Anglicans and communion: Six propositions and an invitation to participate in the communion study

Anglican Theological Review, Summer 2003 by Thomas, Philip H E, Grieb, A Katherine, Mombo, Esther M, Wright, N Thomas, Et al

STEPHEN SYKES (England)

Where do you see Christian doctrine informing or challenging ethical questions arising in your own situation?

Proposition Three

The reality of the Incarnation implies that the Gospel is always proclaimed in specific cultures. Inculturation always runs the risk of syncretism, in all cultures without exception. One of the gifts which comes from membership of the Anglican Communion is that other Provinces hold up a mirror to each of us, enabling us to question whether the gospel has been compromised among us.

A passage for reflection: Acts 17. 16-34

The Incarnation of Jesus Christ is God's Self-revelation to the world. Jesus' ministry on earth included both the acceptance of a particular culture and a moral confrontation with elements in that culture. When Jesus in turn commissioned his disciples, they too were to pursue the mission, which the Holy Spirit would give them by relating to their society incarnationally.

The theological concept of inculturation denotes the process whereby the church becomes incarnated in a particular culture of a people.

Inculturation occurs when dialogue is sought at the level of trust between Christian message and praxis vis-a-vis local beliefs and values. Thus, as Christianity carries the structures and theology of the church into the conversation, so the same must grow out of local symbols, and, in so doing, maintain the cultural and spiritual integrity of the local people. Inculturation, well understood, is openness to a process whereby the Christian gospel is interpreted and reinterpreted in an ongoing process of faithful reciprocity among peoples in the different contexts and cultures of the global church.

However, inculturation is not limited to religious cultural beliefs and practices. In its broadest sense, it includes all endeavours aimed at making the Christian message relevant to the local context. It is also an interaction and integration of the Christian message and sociopolitical and economic reality. True inculturation entails a willingness to incorporate what is positive, and to challenge what is alien to the truth of the Christian faith. It has to make contact with the psychological as well as the intellectual feelings of the people. This is achieved through openness to innovation and experimentation, an encouragement of local creativity, and a readiness to reflect critically at each stage of the process-a process that, in principle is never ending.

VICTOR ATTA-BAFOE (Ghana)

LUKE PATO (South Africa)

What are the issues in your own cultural situation which need to be reconsidered in the light of the gospel?

Proposition Four

Since the beginning of Christianity disputes have arisen in which the truth of the Gospel is seen to be at stake. Not all disputes are of such significance, but some are. In a Communion made up of many different churches, discernment is required to identify what in any particular context are the crucial issues for the life of the Church.

A passage for reflection: Acts 15. 1-35