Most denominations have some sort of articles of faith. Catholics do, Mennonites do, Lutherans do. So it is perfectly legitimate for a church to ask members to agree with their article of faith as a condition of membership.AndersonD wrote: ↑Mon Dec 18, 2023 2:10 pmHypothetical situation...an evolutionary scientist wants to join a plain Mennonite congregation, but the preacher ask him to put his evolutionary views on the shelf. It's a real hurdle for the scientist, in which case I wouldn't encourage him to join the aforementioned congregation, but if he wants to start an Anabaptist congregation that interprets the first Adam differently, go for it.
But someone seeking to join a conservative congregation is presumably already willing to agree with that congregation's articles of faith or we wouldn't have gotten this far. So for example, the Rosedale, (formerly known as CMC) has the following article of faith which makes the following statement about creation: https://rosedalenetwork.org/wp-content/ ... -email.pdf
Creation is a good and supernatural1 work of God, who is the creator of all things, visible and invisible. Creation is the explanation of the origin and existence of all things, including the material universe, the spiritual cosmos, and those beings which by free will rebelled against God and chose an attitude and condition of evil.
And MCUSA has the following statement of faith on the same topic: https://www.mennoniteusa.org/who-are-me ... -of-faith/
We believe that God has created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them, and that God preserves and renews what has been made. All creation ultimately has its source outside itself and belongs to the Creator. The world has been created good because God is good and provides all that is needed for life. We believe that the universe has been called into being as an expression of God’s love and sovereign freedom alone. Creation witnesses to the eternal power and divine nature of God, who gives meaning and purpose to life and who alone is worthy of worship and praise.
We acknowledge that God sustains creation in both continuity and change. We believe that God upholds order in creation and limits the forces of sin and evil for the sake of preserving and renewing humanity and the world. God also works to save human beings and the world from death and destruction and to overcome the forces of sin and evil.
We therefore are called to respect the natural order of creation and to entrust ourselves to God’s care and keeping, whether in adversity or plenty. Neither the work of human hands, nor the forces of the natural world around us, nor the power of the nations among which we live are worthy of the trust and honor due the Creator on whom they depend.
So yes, I would expect any person seeking to join either of those churches to acknowledge and agree with either of these two articles of faith, respectively. And, by the way, neither of which actually excludes evolution as the driving force of biological change that we see in the world around us.
Most conservative Anabaptist groups like the Beachy Amish adhere to the Dordrecht Confession of Faith which was adopted in 1632 and says the following about creation: https://www.bibleviews.com/Dordrecht.html
Of this same one God, who worketh all in all, we believe and confess that He is the Creator of all things visible and invisible; that He, in six days, created, made, and prepared, heaven and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is; and that He still governs and upholds the same and all His works through His wisdom, might, and the word of His power.
And when He had finished His works, and had ordained and prepared them, each in its nature and properties, good and upright, according to His pleasure, He created the first man, the father of us, Adam; whom He formed of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, so that he became a living soul, created by God in His own image and likeness, in righteousness and holiness, unto eternal life. He regarded him above all other creatures, endowed him with many high and glorious gifts, placed him in the pleasure garden or Paradise, and gave him a command and prohibition; afterwards He took a rib from Adam, made a woman therefrom, and brought her to him, joining and giving her to him for a helpmate, companion, and wife; and in consequence of this He also caused, that from this one man Adam, all men that dwell upon the whole earth have descended.
And yes, I would expect that such congregations would expect new members to adhere to that article of faith. Which presumably they would if they have gotten that far. I would not expect them to do as you suggest and tell some prospective member who DOES adhere to all of those articles of faith to go make their own church.