Jumpstarter 6 of 10

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Question 6

The Alsace congregations officially accepted the Dordrecht Confession (1660), while Emmental churches largely continued with the Schleitheim Confession, and Dean warns about “assuming” shared fundamentals. What does this episode suggest about the role of clear confession and shared teaching in preserving unity, and where do your churches rely on unspoken assumptions that could later explode?

Another way to ask: What does this story teach about why clear statements of belief and shared teaching matter for unity? Where does your church assume agreement without saying it, and how could that later cause a blowup?

Direct Answer Dean implies that clear, shared confession and teaching help prevent later conflict, because assumptions about what “everyone believes” can collapse under pressure. Unity weakens when groups think they share fundamentals but have never actually received or clarified the same commitments.

Support from Transcript:

In Alsace, on April 2, 1660, they “officially accepted the Dordrecht Confession of Faith,” making it a public statement.
Emmental brothers “never quite received the Dordrecht Confession… They had the Schleidheim Confession,” creating a gap.
Dean warns, “you better make sure your fundamentals are clearly established because people start to assume things… you get into crisis.”
He notes Dordrecht “spells out some of the things that the Schleidheim Confession does not,” meaning differences were not merely paperwork.
Later conflict over shunning/discipline ties directly to Dordrecht’s articles, showing how unclear shared teaching becomes a flashpoint.

Discussion Follow-ups What doctrines or practices does your church assume everyone agrees on, but has never taught clearly? How do you check whether “shared vocabulary” actually means shared convictions?

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