As many of you may be aware, I have been attending an Anglican Studies course at General Theological Seminary this past week and will finish auditing the class next week. All of this is to fulfill certain requirements to be received into the Episcopal Church, something I hope may take place--God willing--early next year. There are a number of reasons for seeking to be received into the Episcopal Church, not least of which is that in my almost 20 years of ordained ministry almost 16 years of it have been spent in the Episcopal Church. For all intents and purposes, I am quite Episcopalian.
However, under the heading that you learn how much you don't know, this course of study has been extremely helpful. To begin with, I was informed by Bishop Douglas that, though we see ourselves as Episcopal, we are part of a much larger fellowship of believers known as Anglicans. At General Theological Seminary, I am learning that my bearings are probably more "Anglican" than they are "Lutheran". Well, to the degree that you can essentialize anything--which is never--I am enamored of the innate flexibility that is a part of the Anglican tradition.
Rather than being a doctrinal or creedal tradition (which Roman Catholicism and Lutheranism are respectively), the Anglican tradition, at its best, expresses the following preferences:
Dialogue to Diatribe
Unity to Uniformity
Diversity to Division
Of course, in the immediate past, one might think that we have lost our way (and certainly there are those in the United States and in the larger Anglican Communion who want to force everyone into their understanding of God and, failing this, are willing to split the church). However, I do believe that there are plenty of voices that are working for the better elements of life together that are expressed in Dialogue, Unity, and Diversity. And I hope and trust that they will hold the day eventually.
Regardless of the machinations of the larger church, the articulation of these preferences in the Anglican Communion makes me very happy to be at St. Francis. I know that we don't always hit the mark as well as we might or should, but in my almost 10 years here, the ebb and flow and rhythm of life together has been marked by a desire to Dialogue--to express deeply held beliefs while also being willing to hear what other people think and feel and to respectfully discuss points of connection and disconnection. I find that there are a wide spectrum of beliefs at St. Francis and, as far as I know, no one says that others must conform to one way of being Christian or a member of a faith community. And the diversities that do exist among us seem not to drive us from each other, but there seems a real enjoyment of the variety of gifts that are present here.
I like to believe that the Spirit of Christ (and of St. Francis and St. Claire and a host of others) is alive and well in those who gather week in and week out, who lead in so many ways and in so many arenas (the second collection noted this week is a prime example!), and that we endeavor to find our way in the world individually and collectively not by bulldozing a path we believe is the right way but by patiently engaging with each other and journeying together.
So, while I continue this part of the journey at General, I also am very mindful of the blessings that are found at St. Francis and thank you for your part in it.
However, under the heading that you learn how much you don't know, this course of study has been extremely helpful. To begin with, I was informed by Bishop Douglas that, though we see ourselves as Episcopal, we are part of a much larger fellowship of believers known as Anglicans. At General Theological Seminary, I am learning that my bearings are probably more "Anglican" than they are "Lutheran". Well, to the degree that you can essentialize anything--which is never--I am enamored of the innate flexibility that is a part of the Anglican tradition.
Rather than being a doctrinal or creedal tradition (which Roman Catholicism and Lutheranism are respectively), the Anglican tradition, at its best, expresses the following preferences:
Dialogue to Diatribe
Unity to Uniformity
Diversity to Division
Of course, in the immediate past, one might think that we have lost our way (and certainly there are those in the United States and in the larger Anglican Communion who want to force everyone into their understanding of God and, failing this, are willing to split the church). However, I do believe that there are plenty of voices that are working for the better elements of life together that are expressed in Dialogue, Unity, and Diversity. And I hope and trust that they will hold the day eventually.
Regardless of the machinations of the larger church, the articulation of these preferences in the Anglican Communion makes me very happy to be at St. Francis. I know that we don't always hit the mark as well as we might or should, but in my almost 10 years here, the ebb and flow and rhythm of life together has been marked by a desire to Dialogue--to express deeply held beliefs while also being willing to hear what other people think and feel and to respectfully discuss points of connection and disconnection. I find that there are a wide spectrum of beliefs at St. Francis and, as far as I know, no one says that others must conform to one way of being Christian or a member of a faith community. And the diversities that do exist among us seem not to drive us from each other, but there seems a real enjoyment of the variety of gifts that are present here.
I like to believe that the Spirit of Christ (and of St. Francis and St. Claire and a host of others) is alive and well in those who gather week in and week out, who lead in so many ways and in so many arenas (the second collection noted this week is a prime example!), and that we endeavor to find our way in the world individually and collectively not by bulldozing a path we believe is the right way but by patiently engaging with each other and journeying together.
So, while I continue this part of the journey at General, I also am very mindful of the blessings that are found at St. Francis and thank you for your part in it.
Blessings,
Mark
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