Class 3: Episcopal Principles

Praying Shapes Believing

We talked about this and watched this video a few weeks ago.  If everyone at your table has seen it, no need to watch it now.  You can go on to the next section on baptismal theology.

Video 1: Lex Orandi Lex Credendi (Praying ShapesBelieving)
(Yes, it sounds at first like they want to sell you a T-shirt - and they do! - but this a short, clear introduction to the concept.)

The Communion of Saints

Through baptism, we have become part of the Communion of Saints, which connects us with Christians throughout time and space.  As you listen to the little song and hear the Rev. Chris Yaw talk about what this means, think about your own “heroes” of faith.  Maybe they are famous religious figures, or maybe they’re a family member or friend.

Video Set 2:

I Sing a Song of the Saints of God

Chris Yaw on being saints

The Three-Legged Stool: Scripture, Tradition, and Reason

The concept of a three legged stool is very old.  The idea is that, without any one leg, the stool is not stable.  The components of the stool are scripture, tradition, and reason.  In this somewhat irreverent, but nonetheless informative, video, Matthew Moretz explains the concept:

Video 3: Scripture, Tradition, and Reason

The Via Media

The “Via Media” means “the middle way” in Latin.  Anglicanism was founded on the Via Media in several different ways.  First, when the Protestant Reformation occurred, there was widespread polarization between the new Protestant groups and the historic Catholic church.  Because the Church of England had a different history from other Protestant groups, it remained closer to the Catholic tradition in liturgy and (in some ways) theology.  Second, after years of fighting between factions within England about the right way to worship and to understand the Eucharist, Queen Elizabeth I created the Elizabethan Settlement, which said that those people who followed the state-ordered dictates for prayer and worship would not be prosecuted, regardless of their personal thoughts.  This allowed for commonality in worship across a wide spectrum of beliefs.  Today, as heirs of this Anglican tradition, Episcopalians say that we follow the Via Media, because we have many different views on everything from what happens in the Eucharist, to how best to live out our baptismal call to work for justice, to views on what constitutes good liturgy.  As long as we are motivated by the principles of scripture, tradition, and reason, and maintain our bonds of common prayer, we believe we can pray, worship, and serve together.  In this video, Brian McLaren, an expert on the emergent church, takes the concept of Via Media into the future:

Video 4: Via Mediareinterpreted by Brian McLaren

Baptismal Theology

As we have discussed, our Baptismal Covenant, we receive not just initiation by water and the Spirit into God’s church.  We are also called to become ministers of the church.  This video presents thoughts on that calling from a deacon and a nun:

Video 5: On Being Sent

Class 2: Seeking Christ in Every Person, Striving for Justice and Peace, and Respecting the Dignity of Every Human Being

Diversity and inclusion

When talking about the Episcopal Church, many of us say "we": we believe this, we're like that, we worship like this, we pray like that.  But the Episcopal Church is a "big tent," culturally, geographically, ethnically, and in terms of beliefs, orientation, and identity.  As you watch the videos below, think about how you've encountered diversity in the church:

Video Set 1:

Por que soy Episcopal (Latino-American) 
(In Spanish. Only watch a little if you're not a Spanish speaker)

Why I am an Episcopal (Chinese-American)
 (In Chinese but very short)

Why I am an Episcopal (Young, African-American)

Pow Wow at General Convention 2012

Integrity (LGBTQ) Eucharist at General Convention 2009

Diversity in beliefs

Questions for discussion

1. How much diversity have you experienced in the Episcopal Church?  This could include differences in race, class, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, beliefs, language, and more.
2. What are some challenges of diversity in the church?  What are some of the benefits?

Repenting for the sins of the church

How does the Episcopal Church repent of its sins of genocide, racism, and homophobia (among other things)?  Keep in mind that the Episcopal Church in America has a mixed history.  In some places, it provided support and a voice for Native Americans.  In others, it helped wrap scripture around treaty violations, cultural destruction, and forced removal from ancestral lands.  In some places, it helped African-American fugitive slaves find freedom and spoke out for the abolition of slavery.  And yet, the Episcopal Church itself, as well as several dioceses and parishes, owned slaves.  Mark Anthony DeWolf Howe was the first bishop of Central Pennsylvania and helped create the first American hymnal, but he was part of the DeWolfe family of Rhode Island which controlled 60% of the slave shipping industry in America.  More recently, Gene Robinson was the first openly gay bishop in the Anglican Communion, but in some dioceses, priests may not bless same sex unions and LGBTQ candidates for ordination are not supported.  Please watch just a few minutes of the videos below to get a sense of what the Episcopal Church has done and is doing to repent for these and other issues:

Video Set 2:

Renouncing the Doctrine of Discovery

(Watch the first two minutes.  Watch more at home if you wish, but be aware that there are graphic images of violence and discussion of genocide)

Slavery and the Church 
(Watch through about 4:22 now, and watch the rest at home if you want)

Chicago Consultation on LGBTQ Issues
(Watch through about 2:27 now, and watch the rest at home if you want)

Questions for discussion

1. What are your reactions to the videos you watched?
2. Should an institution "repent" of its sins?  Discuss the pros and cons of doing so.
3. Why should we push for or participate in repentance for things that we personally may have had nothing to do with?

Living out God's call to justice

Jesus began his public ministry in Luke by saying: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor." (4:18-19)  As Episcopalians, our Baptismal Covenant makes it clear that this is what we are called to do. In the last video, Bishop John Armes of Scotland raises some thought-provoking questions about what that means for us today:

Video 3: Living Out God's Call to Justice

Questions for discussion

1. Bishop Armes makes a distinction between helping people by providing direct assistance and working to change structures that cause people to need assistance.  Which one of these are you more comfortable and familiar with?
2. What are some ways that you think about what it means to follow God's call for justice in your everyday life?  Are there any ways that you might like to do more?  What are some of the barriers?
3. What are some of the ways that we as a congregation are engaged with justice work?  What are some ideas for expanding this work, given who we are and where we are?