I'm not entirely sure why this jumped out at me, but, as it did, I thought I'd comment: On p. 195, Bosch compares the Sermon on the Mount to the Nicene Creed saying of the former that its "entire tenor . . . is ethical" and that it is "devoid of metaphysical speculation." Of the Creed, he writes it is "structured within a metaphysical framework," "makes a number of doctrinal statements," but "says nothing about the believer's conduct." This is raised up as an example of how "the original idea of knowledge through experience was increasingly replaced by that of rational knowledge."
My head is telling me that our recitation of The Nicene Creed as part of our Eucharist service sets it squarely in the midst of an ethical / action-oriented liturgy. I realize that we say the Creed as a prayer; however, I've often thought that we ought perhaps consider Marva Dawn's approach**: it is a document which we ought to read while looking one another in the eye -- it is a statement of all that we believe and all that informs why we do what we do. Aren't our actions BECAUSE we believe in one God . . . and in one Lord . . . and in the Holy Spirit?
I'm not, of course, arguing that the Sermon on the Mount isn't more directly a call to action; just trying to lift up the Creed a bit.
**Marva Dawn speaks of this in her book, Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down: A Theology of Worship for This Urgent Time (my copy is on loan to a friend so I am unable to provide a page number. . . sorry).
It seems to me that the Western Church took a wrong but inevitable turn as it developed a sense of "mission." I enjoyed Bosch's discussion of the historical development of mission in the Western and Eastern Churches. I think mission in the Eastern Church, with its emphasis on the Johannine tradition, is the direction we need to take. The "goal of mission is love." "Christ did not come primarily to put away human sin, but to restore in humans the image of God and give them life." The Eastern Church was also ecological. Salvation of life included all creation not just humans (p.209).
Bosch also wrote that the early church was seditious and politically envolved. If our mission is to work at transforming unjust and oppressive social structures shouldn't Christianity be a "radically revolutionary movement" as Bosch suggests it should be (p. 47)?
After our discussion I've given some thought to some ideas for our project. It seems to me a strong connection exisits bwteen liturgy and mission. I was struck by many of things Meredith said in class. If as Anglicans who we are is demonstrated by how we worship, then it would follow that our defintion of misson as well as its application in any particular context would naturally be embedded in our litutgy. So, my project idea is this: What if surveyed some liturgies in parts of the world where the is an Anglican missonary presence. As we do we might look at how these function there and see if we might identify the connections we find between liturgy and misson.
And as a way to present these findings we could be present an "instructed Eucharist" where we combine parts of these various liturgies into a single service. We could use Powerpoint for pictures and supporting visuals, etc.. In addition we could see if we might actually sing some of the music we find and Carol could help us with this.
Also, I'm wondering when we might schedule a meeting so we can begin to develop our ideas into a specific plan. BTW, Deb thanks for the links
Hi Groupa Media! I hope this gets out to you, but I'm not sure I'm doing this right. I meant to write before now, and seeing no message from any of you makes me wonder if I'm missing them somewhere. But anyway:
As I mentioned, I am interested in doing something with the Church of South India, partly because it has aways interested me, partly because my interest is sharpened in that it might relate to my MTS thesis, now nearing labor pains. I am writing on John Wesley's ordinations for America in 1784 and hoping the paper can be related to current talks between the Episcopal and Methodist churches. The church of South India involved a merger of several denominations including, I believe, Methodist and Anglican, so it would be relevant to me to look at the ecumenical aspect of that missionary effort. I know Frank is interested in something liturgical. I wonder whether we could get those together somehow -- maybe the merging of liturgical traditions?
Hope this reaches you and brings you wishes for
Peace
John
Associated Parishes for Liturgy and Mission (APLM)
The Santa Fe Statement (you'll need to scroll down a bit. . . it's the 2nd to the last statement of the APLM)
The Liturgy After the Liturgy: Mission and Witness from an Orthodox Perspective
by Ion Bria
Links to mission-related Web sites
I think it might be interesting to look at how our (i.e., Anglican) liturgy - or perhaps liturgies from multiple traditions - informs our understanding of mission - both in practice and in evaluation of existing missions. If mission is a natural outpouring of our liturgy, then we ought to be able to evaluate its effectiveness by holding it up to the liturgy. Interesting in hearing other thoughts. . .
This is the weblog site for Seabury's History 668: Mission in the Anglican Communion, a bibilical, historical, and theological study of mission in the Anglican Communion with attention to Anglican missionary movements, shifting paradigms in our understanding of mission - particularly within ECUSA, and the challenge to the Chirstian mission today in a pluralistic and multi-cultural society.
If you are a visitor to this website and would like to learn more about Seabury-Western Theological Seminary or this course, please feel free to contact the instructor, the Rev. Meredith Woods Potter, D. Min. at meredith.potter@seabury.edu.