, however, the Civil Service Prayer Unions and
Christian Unions laid down items of belief that qualified a person for
membership. These tests, or membership qualifications, have played an
important part in the history of the Union, and have sometimes been the
centre of debate. Their core has remained the same since 1893, but they
were narrowed in the 1940s when a (possibly ambiguous) clause requiring
"belief in the Holy Scriptures" was added.
The structure of the union, as well as the tests of membership, affected
the breadth of opinion reflected within the Union. Prior to the first world
war, for example, the structure of the Union provided for a very wide
debate outside the test of membership because the Junior Civil Service
Christian Union encouraged non-members to buy and contribute to is paper
and to attend and participate in the debates at its meetings, although not
to vote.
The tests have been strictest since the second world war because of the
(possibly) fundamentalist clause about the scriptures. Drafts for this
clause were unambiguously fundamentalist. The version adopted was the
softest.
The interpretation and application of the tests has affected the breadth of
debate. After the adoption of the scripture clause, for example, the union
still sought to relate to Christian Fellowships within the Civil Service
with a broader basis. In the 1950s the affairs of such fellowships were
reported in Service "as if" they were branches. The "tests" often
deterred their affiliation for several years, but active fellowship with
the Union sometimes led to their position being "regularised". This
diversity of branch philosophy and practice meant that a broader discussion
of issues took place in some branches than in others. One large branch, for
example, was sufficiently unified in its membership to annually hold
communion (the breaking of bread and tasting of wine) in the manner of the
Christian Brethren. Other branches were of a sufficiently broad outlook to
hold series of meetings at which views of different religions,
denominations and sects were discussed with members of those groups.
In addition to the written tests, however, there were unwritten tests for
many members of the Union. The tests do not appear, for example, to exclude
Roman Catholics and (in fact) some branches included Catholics. There was
however a strongly anti-Catholic tradition within the Union. The strains
over this issue, after about 1970, between the anti-Catholic and the
Catholic accepting members of the Union are evident in letters between
Union members, but the debate was not reported in Service.
1884:
"At different time, Members have suggested that some test should be applied
before enroling members. This point was fully considered by the Committee,
with the result that they determined that the principle which should govern
the admission of Members is, that it should be left to each candidate
conscientiously to decide before God, whether he truly desires to further
the objects of the Prayer Union, in the spirit and upon the principles
which manifestly pervade the entire contents of the Member's Card of
Prayer." (CSPU Quarterly
Paper, October 1884 p.4)
1892:
Civil Service Prayer Union Calendar of Prayer and List of Members for 1872
states that "the only essential condition of membership" is the
"agreement" of "members in private prayer one morning in the week for the
Civil Service and for one another". Previous prayer lists do not state an
"essential condition" of membership.
1893:
"The Civil Service Prayer Union was established in the year 1872, for
the purpose of promoting fellowship among Christian members of Her
Majesty's Civil Service apart from all denominational and social
distinctions. The one qualification for membership is the acknowledgement
of the Divine Sonship of the Lord Jesus Christ and personal trust in the
atoning efficacy of His death for acceptance with God." (Civil Service
Prayer Union Calendar of Prayer and List of Members. 1893)
1931:
"the qualifications for membership are:
(a) belief in the Holy Trinity of God the Father, God the Son, and God
the Holy Spirit.
(b) personal trust in the efficacy of the atoning work of the Lord
Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Rules of the Civil Service Christian Union for Prayer and the
furtherance of the kingdom of God. George Lane's "Revised proof
25.11.1931".
1946
Minutes of a Special General Meeting held at Orange Street Church on
Tuesday 10.9.1946:
It was proposed by Miss J.M. Burton (Ministry of Health) and seconded
by Mr Hawkins that an addition should be made to the effect that a belief
in the inspiration and inerrancy of the Scriptures is required."
1947
Minutes of a Executive Committee Meeting held at Orange Street Church on
Tuesday 4.2.1947:
It was proposed by Mr Tatford and seconded by Mr Elliot that a motion be
put from the Chairman that Rule 3.1.c of the Constitution be amended by the
deletion of the words "inspiration and inerrancy of the".
Minutes of the Annual Conference held in the Assembly Room, Central Hall,
Westminster on Tuesday 11.2.1947: The proposed amendment was put, and the
reasons for explained, and after brief discussion, carried unanimously.
There about 200 members and friends present at this meeting. Reasons and
discussions are not recorded in the minutes or in Service. The
following account was given in a letter of 12.5.1955 from Edwin Roberts to
Douglas Robertson, an enquirer who had questioned the vagueness of the
expression "belief in the Holy Scriptures".
"When or present rules were drafted in 1946 the expression "belief in
the inspiration and inerrancy of the Holy Scriptures" was inserted
in consequence of an amendment moved at the Special General Meeting. About
two years later, however,
[actually, 3 months
later] the words [inspiration and inerrancy of the] were
deleted by a resolution at the Annual Conference, because they had given
rise to difficulty of interpretation.
Some people believe that the
Authorised Version of the Bible is 100%
accurate in every respect; some people believe that while the writers of
the Scriptures were preserved from error in matters of doctrine they were
not necessarily preserved from error in minor historical and scientific
matters.
The Committee of the time (all of whom were fundamentalists) felt that it
would not be right to exclude from membership people of the last viewpoint
and also saw the difficulty of interpreting the phrase, and therefore
supported the change.
I was on the Committee at the time and can testify that there was no
question of any member having any doubt that "God spake all these things".
My own firm view is that the Union's evangelical position cannot be
safeguarded by mere words in the Rules. Its safety lies in the fact that
the members of the Union are, in fact, fundamentalists and are
determined to keep it thus. The basis of faith serves the position
[purpose?] of declaring our position in simple language and if you read the
first two clauses carefully you will realise that we have nothing to fear
in that respect from people who have honestly signed their agreement to
them.
I don't know what your own denominational affiliation is, but I suggest
that you look at the names inside the cover of Service and you may
recognise some of them."
1994:
"the qualifications for membership being:
(a) belief in the Holy Trinity of God the Father, God the Son, and God
the Holy Spirit.
(b) personal trust in the efficacy of the atoning work of the Lord
Jesus Christ our Saviour and
(c) belief in the Holy Scriptures."
(Service August 1994, p. 3)
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