RECLAIMING AND PROCLAIMING OUR ANGLICAN IDENTITY

1. RECLAIMING AND PROCLAIMING OUR ANGLICAN IDENTITY The Rev. Daniel R. Heischman August 2019

2. THE CHALLENGE It’s hard to explain Anglican identity in a couple of sentences. Anglican teacher What goes without saying needs to be said. Anglican school principal

3. THE NEED • To equip ourselves to speak about our schools • To communicate that value to the outside world • To assess how we are doing • To be prepared to respond to events, crises, the unexpected

4. WORDS • Our stock and trade as educators • A vehicle for capturing our common life • How we proclaim our love We need to talk about how to talk! Anglican school principal

5. THE PLIGHT OF MODERN CHRISTIANITY How we see ourselves is not reflective of the public perception. How do we communicate who we truly are?

6. CHALLENGING ASSUMPTIONS We are an Anglican school, but we are diverse. We are not a Christian school, we are an Anglican school.

7. THE PRINCIPAL’S DILEMMA Each year, as a sign of the important relationship between St. Bede’s School and its local parish, Anita – St. Bede’s Principal – attends a meeting of the parish council and makes a report to the council. In that report, she highlights some of the important aspects of school life that might be of interest to the council. On this occasion, following her report, she is asked a number of questions by council members. “How many Anglican students are there at St. Bede’s?” “What percentage of the school board is Anglican?” “How often do students attend chapel?” “Is special consideration given in admissions to children of parish families?” “How frequently do students in all grades have RAVE?”

8. Anita addresses all of those questions graciously and directly, yet at the conclusion of the meeting she is left with an unsettled feeling. “I answered all of the questions,” she says to herself, “but somehow I don’t think they really know much about our school’s Anglican identity, and how vital a part of school life it is.” What might be some of the elements of that identity that Anita (or you) might be thinking of, in such a situation? What elements of that identity might you wish to convey more directly and clearly?

9. CHALLENGES OF ANGLICAN IDENTITY • How to talk about it • Talking about it in ways that are accessible today • The Anglican school and its relationship to an increasingly secular world • Acknowledging the differences between school and church • Being inclusive, but also drawing boundaries • What are the non-negotiables? • Re-framing the issues

10. OPPORTUNITIES IN TALKING ABOUT IT • What we are free to do • Offer an alternative world view • Break the silence • Address pluralism in the most powerful way • Combat religious illiteracy

11. MELBOURNE FORUM ON ANGLICAN IDENTITY • May 2018 • Delegates came seeking common ground in how we describe, experience, and ultimately understand the distinctive culture and mission of Anglican schools • A search for describing Anglican identity in fresh and vivid language and imagery • A blending of the theological with the practical • Confidence that this challenge can be met • Seize the moment

12. FUNDAMENTAL REALITIES OF THIS IDENTITY • Tension between inclusivity and rootedness in the Anglican tradition • This identity is understood and re-claimed through dialogue • Not just an Anglican, but identifiably Christian perspective is needed • There would be some substantial and substantive differences of interpreting this identity within Anglicanism in Australia

13. WHERE TO BEGIN? Six themes How different Anglican schools throughout the world captured, incorporated, articulated these themes? Questions for discussion on each theme: • What does this (the theme) look like in Anglican schools? • How does this (the theme) make us unique?

14. FAITH • Incarnational – the truth of the incarnation is not only a doctrine to be affirmed, but something lived out in an expectation of daily encounter with the living God. • Invitational – Faith is….something offered to our school community as something worthy of personal exploration, study, and conversation. • Interactive – Faith is about what we do on a daily basis..it is identity lived out in our relationships with others.

15. REASON • Reason is not in opposition to faith, it is a vehicle to faith – Anglican schools have long maintained that the intellect is a gift from God, one of the primary ways we discover what God has created us to be. • Jesus as teacher – leads us to clarify our convictions, challenge prevailing norms of the world, and engage in respectful dialogue with those who differ from us. • Helps us grow closer to God -- We encourage our students to become deep, expansive thinkers, fostering in them the gifts they possess to contribute to the common good and to glorify God. • Reason has its limits – ultimately gives way to mystery. Inevitably we encounter that “space of unknowing in our search for truth.”

