A New Chapter: Seminary

We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for the loving care which surrounds us on every side.
We thank you for setting us at tasks which demand our best efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments which satisfy and delight us. . . .
Above all, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ . . .
~ from "A General Thanksgiving," The Book of Common Prayer pg. 836

Since August of this year, I have been enrolled as a Master of Divinity student at The School of Theology at the University of the South, Sewanee. This three-year degree program of education, training, and spiritual formation is part of the ordination process in the Episcopal Church.

I began this blog primarily as a place of discernment. It has been quite useful in that respect, providing me a place to take time to intentionally process some thoughts and reading reflections. It has also provided a way for me to learn more about the broader shape of the Episcopal Church. I have been able to correspond with new friends of varied opinions and experiences; they have helped me immensely over the past few years, as I have continued down the long and winding road of the ordination process. For their insight, counsel, and encouragement, I am most grateful. If you, dear reader, are one of these, I thank you and pray God bless you.

This post is not intended as a bookend, but more of a place marker. I will leave this blog active, and I hope to continue to post from time to time. But as is evident from the date of my previous post, I have not been devoting much time to this space lately. As a seminarian, I do not currently lack for intellectual and theological conversation, nor am I wanting opportunities for reading and writing (that's a bit of an understatement).

Peace of Christ.

What Does It Mean to Be Catholic?

I consider myself to be a Catholic Christian, an identity which has grown stronger in recent years.  As an Anglican, I have a Protestant heritage which I cannot deny, but I lean considerably more to the Catholic shore of the via media.  I sincerely think of myself, and on occasion have described myself to inquirers, as Catholic, just not Roman.

So, what does this mean?  What is this catholic faith to which I lay claim?  

And the Catholic Faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity ...

So opens the Athanasian Creed.  Certainly, the catholic faith is nothing if not Trinitarian.  This is born out as well in the foundational Apostles' Creed, and the later Nicene Creed.  It is in the Nicene Creed, "the creed of the universal Church" (BCP Catechism) that we find the essence of the Christian faith, the summation of our belief.  If to be catholic is to affirm the Nicene Creed, then I believe we may say that the catholic faith is, in essence, "mere Christianity."

I'm not big on labels.  They can be useful and sometimes necessary, but they can also give rise to much misunderstanding.  I don't usually describe myself as Anglo-Catholic, simply because the title may be understood to mean a particular church "party," with members giving assent to an agreed upon platform on a whole host of issues.  For the same reason, I don't identify myself as an "Affirming Catholic."  I could adopt both these labels, for they are certainly more descriptive of my spirituality than not.  But rather than have people I only just met assume they know my mind on any given social or theological issue, I prefer to keep labels at a minimum.  I am a Christian.  Beyond this, I feel justified in claiming the name catholic as well, for two reasons.

Firstly, there are those in the Church today who claim the name of Christian (understandable), but who nevertheless do not believe in the truth of some of the most basic teachings which the Church has for centuries affirmed.  This one may not believe in the virginal conception of our Lord, this one may deny His bodily resurrection, this one may even deny the divinity of Jesus Christ (i.e. they deny one or more articles of the Creed).  I will not stand and accuse such a one, if they are baptized into the fellowship of the Church, of not being a Christian.  Certainly, such a one opens himself up to the charge, but who am I to judge the servant of another?  He may indeed, as is any Christian, be following Christ to the best of his ability, stumblingly, by grace.  The Christian life is a continual journey, and all are at different points along the road, and for each, to his own master he stands or falls.  But what I will say with confidence is that such a one is not a Catholic Christian.  That is, he does not affirm the historic, catholic faith of the Church.*  Or, put another way, it would not be surprising for an objective, outside observer to indeed question whether such a one is a Christian, since he does not assent to those basic beliefs that have fundamentally defined the Christian faith since its earliest times.  He may find Jesus an inspiring figure, the exemplary human, etc., but the catholic faith has always asserted that He was much more than that.  All of which is to demonstrate that the catholic faith may, I believe, be defined as "mere Christianity", or what the overwhelming majority of Christians, not only the majorities of bishops in councils, but individual Christians, the well-educated and the simple, in their private homes and in their hearts, have believed about the essentials of their faith for most of the history of the Church.**  It is this faith, in its essentials, to which I hold.        

The second reason is perhaps less important, but certainly not insignificant.  The word Catholic is generally associated with a way of being Christian which is recognizably different from the Protestant way.  Any reasonably educated person, whether or not religious, can identify this.  Put very simply, the Catholic way has more ritual, more reverence for the ancient ways.  Such things as the centrality of the Eucharist, and believing the same to be an actual sharing in the Body and Blood of our Lord; a high regard for the Church visible as a true instrument of God's grace through the Sacraments; the belief that the faith of the Apostles has been handed down to us not only in the Holy Scriptures, but also in the teaching and counsel of the Church; the keeping of prescribed devotions, understanding them within the context of the greater communion of saints; all these and more are marks that may be called recognizably Catholic.  All these and more I embrace.  
 
Peace.


*  If I am not mistaken, the word catholic was used by the ancient Fathers precisely to differentiate the apostolic, Trinitarian faith from Arianism, Nestorianism, Monophysitism, and all the rest of the heretical doctrines vying for influence in the early Church.

