I carry considerable despair concerning the future of the Anglican Communion and the Episcopal Church at times in light of what I'll call "the troubles." Dan Martins posted a suggested solution to the botched "abandonment" charges brought up against bishops Schofield and Cox, and Greg Griffith responded forthwith that the move was quite calculated. Then there is the ongoing legal battles over property. But here's the kicker. Neither side has done the right thing, in my opinion.
On the TEC side of things, in spite of claims of "fiduciary" responsibility, the moral high ground is to let parishes leave with the property. Whether as an example of "generosity," to further demonstrate acceptance of Windsor/DES stipulations, as an act that shows they trust the claimed new leading of the Holy Spirit regardless of the cost, to avoid public perception as vindictive business-as-usual Christians by those outside the Church, or simply as an imitation of God's own character (consider the father in Christ' parable of the prodigal son), the rationale for NOT seeking what may or may not be rightfully TEC's is substantial enough for all legal pursuits to cease and allowing departing parishes to keep the assets.
On the departing Anglican side of things, for similar reasons, letting claims to property and assets go are truly worthwhile. Many sacrifices are being made by departing parishes--no clear future within the Anglican Communion, longstanding relationships and ties (some for generations), leaving behind the institutional benefits of pensions and insurance by clergy, perhaps bearing the stigma of being "schismatic" or "homophobic," even internal disagreement with fellow congregants who want to remain with TEC. With these considerations in mind, what are buildings and assets, really? To leave behind buildings and assets demonstrates a full trust in God's leading to depart, or in some cases it demonstrates that such things are albatrosses that only inhibit getting about the business of God's kingdom.
Whoever will leave the keys without a fight will be taking the moral high ground, both theologically and in the court of public opinion.
But what if both sides parted with the buildings? What if both sides never claimed a penny of the assets that remained? I highly doubt it would happen, but it might stand as a testimony of a brighter future for both sides. If both sides demonstrate the kind of humility, repentance, and sacrifice needed to create the unlikely scenario of unclaimed property and money, then there is a chance that both the fast-moving drift toward heresy and schism could be reversed, relationships healed, and a (re)formed Anglican witness not merely remain but thrive once again.
I'm a pessimist, but I'm allowed to dream aren't I?
5/14/2008
A Sacramental View of Scripture
If indeed all things in creation are ways by which God desires to engage us with grace, then it would make sense that Scripture is sacramental. There is a grace intended to be communicated to us through the the pages of the Holy Bible. What is that grace? The grace of God's decision to reveal his will, to speak to his people and his creation. we find the very "speaking" act of God foundational to creation itself (Genesis 1). And its continued sustenance by God's "powerful word" (Hebrews 1:3) shows that God's speech is intended for the beginning, upholding, and renewing of creation.
The analogy of Jesus as the Incarnate Word and the Bible as God's Word is very natural to make at this stage. As Jesus Christ is fully God and fully human, so is Scripture by its nature at the same time the words of God and the words of their human authors. This has ramifications for our hermeneutical views of Scripture. We recognize that Jesus in the flesh sufficiently and fully represented God, but was yet emptied of the full majesty due him. He was subject to death, pain, human limitations, and the very earthy constraints we would not normally associate with God.
Scripture, in like fashion, truly and full conveys what desires for us to know, that his creative power might work in us as we hear him speak in the pages of Scripture. Yet that Scripture has been subjected to very human conditions--limited vocabulary; progressive understanding of the authors, and thus revelation of truth; being conveyed via oral and written sources that are corruptible. Nevertheless, as the Holy Spirit both overshadowed Mary at the incarnation, and resurrected Jesus Christ from the dead, the Holy Spirit inspired the human authors, and breathes through Scripture into us new life.
Thus, the inheritance of Scripture is essential to our spiritual life. We cannot pick and choose the parts we like. We have to recognize that what is conveyed is intended, preserved, and vivified the Holy Spirit. As Christ in his hypostatic union is still one being in essence, though of two natures; Scripture contains a primary intent, found both in the heart of God and the ideas of the human writers. And as we obey one Lord Jesus Christ, taking the fullness of who he is upon our lives, we have no right to change the words of Scripture, neglect portions of it, or interpret Scripture in a manner that causes it to be self-negating.
And as we receive the grace of God in Scripture, our response should be one of thankful faith, manifested in obedience and worship. Then we will see the sacramental fruits of Scripture take root and bring life to our lives.
The analogy of Jesus as the Incarnate Word and the Bible as God's Word is very natural to make at this stage. As Jesus Christ is fully God and fully human, so is Scripture by its nature at the same time the words of God and the words of their human authors. This has ramifications for our hermeneutical views of Scripture. We recognize that Jesus in the flesh sufficiently and fully represented God, but was yet emptied of the full majesty due him. He was subject to death, pain, human limitations, and the very earthy constraints we would not normally associate with God.
