sign in sign up
<<
Home , Branch Theory, Cincture, Latitudinarian, Robert Wilberforce, Tracts for the Times, William Law

Episcopal 101 Theology An introduction to Episcopal 101 by The Rev. Ed Bird+ God is always out in front of us calling us closer. Christians do well to continue to be “L.I.T.” for the God’s voice in our individual and collective lives: LISTEN for God’s voice; constantly and continually INVITE God into our inner space; and TRUST that God loves us dearly, speaks to us, and guides us ever forward. Our God is eternal; that doesn’t mean God is stagnant. And following the call of God, and following in the footsteps of Jesus , means we aren’t expected to stand still either. Our journey with God, LISTENING, INVITING, TRUSTING, is hardly a straight path (think of the many turns and twists there must have been in the Exodus to take “forty years” to travel about 380 miles). And like the Israelites, it is important that we try to stick together and leave no one behind, as hard as that can be ecclesiologically, and theologically. But it is spiritually and humanly important that we all and each have eyes and ears and hearts on and with others in our faith. Episcopalians, as descendants of, and siblings to, the of England, know that from our own genesis, we don’t all need to agree on everything to be a whole, to be in communion with all of our brothers and sisters in Christ. In fact, it is decidedly Anglican that we love and engage one another and with our diocese, our US Episcopal Church, and the larger still worldwide . Hence from our earliest days, when we were new to the “not following Rome” branch of , the importantly agreed that we need NOT all follow the same theological path (the Creeds were sufficient for us as Christians) but continue in fellowship especially through worship. Our national Episcopal Church has continued her level best to continue to listen for the voice of God in our midst, in each other as Anglicans and as Christians, and to those who have wisdom to share who do not, for whatever reason, ever brighten the doorway of the Church.

Episcopal 101 Theology An introduction to Episcopal 101 by The Rev. Ed Bird+, CON’T. God calls us constantly, consistently and in deep love for us to keep finding out how to bring God’s presence to the world—how to know Christ ourselves, and to make Christ known. God’s deep love for the creation and humans as stewards wakes us up to new ways, even new people, we had not worked well to share God’s love with. God calls us to constantly evaluate how we are “living life” and how we can continue to grow in how we respond to the five action items listed at the end of the Baptismal Covenant (BCP 304-5). Each question calls us from general to more specific ways of sharing and showing the powerful, creative, redemptive, and ever present love of God to others. And as the world God made continues to turn, in our dynamic efforts to continue to find God in others and share God with others, new ways of being Christ to the world become known to us in ways they hadn’t before. Humans journey with God and while we can and should stop and rest at times, we are not expected to be static in our faith. The Episcopal Church works hard to do that as a body at the parish level, the diocesan level, and at the national level. We are not in communion at the parish/ congregational level only; we are part of a larger polity of {we hope and we strive} many groups and myriad individuals. We are and strive to be a diverse body of faith, which is why it is so important that we at the parish level try to keep up with what other parishes are doing, what our diocese is doing, and what our national church is doing. We don’t necessarily take all of our cues for faith action from them but it’s important that we keep in touch with what being Episcopal means at this time…. And at this time… and at THIS time. ~ETBIV+

Note: Some of what follows are narrative to specific slides from the Episcopal 101 PPT PDF.. Beyond those are some information that is of value but could not be fit into the PPT presentation proper for the time allotted.

Episcopal 101 Theology SLIDE 3 &4 The Episcopal Church has 111 dioceses and regional areas in 17 nations. The Episcopal Church is a member province of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Originally, we were the Church of England’s US wing. Later we were the US wing of the Anglican Communion. The nations of Latin America include Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Cuba. The Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe is a collection of churches, mission congregations, and specialized ministries spread geographically over several countries in continental Europe. The Cathedral of the Holy is located in the centre of Paris.

SLIDE 5: In the second century, merchants and other travelers first brought Christianity to England. SLIDE 6 St ; First ; His mission to England in 597 as marking the formal beginning of the church under papal authority which continued until the English of the 16th century.

