[Ed. Note: This has been a week of great contrast. I spent last Monday with the Presiding Bishop and listened intently to her thoughts about the institutional church. This morning, I sat as a guest in Fort Worth with Archbishop Venables, whom I have met many times before. He spoke with love and clarity about the risen Lord, Jesus Christ, the authority of Scripture and the challenges before all Christians, those within churches and those without. The contrast between the two couldn't be clearer. Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori views her role as shaping and leading a people-oriented institution, managing all the details with efficiency and skill. The archbishop is clearly an ambassador of the Lord Jesus Christ, calling people to commit their lives to Him and entrust Him with their future. Polar opposites? No. But as the Archbishop has said, everyone must choose. Read this and be encouraged. Cheryl M. Wetzel]
Archbishop Venables to the Gathered Convention in Fort Worth, TX May 3, 2008
After introduction by Bishop Jack Iker, Archbishop Venables began with Scripture, choosing Acts 2: especially verses 36 and 37: where the crowd responds, “Brothers, what shall we do?” These are my notes on his 90-minute presentation.
This (scripture) is an example of the first church meeting. When God’s Spirit moves you, it moves you here (pointed to his head) and here (pointed to his heart). In 1969 when I was 20 years old, a friend spent a whole night, until 4:00 am telling me about this man Jesus and his father God. When I woke up the next morning and was waiting for a train, I said, “If you are there, God, I want to know about you.”
A paper blew across the platform and landed at my feet. I picked it up and it had the scripture on it that I just read to you. I knew then, August 1969, that I had to accept Christ as Lord and Saviour. He completely changed my life. He is not here on earth as part of an institution. Jesus Christ wants to change your life. That’s what it is all about.
In Acts 2, the men replied, “what shall we do?” They didn’t speak to an institution but a body of people who had experienced the Christ. Sometimes you have to belong to an institution just to function, but in that group, we are all following Christ. Identify who in your institution is following Christ. Who believes in him? Seek out those people.
People ask me too tell them what books to read for Anglican theology. I tell them the Bible and the Prayer Book. Salvation is about eternal life. That’s why this issue is so important. (Holding his Bible aloft,) There is nothing in here about church rules and regulations.
This is not a human battle. It is a battle over Jesus Christ as the Word of God and as the only begotten Son of God. That is one essential truth that we have to get right.
I knew a ship’s captain once, who always went to his quarters aboard the ship before they left port and spent some time there. He had a locked wooden box with a small book in it. He would unlock the box, open the book, read it and then take his position on the bridge. After his death, his crew went to his cabin, found the box, opened it and took out the book. Inside was 1 entry: Starboard is on the right; port is on the left. Those facts were the essential truths of the captain’s world that could not be changed.
The Bible tells us about the essentials, the basics. Once you get that right, you can deal with the adiaphora, or secondary issues. What we are engaged in today is not about schism. Schism is sinful separation on secondary issues. Reformation was about the basics but fragmentation on secondary issues happened after that.
What is the basic essential truth? We live in a pluralistic society. You probably live next to someone whose presuppositions about truth are totally different than yours are. I’m here to say that there are truths that are true. I once was invited to speak at a university in England. The professor who introduced me said there is no truth. I asked him, Are you absolutely sure about that?”
“Yes,” he replied.
There are two types of truth: essential truth and relative truth. In the world today, we have to be sure of which is which. There is great comfort in truth that is true. That is why they crucified the Christ. He said, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” It was too intolerant.
They didn’t crucify him because of his miracles or helping the poor. They killed him because he claimed to be the Son of God. They will do the same to us today. The same people who cried “Hosanna” also cried, “Crucify Him!”
God’s claim on our lives is seen as an offense, as impinging on our freedom. It leaves you committed to the God who loves you and called you by name. Acknowledging that means you can’t do your own thing. It means that you have to at least try to do His thing.
Well, how has this commotion in the Communion happened?
I believe it began in the garden with Eve. The serpent said, “Did God say…?”
1) The enemy always casts doubt on God’s truthfulness.
Is the Bible God’s voice? Or does it contain the word of God? If you claim that it contains the word of God, you then get to choose which part is His and which is not. You get to interpret what it means.
Eve’s claim was that she was smarter on this issue than Adam, because perhaps she was younger. She was more modern. Do you believe that? I know better. Which is it? The Word of God or not the word of God? You need to know that for yourself.
