Adult Education
Education is an important part of discipleship. In the parish of Chelsea-Lacelles-Wakefield have numerous opportunities for adult education. We have done subject- and book-specific studys as well as Bible study. Some of the past events are listed on this page and any upcoming events (see below). The Future of Anglicanism At its best Anglicanism is an outward, centrifugal movement, operating with a deep awareness of being a part of a wider whole. It is not a closed circle, insular and parochial. So, it's odd that the Anglican Communion Covenant is not more widely discussed. What could be wrong about adopting shared affirmations and commitments with other Anglicans worldwide? A decade ago the Anglican Communion was polarized between liberal and conservative voices. The middle way seemed to be tolerance for diversity and ambiguity. But times have changed. To illustrate this fact we need only look at the concerns of those on the forefront of the Covenant discussion in Canada, the national church Covenant Working Group. Their first concern with the Covenant is a "lack of definitional clarity." I suspect that the deeper trouble Anglicanism's latest effort at reformation has in Canada is that it conflicts with a kind of decolonizing mentality, a will to autonomy. The mere mention of the Anglican Covenant raises hackles and voices: "too much centralization." Quieter voices can still be heard saying just the opposite: "not enough." The new polarization is between the autonomy of belief and the need for a confessional statement of belief. In this modern crisis of belief the Anglican Covenant stands as a middle way of recognition and mutual accountability. The Anglican Communion has long held itself to be "bound together not by a central legislative and executive authority, but by mutual loyalty sustained through the common counsel of the bishops in conference" (Lambeth Conference 1930:49). The Covenant builds on that history. Paul Avis writes: "interdependence must be a key denominator of Anglican ecclesiology and polity. The Covenant seeks to flesh out in practical terms what interdependence might mean." Another way to put the question is to ask: How wide a circle should be drawn when discerning theological questions? Questions like: What is a healthy development of doctrine? Which decision making procedures should guide the church? How does one differentiate between core doctrine and adiaphora (inessentials)? How do we decide vital matters of authority? Obviously we just scratched the surface in our Adult Education conversations. It was very interesting to learn more about the path proposed by the Covenant. One quote from the resource material stood out for us. It described the path of the proposed Covenant as relying:
Only time will tell which voices will hold sway on this question or if the discussion will even be considered worthy. In the mean time, I encourage you to become better informed and to engage in the discussion and decision making about the future of Anglicanism. The Covenant Working Group welcomes your feedback. Who knows: if the Commonwealth can actually amend legislation to allow daughters of the monarch to take precedence over younger sons in the line of succession, perhaps we Anglicans in Canada can recognize the interdependence of the body of Christ takes precedence over our coveted autonomy. - Rev. Robert Why Study the Bible?
Then in a boldness seldom tolerated except from academics and Archbishops, Williams writes: "As I shall be saying more than once, traditionalists sometimes miss the point because they don't expect to be surprised by the past; progressives miss the point because they don't expect to be interested or questioned by it" (p. 3). Of course, Williams is talking specifically about Christian history, and he encourages people to look at Christian history expecting to be surprised and questioned. Williams' approach to Christian history is illustrative for adult education: Why study the Bible? Why study English poetry? Some may not expect to be surprised or challenged by either, but both can teach us a great deal about ourselves and our world. Both are exciting, foreign, and somewhat exotic countries in which we are free to travel. Our baptism is our passport. When we take the time to explore our country, we learn so many interesting things and we find a great deal of our selves reflected there. The Christian's story is written in many forms, e.g. history, scripture and literature. Those who know the story know themselves and the Christian world. But with all due respect to G.K. Chesterton, the journey into the Christian story is not a fairy tale. We take with us the eyes and tools of the critic: the historian, the literary critic, and - for want of a better word - the philosopher.
In January 2010 we discussed Tom Long's Preaching from Memory to Hope (ISBN-13: 978-0-664-23422-5). Tom Long was the 2009 speaker at the clergy conference and is an important voice and long-time advocate of narrative preaching. His view is that "to be human is to live a story; to be an ethical human is to be gathered up into a good story" (p. 11). We used his book not only to continue our exploration of the Christian story, but also to continue to balance the academic and critical with the religious and confessional. What was interesting was that we will not only covered essentially what diocesan clergy heard, but we also looked at what Long, a seasoned professor and renowned American preacher, had to say about some of the latest challenges to living and proclaiming the Christian story. Rev. Robert
Upcoming EventsFall 2011 -- Anglican CovenantAt our national church's General Synod, they moved that each Diocese and congregation be encouraged to review the proposed Anglican Covenant. This June the Anglican Communion Working Group came out with their study materials. This Fall we will be devoting 2 or 3 evenings to working through the substance of hte Covenant. We will also spend about 1/6th of our time looking at responses to the Covenant. The outline of the discussions for the three evenings is given below:
Past Events
Spring 2011 -- Lenten StudyTopic: Lectionary Readings for the Upcoming Sunday We will be doing a bible study on the Gospel reading for the upcoming Sunday. We will also reflect on how the Psalm may be helpful as a resource in our own prayer life. Each week is a stand alone session so if you are unable to attend every session, come when you can. No preparation is necessary, however if you want to read the Bible passages in advance the readings are listed in the bulletin. Winter/Fall 2010What is Anglicanism? During November and December this session we discussed four subjects:
Winter/Spring 2010English Poetryby Patty Sears
This fall, our parish Adult Education series has included bi-weekly discussions on Christian poetry (see downloads page for links to these past evenings' material). I began the series with a talk on medieval manuscripts, focusing especially on The Book of Kells and The Winchester Bible. We then moved on to poetry proper, with Anglo-Saxon poems "A Dream of the Rood," "The Wanderer," and "The Seafarer." A romp through Dante's Inferno was followed by a couple of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. On December 15th (7 p.m. at St. Mary's) we will have a lot of fun with Sir Gawain and the Green Knight; all are welcome, even if you do not manage to read ahead of time. We will re-start in the New Year with such authors as Milton, Herbert, Donne, Wesley, Blake, Hardy, and Hopkins, as well as some contemporary poets. You are welcome to attend one or several of the discussions. Handouts
Preaching from Memory to Hopeby Robert Sears In January 2010 we will discuss Thomas (Tom) Long's Preaching from Memory to Hope (ISBN-13: 978-0-664-23422-5). Tom Long was this year's speaker at the clergy conference. He is also an important voice and long-time advocate of narrative preaching. His view is that "to be human is to live a story; to be an ethical human is to be gathered up into a good story" (p. 11).
Alternating Tuesday evenings at St. Mary Magdalene
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In
the season of Advent, as we anticipated the birth of the Incarnate
Word, I was reminded that Christians have a powerful relationship
with spoken and written language, one of the primary ways in which
God has chosen to reveal himself to us. We are, as David Jeffrey
and others have noted, "People of the Book." 
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