How One Quiet Voice Shaped the PC(USA)’s Brief Statement of Faith

Rev. Dr. Cynthia Campbell shares a little known backstory behind one of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A.’s most beloved theological documents: the Brief Statement of Faith.

With host Rev. Dr. Katie Givens Kime, Campbell recalls the emotionally charged process of editing the statement, especially the addition of the line: “to hear the voices of peoples long silenced.” This was no abstract phrase—it was rooted in a real story of intergenerational faith and cultural memory from an Indigenous colleague whose family’s journey touched the committee deeply.

What unfolds in this clip is more than history. It’s a reflection on how the Spirit speaks courage into fearful places, and how the church can—and must—listen.

Transcript

Rev. Dr. Katie Givens Kime
You contributed deeply to the theological life of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. You helped draft the Brief Statement of Faith, which is kind of a big deal.
There must be a story there.

Rev. Dr. Cynthia Campbell
Yeah, it's the latest, of course, of our statements written by American Presbyterians. It came out of our reunion in 1983. And then a process was set in place. I was not actually on the drafting committee. I was on the second committee. Because the process of adopting one of these things in the Presbyterian Church is a little convoluted, formidable.

Anyway, so by the time my committee received a first line of approval, it was our job to look at all the material of comments. We had over 15,000 comments from Presbyterians around the country and to make changes. And the drafting committee, as you might imagine, was very, very nervous about what we would do to their precious document. Some of them were really not pleased at one or two of the changes we made. But one of them I want to talk about is, I think, so powerful. The last section on the Holy Spirit begins, "In a broken and fearful world, the Spirit gives us courage," and then it lists these things that the Spirit gives us courage to do. One of the things we added was the phrase "to hear the voices of peoples long silenced."

We did that because of a man on the committee who was at the University of Dubuque and he'd run a program there for years for Native American students coming mostly from the Dakotas, who could do a B.A. and an M.Div. in an accelerated fashion and go back to their people. He himself was an Indigenous person and one very quiet man told us the story. He was originally from Alaska.

His grandfather was the religious leader of this particular community and was the first convert.

My friend and his whole family, as they grew, embraced the faith. They were all Presbyterians. By the time my friend's parents had died, it fell to him to clean out the house and he went up to the attic and found a trunk he'd never seen open. He opened it and inside was his grandfather's ceremonial robe, which he had put away at the time of his conversion. My friend got it out and put it on and felt his grandfather's voice.

He said, "You know, that's something we need to do is hear voices that have been silenced but can still speak."

Reflecting on Voices Long Silenced

The gift of this conversation lies not just in historical insight but in a challenge to every person of faith: How do we listen to voices that have long been silenced?

Rev. Dr. Campbell reminds us that theology isn’t written in isolation—it’s shaped by stories, communities, and courageous listening. The Brief Statement of Faith’s call to hear “voices of peoples long silenced” wasn’t symbolic. It was spiritual and deeply personal.

For pastors and educators, this clip offers a reminder that our work is never just about doctrine—it’s about honoring the lived experiences of those who’ve walked before us and making space for those who’ve been marginalized. For anyone reading, it’s a powerful call to let memory and justice meet in your faith practice.

Here are a few questions for further reflection:
- Whose voices have been silenced in your church’s story?
- What stories might your community be ready to hear—or tell?
- How does the Holy Spirit give us courage to listen deeply?
- What role do faith statements play in shaping collective memory?

Explore Rev. Dr. Cynthia Campbell’s full sermon from episode 4183 >>>