Some of these sisters and brothers hold to the same commitments; some are further to the left; [8] some do indeed hold to aberrant doctrine; all are baptized into Christ and loved by him. And even when it does, Christ remains faithful to those he has gathered to himself. By the same token, he is at work through the ACNA too. I recently argued elsewhere that a good path for divided Anglicans might be to learn how to be grateful for those from whom we are divided.
Jesus does not have bad blood toward those in his church, only the blood he shed for them on his cross, which he gives them to drink in the eucharistic cup. In his scandalous grace, he continues to use us to reconcile women and men to himself.
Animosity dies when we begin to look at those across the ecclesial divide with the eyes of Christ, and see his gospel at work, awakening and sustaining faith. A Brutal Unity by Ephraim Radner Baylor University Press, , which explores Christian unity as grounded in Christ, who refuses to let go of even his enemies, has profoundly influenced my thinking.
My only hope is in the Christ who died for us while we were at enmity with him, and holds fast to us no matter how badly we stumble and fall. I hope we never find it. The prayer book, together with the constitutions and canons of the Episcopal Church, rather than statements by bishops, or even General Convention, indicate the doctrine and discipline of the church. And so, per the Book of Common Prayer, the Episcopal Church remains committed to the Nicene faith and all that comes along with it.
Any exceptions to this within the Episcopal Church are just that: exceptions, not the rule. Instead, it is the indissoluble union of the church with Christ established at baptism that renders the division unacceptable. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Schlesinger: Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
My one question is: what is the rationale for stopping at Canterbury, and not rejoining the Roman Catholic church? All the same arguments for coming into the Episcopal fold could be made, with both less force and more, for coming back into the RC church. The RC has a stronger case for its givenness than the entire Anglican communion given its history and global reach.
Thank you for your thoughtful piece. Thanks for taking the time to read and engage with my piece. I understand your question here, and I suppose the basic answer is that, so far, I have found that the place for me to live out my vocation as a Catholic Christian is within the Anglican tradition. While the unity of the church is of great import to me, I do not think that this issue can be resolved by finding and then reverting to some ideal instance of the church, but by working for reunion from where we are currently located.
At present, I find myself as … Read more ». I think your answer here simply dodged the question. The exact same answer justifies remaining in the ACNA. The Episcopal Church has its roots in irregular consecrations. Popes asserted the filioque clause in the Ecumenical Creed. This was finally defined in by Vatican I. Same with the Immaculate Conception, and that when the Pope declares on faith or morals, ex cathedra, it … Read more ». I understand these concerns, but you are wrong in at least some of your particulars.
The filioque was not introduced by a bishop of Rome, but rather by a local council. Transubstantiation is not an explanation of how Christ is present in the Eucharist, but rather an assertion that the sacramental species really do become his body and blood this doctrinal teaching is distinct from the speculative apparatus used by, e.
Also, transubstantiation was taught not by papal decree but in ecumenical councils. Similar historical nuance could be provided for the definitions of the … Read more ». At one point does one realize the toxicity is within and beyond refoming? No one and no church is ever beyond hope, because salvation is by grace. Could one not then raise the question of whether or not the Anglican Communion itself has a dubious justification for its existence? Was it not formed, at least in part, by the the same concerns over the state of the western Catholic church as motivated Luther and a perceived need to come out of a corrupted institution?
I would contest that the Anglican Communion was formed by the Reformation. The English Church passed through the Reformation, but its beginning was not there. In other words, they are contesting precisely the structural arrangement of the Communion itself—the instruments of Communion—which privileges the authority of a colonial power England and caters to the interests of monied provinces TEC. Simply put sir, you are incorrect. By doing so, TEC showed its commitment to walking away from communion and scripture.
Also, as of now, at least, the Episcopal Church does not have rites in the Book of Common Prayer for same sex marriage. A practical look at the ecclesiology implicit in the TEC canons suggests a stronger case for the national church … Read more ». Hi Gene, Thanks for writing this article, which I finally had time to read.
