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Fleming Rutledge is a preacher and teacher known throughout the mainline Protestant denominations of the US, Canada and parts of the UK. She is the author of seven books and has received a grant from the Louisville Foundation to complete a book about the meaning of the Crucifixion.
One of the first women to be ordained to the priesthood of the Episcopal Church, she served for fourteen years on the clergy staff at Grace Church on Lower Broadway at Tenth Street, New York City. Fleming and her husband celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2009 and have two daughters and two grandchildren. She is a native of Franklin, Virginia.
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Ruminations: Ungodly evangelicalsThursday, December 10, 2009Ungodly evangelicalsThat good word, evangelical, has almost been taken away from us. It is time to take it back.--James R. Crumley, formerly Bishop of the Lutheran Church in America An evangelical is someone who believes in the God who justifies the ungodly [Romans 4:5, 5:6]…Those who are not [evangelical] have a defective view of the sovereignty of divine grace in the saving process. Anything that allows for an element of merit or human achievement in work of salvation is, to that extent, non-evangelical. --F. F. Bruce, distinguished New Testament scholar The word “evangelical,” as the bishop notes, is in danger of being lost to us because of its almost daily use in the media to denote fundamentalists and others on the Christian Right who insist on “born-again” experiences as the hallmark of the true believer. These Christians are typically identified with three issues above all others—abortion, same-sex marriage, stem-cell research—and vote Republican in overwhelming numbers. The word is also used within the historic Protestant (mainline) denominations to identify parties within the church, usually in a political context with regard to hotly debated issues such as same-sex marriage. Rarely are the deeper theological issues addressed or even acknowledged. Part of the frustration of being evangelical in the Episcopal Church today is the near-impossibility of getting a discussion going about foundational issues—Christology, Scriptural interpretation, the doctrine of revelation, the divine agency. The last is the most important of all, as F. F. Bruce clearly outlines in the quotation above, which is taken from a 1989 interview with W. Ward Gasque, a professor at Regent College. Bruce firmly identifies the central affirmation of the gospel: the justification of the ungodly. The radicality of this declaration of Paul in the letter to the Romans is almost entirely ignored by the leaders of the mainlines—and, frankly, by most of the so-called evangelical churches as well. One way or another—whether by singing the approved renewal music, or by correct political commitments, or by Celtic spiritual practices, or by energetic community participation, or by charismatic enthusiasm–we are determined to put our own achievements at the center. This is a subtle matter, because most Christians realize, in theory, that they should not be putting themselves in the place of God. In practice, however, it is remarkably rare to hear a religious person utter a sentence in which God is the subject of the verb. Because of this blind spot, we are not willing to carry out the idea of the justification of the ungodly to its logical (or, rather, illogical!) conclusion. We are theoretically inclusive, but not in practice. There is no congregation anywhere that can truly call itself inclusive, in spite of the widespread practice of doing so. What “inclusive” really means at the moment is, “we favor gay marriage.” It doesn’t mean that we accept people who are radically outside our template. A recent story in the news is instructive: a woman who worked for Planned Parenthood was welcomed into an Episcopal parish as a new member, and she grew to love the congregation. Then she assisted at an actual abortion, and was shaken by the way the fetus flinched at the needle before being suctioned out. She decided that she could no longer work for Planned Parenthood. Now she is shunned at her church. This story could be told about countless people who were made to feel unwelcome in churches, and not only because of positions on various hot-button issues. There is no congregation capable of welcoming everyone. Sooner or later there will be a person with mental illness, bad hygiene, an irritating personality, or unacceptable views, who will be made unwelcome or even asked to leave. Instead of bragging about how inclusive we are, we would be more honest in the sight of God and our fellows if we maintained a state of perpetual repentance and prayer. There is no answer to this universal human dilemma except to throw ourselves upon the mercy of God and his justification of the ungodly, for in the final analysis, that category includes, without exception, every single one of us.
Permanent Link for this Post: http://www.generousorthodoxy.org/ruminations/2009/12/ungodly-evangelicals.htm |
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10 Comments:
Well said!!!!