SLIDE 7 As you can see by this photograph, being under Roman papal authority was all well and good. SLIDE 8 1534 this fellow decided enough was enough and declared the Church of England to be separate from the Church of Rome and by the way, Henry VIII was now the head of the Church of England. We don’t really talk about him all that much; it seems his little escapade resulted in 20 years of drama and train wrecks UNTIL:

Episcopal 101 Theology SLIDE 9: AH, our dearly beloved Good Queen Bessie the First, like a good daughter, came in and cleaned up her father’s mess; the English church united again with the Elizabethan Settlement (below) and everything was: SLIDE 10: Butterflies and rainbows and our wonderful Fairy Godmother of a queen, like any Queen Elizabeth, held her throne for a thousand years to make sure everything stayed on track. SLIDE 11 With the advent of British colonization, the Church of England was established on every continent. It is up to your own interpretation if the Church of England was a progenitor, partner or useful dupe in English Imperial Colonization. SLIDE 12 In time, these churches gained their independence, but retained connections with the mother church in the Anglican Communion. It’s these Bonds of Affection along with the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral, the keep us in communion and connection. HERE IS WHAT YOU GET WHEN YOU ARE AN EPISCOPALIAN: SLIDE 13 AND 14 Episcopalians, like all Anglicans, are people of a book, The , or the BCP. It contains tons of useful information, but its primary use is for worship, individual and collective. Most services, or liturgies, that you would expect to use at home or in a congregation, are found here with rubrics, or how-to’s for worship, in terms of template and content.

Episcopal 101 Theology SLIDE 13 AND 14, continued The Episcopal Church’s website says this: it is also the primary symbol of our unity. As Armentrout and Slocum note in their Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, that “Anglican liturgical piety has been rooted in the Prayer Book tradition since the publication of the first English Prayer Book in 1549.” Why do we have a Common Prayer Book? According to the book itself (BCP p. 11) from the Preface, Oct 1789: For • “the preservation of peace and unity in the Church; • “the procuring of reverence • “the exciting of piety and devotion in the worship of God • “finally, the cutting off occasion, from them that seek occasion, of cavil or quarrel against Her (the Church’s) liturgy” This purpose of our book goes back to the early days of the Church. brought civil unrest to order in part through allowing the Roman leaning and the Calvinist leaning English faithful to unite through worship rather than fight over Scripture or . Church of England still uses 1662 BCP. SLIDE 16: You also get female , deacons and bishops. SLIDES 17-18: A few fun factoids about being a female in the Episcopal Church. [SLIDES 19 And you get Sacraments. This mnemonic device, an idea given to me by my friend, Bruce the Buddhist, helps you have all of them committed to memory. • • RECONCILIATION • UNCTION Episcopal 101 Theology • CONFIRMATION • EUCHARIST • ORDINATION • MARRIAGE • The sacramental rites of the Episcopal Church include Confirmation, Ordination, Holy Matrimony, Reconciliation of a Penitent, and Untion (BCP, pp. 860-861). These rites are distinguished from the sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist, which were given by Christ and are understood to be necessary for the Christian life of all persons ******************************************************************** TERMINOLOGY: While we are getting more mainstream with using more common church language, there is a rule of thumb that says “Whatever most US Christians call something, Episcopalians call it something else.” Nave; undercroft; apse; sexton; rector; vicar; Eucharist; host; lavabo; ewer; cruet; narthex; cincture; ; ; altar; lectern; chancel; ablute; acclamation; crozier; etc. POLITY/ ECCLESIOLOGY The Episcopal Church’s governance is somewhat similar to and based on US governance: Presiding Bishop; bi-cameral legislature at national and local levels; bishops; priests. Laity are fully empowered with voice and vote at all levels. House of Deputies (=# clergy and laity), House of Bishops. Parish/congregation; diocese; national church. General convention every 3 years; diocesan convention annually; parish vestries monthly and full parish meeting annually. We have bishops but empower the laity and local clergy and congregations have a good bit of freedom to manage their own affairs. Episcopalians often come from other traditions and as such, we find that there are many who prefer to follow the rules as laid out by bishops and clergy and legislative bodies; and plenty of folks who say “thank you I prefer not”. Episcopal 101 Theology THEOLOGY: Our theology starts with worship. Prayer Shapes Believing. Lex orandi, Lex credendi. “The law of praying [is] the law of believing.” Prayer leads to faith. Liturgy leads to theology. We start with the BCP. We find our way through Hooker’s “three legged stool”: reason, Scripture, tradition. Website says: Authority, Sources of (in ) The threefold sources of authority in Anglicanism are scripture, tradition, and reason. These three sources uphold and critique each other in a dynamic way. Scripture is the normative source for God's revelation and the source for all Christian teaching and reflection. Tradition passes down from generation to generation the church's ongoing experience of God's presence and activity. Reason is understood to include the human capacity to discern the truth in both rational and intuitive ways. It is not limited to logic as such. It takes into account and includes experience. Each of the three sources of authority must be perceived and interpreted in light of the other two.

