The theology (literally
"the study of God") of the Episcopal Church is the evolving understanding of
the Creator's graceful self-disclosure through Christ. Recognizing that no
historical period has complete comprehension, the Episcopal Church respects a
number of informed theological explanations. All interpretations must be
faithful to the Bible, informed by Tradition, and illumined by Reason -
accompanied by our corporate experience.
In addition to impressive
worship, the Episcopal Church's lay and ordained ministry includes a central,
prophetic dimension that speaks to - and acts on - issues of justice. [Note:
Prayer Book pages 305, 417, 550, 823 (#27)]
"The gospel finds concrete
expression in every culture in which the church takes root. It addresses us
where we are and, when we respond faithfully, transforms the culture of which
we are a part. The gospel takes concrete form from the church's liturgy and
through the liturgy shapes and forms us. In this way the liturgy serves not
only to glorify God but also to sanctify us, and liturgical formation - the way
ritual action forms and shapes us as Christians - is one of the concrete
expressions of the Spirit's work of sanctification. Because the world remains
fallen until God's kingdom comes, however, the church - when it is true to its
calling - remains to some extent a counterculture in every culture in which it
is planted. It is always the ekklesia - the people of God 'called out'
of the world. As such it can never simply accept cultural forms as it finds
them, but must transform them so that they are reshaped by the cross and
resurrection of Christ and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit."
[Stuhlman, Occasions of Grace: An Historical and Theological Study of the
Pastoral Offices and Episcopal Services in the Book of Common Prayer
(1995), p. 12.] What cultural forms present in the areas served by this parish
need transformation? What is your prophetic ministry?
2001 ADDENDUM
[based on public comments by contemporary
theologians]
The church looks to the
theologian for prudent advice; his/her job is to show why the church is
teaching what is being taught. Furthermore, the theologian can play an
exploratory role, not to challenge church teaching deliberately but to ask
questions as a way of reinterpreting the tradition for the current generation.
The best kind of theologian is one who is anchored in the tradition/community
of faith, but is at the same time at the church's growing edge. When
theologians ask questions, they may not only come up with wrong answers, but
also with new insights. Theologians are answerable to the church, but also to
the demands of the academy. Far from static, theology preserves, explores, and
evolves.