Is God playing word games with your destiny? Of course not. His message from Genesis to Revelations is clear.
2) The second issue is the Person of Christ. Is he the Incarnate Word of God? He himself said repeatedly, “It is I.” Or “I Am.” When God becomes a man in human flesh, he’s too close to us. He comes in and makes it plain that I have no option: either I must obey or not. No, that is too intolerant for modern people. Imagine when he said, “No one comes to the Father except by me.”
We don’t argue with God about the fact that he created us to breathe oxygen. No one says that is intolerant. That is ordered by scientific truth and real truth.
3) Doctrinal Impurity. When you doubt the word of God, you doubt Christ. There is a line of despair here. We could study science because we have an ordered view of creation. Creation is open. God could step in and make decisions; and we can make decisions, too.
Rationalism teaches that I believe only what I can understand. I will seek to create a united understanding of the universe. It will either be an open universe or a closed universe. That’s just the way it is. You can take the miracle bits out and what are you left with? Nihilism: The line of despair. Everything is left to chance; we are all products of blind forces. Intellectual pride adopts that over the Bible. Spiritual truth is what you want it to be, nothing fixed.
In the 60’s theology went off, saying it was foolish to define anything. You could make it exactly what you wanted. The real world is what God created and it functions according to His purposes. Same language; Some of the same words. Completely different meaning. This is what confuses us today. In the West, we recreated theology to suit our own grasp. We used the same words, but gave them different values and meaning. So that nothing stands for what it originally was meant to be. Same words; skewed meaning. The result is deep confusion.
Theology always challenges culture. Culture doesn’t define what God does.
Doctrinal impurity leads to moral impurity. There is no guide to right or wrong, just what you think about it. This is not true when you submit yourself to what God has said.
So there is a moment of truth. People ask me why all this fuss about sexuality. It is not about sexuality. It is about what God created and ordered. God ordered them male and female. Marriage is a sign of that ordering. It is not an organizational tool or just how we choose to order our society. Marriage is Holy Matrimony. It is not just an organizational trinket but God-ordained. It is the image of our relationship with Christ. Holy matrimony is the Church in relationship to Christ: bride and bridegroom. Just because I don’t feel that way does not change it.
In 1979 Sylvia and I repeated vows to each other and we really meant it. That’s why it is so important. It is about God’s way of telling the world of our relationship as the Church with Christ. It is holy. It is sacred; set apart. Sexual sin affects your body. “Don’t you know that your body is the temple of God?” That’s why this bit on marriage matters so much.
In Paul’s letter to the Hebrews, (2:1) he tells us to be very careful and pay attention to what we have heard – not what we thought we heard – lest we drift away. This is not the same as walking away. And that is what has happened. We have drifted from the truth. Some say, “Lets start where we are.” We can’t do that. We have to get back to the truth and start there.
Doctrinal impurity leads to moral impurity. But, I want you to know that the vast majority – 95% - of the people in the Anglican Communion believe that this book (holding up his Bible) is the word of God. If you choose to stand on this, you will be standing with the overwhelming majority. That doesn’t make it all easy, but it will offer some comfort.
In the Communion, 90% of the bishops gathered 10 years ago at Lambeth said what I just said. (Resolution I.10, where the vote was 526 for; 70 against). The 10% who did not agree said, “I don’t agree with you and I don’t care what you say.” The 10% cannot explain why they believe as they do. They will not or cannot tell us why they believe as they do. Believe me, I have asked. Many times.
Every Primate’s meeting, we produce a letter. Starting in Brasil, in the spring of 2003, when Gene Robinson was nominated in New Hampshire, we said, “don’t do it.” In London after his election, we said, “Don’t do it.” In Dromantine in February of 2004, we said, “Don’t do it.”
Your presiding bishop walked away from the meeting without telling us he did not agree and did it anyway. We said, “Why didn’t you talk to us about it? Did you understand what we were saying to you?”
He responded, “Yes, I did.”
We asked, “Did you tell the people in the US what we said?”
He responded, “No.”
In Nottingham in 2006, we told your entire delegation that what they were doing was not right, especially with regard to gay marriage. It still continued. They have said that they don’t care what we think and will do whatever they want anyway.
