Much of Christian belief is in controversy as we live into the 21st Century. The beliefs which defined Christendom for the last 1500 years are being challenged by advances in scholarship and changes in culture. Some churches, including the Episcopal Church, have embraced those changes while others have resisted. See below for a short outline of the beliefs that inform our common life at Christ Church.
Who is Jesus Christ?
Any statement of the Christian life begins and ends with Jesus of Nazareth, an undoubted historical figure, but one described in varying ways over the centuries. Jesus has been given many names, such as “Savior and Redeemer”, “The Son of God”, “The Way, the Truth and the Life”, “The Eternal Word”, “The Lamb of God”, “The Alpha and the Omega”. “Christ” itself is not a name, but a title, meaning “Anointed One.” Ultimately, though, what matters is not what we call him, but Jesus’ life, message, self offering, and resurrection.
What was Jesus’ Message?
Put simply, Jesus’ core message was that God’s kingdom is at hand, that God will transform the world and establish a reign of justice and peace for the whole world. Many, if not most, of the people who heard Jesus’ message (or “gospel,” which means “good news”) thought this meant the violent overthrow of the Roman imperial system that dominated the Mediterranean World. Jesus was not talking about armed resistance to the Roman occupiers, though, but a reign of God in which not just the Jewish people, but everyone — even Romans, Samaritans, other social outcasts — would be able to share a world of peace, justice, and mutual respect, as children of the same God
Why was Jesus Killed?
Jesus’ message sounded subversive and dangerous to just about everyone who had a stake in the prevailing order: It impugned the legitimacy of the Roman Emperor, it declared invalid the agenda of those who wanted an armed insurrection against the Empire, and it threatened the authority of religious leaders who wanted to exclude “sinners” and the “unclean” from God’s people. The hostility of those who saw his message as subversive lead to Jesus’ execution by the Roman authorities during the Passover festival in about the year A.D. 29 or 30. Christians believe that although he could have avoided his arrest, trial and execution, Jesus refused to vary from his chosen course and offered himself to the world as a perfect example of love, compassion and commitment.
The people who crucified Jesus had every reason to believe that this was the end of Jesus of Nazareth, his message and his following. It was not.
What Does it Mean to Say That “Jesus Rose From the Dead?”
What happened to Jesus after his crucifixion and burial is a mystery that lies at the center of Christian faith. Within a short time after his death on the cross, Jesus’ terrified and demoralized group of disciples became convinced that he had risen from the dead by the power of God, that he was alive and that God had both commissioned and empowered them to take Jesus’ message to the world.
The disciples and apostles set out to do just that. Emboldened by Jesus’ transformed state (”resurrection”), they taught that all people are God’s own children, that might does not make right, and that God wants all people (especially the weak and the powerless) to share in the plenty of God’s creation and the fullness of his grace. They took on the Emperor of all the known world, proclaiming that Jesus, not Caesar, is Lord, facing persecution with courage, and even joy, and in so doing they turned the world upside down.
Today’s Christians continue to witness to the truth that when God raised Jesus from the dead God decisively and finally validated all that Jesus preached and taught about how we are to relate to God and to other people. Through Christ’s resurrection we too have the hope of transformation when our mortal lives have ended.
What’s Church For?
Church is where we come together to gain strength from God and from one another. While God is our focus, worship is not solely for God but for us as well. At every service we commemorate and repeat the Last Supper that Christ shared with his disciples, where bread and wine were given to them as his body and blood. In church we teach, support and strengthen each other. This relationship empowers us as Christians to go out into the world, loving God and loving what God loves, namely all creation.
All enduring religion is a human response to an encounter with the divine or the holy. Spirituality is a process of becoming conscious and intentional about that encounter. Being in the church, then, is not about believing all the right things, but is a “way” of participating in God’s transformation of the world to the wholeness God intends for it. In our tradition, doubt is not the opposite of faith. Our only enemy is fear, and God is our support.
What is the Bible?
The Bible is a collection of ancient writings from both the Jewish and Christian traditions. It is divided into two parts, the Hebrew Scriptures (commonly called the Old Testament) and the Christian Scriptures (commonly called the New Testament). These scriptures tell the story of God’s relationship to humanity through the cultural lens of ancient people. In them can be found history, poetry, parable, myth, and metaphor. Christians accept the Bible’s authority as inspired and containing all things necessary for salvation. That is, however, not to say that we believe that all things in the Bible are necessary for salvation. No, the Bible is a historic document written by ancient peoples with deep wisdom about God and the life of faith. However, like all human creations, while inspired, it is marked by the social and cultural limitations of its time. For this reason the Bible is not an easy book to understand, and some parts are particularly difficult. It requires study and reflection to discern its meaning. One of the ways we do so is in community, where others can support and help us in our understanding and development.
How Do Children Fit Into the Church?
Children are valued and nurtured as full members of the Body of Christ. Adult members of the Church are expected to have a commitment to help them come to the fullness of a mature faith. This means that children have an important and equal place in worship. Perhaps they will not always understand what is happening in the service or what is being said, but they can understand that church is a place where they are loved, accepted and needed. Through regular participation their capacity to not only recognize but name the holy is strengthened and expanded.
What are Baptism and Confirmation?
We enter the Christian life through baptism; even if we were baptized as infants and remember nothing about it, we have begun the journey. Through the waters of baptism, we are invited into the community of faith and the reality that God accepts us as his beloved child is made tangible. In confirmation, we confirm or reconfirm the promises made by or for us at our baptism and the bishop lays hands on us as a blessing for our continuing journey in faith.
What is the Role of the Church in Public Life?
We conscientiously embrace a variety of political views and affiliations. As American Anglicans we hold fast to the separation of church and state, but we also recognize that our Christianity calls us to join in the transformative work of God. The world and everything in it is God’s own creation and God wants us to protect and care for the natural world. Further it is God’s good intention for everyone to have a share of God’s gifts that is enough for them to live a decent life. Finally, the basic dignity of every human being is at the heart of Jesus’ own message. As such, our faith in God’s justice, therefore, moves us to participate in the world in all dimensions of our public life (political and social). Through charitable acts, social engagement, and full participation in the political process we help to create a world of peace and justice marked by the compassion and respect witnessed to in scripture.