CHRISTIANITIES
Last
year I served on a panel that included a Rabbi, a Roman Catholic priest, and a
fundamentalist minister. We were discussing the likely consecration of Canon
Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, the first openly gay, partnered bishop-to-be in
Christian history. Well into the program, I found myself saying that in terms
of Christianity, I have virtually nothing in common with the priest and
minister. We seem to have incompatible convictions about the very nature of the
Bible, about the evolution of Christian doctrine and morality, about authority
in matters of Faith and morals, and indeed much about Jesus himself. I realized
once again that there is no one “Christianity.” Rather, there are
competing Christianities.
IN THE
NEWS THIS WEEK
During
this week, news services reported that about 10% of our Episcopal clergy and
laity in the United States are so bitter about several recent positions adopted
by our General Convention that one dissident group has developed a strategy to
replace the Episcopal Church with itself as the authentic Anglican presence in
the United States. Most of these individuals have decided to remain technically
within the Episcopal Church, because exiting clergy lose certain pension
benefits, and church properties must remain with the legal Episcopal Church
corporation.
Bitterness from
various minority groups occurs after every significant development in the
Church’s life. In these days, some people despise the 1979 Prayer Book
– now in use for 25 years. Some will not accept female clergy. All insist
on the strict prohibition of sexual expression outside of heterosexual
marriage. The vocal minority wants to return to the Episcopal Church of the
1940s, a period in which they feel most at home. They reject the view that all
aspects of the Church’s life continue to evolve, and have done so since
the days of Jesus.
Also in the press this week, European Baptists have strongly criticized
movement among Southern Baptists to quit the Baptist World Alliance, because of
the Alliance’s liberal leanings. We could cite other major crises among
the 38,000 worldwide Christian denominations. The Episcopal Church in the
United States is just one of many instances of Christian disunity.
A WEEK OF
PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY
This weekend marks the conclusion of another annual, ecumenical Week of
Prayer for Christian Unity, a special time to reflect on Christian Unity.
This year’s particular theme is the Christian quest for peace, as
represented in tonight’s reading from John. In any consideration of
Christian unity, though, let us not be naïve. From the very beginning of
Christianity, the followers of Christ have never been fully united in heart and
mind. If this has been the case from the outset, what unity can we hope for,
indeed work for, realistically?
RELIGION: A
DISEASE?
Other
than with some cooperative community services like soup kitchens and occasional
well-intentioned, bland prayer Services, I see no realistic prospects for
significant Christian unity in the foreseeable future. This represents a major
shift for me, but only in recent years have I allowed myself to grasp the
depths of distrust, arrogance, ignorance, intolerance, underhandedness, as well
as emotional and physical violence, perpetrated by many world religions,
including the various Christianities. Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy,
Protestantism, and the Anglican Communion all include these negative
qualities. Were I a visitor from Mars and had but a short time to look around,
I would think that all of Planet Earth’s religions are epidemics infecting
human populations, rather than providing humanity with an inspiration for
peace.
WHY CONTINUE?
Why then do I continue to
serve as a priest in the Episcopal Church? Why do I bother with Christianity,
or any religion, in any form?
First, I am
convinced that all facets of life are evolving, and that Christianity is
currently in its embryonic stage. In 10,000 years, today’s institutions
and movements will have unfolded to new and more mature phases. There is room
for hope in the long-term.
Second, I believe
wholeheartedly that the Episcopal Church in the United States is a model for
genuine Christian unity. As briefly noted on page four of your Service leaflet,
I am persuaded that we faithfully embrace the extraordinarily wise Anglican
tradition of agreeing to differ about biblical, doctrinal, and moral
interpretations, while simultaneously maintaining a vital connectedness with
our apostolic origins. Additionally, within our Anglican heritage, we agree to
express our basic unity in our very acts of our corporate worship.
Third, I recognize
the distinction between the Churches, on the one hand, and the Good News of
Christ and its written liturgies, on the other hand. In the Churches, we are
frankly at our worst. In the written Good News and Prayer Book, we uphold our
best. Every so often over the years, at particularly discouraging moments, I
have briefly thought about renouncing the ordained ministry. However, each
time, I have realized that what I would reject is the often ignorant and cruel
behavior within the Churches. Yet, I remain as committed to the Gospel and to
our Prayer Book liturgies as when I was ordained a deacon 40 years ago and a
priest 38 years ago. I believe firmly that the Gospel of Christ is the most
persuasive expression of the Creator’s Word for all humanity. Despite the
Churches, I am committed to evolve along with our comprehension of the Gospel
and along with our liturgies, rather than abandon
them.
UNITY WITH DIVERSITY AND THE QUEST FOR
PEACE
Like all human groupings,
Christians will continue to disagree about many beliefs, structures, and
strategies of Christ’s religion. Nonetheless, a more comprehensive unity
is within human grasp - well into the future - if we will set aside
intellectual, spiritual, and jurisdictional arrogance, and if we will welcome
faithful diversity. You and I are reminded tonight to renew our hope and
commitment to an eventual Christian Unity, often symbolized by a single
rainbow’s diverse colors. If we Christians continue to be at war with each
other, unable to welcome reasoned differences, how will the Gospel ever
credibly address worldwide issues, including the quest for a genuine peace?
A REALITY?
At this time in history,
Christian Unity is not a reality. Nonetheless, it is a reality within
God’s purposes. I believe, further, in the broader unity of the three
Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The implementation of
God’s plans, however, depends upon you and me, right here in this
congregation, and our willingness – and the willingness of countless
others - to participate constructively in the prayerful, thoughtful, loving,
and long-term pilgrimage toward the Creator’s intended Unity.
Page 4 of the Saturday leaflet - referred
to in the text
Methods of Interpreting the Bible in
The Episcopal Church
Current biblical
scholarship determines (by means of "form criticism") the given literary type
(such as myth, legend, history, poem, etc.) of a biblical book or a given
section of it. Further, it may be possible to discover how this type was handed
down and came to be incorporated by a collector or editor into a continuous
narrative, and ultimately became part of a written document. The historical
context of a passage and its possible translations from Hebrew, Aramaic, or
Greek are essential to a well founded interpretation.
Lay and ordained people
must rely on current Bible commentaries prepared by specialists in the relevant
languages, history, and other analytical resources. As much as possible, we
need to understand what the original writer(s) of the passage intended to
convey.
After the
study of a passage is completed (its historical and literary context probed),
one may reflect on informed meanings of the text for one's life and prayers, or
perhaps prepare a sermon. Disagreements as to meanings might result, even when
scholarly methods of study are utilized.
Faithful
and knowledgeable Episcopalians do not read the Bible simplistically and
entirely as literal history, science, or as a series of absolute mandates for
behavior. The Episcopal Church is not a fundamentalist Church; in fact,
we firmly reject any and all fundamentalisms that affirm the absolute and
unerring authority of the Bible, that rule out a critical/analytical, scholarly
study of the scriptures, and/or that deny scientifically based understandings
of evolution. [See "Fundamentalism," The HarperCollins Dictionary of
Religion (1995)]
In
addition to the conscientious study of the Bible, Episcopalians draw upon
reason, tradition, and the ongoing corporate experience of the Church as we
"continue to grow in His love and service."
Upholding
Scripture as primary and honoring tradition, the Anglican Way is for
individuals to reason carefully, proceed prayerfully, and agree to differ - all
within a community of faith that continually evolves in doctrinal and moral
wisdom. For committed Episcopalians, our primary unity is experienced not in
intellectual agreement, but in our common Baptism and corporate acts of
worship, particularly the Holy Eucharist.