Faith, Fact & Fantasy

Static or Dynamic? How shall we approach and understand Holy Scripture? I wish this were an easy question but alas it is a question which divides Christianity into quite unfortunate camps each with varying answers to the question, each with its own set of interpretive guidelines (hermeneutic). The historic position of the Episcopal Church, springing as it does from Anglican heritage, is that faith and belief must be based upon a dynamic tension between Holy Scripture, tradition (the magisterium or historic teaching of the Church) and reason. Exalting one aspect of this trinity of tests for faith and belief over the others has proved throughout the five hundred years or so of Anglican teaching to be folly, and has resulted more than once in schism. Those who wish to rely solely upon Holy Scripture have found themselves to be at odds with those who prefer to emphasize the traditions of the church Catholic. There were reasons for the Acts of Uniformity and of Supremacy in 1559 -- peo...

As time moves forward with too much speed, retirement for The Parson looms. If you stay tuned, you will find posts (on a regular basis) which raise questions of faith for thoughtful believers. Is this a tease? Perhaps. The question on my mind this evening is: must clarity about faith lead to certainty in behavior? Must it be the case that what we believe inevitably leads to actions which have the potential to harm those with whom we disagree? The question obtains on many levels, from international relations to life in a local congregation. It is no secret, for example, that in my denomination clergy and laity who are choosing to disaffiliate are doing so on the basis of clarity of faith with regard to biblical teaching, as if to suggest that those who stay do not share a similar commitment to biblical teaching, albeit arriving at different answers to questions of the day. I repeat my question: must it be the case that what we believe inevitably leads to actions which have the p...

Hum, time to join the fray? Ok, every now and then I will post some thoughts about issues of faith. Matters of faith are not fact, nor are they wholly fantasy. Faith occupies its own sphere. As I see things today, it is my belief that the world would be a better place if there were more fact to faith. If our faith cannot withstand the rigors of intellect, likely it will lead us to places which are either harmful to us, or worse, harmful to others -- such does seem to be a part of the history of religion.