St. Paul's
First Letter to the Thessalonians is considered to be the earliest
New Testament writing, dated about 51 AD. "Thessalonica was the capital
of the Roman province of Macedonia... The letter reflects the life of a
congregation [founded by Paul] that was devoted to its faith and strongly aware
of its separation from the society in which its members had until recently
found their standards and values. At the same time it was also a community that
was threatened by social pressures and at times outright persecution to turn
back to the life from which they had come." [The New Oxford Annotated
Bible, p. 291 NT] Silvanus (also known as Silas) and Timothy were fellow
missionaries with Paul.
Given the
above comments on I Thessalonians, we might reflect on these questions:
To what extent should any Episcopal Church, be "devoted to its faith and
strongly aware of its separation from the society in which its members had ...
found their standards and values?" To what extent are parishioners
"threatened by social pressures and at times outright persecution to turn back
to the life from which they had come?" In fact, have Episcopalians "come from"
(set aside) values from surrounding society? Is the Church simply
one more charitable institution or club to which one contributes? Is the Church
a public utility with essentially the same standards and values as its
surrounding culture? If there is continuity between the Church's values and
standards and those of Town and County residents and associations, has society
adopted the Word as its guiding principle, or has the Church surrendered to
society? To what extent are various activities of the social season of Palm
Beach compatible with the Gospel of Christ? What might be the
content of St. Paul's First Letter to the Episcopal Church or ...to your
church?