United we stand?

I was watching the television news yesterday and two people were being interviewed about the “Women Bishops” debate in the Anglican Communion. Each of them was able to justify their stance from Scripture and yet their conclusions were diametrically opposed. Therein lies the source of many schisms in the Christian Church down through the ages. Christianity is currently under attack from the secularists and one of their criticisms is that the Church is a fragmented institution. “United we stand, divided we fall” may well be a saying that we need to seriously reflect on across the universal church today.

When I was ordained into the World Church on the 27th June 2004 I was asked the question “Do you accept the Holy Scriptures as revealing all things necessary for salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord?” the answer I gave was “I do”. If I were asked that question again today my answer would be the same. I am fairly confident that if I were to ask ten ordained ministers what that question means then I would be given ten different answers. The question itself has to be answered in the light of our own experience and I therefore suggest that it is contextual. For me Scripture is contextual and its revelation of what salvation might mean is both personal and corporate. In the Western Church we have developed an understanding of what we think personal salvation might mean but we seem to have little understanding of what corporate salvation might mean for church unity.

In Methodism we believe that the four main building blocks of faith are Scripture, Reason, Tradition and Experience. According to John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, a theme that runs through Scripture is that of sin and faith and present salvation. Present salvation speaks to me of relevance for today. So it is that I suggest that Scripture is best interpreted in the light of reason, tradition and experience and that the interpretation then becomes absolutely relevant for today in the context of the reader. I would also like to suggest that this is just as relevant for the corporate church as it is for individuals within it. It never ceases to amaze me that when I have the privilege to share Scripture in acts of worship just how many people take away different meanings from the same passage having heard the same exposition of it. This is surely confirmation that the authority and power of Scripture is that it speaks into people’s own context. It is relevant for today and what is more God is expressing an interest in our daily living as individuals and as a community.
One of the other main criticisms of the secularists is that the Old Testament is full of dishonourable and blood thirsty acts of human cruelty. If this is Holy Scripture then what does it have to say about God? It frustrates me enormously that from a media perspective the Church remains silent on the subject. For me the Christian perspective is that the Old Testament is only part of the story because it is the forerunner to the New Testament, the Gospel of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Put simply the Old Testament is about the rebellious nature of humanity and the New Testament is about God’s ultimate and eternal response to that rebellion. We who have belief in Jesus as Lord are still working through God’s response as it informs who we are. We read the Old Testament in the light of the teaching of the New Testament influenced predominantly by the teaching of Jesus himself. So yes we can draw God given truths from Scripture informed by reason, tradition and experience. We can also accept that often God given truths are contextual and so acknowledge that our personal faith journey is unique to us and that the faith experience of others is different to our own.

Here then is the irony. If Scripture can be interpreted in different ways because it is contextual then when looked at in isolation it can lead to diametrically opposed conclusions being reached. I would like to suggest that if Scripture is looked at in the light of reason, tradition and experience then we can accept that contextually the same passages of Scripture have different things to say to different people. An acknowledgement that individual passages of Scripture need to be reflected on as part of the whole would also, in my opinion, be helpful. It seems to me that it all goes wrong when we try to inflict the meaning that comes out for us on others. Yes there are Scriptural truths such as Jesus is Lord that we can all agree on but there are also many different ways in which the Holy Spirit can speak into our hearts and minds as we read, reflect and digest.

As we go through Lent and look again at God’s response to human rebellion let us do so with open hearts and minds. Let’s embrace God’s love in Jesus Christ and acknowledge that self sacrifice for others is at the heart of the teaching of the Gospel of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Let us act as if it is indeed Good News and something that’s worth sharing with others

Jesus said “The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)” John 10:10 AMP

May God bless each of you richly as you again have the opportunity to respond to a wonderful act of pure love for all humanity. Richard