The Bible in the Life of the Church

Canterbury Studies in Anglicanism

Amos

• Publisher: Hymns Ancient & Modern
• Year: 2014
• ISBN:
  9781848254879
• Topic: Théologie et religion
• Subtopic: Prière

The Bible in the Life of the Church project was commissioned by the Anglican Consultative Council at its meeting in Jamaica in May 2009. Its aim is to explore how Anglicans use the Bible and to distil from and develop these explorations the principles of Anglican hermeneutics.

PART 1. Regional Reflections

1. Australian Anglicans and the Bible – A Reflection

Charles Sherlock

A Somewhat Generalized Overview

Major shifts have come about in Australian society since the mid-twentieth century: the Depression, successive wars – as Australians have fought in the Second World War, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, East Timor and now Afghanistan – the emergence of ‘teenage’ subcultures, ongoing large-scale immigration, the revival of indigenous communities, colour TV, the internet, mobile phones and so on. The Catholic–Protestant sectarianism, which scarred the nation until the 1960s, has faded away, but due in part to the way Church and society have shifted steadily apart over the past half-century, widespread biblical illiteracy and a growing gap between ‘thoughtful’ theology and ‘popular-faith’ Christianity, has been the outcome. This sad claim (now a commonplace observation in both the general and Christian media) is supported by the work done on the BILC project in 2009–11, though evidence is also given of high capacity for effective and informed use of the Scriptures among theologically informed Australian Anglicans (both clergy and laypeople). Australian Anglicans generally hear the Scriptures in much the same way as other Anglicans, through the Sunday lectionary.5

Since 1977 this has been based on the ‘Three-Year’ system coming out of Vatican 2, revised in 1995 along the lines of the Revised Common Lectionary. Educational materials that support these readings range from local authors’ commentaries – especially on the Gospels – to special Lent and Advent studies produced by mission agencies.6 The extent to which this public reading of the Scriptures engages people’s living as Christians is hard to assess, but interest levels appear to be high, and the standard of reading aloud is generally good. The major exception to this pattern today is most congregations in the Diocese of Sydney and others elsewhere whose leaders identify the parish concerned as ‘evangelical’. In these, usual practice is ‘Bible teaching’ from a sequential reading of a biblical book. Done well, this method has the clear benefit of congregations becoming more informed as to the content and application of the Scriptures; its weaknesses can include an overly didactic ethos, over-emphasis on the epistles and setting aside the rhythm of the Christian year.7

At the personal level, many Australian Anglican clergy and some lay people use the Daily Lectionary issued annually by the national publisher, Broughton Books. This covers the New Testament each year in full and the Old Testament (except for genealogies and some cultic regulations) and Apocrypha over two years; the Psalter is read on a two-month cycle. Many Anglicans – especially laypeople of evangelical conviction – use daily reading notes such as Wordline from Scripture Union, Every Day with Jesus, from CWR and the like. During Lent a significant proportion of parishioners will engage in group Bible studies, though in most parishes this typically involves less than half of regular worshippers. It must be acknowledged that many regular worshippers do not encounter the Scriptures apart from hearing them in Sunday worship.

The Bible in the Life of the Church Project in Australia

The Regional Group consisted of eight Melbourne Anglicans: five clergy, three lay, including members of the two theological colleges, Ridley and Trinity.8 At their initial meeting the group engaged in an exercise linked to the work of the biblical scholar Walter Brueggemann, which encouraged them to reflect on the various influences that had affected the ways they read the Bible. Subsequently they assisted me in giving ideas for, and feedback upon, the work undertaken, mostly by email, and participating in the events listed below.

The group made these points about their own experience and use of the scriptures. These conclusions found echoes in the data gathered for the project and in anecdotal comments made to me at various times by a variety of people – parishioners, ordinands, clergy and bishops:

• Family Bible reading, where experienced, was helpful: no one reported it as being ‘literalist’ but rather open, especially as ‘problematic’ passages were not dismissed but faced. But this is a tradition largely left behind a generation back: the late 1950s – the time of the Billy Graham Crusades in Melbourne and Sydney and the Roman Catholic eucharistic congresses and celebration of the Assumption – were recalled as when society and Church were last in a ‘stable’ relationship. Several participants noted that they struggled with how to use the Scriptures with their (grand)children.
• For those who grew up without such Bible knowledge, a good deal of contact in Sunday School and teenage years was ‘programmed learning’ in style and did not encourage personal reflection in use.
• Encounters with the wider worlds of university/work/life challenges had mixed outcomes, from deeper/more integrated learning (e.g. through solid Evangelical Union lectures, the Education for Ministry adult education programme, church cell groups, being a Christian in isolated circumstances) through to struggle and (in some cases) significant stress, leading to changes in their attitudes and practice.
• Theological education was experienced as giving a positive appreciation for the Scriptures, along with dealing with the tension between ‘head’ and ‘heart’. It was also recognized that the latter issue was related to people’s socialization, personality, culture-preferences and so on. As regards ongoing education, the parish priests present noted that they rarely had the chance to hear others preach or use the Scriptures.

