Tag: creeds

Righteous living or Hierarchy

Concerning those who call themselves Cathari, if they come over to the Catholic and Apostolic Church, the great and holy Synod decrees that they who are ordained shall continue as they are in the clergy. But it is before all things necessary that they should profess in writing that they will observe and follow the dogmas of the Catholic and Apostolic Church; in particular that they will communicate with persons who have been twice married, and with those who having lapsed in persecution have had a period [of penance] laid upon them, and a time [of restoration] fixed so that in all things they will follow the dogmas of the Catholic Church.

via CHURCH FATHERS: First Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325).

When reading through The Canons of Nicaea from 325, it is surely interesting how structures and hierarchy take over and questions of righteous and holy living become secondary. As part of that the Canons address very thoroughly the right way of the clergy, reminds us that:

Let all such practices be utterly done away, and let the deacons remain within their own bounds, knowing that they are the ministers of the bishop and the inferiors of the presbyters. Let them receive the Eucharist according to their order, after the presbyters, and let either the bishop or the presbyter administer to them. Furthermore, let not the deacons sit among the presbyters, for that is contrary to canon and order. And if, after this decree, any one shall refuse to obey, let him be deposed from the diaconate.

One wonders how the word “inferiors” made it to a Christian document in 4th Century, and how this rule of sitting in groups fits with Paul.

Is ‘Mainline’ becoming Mainline again?

Total membership in the seven largest mainline Protestant denominations — United Methodist, Evangelical Lutheran, Episcopal, Presbyterian Church (USA), Disciples of Christ, United Church of Christ and American Baptist Churches — fell a total of 7.4% from 1995 to 2004, based on tallies reported to the Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches.

Meanwhile, the total membership count for Roman Catholics, the ultra-conservative Southern Baptist Convention, Pentecostal Assemblies of God and proselytizing Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) reported to the Yearbook is up nearly 11.4% for the same period.

via Some Protestant churches feeling ‘mainline’ again – USATODAY.com.

An article about St. Mark Evangelical Lutheran Church in Yorktown, that is for sure a mainline denomination but is still growing. It does not use PowerPoint or a Praise band, but offers food twice a week for those gathered.

Avery Dulles on JDDJ*

The heart of the Joint Declaration is surely paragraph 15, and more particularly the sentence: “Together we confess: By grace alone, in faith in Christ’s saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts while equipping and calling us to good works.” This consensus does not go beyond the clear conclusions of the dialogues. While it is in perfect accord both with the Augsburg Confession and with the Decree on Justification of the Council of Trent, it dispels some false stereotypes inherited from the past. Lutherans have often accused Catholics of holding that justification is a human achievement rather than a divine gift received in faith, while Catholics have accused Lutherans of holding that justification by faith does not involve inner renewal or good works. By mentioning both faith and works, both acceptance by God and the gift of the Holy Spirit, this sentence strikes an even–handed balance calculated to satisfy both sides.

via Two Languanges of Salvation: The Lutheran-Catholic Joint Declaration.

Avery Dulles addresses critically the difference in languages used by Lutheran Churches and The Roman Catholic Church when it comes to interpreting what JDDJ really says.

* Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification.

Creeds

When I was reading blogs from Iceland this morning it struck me that there was a person with an undergraduate degree in Philosophy and a graduate degree in teaching, an individual that had been through confirmation in ELCI and has been active in writing about religion that did not know that the Apostolic Creed is universal creed of most Christians, and he even claimed that it is not used by the Roman Catholic Church. To be excact, it sounded like he considered the Apostolic Creed to be some specific Lutheran thing.

One must ask what is the use of teaching Christianity in elementary school, like is mandatory in Iceland if this does not make it through. The second thing is of course how one can study philosophy on an undergraduate level in Western Europe without learning a thing or two about Christianity. The third is then the confirmation studies in Iceland, are they good for anything?

Icelandic Unitarians

From its beginnings in 1886 until its gradual decline following World War II, nearly thirty Icelandic Unitarian congregations were organized in Western Canada, the Upper Midwest and Washington state. At its peak in the 1930s, there were eighteen active churches and preaching stations.

via Icelandic Unitarians.

The influence Unitarians had in Iceland and the number of Icelanders in North America that became Unitarians is not well known. Here is an attempt to give some overview.

Preaching as Reimagination

It is not that the church’s theological absolutes are no longer trusted, but that the old modes in which those absolutes have been articulated are increasingly suspect and dysfunctional. That is because our old modes are increasingly regarded as patriarchal, hieararchic, authoritarian, and monologic.

Walter Brueggeman asks how this affects our way of preaching in “Preaching as Reimagination.”

Restructuring UMC

The United Methodist Church or, more specifically, its U.S. component, often continues to be entangled in U.S. political and economic ideologies and desires. … we must clearly grasp that the so-called “American Way of Life” requires critique. Capitalism and consumerism are not practices taken straight from the gospel.

Elaine A Robinson has an interesting article about the need to restructure UMC in an Age of Empire (PDF). Asking questions about the unbalanced relationship between north and south.

Err on the side of love

Matt Kruse shows his brilliance:

“I have to be willing, as a leader, to let God hold the differences that people bring when they come to worship,” said Kruse, whose home congregation is Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Jackson. “I guess I’m going to err on the side of love and welcoming also, and that’s also loving those I disagree with.”He said he was disappointed to see his church defined by the issue of homosexuality.