It helps me understand you more. While I have many disagreements that remain, I am more sympathetic to your position now, and I appreciate your irenical tone toward us ACNA folks, even if we are schismatics. Most of all though, I want you to know how sad I still am that you chose to leave. But, on many public policies, even when I agree on the goals, I usually disagree with liberals about how to go about achieving them.
I was in The Episcopal Church for 45 years. The schism, for me, came when I became Born-Again and decided to believe the bible literally.
What was it about your Born Again experience, that led you to reject your 45 years!!! Why did you decide for the comparatively recent invention of biblical literalism? Regarding congregations, they fall across the spectrum. And there are middle of the road congregations. And others that are a big tent and manage not to divide into internal camps, but happily coexist with differences of views.
I would even go so far as to say that a great many Episcopalians are mostly engaged with their local parish ministries and working to follow Christ. Go check it out! Confirmation is becoming a member of the Church, as the Author writes. We are confirmed as members of the Anglican Communion, and we select a Parish home, where our membership letter resides.
Thank you for writing a lovely article. My teenage boys dig into our tradition, knowing that critical thinking is part of how we seek to understand God. So that when they are challenged, the love of Jesus is there for them, like both an anchor and a beacon.
In Anglicanism, we exist with this tension and grapple with critical thought, just as my boys navigate their own adolescent world full of doubts. Critical thought creates deep roots in their faith, because it consistently comes back to love, and that they belong to a larger community of faith that spans centuries.
The Hymnal, the Book of Common Prayer, tie us all together. And in the northeast, there is a heritage of slave trading, Jim Crow, and social segregation that continues down to today that also needs to be acknowledged. Thank you, Paul, for pointing this out. Many in upstate NY are surprised to learn of Episcopal slaveholders in this area. The art and articles that appear here remain the property of their creators. Search our Site. Why be Episcopalian? October 4, Jon White. Newest Oldest Most Voted.
Inline Feedbacks. JC Fisher. October 7, am. Tim Collins. October 6, pm. Thank you all for your comments. I will check it out. David Streever. Reply to Tim Collins. I like the Episcopal Church for many reasons. I love the music and can feel the sense of love. You put an asterisk next to trans in 1, but then there is no explanation later on.. I am proud to be Episcopalian as well, one reason being we are inclusive. We are an embracing, accepting and forgiving bunch, and in so being, are called on to bear witness to our faith.
It is honorable and right to welcome same gender couples into our congregations and worship. But we also must include in the same way, those within our faith that do not believe in same gender marriages, old school Episcopalians if you will or those who are more literally grounded in Biblical teaching. In there lies the issue at hand. Nowhere that I know of in the Bible are same sex relations sanctioned, quite the contrary.
It is that very diversity that makes our Church so embracing, making room for all with respect, acceptance and love. Honoring and recognizing these differences in no way diminishes the power of it; it strengthens it.
This debate over same-sex marriage distinct from the blessing of unions will likely continue for the next three years and beyond in the Anglican council and here at home; these sanctions are not a good thing but the discussion of how to deal with the issue is.
Through this process, we as Episcopalians can demonstrate to the Anglican community, what it truly means to love our neighbors as ourselves and, at the same time, living out our diversity in faith … I think we are called to do both. I love this. If I may comment, however, I have an issue with the phrasing of 4.
Are we adaptable to remain relevant? I like being adaptable not to be relevant but to follow Jesus when time and circumstances change.
I support inclusivity because I feel Jesus would, not because we want to be relevant. Does that make sense no guarantee since I just woke up;. Anyway, keep up the good work.
Like Liked by 2 people. Thank you Reverend Run, I really appreciate your insightful comment and I think we are on the same page regarding our believe in learning what it means to follow Jesus when time and circumstances change — in so many words this is indeed one of the definitions of remaining relevant, in my opinion. I can see where my phrasing could be developed and interpreted from any angle.
Since I just woke up myself, I look forward to revisiting your comment and 4 from a more awake brain where I can meditate prayerfully about it.
Like Liked by 1 person. I get the values of comfort and universality. And thanks for the list. You are commenting using your WordPress.
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