Given the ‘tyranny of distance’ of this land, it was decided to explore how Australian Anglicans are using the Scriptures through inviting theological students to use survey forms in their field placements. The two Melbourne colleges, and those in Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane and Canberra, took part in this,9 more responses being made by email than using the physical form. In 2010 and 2011 this survey focused on the Fifth and Fourth Marks of Mission respectively. I also had an article on the project published in most diocesan magazines, and read their 2010 and 2011 editions for evidence on Bible usage and reflection on these two Marks of Mission.10

One response pointed to a 1998 article in the Roman Catholic magazine Inform on ‘Five Ways Australian Catholics use the Bible’ (review of a book of that name by Australian Catholic theologian Michael Trainor). Another was puzzled because they could not find the ‘Song of the Three’ in their Bible, which put them off the project.

2010 – The Fifth Mark of Mission and the Use of the Bible

The 2010 survey and magazine search showed that most Australian theological/biblical work on the Fifth Mark of Mission was done a decade or more ago. Most Australian Anglicans would agree with Bishop George Browning (former Bishop of Canberra and Goulburn) that ‘the theology is settled’, and the issue is how rather than whether to proceed. A 2010 article in Anglican Encounter (Newcastle diocese in New South Wales) typifies this conclusion: a ‘Care of the Earth’ brief front-page article leads to two short ‘practical action’ pieces inside. Genesis 1 is alluded to, Psalm 104 ‘Response’ and Colossians 1.16 are cited, but no actual use is made of the Bible beyond these ‘support’ quotations. Likewise Grafton diocese (regional coastal New South Wales, set in Australia’s most ‘green’ region) has an Environment Commission, which in 2006 produced a user-friendly 60-page guidebook for parish use. But the only scriptural text referred to is Genesis 1 – almost all the content concerns good practical advice. Several national Australian Anglican bodies have contributed to Fifth Mark issues, each of whose work would support the above finding.11

The Environment Working Group, chaired by Bishop Browning, produced the excellent Green by Grace, supported by General Synod 2004. This includes a brief discussion of Genesis 1.26ff., responding to Lynn White, and Romans 8. It argues that authentic Christian responses to climate changes must hinge around our participation in God’s grace: if action is seen as merely a human rescue effort for an endangered creation, greater problems are likely to arise. Green by Grace ties classic New Testament texts on Christian life to our response to God’s call to attend to ecological issues.

The Doctrine Commission prepared a set of essays on environmental issues that were published in St Mark’s Review (May 2010). These discuss key biblical passages and theological themes: ‘subdue or rule’ creation; Sabbath; Johannine literature; Romans 8; being human in creation; eucharistic ecology; Augustine and ecology; Christ and creation; Trinity and ecology. Interestingly, three of the four biblical essays come from Sydney members, while the ‘theological’ ones are by others, whose ‘churchmanship’ ranges from evangelical to broad. Overall, however, the nuanced uses of Scripture in these essays are well beyond average Anglican practice.

The Public Affairs Commission’s 2009 paper, ‘Key issues for Australia’s future in the global context’, takes up several issues related to the Fifth Mark – population growth, biodiversity, greenhouse emissions and their social, security and justice impacts. Close attention is given to context, documentation is supplied and recommendations made. It is preceded by brief ‘Theological Considerations’ citing a Lambeth 2008 speech deemed to give sufficient basis for its conclusions, but the Bible is not used.

The most stimulating Australian event related to the BILC project in 2010 was not specifically Anglican but arose from the initiative of a Regional Group layman who has struggled for many years with his calling to be a forester and Christian. The Institute for the Study of Christianity in an Age of Science and Technology (which involves many Anglican professionals in the sciences) saw great promise in the project and organized a weekend in October on ‘The use and abuse of the Bible in science and technology’, with Professor Gareth Jones (Otago University) as the keynote speaker, and a wide range of submitted papers. Skilled and nuanced approaches were taken to a wide range of topics – such as cosmology, forestry, gene technology – and how the Scriptures speak (indirectly) to these, raising problems as well as offering resources.

2011 – ...