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 Pastoral Letter following General Convention By Andrew Sloan, St. Paul's, K Street A PASTORAL LETTER TO THE PARISH It is unusual for us here at St. Paul’s not to
have a sermon preached at Sun-day Masses. In view of the events of the
recent General Convention, I feel it is important for me as your parish
priest to address the anxieties that exist now in the church at large
and in the parish, and so this “pastoral letter.” Fr. Barnett has clearly and sagaciously addressed the issues before the Gen-eral Convention in the last few weeks in his sermons. He has put the debate in good perspective. He has drawn our attention through St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians as to how we are expected to behave towards one another as “church.” It is important to remember the frame for our reactions: “There is one Body and one Spirit. There is one hope in God’s call to us. One Lord, one Faith, one Baptism; One God and Father of all” (BCP, page 299). We are called to turn to Christ, to follow and obey Him as our Lord and Sav-ior. You and I promise to persevere in resisting evil and to be aware of our own sin and whenever we fall into sin to repent and return to the Lord. We are called to put our whole trust in his grace and love. We are all called to be open to the sanctification of the Holy Spirit and so allow ourselves to be formed by, in, and into Christ himself. We are called to continue in the apos-tles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of the bread, and in the prayers. We promise to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves. We strive for justice and peace among all people and we promise to respect the dignity of every human being. That is our baptis-mal charter and the compass by which we plot our pilgrimage as followers of Christ. There is always unease in facing change — the daily glance in the mirror will confirm that for most of us! But there should be no fear. There are of course pitfalls, so some caveats are appropriate and, I hope, helpful — in no particular order: • One must not be too quick to react. With these caveats in mind, I would like to address
some of the theological issues that I believe are before us, and then
look at the pastoral issues. 1. A THEOLOGY OF REVELATION At the heart of the Christian Faith is the truth that God reveals Himself in the birth, life, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit the Body of Christ, the church, becomes the extension of the incarnation and thereby continues that same, once for all revelation. We also believe that in Jesus’ revelation we see hu-manity as it is intended to be by God. Jesus is perfect God and perfect man. • What was that revelation in Jesus? Was
it sufficient for all time and all places? Could it be deficient in any
way? Can the revelation of the di-vine will be ongoing? If so, how is
that discerned? 2. A THEOLOGY OF AUTHORITY What is authoritative in the life of a church that claims to be within the teaching and fellowship of the apostles? For evangelicals, the answer would be primarily in the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. As the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral of 1886 states (a document that I believe can be helpful to us): “The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the revealed word of God” are “essential” to the church. As Anglo-Catholics we have a particular interest in what we call the Tradi-tion — the unbroken teaching of the church under the guidance of Holy Spirit. We see ourselves as not merely a part of a denomination but of the Church Catholic. Who has authority to interpret Scripture and Tradition
and how? 3. A THEOLOGY OF SEXUALITY There is a theology of Christian Marriage clearly outlined in our catechism and in the Marriage rite itself in the Book of Common Prayer. What does it say? • What is the theology of sexuality? 4. A THEOLOGY OF THE CHURCH OR “ECCLESIOLOGY” As Anglicans we view ourselves as part of the Church Catholic, founded upon the Apostles themselves and centered on the historic episcopate. Can we make “local” decisions that appear to run contrary to the consistent teaching and practice of the Church Catholic? If so, then how? What does in mean to be the Anglican “Communion” rather than a “confed-eration” of Anglican churches? Do we in fact have any obligation at all to ecumenical implications, espe-cially in regard to other churches that would consider themselves as catho-lic? PASTORAL CONSIDERATIONS It has been said, rightly I think, that all Anglican theology at its best is essen-tially pastoral theology. Indeed I would go so far as to say that is one of our distinctive and attractive characteristics. But those who prefer a more clear cut or even legislative approach will inevitably find this frustrating, even in-comprehensible “Issues” are never just that. They involve human beings, and I as a parish priest am keenly aware that they involve immortal souls. Indeed I am equally keenly aware that God’s judgment on my own ministry as priest will be upon the care given (or not) to those souls entrusted by him to me. In other words, the souls of those of you who hear or read these words. I would suggest that priests have a particular perspective on pastoral matters because of the safety and confidentiality of conversations between parish-ioner and priest. When I hear the debates, discussions, threats, and reactions, I have in my mind and my heart real people and their souls. Dare I say that every one of us struggles with sexuality and sex on some level at some time? It shouldn’t be surprising since it was the sexual drive of our parents that got us here in the first place and that continues our species! From my own pastoral work, I know that people struggle, and, let me be quite clear, people of all sexual orientations. Married people struggle with dead marriages, unfaithfulness to their marriage vows, a sense of imprison-ment and inevitability. Homosexual people struggle also in many ways, many seeking to live faithfully within the traditional teaching of the church and doing so with great sacrifice — let us not forget that! Others conscien-tiously try to reconcile faithful and monogamous same-sex relationships with Christlike lives; single people of both genders and all persuasions struggle with the realities and temptations of