An oversight? - discussion questions
We as Evangelicals would want to recognise the complete validity of the ministries of Baptists, Methodists, URC or House Church Pastors, and would want to reject any implication that because they are not Episcopally ordained their episkope is somehow lacking.Is there any aspect of New Testament Church leadership that only EM's view of episcopacy can provide?
To say, as EM does, that "amongst his people the bishop is the personal focus of their unity" (EM 203) is to make a statement with which an Evangelical would find it hard to agree.What do you think EM means by the phrase "his people"? Where should the "personal focus of our unity" lie? How should we respond to a call to loyalty and unity if our bishop denies fundamental gospel truths?
The local church in the New Testament means the regular gathering of God's people in one place; no other grouping, no matter how valuable, can be a local church, and no ministry which is exercised outside the context of a local church, no matter how valuable, can be understood to be New Testament episkope.
Is this too congregationalist and independent a view? When we talk of "the Church of England", what do we mean by the word "Church"?
According to the Articles... a Diocese is what we today would call a para-church organisation.
If that is right, what implications does it hold for the authority of the Diocese in matters of finance, the appointment of clergy or decisions about church planting?
EM says:
The belief that the bishop is in principle eucharistic president of the local diocesan community has not in itself been the subject of serious controversy in the Church of England. It has been taken as part of the bedrock understanding of the bishop's role from the sixteenth century, as it was before (EM 196)
This lies behind the usual practice today that when a Bishop comes to a church he, and not the local ministers, will say the Eucharistic Prayer. Is there a better expression of New Testament Church leadership? Read Articles 19, 20, 21, 23, 25, 28, 34 and the three Ordination services in the Prayer Book (and the ASB if you have the stamina!) - what is a Bishop? How would you rewrite the services in the light of the New Testament? How can we challenge the newer theology of EM?
What happens if the bishop of a Diocese is notorious for heresy? Is there any validity at all in a claim to be the focus for unity if that claimed focal point is heretical? Would we not be better off just ignoring the man and facing the consequences?
We shall...be left with an "authorised theology" of Episcopacy (in reality, dreamt up to justify a preferred practice) with which Evangelicals should be deeply unhappy but will be unable to change because those who don't agree to it will not be appointed to it. The only realistic plan is to act to subvert it, now.
How should we act in local churches, Dioceses and nationally?
Back to Article