The Anglican balance of authority has been characterized as a "three- legged stool" which falls if any one of the legs is not upright. It may be distinguished from a tendency in Roman Catholicism to overemphasize tradition relative to scripture and reason, and in certain Protestant churches to overemphasize scripture relative to tradition and reason. The Anglican balancing of the sources of authority has been criticized as clumsy or "muddy." It has been associated with the Anglican affinity for seeking the mean between extremes and living the via media. It has also been associated with the Anglican willingness to tolerate and comprehend opposing viewpoints instead of imposing tests of orthodoxy or resorting to heresy trials. Episcopal 101 Theology

This balanced understanding of authority is based in the theology of (c. 1554-1600). It may be further traced to the teaching of Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274). Urban T. Holmes III (1930- 1981) provided a thorough and helpful discussion of the sources of authority in his book What is Anglicanism? (1982).

We pick up Incarnation.

Incarnation; Doctrine, theology.

The term, from the Latin carnis ("flesh") literally means "enflesh- ment." It reflects the christological doctrine that Jesus was fully human and fully divine, the Son of God "in the flesh." It is based on Jn 1:14, "And the Word became flesh and lived among us."

During the first four centuries of the church, the nature of the relationship of divine and human in Jesus was hotly contested. The notion that Jesus, a mere human being, was "adopted" by God (Adoptionism); or that Jesus was purely God and merely seemed to have human form (Docetism); or that Jesus had two completely distinct natures, divine and human (Nestorianism); or that Jesus had a single divine nature () were all rejected by general councils of the church. In contrast, the orthodox doctrine of the Incarnation recognized Jesus to be "truly God and truly man . . . in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation," as noted by the (451) (BCP, p. 864).