Thank you for this, Fleming. Concise, compelling, thought-provoking.
"... There is no congregation capable of welcoming everyone. Sooner or later there will be a person with mental illness, bad hygiene, an irritating personality, or unacceptable views, who will be made unwelcome or even asked to leave."
Of course, but the congregation of "The Episcopal Church Welcomes You" is not just one church; TEC is an entire denomination ranging from high-liturgical to Protestant-Episcopal.
So when four dioceses left TEC this year, I doubt every exiting parishioner had "mental illness, bad hygiene, (or) an irritating personality ..."
Although never explicitly asked to leave, to say they were made to feel unwelcome would be an understatement.
"Part of the frustration of being evangelical in the Episcopal Church today is the near-impossibility of getting a discussion going about foundational issues—Christology, Scriptural interpretation, the doctrine of revelation, the divine agency."
Do you mean a discussion among Evangelicals or between Evangelicals and the rest of the church? If the former, it might be worth trying again now that we are a smaller but calmer group. The Evangelicals stil in PECUSA who gathered at VTS twice this year would, I think, be very open to such a discussion. Check out http://canterburytrail.wordpress.com/upcoming-events/.
Philip Wainwright
Oops--make that http://barnabasproject.wordpress.com/
ConnecticutYankee pointed it out. The "Welcoming" usually means "you are welcome, but don't get any ideas of actually asserting faith, or we'll make your life a living hell." I regret that most faithful (non-retired) priests in the ECUSA have to live "under the radar" and their church continually erodes around them. I was told I was warmly welcomed in the ELCA parish which looked an aweful like a UU one. After being told Jesus was opposed to charity, and I was wrong for suggesting we get involved in it, just how welcoming can we call that?
'most faithful (non-retired) priests in the ECUSA have to live "under the radar" and their church continually erodes around them.'
I'm not retired and I keep myself highly visible on every radar screen the Episcopal Church has. I'm well known in my now typically Episcopal diocese (Pittsburgh) as an Evangelical, and introduce myself as an Evangelical whenever I'm at National Church events, and find it very difficult to get persecuted or even disapproved of. I'm certainly regarded as an oddity, but if that's the worst I have to suffer in the Episcopal Church I really don't think I have any business complaining or feeling sorry for myself or flouncing away because I'm 'unwelcome'.
I preach the good news of repentance and forgiveness of sin through the saving death of Christ on the cross according to the Scriptures in my parish, and refer to it regularly at diocesan and other events, and no one has ever told me to stop. I'd be delighted to be the first person to be kicked out of PECUSA for doing this (and I would be the first, despite all the rhetoric about persecution), but I don't think it's going to happen.
"... I'm well known in my now typically Episcopal diocese (Pittsburgh) as an Evangelical, and introduce myself as an Evangelical whenever I'm at National Church events, and find it very difficult to get persecuted or even disapproved of."
This is not surprising, considering the following found at:
http://3riversepiscopal.blogspot.com/2008/08/biblical-reasons-for-staying.html
Biblical Reasons for Staying
"The Rev. Philip Wainwright of St. Peter's Brentwood (Diocese of Pittsburgh) wrote a thorough Biblical treatment - making a case for staying in the Episcopal Church ..."
After this, I doubt the PB or anyone in authority would deliberately make YOU feel unwelcome in PECUSA.
The point of the rumination is not to identify which particular group or individual is presently viewed as unsavory (or preferable, for that matter), but that someone always will be until we can get it through our skulls (or hearts, rather) that no one at all is in a preferred position vis a vis God's grace. So the deterioration of the comments into a tit for tat is pretty comical! Faithful priests vs. the godless congregations; priests who flounce vs. those who appease ECUSA! Well done, Sillies!
Tod Jones said...
The point of the rumination is not to identify which particular group or individual is presently viewed as unsavory (or preferable, for that matter) ...
It may not have been the point, but it was a point, and an accurate one at that:
"... What 'inclusive' really means at the moment is, 'we favor gay marriage.'"
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