Interested in learning more about the Episcopal Church or the foundations of the Christian faith? Join The Revs Laurel and Colin Mathewson on a 12-week exploration of Anglican Christian tradition on Wednesday nights starting January 15 at 6-8 pm in the Guild Room. The course is free, a light supper will be served ($5 donation), and child care is available upon request. ALL ARE WELCOME! Register online at stpaulcathedral.org/whatis. Questions? Contact Colin at mathewsonc@stpaulcathedral.org, or 619-977-8173.___________
A Short Introduction to the Bible, Highlighting Anglican Approaches to Its Interpretation
If you’re new to the Episcopal Church, you may have come from another Christian tradition, as I did. By contrast, you may consider yourself a searcher who has never been closely affiliated with a particular religious group. Or maybe your life doesn’t fit neatly into either category. However you wish to describe it, though, your pilgrimage of faith or non-faith is likely to include some opinions and questions about the Bible, not least because this book occupies such prominence in world history and in American public culture today, where it often stimulates controversy.
What do Anglicans and Episcopalians think about the place of Scripture in the life of the church? How do they practice what they profess? Together we’ll explore the diversity of forms and contexts in the writings that became Scripture, as well as unifying themes in the Bible that show how we can view it as a single book rather than a haphazard or arbitrary collection of shorter texts. Then we’ll move on to some basic principles of scriptural interpretation that promote ecumenical dialogue because nearly all Christians embrace them. Finally, we’ll look at several emphases in the work of Anglicans from the sixteenth century onward that are distinctive (though not exclusive) to our church tradition. Often we’ll be focusing on the role Scripture plays for Anglicans in making decisions about matters of belief and morality.
The Rev. Dr. John Koenig
