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Episcopalians: Anglo-Catholics enjoy 'pickles, pop tarts and cutting-edge cathol


From dmack@episcopalchurch.org
Date Sat, 24 May 2003 11:40:18 -0400

May 23, 2003

2003-115

Episcopalians: Anglo-Catholics enjoy 'pickles, pop tarts and 
cutting-edge cathol

by Christopher Epting

(ENS) "Catholic Evangelism" was the topic for the sixth biennial 
conference of the movement known as Affirming Anglican 
Catholicism, held May 19-22 at Christ Church Cathedral in 
Montreal, Quebec. 

Described as "the new catholic movement with the Anglican and 
Episcopal Churches ... call(ed) to a mature, living Christianity 
where Scripture, Reason, the Sacraments and Catholic Tradition 
make sense of our lives today," Affirming Catholicism is under 
the patronage of Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, and in 
the United States, Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold.

Affirming Catholicism conferences in North America have 
traditionally begun with a brief retreat, and this year's was 
led by Bishop Geralyn Wolf of the Diocese of Rhode Island. Her 
dramatically presented meditations were drawn from her recent 
experiences on sabbatical, during which she lived with the 
homeless in an attempt to re-discover what she called her "first 
love for Jesus, lived as an inner-city parish priest in 
Philadelphia." 

Wolf reminded participants that their Anglo-Catholic forebears 
in the late 19th and early 20th centuries knew the lives of the 
poor and homeless because they lived among them and engaged in 
radical social action to change their conditions. "The people 
saw that and followed them. Maybe that's what we ought to mean 
by Catholic Evangelism,'" Wolf commented.

Pickles versus pop tarts

Dr. Ellen Charry, a systematic theologian teaching at Princeton 
and a convinced Anglo-Catholic Episcopalian, gave the major 
keynote address of the conference. She contrasted what she 
described as an "atonement" theology of salvation with a 
"participation" theology, while acknowledging that both are 
biblical and part of the tradition. Drawing a trajectory from 
Irenaeus through Richard Hooker, she described this 
"participation soteriology" as fully Trinitarian, drawing the 
one saved into the very life of God, while atonement soteriology 
is more Christocentric and Cross-centered, often using the 
language of substituting Christ's death for the one sinners 
"deserve."

Believing that "participation" theology is more compatible with 
catholic teaching and "atonement" with the more Protestant, 
Charry playfully entitled this section of her paper "Pickles or 
Pop Tarts." In this case, "pickles" describe the process of the 
"slow God" who transforms us over time in a process of 
sanctification. "Pop tarts" illustrate the activity of a "fast 
God" who converts us instantly in the experience of 
justification. 

In her final section, Charry postulated that if the early 
centuries of the church's life could be described as "the age of 
bishops," and the medieval period as "the age of monks," then 
the modern day is "the age of the laity." Since "all people are 
theologians, the task of the church is to help them become more 
sophisticated and theologically literate ones," she said. A few 
practical suggestions for parish practice in this new age 
included:

--Full immersion baptism in large fonts with running water;

--Processing the newly-baptized with their baptismal candles 
around the church and outside to symbolize the new light kindled 
for this darkened world;

--Celebration of baptismal (not birthday, or ordination) 
anniversaries in church;

--Creation not only of a Book of Occasional Services, but a 
"Book of Home Services" so that families and individuals can 
celebrate liturgically events and ministry in daily life.

Cutting edge catholicism

Practical catholic evangelism was also the theme of a 
presentation by Bishop Keith Whitmore of the diocese of Eau 
Claire entitled "Cutting Edge Catholicism." Focusing 
particularly on the "missing generation in our churches" 
(sometimes called Gen X), Whitmore challenged participants to 
make connections between the Church's rich tradition and the 
thought world of these young adults in their twenties and 
thirties. 

"For a generation raised on Star Wars and now captivated by the 
two Matrix movies, an alternative reality is not such a 
stretch," Whitmore stated. "We need to remember that we 'Baby 
Boomers' are the last vestiges of the Enlightenment. Gen Xers 
want an experience of God, an experience of the numinous, which 
they will reflect on and theologize about later. Our liturgy and 
worship can do that if we make it accessible to them." 

'Maternity ward' for new Christians

The conference concluded with a lecture by Canon Stephen 
Cottrell from the Church of England and author of "Catholic 
Evangelism," one in a series of books published by Affirming 
Catholicism in the United Kingdom. Acknowledging the very low 
church attendance and participation in the Church of England, 
Cottrell said that it had caused his church to raise serious 
questions about just how to be the church in a "post-Christian" 
society--one which will be seen in North America as well. He 
encouraged participants to learn from insights gleaned even in 
evangelical circles today that evangelization does not occur in 
a straight line from contact to conversion to church membership, 
but rather from contact through nurture into conversion and 
membership.

"Does your parish have a 'maternity ward' for the birthing of 
new Christians?" he asked. Programs like Alpha and the more 
catholic Credo as well as catechumenate programs will be 
increasingly important in the coming years, Cottrell believes. 

Worship highlights at the conference included Solemn Evensong 
and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at the Church of St. 
John the Evangelist, Montreal, and a Solemn High Mass in Christ 
Church Cathedral presided over by Archbishop of Montreal Andrew 
Hutchinson.

------

Transcripts of the addresses and more information on  Affirming 
Anglican Catholicism are available on their website, 
www.affirmingcatholicism.org.

--Bishop Christopher Epting is co-patron of the Affirming 
Anglican Catholicism movement in the United States and serves as 
the Presiding Bishop's Deputy Officer of Ecumenical and 
Interfaith Relations.


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