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Episcopal 101. Who we are. Where we came from Why we do what we do. We’re going to have to talk about this guy, but not yet!. Week 1 (today): Overview, Scripture. Week 2 (Sept. 16): A little History…this is when we have to talk about you know who.
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Episcopal 101 Who we are. Where we came from Why we do what we do
Week 1 (today): Overview, Scripture. • Week 2 (Sept. 16): A little History…this is when we have to talk about you know who. • Week 3 (Sept. 23): Theology and Liturgy. In the Episcopal church you can’t talk about one without talking about the other. • Week 4 (Sept 30): A little polity, some current issues, wrap up. Course structure
Bishop’s Visit: December 9, 2012 • Episcopal initiation rites: -Baptism -Confirmation -Reception -Reaffirmation Why talk about all this now?
Episcopal/Episcopalian • Anglican • Via Media • The three legged stool • Holy, catholic and Apostolic • Three Legged Stool Some useful terminology
Christian • Scripture • Big tent • Mission/Justice • Community A few more things Episcopal
Some folks say that we are not. • They are wrong. We hear the Word at every church service. Our preaching and teaching is based on Holy Scripture. The Episcopal church is a Bible Church
Not one book, but a collection of books. • Not written by one person, but many. • Not written during one time period but across several millennia. • Not written in modern language, but in several ancient languages, not all of which we have complete understanding of. • Not one literary genre (history, poetry, law) but many. • Not written in the same place, but in a number of locations across a wide area of the Middle East and even parts of Europe. • Not directed to one specific audience of readers or listeners, but different ones. • Occasional stories that disagree with each other. What do we find in the Bible?
Bumper sticker: the Bible says it, I believe it, that’s it. • Yes, but it’s not always so simple. • Take a look at Genesis creation stories – Gen 1:1/ Gen 2:4. • How about Deuteronomy: The good are always rewarded and the bad are always punished? What about Job? What about Jesus? Colt? Donkey? The triumphal entry into Jerusalem in Matt 21.1-9, Mark 11.1-10, Luke 19.28-40, John 12.12-19…sequence matters. Biblical Interpretation
So we look at a variety of things that can help us understand what is going on in a given passage: When and where was it written, and what was the audience who first heard it? What do we know about the language in which it was written? How have others interpreted it in the past, especially in our own tradition? Over the past two millenia we have gained deeper knowledge in so many areas. How might we see some passages differently than our grandfathers, or our forebears of fifty generations ago, in the light of what we know now? What do the great theologians of this age and of the past had to say about a passage? Context matters. God speaks freshly to us through Scripture every day. Scripture is not written in stone, but in light.
Feeding the Five Thousand: • Matt 14.13-21 • Mark 6.32-44 • Luke 9.10b-17 • John 6.1-15 • What details are the same? What ones are different? How do we figure out why they are different? An Example- Different versions of the same story
We tend to be uncomfortable with extremely rigid interpretations. • We also tend to be uncomfortable with literal interpretations. • We welcome new scholarship in biblical interpretation, because we believe the Bible is a living Book, a living conversation between God and God’s people, and we are always looking to learn more to deepen that conversation. • We keep reading, we keep asking questions, we keep praying about it, and we keep rejoicing in the myriad ways that God teaches us! The Episcopal Way