Listening means talking to each other, not sending a small group out to lecture, like the Listening Process. Talking together and listening to each other. Jesus talked with his disciples and the tax collectors. He did this over food, just as we will talk over lunch in a few minutes. You can’t listen to people who will not talk and cannot explain why they have adopted the path that they have. We must keep talking to each other today and speak with love and gentleness. Not all of us are in the same place on these issues and the challenge is to leave as friends, not enemies.
In Tanzania one year ago, we requested alternative covering for the orthodox in the US and Canada. They said no. That’s why we are where we are. The Orthodox tried to open the dialogue and they continually stonewalled us.
In the Anglican Communion, we have no authority over us to resolve these issues. The Primates tried and were told they did not have the authority. The Archbishop of Canterbury has said that he is not a referee. In 1998, The Lambeth Conference spoke and we were ignored because the Communion system is run from the ideal of democratic inclusiveness. All ideas are equal and valid. This ideal is good for some things, but not in determining the Word of God. (The audience stood and applauded at this point, for quite a while. This ended his remarks. )
*****
The session then moved into questions and answers. Most of the questions were about the diocese and what their place in the Southern Cone would look like should they decide to exit TEC.
Archbishop Venables said repeatedly that there were no blueprints with this all written out. He said that in San Joaquin, initially, there was shock. They had stood alone against hostile forces and ridicule for so long, their new accountability came to them as a surprise. They are no longer out there doing it on their own. They are part of a Province that believes as they do and is willing to embrace and comfort them. His meeting in San Joaquin two days ago was a time of great joy.
He continued, “whatever you decide to do this fall, you must love each other after it is over. Friends will be parting from friends. It is heart breaking and the decade we have just traveled through has left many heart broken. When your bishops came to Buenos Aires for our House of Bishops’ meeting last fall and last December when Dean Ryan Reed from your Standing Committee and Cathedral came to our Synod, they found that we are very much united on these issues of theology and doctrine. They were at home with us, just as I am at home here with you today. (More loud applause).
When asked about women’s ordination, the Archbishop replied that it happened too fast, here in the United States, without consultation. Once done, it is difficult to undo. The Southern Cone ordains women to the deaconate, allows them to serve at the altar with the priest, lets girls be crucifers and process, but they do not ordain women to the priesthood. This is not likely to change soon.
A woman said that this decision was being forced to happen too fast, just as he has said about women’s ordination. They really haven’t had time to weigh all of the aspects.
Another said her church was divided nearly in half on the issue of staying in TEC or leaving. She asked, “What will happen to those who stay if we leave with the building?”
The archbishop relied that each parish must make sure that justice is done with regard to the property. Retain what is ours; leave the rest behind. But, the time will come when they will have to chose: to stand for the eternal truth or not.
“This fight is not about buildings, but it is about truth,” he continued. “World War II was a crucial moment in time. We are at a similar moment in time. Do not base your decision on keeping your property. Base it on the truth of the Gospel and the person of Jesus Christ. Base it on the Authority of Scripture through 2000 years of history, not on pews and candlesticks. What will happen to those who stay behind? Bishop Iker was asked to come to the podium and speak to this issue.
Bishop Iker said, “The Presiding Bishop said, ‘Watch what is happening in San Joaquin.’ That means there will be litigation and coercion from the national church.”
Archbishop Venables replied, “If Christianity is about love and communication, where is it in the Episcopal Church? Why would your presiding bishop write a letter to me on the Internet? Why wouldn’t she pick up a phone and call me?”
The Province of the Southern Cone has changed their constitution and canons to allow an archbishop to serve a second 9-year term. He cautioned them that he wanted a unanimous vote to continue. They said that the customary 67% would be enough. The vote was unanimous.
In closing, he said, “Whatever happens in Fort Worth, we love you and will stand with you. We will follow thru with you. You are not in an easy place to be. But God has allowed this to happen and he has a purpose and something better on the other side. He has not lost control of your circumstances. We live heartbroken lives. But, as Christians we believe that ‘All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purposes.’ It is not about who is scoring points or who is winning. It is about standing for truth and loving each other as we do so. Do this with grace and dignity. Respect people’s conscience and opinion. If you can do that, God will do something wonderful with this difficult, difficult time.
He closed with a prayer and blessing, to thunderous applause.
