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News and Ideas from around the Anglican World |
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David A. Harris and C. Peter Molloy
On page three of this issue of TAP, Dr. Phillip Turner, the interim dean of the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest, presents a clear indictment of what he calls the “working theology” of contemporary Anglicanism.
It’s true that here in Canada we still officially hold to the doctrines of the historic Church (as expressed in official documents like the 39 Articles and the Solemn Declaration of 1893), but in practice – Dr. Turner argues -- we have actually abandoned the real heart of historic Christianity in favour of a new doctrine whose only operating principle is one of “radical inclusion.”
This new doctrine posits that Divine love means God’s “acceptance and affirmation” of us as we are, without any need for redemption or repentance. The veracity of this indictment is regretfully confirmed every Sunday in pulpits across Canada, and at our Synods and church meetings.
Far from being simply a negative
assault on contemporary Anglicanism,
What Dr. Turner is saying is
quite simple: if there is to be a genuine renewal of Anglicanism in
Canada, we must begin by reconciling our “working theology” with our
official doctrine. In other words, the theology
So how do we do it? How do we restore the concepts of justification, redemption, atonement and sanctification so that they are more than just abstract concepts? How can we make the powerful words and ideas which lie at the heart of our Faith the real heart of our thinking and living? To push the former analogy: how can we get beyond merely pointing “officially” to the deep water of historic Christianity - and actually dive in and start swimming?
The first thing we need to do is restore the call to teaching. There is no shortage of congregational educators out there, and in any given parish there are usually plenty of opportunities to learn. What has diminished is the substance of what is being taught. One of the New Testament words describing teachers and preachers is “steward.” Steward conveys the idea that preserving the message is a fundamental part of passing it on. This is certainly what Paul tells Timothy: “And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach also” (2 Timothy 2.2).
Secondly, we need to restore the
call to learning. In most social sciences now, modern scholarship
weighs heavily on the nature end of nature-versus-nurture. Be it
linguistics, ethics, education, or church Bible studies, teachers
are reticent to correct, reprove or instruct. Learning has become
simply “sharing.” This fortunately does not take place in
medical schools. Medicine recognizes objective truth and the
consequences of not teaching it. As disciples of Christ,
we too need to assert the truth of Scripture and seek to grow in it
through sound teaching. We have the gift of Scripture and the
mentorship of the Holy Spirit to guide us, but God has also given us
gifted teachers. Think of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch.
How different would the story have been if they had taken turns
sharing what Isaiah meant to them. For us to grow in our faith we
need to constantly be learning and be discipled. We need to
demand that those who are in teaching roles teach and that
Finally, we need to master the discernment which only comes with spiritual maturity. The Church in Antioch figures large in the New Testament. It was the first Gentile church, and likely the main mission centre of the early Christian world. The strength of this church lay in its commitment from the outset to teaching and learning. In Acts, chapter 11, we see that the believers in Antioch received the pure word of God and also that they spent a year studying with Paul and Barnabas. As they matured in their understanding and practice of Christianity, their discernment grew. Only then were they able to separate real Gospel truth from popular worldly fiction (read Acts 15).
The Church in every age has had these two competing voices vying for dominance: the brash voice of worldly fiction, and the ‘still small voice’ of the truth of the Gospel. Our own age is no different. Today the prevailing philosophical fiction is that of “radical inclusion” so it isn’t strange that the Church would be tempted to absorb that fiction and make it its guiding principle. But such concessions to worldly illusions suffer from two side-effects: they have no real spiritual power, and they have a terribly short shelflife.
If there is to be a renewal of Anglicanism in Canada, and if that renewal is to be genuine and longlasting, we must begin by reconciling our working theology with our official doctrine. And the only way that is going to happen is if we take seriously the Church’s ministries of teaching and learning. Our working theology -- the theology that flows from our pulpits, guides our Synods, informs our seminaries and encourages our Bible studies -- must find its source not in those shallow pools of mere worldly fiction, but in the deep waters of classic Christianity. It’s time we stop “officially” pointing to the deep ocean of historic Christianity - and actually dive in and start swimming.” |
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April 2006
prophetic
voice in the wilderness, pointing us towards a real renewal of the
Church in North America.|
Copyright The Anglican Planet © 2006 |