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| 17 Pentecost October 1, 2006 The Rev. Robert C. Granfeldt |
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I had a rather involved intro to my talk, this morning that was kind of light and rather
funny, as well. But I’m guessing you’d prefer a shorter version – without the humor.
So here goes: a difficult topic, not at all funny, and, as I am sometimes wont to do, not
really a sermon, but something I feel the need to talk to you about, and this is the
forum available to me, - something I believe, important to all Episcopalians.
This is the third time I’ve spoken to you on these lessons, here at Calvary. The first
time was October 1st, 2000. The next time was September 28, 2003. And here we are
again.
Six years ago, I connected a question that one of you – a parishioner – had asked,
with the references to hell in the lessons, and dealt with that same, fateful question
that all clergy hate to hear: Father, “what does the Church teach about…whatever?”
In this case, hell.
Three years later, I visited that question, again, because it was so topical and so
current at that particular time. You’ll recall that three years ago, at our last General
Convention, the Church had just approved the election, and permitted the
ordination, of Gene Robinson, as Bishop of New Hampshire – and virtual war had
broken out in the Episcopal Church. The weekend before, two Diocesan Conventions
in different parts of the country, had condemned the action of General Convention,
and just the day before, our sister Diocese – Pittsburgh – had done the same, and
had taken the first step toward separating from the Episcopal Church. So the
question and issue of just what the Church does teach was very much in the air.
And now, here we are again, three years later, and the situation in the Episcopal
Church and in the Anglican Communion have only gotten worse! By now, a number of
dioceses have announced their intention of separating from the Episcopal Church,
and connecting with some African provinces, and the controversy has spread to the
Anglican Communion, itself, with at least one African Province announcing that they
would no longer recognize the authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury!
So I decided to visit the topic once more, because not only does it continue to
bedevil us, it is more important than ever!
What does the Church teach about…anything?
I gave you one answer to that question, and it’s still valid; I hope you remember it.
I said six years ago the only real answer to that question, for any Anglican, is, “Our
Church teaches that the Holy Bible of the Old and New Testaments contains all things
necessary to salvation, and our Church holds up the three, historic Creeds – the
Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed -- as the basic
expressions of our faith.”
Today, because of the state of our Church and our Communion, I want to refine that,
and state it a little more carefully. Rather, I want to show you a more careful
formulation.
I’m going to ask you to pick up – for the first time in, I think, about two years – the
Book of Common Prayer from the pew-back in front of you. And I’m going to ask you to
turn to Pages 876 and 877.
This is, of course, the section of our official prayerbook called, “Historical
Documents.” It contains a number of documents that have shaped our Church
through the Centuries, beginning with the Chalcedonian Definition of 451AD; to the
Athanasian Creed, from near that same time; to the Preface of the First Book of
Common Prayer, of 1549; To the Articles of Religion, as adapted from the English
Prayerbook and enacted by our General Convention in 1801; to the Chicago-Lambeth
Quadrilateral (adopted by the House of Bishops in the 1886 General Convention, but
not by the House of Deputies), and, finally, to the Lambeth Conference of 1888,
Resolution 11 – Adopted by the Conference.
In the 1880’s, for the first time since the beginning of the Reformation in the early
16th Century, there was a great interest in the possibilities for reunification of the
Churches – it was in the air!
The General Convention of 1886 was determined to do what it could to further
conversation with other churches and denominations, and the House of Bishops
adopted the Chicago-Lambeth document – but the House of Deputies refused it. Why,
I don’t know – perhaps because it was too broad, and too restrictive, both.
Whatever it was, the document was submitted, two years later, to the Lambeth
Conference – and it was adopted by it as Resolution 11.
The Lambeth Conference has long been a key to the coherence of the Anglican
Communion, with all of the Bishops of the Communion, the world over, gathering
every ten years – in the eighth year of each decade – at the Archbishop of Canterbury’
s Lambeth Palace for discussion and fellowship.
Reunion fever quieted not long after the 1888 Lambeth, but the Lambeth
Quadrilateral has been an important document, ever since. It defines the basis on
which we might reunite with other churches – or, more practically, might enter into
communion with them. And, in fact, it was important just a few years ago, when it was
used as a set of guidelines in our entering into Communion with the Evangelical
Lutheran Church of America.
