Anglican identity and the Missio Dei: Implications for the American convocation of churches in Europe

Anglican Theological Review, Summer 2000 by Douglas, Ian T

The above discussion of Anglican identity might be of assistance as we try to understand how our own little corner of the Christian community orders itself. It is a worthwhile exercise to wrestle with that which we Anglicans hold in common apart from our shared history in the Church of England. We must not, however, stop there. To do so would leave unanswered the larger question of: so what? To what end are we as Anglicans called? I thus believe that any discussion of Anglican identity must be placed within a broader theology of mission. By looking at the biblical story of what God intends for us and for all creation, we can gain new insights into what our vocation is as baptized Christians generally, and as Anglicans in Europe in particular.

In the opening chapter of Genesis we learn that God is the God of all creation. Out of God's love, God brought everything into being, the heavens, the earth, all living creatures including humanity, and "it was good." At the very start of the biblical story we learn that God is a God of the whole cosmos, a universal God, who watches over and cares for all of creation. The story continues, however. No sooner had this universal, loving God created humankind, than we turned our backs on God. In our sinfulness, we chose to live unto ourselves. We became alienated from the love and power of God and we became alienated from each other. Our "Outline of the Faith," also known as the "Catechism," found in the back of the Book of Common Prayer, describes sin as "the seeking of our own will instead of the will of God, thus distorting our relationship with God, with other people, and with all creation."1 Sin is less about actions and more about a state of separation: separation from God, separation from each other, separation from all creation. Sin is about isolation, division and broken relationship.

But God did not want humans to be alienated from God and from each other. The loving creator chose to rebuild the bonds of love that had been severed through human sin. God's mission was to reconnect with humanity and heal the divisions that separate us. The central element of God's mission, the missio Dei, is God's desire to restore to unity that which had become broken and divided.

To fulfill this mission God chose a particular people as an entry point into the world. Through Abraham and Sarah and their descendants, God began a new relationship with humankind. The whole of Hebrew Scripture is the telling and retelling of the quest for relationship between God and God's chosen people. The Law stood as God's assurance of love and faithfulness. In the giving of the Law, God sought to establish Israel as the leadership of a new world order.

God's covenant with Israel was not, however, an exclusive arrangement. The new relationship begun with Abraham, and clarified by the Law, was intended for all of humanity, a light to the nations. God's covenant was to be the vehicle by which all the peoples of the world could be joined both to the almighty Creator and to each other. Israel's role in God's mission was to serve as a centripetal force pulling all of humanity back into relationship with God.ll Abraham and Sarah's descendants thus were to be the central point of reconciliation between God and an errant humanity. All the nations were to come to God through the Covenant. The prophets, especially Isaiah in the servant songs, proclaim clearly that God's mission in the world is to bring salvation to the ends of the earth, to set free those who are oppressed, to open the eyes of the blind (Isaiah 42:6-7), and to heal the separation between God, humanity and all of creation.