Perhaps
the time has come for non-sacramental Evangelicals who eagerly appropriate the
artistic riches of the Orthodox and Roman and Anglo-Catholic traditions,
especially the literary riches, to recognize the centrality of the sacraments
not only for the imaginative but also for the religious life. They are the
distinctively divine actions that the world cannot perform, and they mark the
Church as a divine institution rather than a human creation.
Prior to 2010, I was a non-sacramental Evangelical who eagerly appropriated the artistic riches of
the sacramental traditions, especially the literary riches. In 2010, I began to understand
the sacraments as central not only for the imaginative but also for the
religious life. I realize that they convey the
distinctively divine actions that the world cannot perform, and they mark the
Church as a divine institution rather than a human creation.
I remain an Evangelical in the sense that I desire to emphasize the Word and the Sacraments. It is difficult to find churches that emphasize both Word and Sacrament.
The ideal church for me is one in which:
1. The liturgy is an expression of the full sacramental life.
2. The Word is consistently preached and taught.
3. Other expressions of beauty are available: sights (vestments,
icons, stained glass windows, architecture, flowers, etc.) sounds (liturgy, music,
preaching, etc.), tastes (wine, bread, etc.), aromas (incense, wine, flowers,
etc.), sensations (BCP, pews, kneeling bench, etc.).
4. Ministry opportunities exist that are consistent with my
interests and skills.
5. There is a compatibility of persons such that our
differences compliment one another.
No comments:
Post a Comment