Standard divines

Anglicanism has no theologian comparable to the founding theologians of , or . We have writers whose works are regarded as standards for faith and doctrine. While there is no definitive list, these are recognized as authoritative by their inclusion in Anglican liturgical calendars or in anthologies of works on Anglican theology. • Episcopal 101 Theology • • • Richard Hooker • John Jewel • • • • • • • • Frederick Denison Maurice • • Edward Pusey • John Charles Ryle • Charles Gore, • Michael Ramsey, and • William Temple While this list gives a snapshot, it is not exhaustive. Addenda to Standard Divines Lancelot Andrewes He vigorously defended the of the Church of England against critics. Thomas Cranmer: first prayer book; heavily involved in the politics of the English nation and the Church of England. Burned at the stake by Bloody Mary. Hugh Latimer: Play the man, Nicholas Ridley; we shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace in England, as I trust shall never be put out. Richard Hooker: Reason, Experience, Scripture, Tradition. Arduous defender of the Elizabethan Settlement & BCP. John Jewel: early Protestant minded theologian in the CoE. William Law laid the foundation for the religious revival of the eighteenth century, the Evangelical Movement in England, and the in America Episcopal 101 Theology John Keble: The The Oxford Movement was a movement of members of the Church of England which eventually developed into Anglo- Catholicism. The movement, whose original devotees were mostly associated with the University of Oxford, argued for the reinstatement of some older Christian traditions of faith and their inclusion into Anglican liturgy and theology. They thought of Anglicanism as one of three branches of the One, Holy, catholic, and Apostolic Church. The movement's philosophy was known as Tractarianism after its series of publications, the , published from 1833 to 1841. Tractarians were also disparagingly referred to as "Newmanites" (before 1845) and "Puseyites" (after 1845) after two prominent Tractarians, John Henry Newman and . Other well-known Tractarians included John Keble, Charles Marriott, Richard Froude, , Isaac Williams and William Palmer. Origins and early period of The Oxford Movement In the early nineteenth century, different groups were present in the Church of England. Many, particularly in high office, saw themselves as (liberal) in an attempt to broaden the Church's appeal. Conversely, many clergy in the parishes were Evangelicals, as a result of the revival led by John Wesley (who had, however, a highly sacrificial doctrine of the Holy Eucharist, which is reflected in his brother Charles' hymns, and unusual for an 18th century Anglican he took communion 90 times a year on average) and others. Alongside this, the universities became the breeding ground for a movement to restore liturgical and devotional customs which borrowed heavily from traditions before the as well as contemporary Roman Catholic traditions.[1] The immediate impetus for the Tractarian movement was a perceived attack by the reforming Whig administration on the structure and revenues of the Church of Ireland (the established church in Ireland), with the Irish Church Temporalities Bill (1833). continued Episcopal 101 Theology The Oxford Movement, continued This bill not only legislated administrative changes of the hierarchy of the church (for example, with a reduction of bishoprics and archbishoprics) but also made changes to the leasing of church lands, which some (including a number of Whigs) feared would result in a secular appropriation of ecclesiastical property. John Keble criticised these proposals as "" in his Assize Sermon in Oxford in 1833. The Tractarians criticised theological liberalism. Their interest in Christian origins caused some of them to reconsider the relationship of the Church of England with the Roman . The Tractarians postulated the , which states that Anglicanism along with Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism form three "branches" of the historic Catholic Church. Tractarians argued for the inclusion of traditional aspects of liturgy from medieval religious practice, as they believed the church had become too "plain". In the final , "", Newman argued that the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church, as defined by the Council of Trent, were compatible with the Thirty-Nine Articles of the 16th- century Church of England. Newman's eventual reception into the Roman Catholic Church in 1845, followed by in 1851, had a profound effect upon the movement.[2] "The demand for political and economic righteousness is one of the principal themes of Maurice's theology."[31] Maurice practiced his theology by going "quietly on bearing the chief burthen of some of the most important social movements of the time."[32] Living in London the "condition of the poor pressed upon him with consuming force." Working men trusted him when they distrusted other clergymen and the church.[12] Working men attended Bible classes and meetings led by Maurice whose theme was "moral edification."[2]

Episcopal 101 Theology Elizabethan Settlement: Religious and political arrangements that were worked out during the reign of Elizabeth I in England. Elizabeth's subjects included both Catholics and Calvinists. Elizabeth faced the religious question squarely at the beginning of her reign. The year 1559 was crucial for the future of Anglicanism. The Elizabethan settlement sought to be an inclusive middle course between divergent religious positions in English Christianity. Much of traditional Catholic faith and practice was retained, but without submission to papal authority. Much latitude for individual conscience was allowed, but uniformity of worship was required. Faithful Christians with differing theological convictions could find a home in a comprehensive English church. The Act of Supremacy of 1559 proclaimed Elizabeth to be the "supreme governor of this realm" in all spiritual, ecclesiastical, and temporal matters. Elizabeth's assertion of power over the English church was not as sweeping as that of Henry VIII, who was proclaimed the only supreme head on earth of the English church. The Act of Supremacy of 1559 included an oath of obedience to the Crown that was imposed on all clergy and public officials. Elizabeth exercised royal power concerning the church within the provisions of religious legislation, and she protected the church from attempts by Parliament to meddle. ~https://episcopalchurch.org/library/glossary/elizabethan- settlement