**  I realize this statement sounds something like the Vincentian Canon (the catholic faith is that which has been believed everywhere, always, and by all).  I haven't studied the canon and its application in detail, but I'll confess that I don't find it all that helpful.  It seems to me to be more the expression of an ideal, not a foolproof formula for easily assessing whether or not one's stance on a given doctrinal issue is catholic (which is how it I've seen it employed on more than one occasion in online forums).
         

About this blog

A quick overview of what I intend this blog to be, and what any readers may expect to find here.  As stated in the introductory post, I have launched this blog desirous of being able to clarify some things in my own mind regarding my faith and future, and hoping to find some spiritual direction from others.  Accordingly, I expect to post reflections of mine about my own faith journey and about the church (things general and specific, foundational and current), as well as open-ended questions.  Again, I expect some questions will be quite specific (how does one manage the responsibilities of a vocation like the priesthood with the responsibilities of supporting a family?), some very broad (what does the future hold for the Episcopal Church, and should I hope to be a part of that future?).

Interspersed throughout will be book reviews and thoughts on what I have recently read or am currently reading.  I love to read, and turn daily to books for direction and conversation.  Any suggestions of books that I should add to my reading list would be most welcome (see the 'On My Bookshelf' page).

I hope to add a post or two on a weekly basis, approximately.  At least, that is my ambitious goal for the remainder of the summer (ah, summer ... maybe I do just want to teach for the rest of my life).

Peace.

An Introduction and Invitation

Happy are the people whose strength is in you!
whose hearts are set on the pilgrims' way.
Psalm 84:4

In the name of Christ, welcome, and peace. This blog is intended to be an experiment in spiritual discernment. I don't believe the world needs or wants another blog about "adventures in Anglicanism"; there are plenty of those already, and many of them do a much better job of reflecting over Anglican life and spirituality than I could hope to offer. I've no doubt I will do a fair bit of ruminating here and maybe even some pretentious preaching on occasion, but such is not my primary object. I intend to be inquiring at least as much as I am affirming, and in this spirit I hope that I may find some direction and light from fellow pilgrims (the older and wiser the better, I should think).

First, some information about myself. I was baptized and raised in the Episcopal Church. My family's faith has never been a 'Sundays only' affair. I was blessed to grow up in a loving and devoted Christian home. Though I have always been an Episcopalian, I have experienced a fairly broad spectrum of Christian tradition. My parents are primarily evangelical in their faith, and most of my friends and extended family attend other churches. My beautiful wife and I were married in the church of my boyhood. Though prior to our relationship she had almost no experience of liturgical traditions, she has since come to find herself happily at home in the Episcopal Church. Currently, I am a high school teacher in a moderately small town in Kansas. My wife and I are fairly busy these days as we raise three small children. I thank God that I may count myself so very blessed. Life is good. However, over the period of about the last year and a half, I have felt myself called to serious contemplation of how God would have me live in service to Him. I really do not see myself teaching high school kids for forty years. When I consider what it is that I can see myself doing, I often find myself in the service of the church. What this would look like I don't yet know, though I find it most natural to envision myself as called to the vocation of a parish priest; that is, after all, the context in which I have most frequently and meaningfully witnessed ordained ministry. And there is much in that vocation, on the surface, that appeals to me (I think I'm starting to gain a greater appreciation for the incredible responsibilities that lie under the surface, as well). In any event, this is clearly only the start of a journey, and I know I have much to learn, regardless of where God leads me.

This journey has led me already into considerable reflection and study. Much has been of a personal nature: What do I want to do with my life? Do I really want to become a priest? Am I fit for such a high calling? What would such a vocation entail for my family and our future? What, in fact, do I believe? Such a question as that last one has been, thus far, one of primary focus for me. And it has led me into many more questions, ultimately not personal, but universal, both general and specific. Who is God? What is the church? What of the church's claims about God and human existence? What does it mean to live a life of faithfulness to God? And on and on. 

All of which brings me here. I feel, at this point in time, that what I very much need is some guidance. I hope to find some light as I muse over these and other questions in subsequent posts, and I sincerely hope that some fellow pilgrims may feel called to occasionally help me along the way. In addition, I crave (and yes, need) Christian community, community that strengthens my soul and sharpens my intellect, community that calls me ever onward in my pilgrimage to realize the coming of God's Kingdom, community that calls me ever back to the foundation laid by apostles on the cornerstone of Jesus Christ, community that cares deeply about things that matter in the midst of a society entertaining and distracting itself to death. Frankly, I think an electronic medium such as this is a poor substitute for true living in community. Nevertheless, I pray that God will use this blog to provide guidance for a pilgrim, and maybe even some worthwhile sustenance for others in fellowship along the way. All to His glory. 

Whatever may lie ahead, and whatever doubts I may harbor, I find great comfort in my firm conviction that God, in His perfection, will at last set all things right. In such knowledge, what cause have I to ever be without hope? I close now (after much too lengthy a post; I hope this is not setting a precedent), with one of my favorite lines from Dante:
"O Sun, that healest all distempered vision,
Thou dost content me so, when thou resolvest,
That doubting pleases me no less than knowing!"
                               The Divine Comedy, Canto XI of Inferno