Scripture, in like fashion, truly and full conveys what desires for us to know, that his creative power might work in us as we hear him speak in the pages of Scripture. Yet that Scripture has been subjected to very human conditions--limited vocabulary; progressive understanding of the authors, and thus revelation of truth; being conveyed via oral and written sources that are corruptible. Nevertheless, as the Holy Spirit both overshadowed Mary at the incarnation, and resurrected Jesus Christ from the dead, the Holy Spirit inspired the human authors, and breathes through Scripture into us new life.
Thus, the inheritance of Scripture is essential to our spiritual life. We cannot pick and choose the parts we like. We have to recognize that what is conveyed is intended, preserved, and vivified the Holy Spirit. As Christ in his hypostatic union is still one being in essence, though of two natures; Scripture contains a primary intent, found both in the heart of God and the ideas of the human writers. And as we obey one Lord Jesus Christ, taking the fullness of who he is upon our lives, we have no right to change the words of Scripture, neglect portions of it, or interpret Scripture in a manner that causes it to be self-negating.
And as we receive the grace of God in Scripture, our response should be one of thankful faith, manifested in obedience and worship. Then we will see the sacramental fruits of Scripture take root and bring life to our lives.
5/08/2008
Components of a Sacrament
In order to understand our Sacramental God, we must understand all that is necessary for something to be sacramental. I'll be honest in saying that I do not purport in portraying a comprehensive view of sacraments. And frankly, I am uncertain as to how connected my beliefs are with any let alone Anglican view of sacraments. My draw to Anglicanism has been chasing the reverberating echo I sent out signaled back to me from Anglicanism that I heard as I have tried to follow Jesus.
Some minimum requirements are needed for a sacrament to "happen." First and most important, you need God. Second, you need something created by God (something that isn't God, material or not, even a mere idea). Third, you need God's operating by means of the created thing to convey an aspect of his benevolence and, in some manner, presence/grace. From this minimal definition, literally anything can be a sacrament. In fact, I would even suggest everything is sacramental in some manner. But the purpose of each sacrament is not the same in scope and effect. All sacraments make holy something may not ordinarily be counted holy, thus making it a vehicle of God to express his divine nature and intentions toward creation and humanity.
Finally, all sacraments demand a response. Whether we are talking Newtonian physics ("for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction"), or relational interactions between us with God and one another, the Sacramental God acts in ways that make it impossible to for there to be mere stasis. Creation must respond. We must confront the reality of the Living God as the Holy Spirit moves within us and outside us. God is wooing us, summoning us, seeking our greatest good and his ultimate glory, which coincide with one another again and again. Perhaps it is time for us to open up our eyes to the workings of the Heavenly Father, revealed in Jesus Christ, and still at work among us through the Holy Spirit.
Some minimum requirements are needed for a sacrament to "happen." First and most important, you need God. Second, you need something created by God (something that isn't God, material or not, even a mere idea). Third, you need God's operating by means of the created thing to convey an aspect of his benevolence and, in some manner, presence/grace. From this minimal definition, literally anything can be a sacrament. In fact, I would even suggest everything is sacramental in some manner. But the purpose of each sacrament is not the same in scope and effect. All sacraments make holy something may not ordinarily be counted holy, thus making it a vehicle of God to express his divine nature and intentions toward creation and humanity.
Finally, all sacraments demand a response. Whether we are talking Newtonian physics ("for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction"), or relational interactions between us with God and one another, the Sacramental God acts in ways that make it impossible to for there to be mere stasis. Creation must respond. We must confront the reality of the Living God as the Holy Spirit moves within us and outside us. God is wooing us, summoning us, seeking our greatest good and his ultimate glory, which coincide with one another again and again. Perhaps it is time for us to open up our eyes to the workings of the Heavenly Father, revealed in Jesus Christ, and still at work among us through the Holy Spirit.
5/01/2008
The Sacramental God
I have been taking a class on John Henry Newman, focusing on when he was still an Anglican, reading primarily from his Oxford sermons and his Parochial & Plain Sermons. For my most recent paper, I read his sermon on the Eucharistic Presence of Jesus in holy communion. And it got me thinking about how I have been framing my theological ideas for some time now, at least the past 5 years. I truly believe that God interacts pre-eminently with creation sacramentally. But I would qualify that what I mean by sacrament is not limited to the 2 Gospel sacraments or the Roman 7.
I believe every manner by which God interacts with creation is a sacrament. Wherever grace is found touching the physical world, that is where God is, and that is a sacramental act on God's part. Sacraments also, by their nature, demand a response to fully apprehend the benefit they are intended to give. Perhaps this would be a good topic to address in the next few posts, concerning how our sacramental God engages us to win us and creation back into a restored relationship with Him.
I believe every manner by which God interacts with creation is a sacrament. Wherever grace is found touching the physical world, that is where God is, and that is a sacramental act on God's part. Sacraments also, by their nature, demand a response to fully apprehend the benefit they are intended to give. Perhaps this would be a good topic to address in the next few posts, concerning how our sacramental God engages us to win us and creation back into a restored relationship with Him.
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