loneliness and isolation and re-jection. I also know that marriage is not always a guarantee of strictly het-erosexual orientation. From this professional and personal perspective, I concur with the comments quoted in the Washington Post recently by my good friend and colleague Fr. Lane Davenport. I, like him, find myself torn between my experience of lov-ing and devout same-sex relationships, relationships which in their turn poignantly hallow others in the church and in the world, and the clear and unswerving teaching of the church on matters of sexuality and sexual prac-tice. I find this not only an uncomfortable place to be, but also an agonizing place. But it can also be a holy place for it is also the place of the Cross. I am not afraid to face the struggle within me as I engage the secular, rational voices of the world and the “prophetic voices” of the church in open, faith-ful, and prayerful dialogue. As my friend and yours, Bishop Michael Mar-shall, has often said, I am proud to be a member of a church that is prepared to wrestle with these kinds of issues. It could be one of our great strengths. As a Catholic, I freely and humbly submit myself to the traditional teaching and practice of the church, which is larger, holier, and wiser than my own limited and flawed perspective. I also, with the church, rejoice in the great gifts, examples, and signs of lifelong unions in the Christian sacrament of Holy Matrimony and also of faithfully chaste and celibate lives which speak volumes of the nature of the love of God Himself. Before the General Convention I was able to have a most productive meeting with our Bishop. I expressed to him, not my theological or political con-cerns, but my pastoral concerns for this parish. I pointed out to him that St. Paul’s really could be seen as a kind of microcosm of the Anglican Com-munion, except perhaps for its most evangelical components! The bishop af-firmed me in my principle of seeking to maintain the unity of the parish. I realize that I am readily criticized by some in that stance for they see that as a compromise of what they regard as essential principles. I might well plead guilty to such compromise. In matters of sexuality I in fact welcome the en-gagement in which we must now be involved. Gone are the days when these things are “not the sort of things we talk about” — even in England! It would be dishonest and hypocritical of any urban, Western Anglo-Catholic parish to claim that gay people of all stripes have not been essential to the well-being and growth of such communities; indeed they have been and are integral and essential to them. When I came to St. Paul’s, you had already experienced the fallout of divi-sions on matters of Catholic and Apostolic order and practice. We have I hope learned from those days. With the pastoral care and unity of the parish foremost in my mind and heart, when I came here I said you would hear no preaching and teaching nor witness any practice within these walls which was not part of the traditional teaching and practice of the Catholic and Ap-ostolic church, and I shall continue that commitment. That will be seen as unacceptable by a few, a faulty compromise by some, a reassurance to oth-ers. For those parishioners who wish to pursue the church’s blessing on a same-sex relationship, within the parameters outlined by the resolution of the General Convention, I shall, in consultation with the bishop, make available those resources offered outside of the parish by the diocesan community. I will also commit to the generosity of spirit that should be the hallmark of Catholic Faith and practice, as well as to the inclusivity and diversity that makes up and, even, is the genius of this congregation. Indeed, I have always thought that if we can somehow by Grace get it right, it could be a model for others. The Episcopal Church and this parish welcomes you whoever you are, and you will be assured of a warm welcome, the full availability of the sacramental life and pastoral care, and the charitable fellowship of your fel-low members of the Body of Christ. You and I will continue our commit-ment to our mission statement: to seek to “restore all people to God and to each other through sacramental worship and Christlike lives.” In all this we need to wait upon the Holy Spirit. We need to wait upon the outcome of the meeting which the Archbishop of Canterbury has called for the primates of the Anglican Communion. While I clearly am not at one with the Archbishop on all things, I have enormous confidence in his theological, spiritual, and pastoral gifts, and so I await that outcome with some hope and optimism. I am not, I have to say, hopeful or optimistic about a parallel An-glican jurisdiction in the USA or worldwide — as an Anglo-Catholic I would find myself in some very strange and foreign theological territory. While I am away on my sabbatical leave I shall formulate
for the new year some helpful and appropriate vehicles for our engagement
with these ques-tions as a parish. In the meantime I shall make myself
available each Sunday beginning next week and until I begin my leave at
the end of September for half an hour in the Common Room from 10:30 to
11:00 am for those who would like to have informal conversation. I shall
restrict the numbers to eight including me, so the first eight to fill
the table will be it! I shall also lay down some ground rules for those
conversations. Any of our clergy are will-ing and available to meet privately
with any of you. Let us rejoice, as Fr. Barnett told us last week in his sermon, in what we have in common — that is where I began. Let us rejoice in the many and rich blessings that we receive in this particular place — for the joy and privi-lege of disciplined, regular, and transcendent worship and for the opportuni-ties for us to grow together into Christ and into the people and the Body he would have us be. So we shall engage in his name and in the power of the Holy Spirit in mission and ministry to a broken and hurting world, confident that the Lord of the resurrection is the Lord of the church, your Lord and mine. This comes to you and is read to you in the love of Christ, and in gratitude for our shared ministry together in and from this place, Your priest, pastor and fellow pilgrim, The Reverend Andrew L. Sloane, St. Paul’s Parish
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