What is God Saying to Episcopalians?
What do you sense that God is saying to us as Episcopalians today?
This question comes from Millard.
On a general note, I did not have any idea that so many people had so many questions. Thank you all who asked me things. Like a call center, I will answer them in the order in which they were received. Some questions may have to wait a couple of weeks, but I will get to them.
On the question, I have to begin by saying that none of us can truly know the mind of God. I also have a hunch that God's mind in not fixated solely on the inner workings of a single denomination of a single religious expression. God has an infinite universe to mind. And yet, Scripture tells us that even the hairs on our head are numbered. (Matthew 10:30, Luke 12:7) This means that the things that may be small in the grand scheme of things are still important to God as well. The things that preoccupy our minds are on God's heart.
On the question, I have to begin by saying that none of us can truly know the mind of God. I also have a hunch that God's mind in not fixated solely on the inner workings of a single denomination of a single religious expression. God has an infinite universe to mind. And yet, Scripture tells us that even the hairs on our head are numbered. (Matthew 10:30, Luke 12:7) This means that the things that may be small in the grand scheme of things are still important to God as well. The things that preoccupy our minds are on God's heart.
So, of course, I really do not know the full answer to this and I'm certainly not going to pretend to be some sort of prophet. But, even though I don't know the mind of God, the question is "what do you sense..."
My sense for what God is saying to the Episcopal Church today is on a level the basic universal message that God has said to all people of faith in all times and places. I believe that God is telling us to love God by loving ourselves and one another. I believe that God is calling us to see all human beings as equal in the way that God sees us as equal to one another. I believe that God is calling Episcopalians to share the Good News by word and deed.
The Episcopal Church has some unique charisms among Christians. Episcopalians are liturgically centered. Even among liturgical churches, we pride ourselves in bringing a certain aesthetic and dignity to worship. For Anglicans, liturgy is more than a pattern, it is a way to communicate a transcendent beauty and perhaps in our worship, scratch the surface of the beauty of the Divine.
Another charism that the Episcopal Church has is a certain openness. We lean into our Anglican legacy of Via Media (The Middle Way), the ethos that allows for a broad spectrum of expressions under the tend. This has led to Episcopalians often being on the progressive end of social issues, while at the same time, when we have been at our best, striving to embrace our more conservative sisters and brothers. As Episcopalians, these identity markers are important to who we are and I do not believe we are called to compromise them.
All of this is well and good, but it is very broad and really does not really answer the question. Certainly, God is not just telling us to do the same as we always have. While declining church attendance is across the board in nearly every denomination, and is not unique to the Episcopal Church, it is a reality of our denomination. This may not be a sign of impending doom. In fact, I do not believe that it is that at all. What I do believe is says, though, is that God is calling us to something different.
What may that different thing be? My hunch ... maybe sense ... feeling ... opinion ... or just educated guess ...
We live in a time that is sorely lacking in kindness and beauty. There is little room in our culture for forgiveness. I am pained at the ugliness that I see in the world - even some of which (like all of us at times) I am guilty of perpetuating. I believe that we need to bring that kindness and beauty into our church and carry it out into the world. I believe that our bishops, priests and deacons need to be first and foremost pastors. I believe that we need to have hard conversations about what it means to live in intentional community. I believe that means that we need to deal with conflict the way that Jesus told us to by confronting people we disagree with one on one, face to face - and do this with deep lovingkindness. (See Matthew 18:15-17) Then, once we have stabilized our ranks and built an internal culture of kindness, we can carry that into the world.
Beyond that, I worry about the lack of flexibility in the church. This alone could probably open a whole can of worms and may warrant its own post. In years of doing pre-marital and marital counseling, I would say the two keys to a strong relationship are open communication and flexibility. I already spoke about communication. As people called into relationship with one another, we the Church, need to be flexible. I cannot help but notice that sometimes the Episcopal Church can be its own worst enemy by not wanting to try things in different ways. This does not mean we need to compromise our theology or our identity (I do believe firmly in the creeds, four-fold orders of ministry and sacraments), but it does mean living fully into the breadth of our theology and identity.
So, what is God saying to The Episcopal Church? If I had to make a humble guess, I would say it is this:
Be loving. Be kind. Be authentic. Be open. Be courageous. And be flexible.
My sense for what God is saying to the Episcopal Church today is on a level the basic universal message that God has said to all people of faith in all times and places. I believe that God is telling us to love God by loving ourselves and one another. I believe that God is calling us to see all human beings as equal in the way that God sees us as equal to one another. I believe that God is calling Episcopalians to share the Good News by word and deed.
The Episcopal Church has some unique charisms among Christians. Episcopalians are liturgically centered. Even among liturgical churches, we pride ourselves in bringing a certain aesthetic and dignity to worship. For Anglicans, liturgy is more than a pattern, it is a way to communicate a transcendent beauty and perhaps in our worship, scratch the surface of the beauty of the Divine.
Another charism that the Episcopal Church has is a certain openness. We lean into our Anglican legacy of Via Media (The Middle Way), the ethos that allows for a broad spectrum of expressions under the tend. This has led to Episcopalians often being on the progressive end of social issues, while at the same time, when we have been at our best, striving to embrace our more conservative sisters and brothers. As Episcopalians, these identity markers are important to who we are and I do not believe we are called to compromise them.
All of this is well and good, but it is very broad and really does not really answer the question. Certainly, God is not just telling us to do the same as we always have. While declining church attendance is across the board in nearly every denomination, and is not unique to the Episcopal Church, it is a reality of our denomination. This may not be a sign of impending doom. In fact, I do not believe that it is that at all. What I do believe is says, though, is that God is calling us to something different.
What may that different thing be? My hunch ... maybe sense ... feeling ... opinion ... or just educated guess ...
We live in a time that is sorely lacking in kindness and beauty. There is little room in our culture for forgiveness. I am pained at the ugliness that I see in the world - even some of which (like all of us at times) I am guilty of perpetuating. I believe that we need to bring that kindness and beauty into our church and carry it out into the world. I believe that our bishops, priests and deacons need to be first and foremost pastors. I believe that we need to have hard conversations about what it means to live in intentional community. I believe that means that we need to deal with conflict the way that Jesus told us to by confronting people we disagree with one on one, face to face - and do this with deep lovingkindness. (See Matthew 18:15-17) Then, once we have stabilized our ranks and built an internal culture of kindness, we can carry that into the world.
Beyond that, I worry about the lack of flexibility in the church. This alone could probably open a whole can of worms and may warrant its own post. In years of doing pre-marital and marital counseling, I would say the two keys to a strong relationship are open communication and flexibility. I already spoke about communication. As people called into relationship with one another, we the Church, need to be flexible. I cannot help but notice that sometimes the Episcopal Church can be its own worst enemy by not wanting to try things in different ways. This does not mean we need to compromise our theology or our identity (I do believe firmly in the creeds, four-fold orders of ministry and sacraments), but it does mean living fully into the breadth of our theology and identity.
So, what is God saying to The Episcopal Church? If I had to make a humble guess, I would say it is this:
Be loving. Be kind. Be authentic. Be open. Be courageous. And be flexible.
Comments
Post a Comment