But I will submit that it’s even more important than that! That if it is the guide and the
rule for entering into Communion with others, then it is also the authoritative answer
to the question I started with, six years ago: what does the Church teach?
If you’ll look at the bottom of page 877, you’ll see what the Church teaches. It teaches
that:
The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, as “containing all things
necessary to salvation,” and as being the rule and ultimate standard of faith. (And)
the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed, as the sufficient statement of the Christian
faith.
(The Quadrilateral goes on to the third and fourth requirements for reunion or
communion: the Sacraments of Baptism and the Holy Eucharist, and the Historic
Bishopric. But these two are not germane to the current discussion.)
And what does this all mean?
It means our Church is unique. We don’t have an Augsberg Confession or a Book of
Concord, like our Lutheran partners; we don’t have the Institutes of Calvin of our
Presbyterian Brothers. We don’t have the Fundamentals of the Evangelicals, and we
don’t have volumes of dogma as defined by the Papal office.
We have the Scriptures, which we affirm to be the Word of God, containing all things
necessary to salvation, and we have the Creeds – the basic, historic expressions of
our faith. We have the Sacraments and the Episcopacy. And that’s all. Beyond that we
do not go. Into the fine details of the myriad of possible Christian beliefs we do not
venture. For to define any more closely what “the Church believes” would be to tell
you what you “must” believe – and that, we will not do!
It means, as I’ve said, before, that we are a Church that revels in its freedom.
And it means that, in doing what we have done as a Church of the Anglican
Communion, in Ordaining our Brother Gene Robinson a Bishop, we have violated
none of these standards.
And it means that if we have not violated any of the standards that would allow
accepting another Church into Communion with us, then how could we be said to
have given grounds for Churches of our own Communion to seek to cast us out?
It means there are Churches in our Communion – and even within our own, Episcopal
Church – that do not know the freedom we revel in; do not know the great gift of
freedom our Lord blesses us with.
And it means that those churches are turning their backs on what has long been
called – and rightly so, “the broadest Church in Christendom.”
And that is so sad…, for us, indeed, but especially for them.
In Jesus Christ’s Name. Amen
funny, as well. But I’m guessing you’d prefer a shorter version – without the humor.
So here goes: a difficult topic, not at all funny, and, as I am sometimes wont to do, not
really a sermon, but something I feel the need to talk to you about, and this is the
forum available to me, - something I believe, important to all Episcopalians.
This is the third time I’ve spoken to you on these lessons, here at Calvary. The first
time was October 1st, 2000. The next time was September 28, 2003. And here we are
again.
Six years ago, I connected a question that one of you – a parishioner – had asked,
with the references to hell in the lessons, and dealt with that same, fateful question
that all clergy hate to hear: Father, “what does the Church teach about…whatever?”
In this case, hell.
Three years later, I visited that question, again, because it was so topical and so
current at that particular time. You’ll recall that three years ago, at our last General
Convention, the Church had just approved the election, and permitted the
ordination, of Gene Robinson, as Bishop of New Hampshire – and virtual war had
broken out in the Episcopal Church. The weekend before, two Diocesan Conventions
in different parts of the country, had condemned the action of General Convention,
and just the day before, our sister Diocese – Pittsburgh – had done the same, and
had taken the first step toward separating from the Episcopal Church. So the
question and issue of just what the Church does teach was very much in the air.
And now, here we are again, three years later, and the situation in the Episcopal
Church and in the Anglican Communion have only gotten worse! By now, a number of
dioceses have announced their intention of separating from the Episcopal Church,
and connecting with some African provinces, and the controversy has spread to the
Anglican Communion, itself, with at least one African Province announcing that they
would no longer recognize the authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury!
So I decided to visit the topic once more, because not only does it continue to
bedevil us, it is more important than ever!
What does the Church teach about…anything?
I gave you one answer to that question, and it’s still valid; I hope you remember it.
I said six years ago the only real answer to that question, for any Anglican, is, “Our
Church teaches that the Holy Bible of the Old and New Testaments contains all things
necessary to salvation, and our Church holds up the three, historic Creeds – the
Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed -- as the basic
expressions of our faith.”