“From a Lutheran perspective, the only thing necessary for a church to happen is that the word of God be preached and that the sacraments be administered, and we’re free to disagree on lots of other things,” he said. “Ultimately I know there are plenty of people who were hurt by the decision in August, and the way we can respond to people’s hurt isn’t to leave but is to love.”

via A church divided: Area ELCA members weigh in on sexuality statement | Worthington Daily Globe | Worthington, Minnesota.

Trúarafstaða mín

Vegna ummæla sem má finna um mig hér á blog.is er rétt að taka fram að ég er vígður djákni en ekki prestur. Þannig er mér ekki ætlað að hafa um hönd sakramenti kirkjunnar, heldur að sinna kærleiksþjónustu við einstaklinga og hópa án tillits til bakgrunns, kyns eða trúar.

Þessi hugmynd um kærleiksþjónustu kirkjunnar byggir á þeirri trú að allar manneskjur séu skapaðar í Guðs mynd og hafi rétt á því að komið sé fram við þær af virðingu og kærleika. Framkoma okkar í garð einstaklinga á þannig ekki að stjórnast af utanaðkomandi þáttum eins og trúarskoðunum, kyni, kynhneigð, móðurmáli eða uppruna. 

Um leið hljótum við að viðurkenna og takast á við þá staðreynd að heimurinn er “fallinn”, óréttlætið er til staðar og manneskjur nota stöðu sína og völd til að gera það sem er rangt. Sem einstaklingur sem játar trú á Jesús Krist, hlýt ég að líta til hans, aftöku hans og upprisu í leit að von fyrir óréttlátan heim. Eins hlýt ég að líta til Jesús og viðbragða hans þegar hann mætti óréttlætinu á sinni vegferð í heiminum. Viðbrögð hans voru skýr, okkur ber að standa upp þegar ráðist er á þá sem minna mega sín. Gagnrýni Jesús á ráðandi stétt samtíma síns, er mér sem vígðs þjóns þjóðkirkjunnar, sífelld næstum óleysanleg glíma.

Í þessari glímu trúi ég að Jesús sé með. Verði mér á mistök í tilraun minni til að feta í fótspor Krists, þá veit ég að náðarboðskapur kristninnar, fyrirgefningin er til staðar.

Játning mín

Ég trúi því að Guð hafi skapað allt sem er. Guð sem skapar er alltaf með, líkt og er lýst í Sálmi 139. Guð sem ég trúi á er raunverulegur, persónulegur og býður okkur að eiga samskipti við sig. Guð kallar okkur til að vera hendur hans á jörðu, hefur gefið okkur frelsi til góðs og ills.

Ég trúi því að Jesús Kristur hafi verið sonur Guðs, Orð Guðs, manneskja og Guð. Ég trúi því að Jesús hafi verið krossfestur og ég trúi því að Jesús hafi risið upp frá dauðum. Ég trúi því að upprisa Jesú Krists sé megininntak trúar minnar og sé uppspretta þeirrar vonar og náðar sem stendur öllum til boða. Ég tek undir orð Páls postula að án upprisunar sé trúin ónýt.

Ég lít á hugtökin náð og von sem meginhugtök trúar minnar. Ég lifi í náð Guðs og þarf ekki að óttast neitt og lifi í von um að vilji Guðs, hið góða, fagra og fullkomna verði í lífi allra manneskja.

Ég trúi því að heilagur andi leiði okkur í lífinu, hjálpi okkur til að sjá vilja Guðs og kalli okkur til góðra verka.

Ég trúi á heilaga þrenningu sem birtingarmynd hins fullkomna samfélags, án þess þó að ég skilji hugtökin sem lýsa henni til fulls.

Ég horfi á Biblíuna sem vitnisburð um Orð Guðs, Jesús Krist. Ég veit að hún var skrifuð af manneskjum, en trúi því að þær hafi með hjálp heilags anda leitast við að birta í skrifum sínum sanna mynd af Guði.

Ég lít á sakramenti kirkjunnar, skírn og heilaga kvöldmáltíð sem bindandi fyrir manneskjur til að nálgast Guð. Ég hafna því um leið að athafnir fólks takmarki möguleika Guðs til að leiða fólk eftir sínum vilja.

Ég tel að við getum nálgast Guð og skynjað í náttúrunni, í bókmenntatextum, í tónlist, í hvers kyns helgihaldi, í íþróttum og hvar annars staðar þar sem við erum og förum. Um leið trúi ég því að aðeins fyrir upprisu Krists séum við fullkomlega frjáls.

Trú mín kallar mig til ábyrgðar á umhverfi mínu, náunga mínum, hverjum þeim sem ég mæti. Hún kallar mig til að leitast við að gera heiminn að betri stað, þar sem vilji Guðs ríkir.

Þessi trúarjátning er færð í orð, 17. september 2006. Hún er ekki endanleg enda eru ávallt takmörk á orðaðri trúarjátningu. Rétt er að taka fram að það er með vilja að ég opna ekki fyrir umræðu um þessa trúarjátningu. Ef vilji er til að ræða framsetningu slíkra játninga bendi ég á færsluna hér á undan, Uppgötvun um játningar. [BREYTT, kl. 23:30]