So I've been looking into the history of our spiritual family tree. What we call The Episcopal Church (TEC) has roots that stretch back to the Celtic and Anglo Saxon spiritualities into the third or fourth centuries. In my reading I saw concepts and understandings recur and be reinforced. There are certainly more than I list below but I've tried to restrict myself to those I think weigh most heavily in the areas of personal faith (as compared to corporate). They are (in no particular order):
- That personal prayer/devotions/spirituality is part of an overall approach to a life in faith
- That both corporate and personal worship are valued
- That our spirituality is based in a profound care for the life of the individual surrounded and supported by a larger community of faith (as compared to the other way around)
- An openness to individual variation - not a rigid or formulaic approach to personal worship
- That our spirituality respects and requires both the mind and the heart and action
- A deep respect and attention for tradition as the basis for ongoing development and change
- A deep love and study of Scripture but not to the exclusion of other works
- That our spirituality is based in an optimistic theology
Part of an overall life in faith - From the very earliest times personal prayer was seen as one part of our overall lives. Our faith and the practice of it has never been seen as separate from our "real lives". It is all of a single weaving, interlocked and continuous. We throw around the phrase "life in faith" pretty casually in the 21st Century but that idea of our entire lives immersed and enmeshed in our faith stands at the very foundation of our spirituality.
Corporate and Personal Worship - This was a challenge to the mindset I brought into this sabbatical. I thought that I could discuss personal prayer as a thing independent from the rest of a practice of worship. It's become clear that the idea is incorrect. Personal prayer needs the corporate and the corporate worship needs the personal. While Jesus regularly took time to pray by himself he also regularly calls us into community. They are all of a part and always have been.
Both Individual and Community are valued - This may seem like a repetition of the above but it was something that jumped out at me. From the earliest days there has been a clear understanding that each member is not some faceless part serving the larger good. We have individual needs and gifts and the larger community is best served when the individual is allowed to grow. Neither part is subservient to the other but functions in a continuous loop of support and growth for both.
Openness to individual variation - The third aspect of this concept. In our personal prayers we should find and use the technique, style or liturgical form that works best for us. Sing and dance or lie prostrate, work in the garden or kneel in the forest, write epic poetic prayers or sit wordlessly in the Presence. All the way back to the Celts and St. Columbanus (who apparently could be pretty strict when he wanted to be) it has been acknowledged that room needs to be left for the Holy Spirit to move as it will.
Heart and Mind - My least favorite epithet thrown at TEC is the "Frozen Chosen", a perception that we exist entirely in the rational mind in our spirituality. My second least favorite is "Happy Clappy", used to dismiss the more charismatic portion of the community. I dislike them because I think they're unfair, elitist and arrogant. A look at our history shows that in fact we are called to both an intellectual and emotive approach to spirituality. The balance may lean one way or the other but BOTH are needed for a fully developed spiritual life. In this day and age the impulse has been to put people into one camp or the other. That's inconsistent with our historic values.
Respect for History and Tradition as a basis for Growth and Change - Another place where today we are often told it's either/or. Yet repeatedly through the history of our spirituality we see people taking the best of what has gone before and weaving it with new approaches and ideas that are consistent. It means that our practice has deep roots and has passed the test of time. At the same time it has shown flexibility to adapt to the changing needs and gifts of the societies within which it exists. This is the glory of the BCP in England, TEC and New Zealand for example. They share common roots but speak to the people of each community. Any attempt to nail down a "permanent" version for all time would be a stake through the heart of our historic spirituality.
The Bible at the center but not alone - The consideration of scripture at the heart of our spirituality goes back to the earliest days. Yet there has always been room for study of other sources that offer wisdom and insight into the life of the follower of Christ. Consequently our tradition is filled with great writing from within the tradition and an openness to contemplate those outside. It offers us a depth of thought that is thousands of year deep and of great, though not limitless, width. Of course the BCP itself is filled with either direct quotes from scripture or phrases inspired directly by it.
An optimistic theology - In simplest terms our theology focuses on the redemptive nature of Jesus rather than the judgmental. That is not to say we dismiss or disregard the time of judgment. Rather we are joyful at the gift of prevenient grace (meaning grace that has been given in advance) and place our eyes on the prize that is waiting for us. This focus allows us to build a life in faith that works to place ourselves in the best possible situation to hear God's voice rather than an attempt to flee condemnation.
Those were the things that kept popping up for me. I'm sure a greater scholar than I would say that I've missed things or want to combine several into one. Yet each of them struck me as an important individual thread in the weaving of what it means to be an Episcopalian standing on the path of our historic spirituality. Each is important and needs to be held in our hearts and minds. To lose any of them results in something that is not quite that which has gone before. At the same time it gives us an instrument of faith of astounding depth and potential variation.
This then is my understanding of the "Episcopal context" portion of my study. Everything else must be able to grow from these roots.
Peace
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