newsletter ‘ORA ET LABORA’ Greetings in Christ A General Synod Task Force has recently released its report on the ‘Viability and Structures of the Anglican Church in Australia’. It is a large and comprehensive document that reviews diocesan viability and how the Church might be better structured for the future. It is a reminder of the challenging faith to date has been its ability to God has revealed to us serves to times we face, with a Nineteenth adapt to new circumstances. In this restrain error and keep us on the Century model of Church operating respect it has demonstrated its path to salvation. For this reason in the Twenty-first century. capacity to transcend ethnicity, the Church tends to be slow to culture and class to bring the Gospel change. Of course, it is not the first such of Jesus Christ into a diverse world. Writing at the beginning of the review, but it is hoped that the Yet, it is now struggling to achieve twentieth century, the philosopher Church might take the report this in those places permeated by the George Santayana claimed: ‘those seriously and find the capacity to latter effects of the enlightenment who cannot remember the past are institute some changes. and its child, post-modernity. How condemned to repeat it’ (Life of might we respond? Its reception at the Sydney Reason, Vol 1). This is a reminder of Diocesan Synod (as the last item God provides for our needs in the importance of knowing who we on the agenda on the last day) was a variety of ways, including are and where we have come from. somewhat underwhelming. through the Scriptures as well as The Scriptures, the traditions of the Nevertheless, no amount of denial is by ways of the reflections and Church, its histories and narratives, going to see the problems go away. thoughts that the people of God and its theology contribute to Part of the response did have had down through the corporate and individual acknowledge that there are more centuries. This is often called the understanding. While, on the one problems than just viability and ‘tradition of the Church’. From the hand, we need to be disciplined structures, and that there are some early Church to today, Godly people spiritually, physically and other underlying issues for the have thought about their faith and emotionally, yet we also need to be Church apart from its shared it with the wider community. disciplined mentally if we are to administration. We will wait to see In turn, the community of faith has develop a greater understanding of what happens. adopted these ideas as part of its the Christian faith and its corporate memory through creeds, application to the world. THE PURSUIT OF doctrines and theologies. KNOWLEDGE, TRUTH AND Now, knowledge is a fine thing SALVATION Admittedly, errors have been in itself, but it has no transforming made and the Church has sometimes power if it is not used. A practical One of the challenges for the taken paths that led it away from its understanding of our faith helps to Mission of the Twenty-first century spiritual calling to pursue more understand why we do what we do Church is its approach to worldly concerns. This is a constant and keeps us focussed on our knowledge, truth and salvation. risk in any human institution; mission. The business of ‘making The world constantly changes and however, keeping focused on what the world a better place’ is therefore one of the strengths of the Christian 1 not only about bringing freedom, assumptions about certainty, identity understood as the best, critically justice and equity into people’s and truth), it has challenged the derived explanation that we have lives, but is also about sharing the nature of meaning and introduced about a phenomenon, then it stands good news of our faith with others the idea of relative truth (arguing – it is not relative (and not the result so that they too may come to know that truth is culturally dependent and of a popularity poll), but it may be the hope, joy and salvation of the therefore changes between societies provisional. Gospel. This is the work of and individuals), and has also The inquiring mind seeks a better evangelism. suggested the possibility of there understanding of the world and the being no truth at all. possibility of greater truth. To Jesus often talks about ‘the refuse to take the journey toward kingdom of God’. This phrase Unsurprisingly, the church has truth is to choose to remain in refers to the rule of God in our lives; been caught up in this secular shift. ignorance which leads to bigotry in other words, it is about God being Indeed, it has been shaped by it; and intellectual laziness. Yet, the the source and guide of what we willingly becoming more rationalist truth seeker also needs to undertake think and do. God’s rule over our on the one hand, or by reacting to the work of discernment and may lives binds us together as a secularisation on the other hand by ultimately have to take a stand for community of faith and reveals to us becoming either more dogmatic or truth. Such a person may be God’s call and purpose. Moreover, more mystical. Whatever the effect, perceived as a threat to the lazy god Jesus taught that we are not called to the church has been confronted by of relativism, and it may cause him lord it over one another but rather to this secular wind of change and or her to become a social pariah in serve others, which is part of the struggled to make any headway the eyes of others. Such was the ministry of hospitality. The against it. kingdom of God is therefore not journey of Jesus – ‘the way, the like the kingdoms of this world Intellectually, the Church’s truth and the life’. but rather is a disciplined life Mission for the past century has Without some enduring concept worked out through service to been played out predominately in of truth it is difficult to justify the God and others. a defensive phase against concept of morality. The amoral, secularism. Indeed, it has not the sociopaths and the wicked may The Church is called to be a always shown intellectual integrity well celebrate this; however society reflection of the kingdom of God. in this work, especially through its cannot function without moral truth. Through participation in the life of reactions to the development of Activities such as murder, theft, the community of faith we are scientific knowledge. To be fair, incest, paedophilia, violence and encouraged and empowered by there have been a number of dishonesty (to name a few), can only God’s Spirit to enter into the scholarly explanations written be properly condemned because of business of doing God’s work and about the Christian faith, yet truth rather than some mutual social being transformed into the likeness despite these, the number of contract that applies only to those of Christ. Of course, we know it is practicing Christians in the who choose to participate in it. not easy and things don’t always go ‘enlightened’ first-world has Moreover, we cannot hope to according to plan, but by working continued to decline. together and being willing to admit correct the mistakes of society our mistakes, learn from them and It would seem that for many unless we accept that some things know forgiveness, we can grow and people in the western, post-modern are ‘right’ and others ‘wrong’. context not only is God dead but so change. The Church has therefore The real issue at stake is also are the concepts of meaning been called to be a sign of God’s probably the process of determining and truth. Part of the malaise of our presence to the world; indeed to truth. What is acceptable practice world arises from the suspicion of be a sign of God’s grace. For and what is not in the establishment truth and the rise of anomie and ‘where goes grace, there goes the of truth? For the ‘hard’ sciences it apathy – after all, if everything is kingdom’ – indeed, without the seems to be quite straightforward relative then does anything actually grace of God we tend to merely because of the use of the scientific matter anymore – or whatever? peddle our own interests. It method. It is less precise with the therefore begins with us, for when Certainly, life is complex and humanities (and theology) yet still we change then the world changes people cannot hope to understand necessary. We tend, then, to also. every aspect of the operation of entertain probabilities rather than the world around them. Yet, certainties – a situation that HONEST TO GOD? complexity does not negate the need frightens the wits of religious Modern thinking has moved more for truth nor does the existence of fundamentalists! and more to a rationalist explanation competing perspectives on the of all things. However when An example is the law, which is nature of the world and the place of coupled with ‘deconstructionism’ (a vital for the operation of a modern humanity within it. If truth is philosophical critique that questions secular liberal democracy. Laws 2 provide the ‘social glue’ that binds The determination of truth is a the experiences that link us with the broad community together by work done in community where those ideas. placing limitations on people’s ideas are developed, tested and behaviour and giving expression to reworked. It is also recognised that Theology is therefore about the ideals and beliefs that are current truth can be understood in relational truth (as held by the community in a community.