My Archbishop of Canterbury's Retirement

Dear Reader,

Those of you tightly knit into the Anglican Communion will already know that The Most Rev'd and Rt. Hon. The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, will retire from that post at the end of this calendar year and will return to academic work. For those of you reading who are outside of our Anglican world, since his enthronement on February 27, 2003 as the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury, he has served as the Primate (chief Episcopal leader, and in this case an Archbishop) of All England and is the primus inter pares (first among equals or peers) of all of the heads of Anglican provinces around the world. He is a focus of unity and while he cannot explicitly tell any province what to do, historically the Archbishop of Canterbury's moral authority is widely respected. His influence extends far beyond England as he gives leadership and focus to the Anglican Communion. He's also central in representing Anglicanism in ecumenical and inter-faith dialogues.

A simple Google search will net you plenty of responses to the news that +++Rowan is stepping down (some glowingly positive, others frankly downright uncharitable), but I'd like to offer something more personal here. +++Rowan is my Archbishop of Canterbury. I know some of you have lived through many Archbishops of Canterbury, but he has been in office the entire time I've been an Anglican. Since I began walking the Canterbury Trail as a Wheaton College undergraduate, I've known no other in that office.My journey from Southern Baptist student to Episcopal Priest (a complicated one, for sure!) unfolded alongside +++Rowan's Archiepiscopacy and within the context of the Anglican Communion he faithfully sought to lead. In reflecting on these past years, I'd like to highlight a few ways in which he demonstrated to me how to be an Anglican.

-His Grace is capable of such theological nuance and understanding that the Pope refers to him as "My friend, Rowan," the Orthodox gave him a D.D., and he can honestly speak with liberals and conservatives, low Evangelicals and high Anglo-Catholics. He demonstrates how, at our best, Anglicanism can contain a great degree of comprehensiveness and also relate honestly and charitably to those outside of our portion of the Church Catholic. Going beyond this, he has also demonstrated great charity in relating to those of other faiths, which is increasingly important in an age of secularization. Even those who disagree with him cannot deny his intellectual gifts.

-His Grace debated Richard Dawkins, the so called "high priest of atheism," and got him to admit that he's only 6.9 out of 7.0 (98.6%) that God doesn't exist. If you're unfamiliar with Dawkins, the previous sentence might as well have read, "His Grace struck a rock and water sprang forth!" Anglicans need to continue to follow his example and develop such rigorous and well grounded lay and ordained leaders so as to be able to stand up to the onslaught of secularism and atheism. For some to observe that the Archbishop seemed to engage the science better than Dawkins engaged the philosophy and theology gives us all a high goal indeed.

-In all of the mudslinging in the Anglican world during his tenure, and even at the most intense and challenging moments, I've never heard His Grace stoop to the petty name-calling and petulance to which so many on all sides of every issue have resorted. To be the focal point of tension and to remain charitable for a decade is no small feat.

-Finally, in his writings and talks, His Grace has been (and will continue to be) an example of a church leader who actively engages the world around him. Karl Barth talked about this as having a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other. It is sometimes tempting for us to retreat into the ghetto of the church, but the Archbishop over the years has consistently weighed in on a wide range of issues, sometimes prompting the secular press to push back and ask what the Church has to do with wider culture. Theology concerns the entirety of human existence, and +++Rowan seems never to have forgotten this.

+++Rowan, Archbishop of Canterbury, has demonstrated admirably how important a rigorous life of the mind is to clerics and to all Christians. He has related charitably to a diverse group of people, taken on the pressing in of secular fundamentalism, kept a cool head in the midst of conflict and not allowed the Church to forget its God-given role in speaking to culture, nor let the culture get away with thinking the Church has nothing to do with it.

I'm sure he's made mistakes (just like the rest of us), but as I approach the first anniversary of my priestly ordination, I will not speculate as to what I would have done in his place! Instead, I will just say "Thank you, Your Grace, for being my Archbishop of Canterbury as I followed God's calling on my life into the priesthood, serving in The Episcopal Church."  

We should all charitably give thanks for all of the good that +++Rowan has done in his time as Archbishop of Canterbury, while of course also praying for the Crown Nominations Committee, the Prime Minister and the Queen for wisdom and for our next Archbishop of Canterbury to faithfully lead the Church of England and our Anglican Communion. We should also hope for him to possess, in the words of His Grace, "the constitution of an ox and the skin of a rhinoceros!"

With Continued Prayers for a Holy Lent,

David+

The Forgiveness of Christ and the Absolution of the Church

Dear Reader,

Wow! It doesn't seem like it's been over four months since I last wrote, but I suppose that means parish life is good and adequately busy. I also think I was plagued by a Demotivational poster I once saw that read: Blogging, never have so many with so little to say said so much to so few. I must admit that it's hard to write while wondering if anyone's out there reading! So if you find my thoughts helpful (or infuriating) please do let me know!

What follows below is a little reflection I wrote in our parish weekly on the how and why of Confession, especially as we approach Easter. I hope you find it beneficial.

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The Forgiveness of Christ and the Absolution of the Church

“Our Lord Jesus Christ, who has left power to his Church to absolve all sinners who truly repent and believe in him, of his great mercy forgive you all your offenses; and by his authority committed to me, I absolve you from all your sins: In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

-Priest’s pronouncement of absolution, the Reconciliation of a Penitent (BCP, 448)

As we make our way through Lent and approach Holy Week and the glory of Easter itself, I want to encourage you to consider availing yourself of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Indeed, while it is always available, the Church especially encourages Her members to make use of it as holy preparation for Easter.  I know some of you are unfamiliar with the how and why of Reconciliation, so I will briefly reflect upon why we all ought to make use of Reconciliation, at lease annually, and how it works in a practical sense.

There is an old Episcopal saying about who should come to Confession, “All may, some should, and none must.” Everyone is invited to make their confession and receive forgiveness from Christ and absolution from His Church. Those who are plagued by habitual sin and need certain assurance of God’s forgiveness, as well as those who need counsel in order to grow in virtue and set sin aside really should make use of Confession. If you are not certain if God has forgiven you of a sin, I assure you that you would benefit from receiving absolution from your priest. It is healing to bring sin into the light of day and receive absolution. However, and fortunately for most of us, in The Episcopal Church no one is absolutely required to come to Confession. God is perfectly able to forgive you in the quietness of your heart, and no human person can stop you from receiving God’s forgiveness. This is why, in the above absolution it is Christ who forgives and is primary, and the priest—standing in His place—secondarily absolves and assures the penitent of Christ’s love and forgiveness. I cannot make you come to Confession, but I can humbly suggest that if you try it you will be amazed by the experience of God’s forgiveness, love, and grace that it provides.

I would also like to address a few practical issues regarding Confession. First, what happens in Confession stays in Confession. The seal of the confessional is absolute and no priest will ever (on pain of essentially defrocking himself) share anything that is said in Confession with anyone, ever. Even if someone confesses to a crime in the confessional, the priest cannot report it to the authorities, although he certainly would withhold the absolution until the penitent had also confessed the crime to the authorities. In addition, what is said in Confession does not affect the relationship between the priest and penitent outside of that context. A priest will never bring up with you, even in private, the subject of a prior confession unless you initiate and ask for further counsel. If you choose to come to Confession, you can be well assured that only you, the priest, and God will know what was discussed.

I hope you will give serious thought to making a Confession before Easter. Our Lord desires that each one of you know His healing grace and forgiveness. I'd love to hear from any of you positive or negative thoughts about the Sacrament of Reconciliation and your experiences with it.


Wishing you and yours a most holy Lent,


David+