16. WORSHIP • The defining mark of being an Anglican – where we demonstrate who we are and why we are such a school. • Worship is educative in Anglican schools – Through worship students learn to appreciate something larger and older than themselves, opening them to the possibility of engaging with God on God’s terms. • Essential to the life of the community – a sense of belonging is fostered and enhanced, underscoring the core values of the school and its commitment to the development of a community as well as an individual. • Stands in contrast to so much of school life – through worship a school community takes time to experience something different, where “God can break in.” • An entryway into the religious life -- experiencing worship paves the way to deeper meaning. • .

17. PLURALISM • Both a reality and goal – we believe that Anglican schools are welcoming places, enriched by the presence of those who practice different faiths as well as no faith at all. • Not the same as relativism – pluralism does not give up on the value of truth….nor does it require forsaking one’s own commitment to a particular pathway of truth. • Essential to the learning process – We believe that what we can learn from others who differ from us deeply enriches and graces our own teaching and learning. • Its relationship to Christianity – by virtue of saying who we are, we allow others to do the same.

18. CHARACTER AND SERVICE • Inevitably linked -- serving others builds character, strong moral character issues in service. • Both are about relationships – how we treat others, how we work with others. • Both are about learning – we learn from our fellow human beings, be it about their situations in life, the needs of the world, or how we react to the experience that service opportunities provide us. • Inevitably linked -- Serving builds character, strong character issues in service. • Grounded in the teachings of Jesus – we are seeking to be more Christ-like in our everyday behavior…Both call us to go beyond ourselves and be more than simply people existing for ourselves alone. • Mutual blessings – reciprocity..lies at the heart of understandings of both character and service.

19. CHARACTER AND SERVICE • Local – they begin in the surrounding community. Anglicanism has always had a deep attachment to the neighborhoods where churches find themselves. • Lead to links with institutions beyond the school – there is great opportunity, in service to the community, to forge important connections with other Anglican agencies. • Here we share a common commitment with other religious schools – our efforts, through service, to recalibrate the social order are strongly shared by our brother and sister Roman Catholic schools as well as other Christian schools. • An avenue to vocation – a vocation based on the everyday tasks of working together that schools so optimally provide.

20. WHAT MIGHT BE INCLUDED? • More about hope, grace, redemption, forgiveness? • More about lived identity, discipleship? • Sacraments? • Is worship the right framework? • Character and service is worship. • Is pluralism the right framework? Inclusivity? • Humility – a key component of pluralism. • Engage, love the pluralistic world, but encourage? • The tradition – we are part of something larger.

21. WHAT MIGHT BE INCLUDED? • Descriptive, yes, but what is the “why” behind it? • Does the incarnational emphasis adequately capture our need for redemption? • Prayer • How about the environment? • Is this a bold enough statement? Is it too soft?

22. OUR UNIQUE MISSION • Because of our commitment to living life in relationship to Jesus Christ, we have a rare opportunity, each day, to put faith into action. • While we do not tell students what to think, we expect them to do the hard work of thinking. • A fundamental reality of all Anglican worship – participation precedes understanding. • Anglican schools tell a particular story, but ensure that the stories of others will also be honored and explored. • This deep connection to Christ differentiates Anglican schools from other schools that seek to teach and build character.

23. WHAT TO MAKE OF THIS DOCUMENT? • A springboard, not the last word – this document is meant to be the foundation for further conversation. • A reflection on a unique process – keeping the dialogue going, capitalizing on the momentum and satisfaction so many experienced “gathering around the table.” • An invitation – for dioceses, schools, churches, and related bodies to undertake a more thorough and intentional exploration of Anglican identity. • A practical tool – orienting and assessing.

24. QUESTIONS FOR YOU • Where do you see yourselves, your school, in this statement? What do you find missing in this statement? • What might this statement suggest as important next steps for your school in better understanding, articulating, and living out its Anglican identity?

25. QUESTIONS FOR YOU • How do these conclusions reflect/not reflect Anglicanism as you understand and practice it within your particular school? • What elements of Anglican identity, outlined in this paper, do you find your community doing well? What elements need more work? • What words and images mean the most to you and your school in your understanding of Anglican identity? • What are the most hopeful things that Anglican schools can offer to Australia today? • What are the first steps your community needs to take in being more conversant and confident of its Anglican identity?