Today, because of the state of our Church and our Communion, I want to refine that,
and state it a little more carefully. Rather, I want to show you a more careful
formulation.
I’m going to ask you to pick up – for the first time in, I think, about two years – the
Book of Common Prayer from the pew-back in front of you. And I’m going to ask you to
turn to Pages 876 and 877.
This is, of course, the section of our official prayerbook called, “Historical
Documents.” It contains a number of documents that have shaped our Church
through the Centuries, beginning with the Chalcedonian Definition of 451AD; to the
Athanasian Creed, from near that same time; to the Preface of the First Book of
Common Prayer, of 1549; To the Articles of Religion, as adapted from the English
Prayerbook and enacted by our General Convention in 1801; to the Chicago-Lambeth
Quadrilateral (adopted by the House of Bishops in the 1886 General Convention, but
not by the House of Deputies), and, finally, to the Lambeth Conference of 1888,
Resolution 11 – Adopted by the Conference.
In the 1880’s, for the first time since the beginning of the Reformation in the early
16th Century, there was a great interest in the possibilities for reunification of the
Churches – it was in the air!
The General Convention of 1886 was determined to do what it could to further
conversation with other churches and denominations, and the House of Bishops
adopted the Chicago-Lambeth document – but the House of Deputies refused it. Why,
I don’t know – perhaps because it was too broad, and too restrictive, both.
Whatever it was, the document was submitted, two years later, to the Lambeth
Conference – and it was adopted by it as Resolution 11.
The Lambeth Conference has long been a key to the coherence of the Anglican
Communion, with all of the Bishops of the Communion, the world over, gathering
every ten years – in the eighth year of each decade – at the Archbishop of Canterbury’
s Lambeth Palace for discussion and fellowship.
Reunion fever quieted not long after the 1888 Lambeth, but the Lambeth
Quadrilateral has been an important document, ever since. It defines the basis on
which we might reunite with other churches – or, more practically, might enter into
communion with them. And, in fact, it was important just a few years ago, when it was
used as a set of guidelines in our entering into Communion with the Evangelical
Lutheran Church of America.
But I will submit that it’s even more important than that! That if it is the guide and the
rule for entering into Communion with others, then it is also the authoritative answer
to the question I started with, six years ago: what does the Church teach?
If you’ll look at the bottom of page 877, you’ll see what the Church teaches. It teaches
that:
The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, as “containing all things
necessary to salvation,” and as being the rule and ultimate standard of faith. (And)
the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed, as the sufficient statement of the Christian
faith.
(The Quadrilateral goes on to the third and fourth requirements for reunion or
communion: the Sacraments of Baptism and the Holy Eucharist, and the Historic
Bishopric. But these two are not germane to the current discussion.)
And what does this all mean?
It means our Church is unique. We don’t have an Augsberg Confession or a Book of
Concord, like our Lutheran partners; we don’t have the Institutes of Calvin of our
Presbyterian Brothers. We don’t have the Fundamentals of the Evangelicals, and we
don’t have volumes of dogma as defined by the Papal office.
We have the Scriptures, which we affirm to be the Word of God, containing all things
necessary to salvation, and we have the Creeds – the basic, historic expressions of
our faith. We have the Sacraments and the Episcopacy. And that’s all. Beyond that we
do not go. Into the fine details of the myriad of possible Christian beliefs we do not
venture. For to define any more closely what “the Church believes” would be to tell
you what you “must” believe – and that, we will not do!
It means, as I’ve said, before, that we are a Church that revels in its freedom.
And it means that, in doing what we have done as a Church of the Anglican
Communion, in Ordaining our Brother Gene Robinson a Bishop, we have violated
none of these standards.
And it means that if we have not violated any of the standards that would allow
accepting another Church into Communion with us, then how could we be said to
have given grounds for Churches of our own Communion to seek to cast us out?
It means there are Churches in our Communion – and even within our own, Episcopal
Church – that do not know the freedom we revel in; do not know the great gift of
freedom our Lord blesses us with.
And it means that those churches are turning their backs on what has long been
called – and rightly so, “the broadest Church in Christendom.”
And that is so sad…, for us, indeed, but especially for them.
In Jesus Christ’s Name. Amen
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| Calvary Episcopal Church, Rockdale |
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