Good Disagreement?

Andrew Atherstone, Andrew Goddard

Description

At every level of church life from the local congregation to worldwide denominations, Christians can find themselves in turmoil and divided over a range of important issues. Many conclude that harmony is not achievable, and never will be. Can we, as Archbishop Justin Welby has asked, transform 'bad disagreement' into 'good disagreement'? What would that look like in practice? This book is designed to help readers unpack the idea of 'good disagreement' and apply it to their own church situations. It doesn't enter into specific contentious debates, but instead considers issues such as reconciliation, division, discipline, peacemaking, mediation and mission. It asks what needs to happen for those from differing viewpoints to both listen and be heard, and does not shy away from hard questions about unity in the gospel and the church's public witness. The book draws lessons from the New Testament, church history, and contemporary experience, with chapters from a dozen theologians and practitioners. They are editors Andrew Atherstone and Andrew Goddard, Tory Baucum, Martin Davie, Lis Goddard, Clare Hendry, Toby Howarth, Ashley Null, Ian Paul, Stephen Ruttle, Michael B. Thompson, and Tom Wright.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Church of England

Informations

• Publié par: Lion Hudson
• Date de parution: 15 octobre 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780745968360
• Langue: English

Extrait

GOOD DISAGREEMENT?
GOOD DISAGREEMENT?
GRACE AND TRUTH IN A DIVIDED CHURCH
EDITED BY ANDREW ATHERSTONE AND ANDREW GODDARD
Text copyright 2015 the contributors This edition copyright 2015 Lion Hudson
The right of Andrew Atherstone and Andrew Goddard to be identified as the editors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Published by Lion Books an imprint of Lion Hudson plc Wilkinson House, Jordan Hill Road, Oxford OX2 8DR, England www.lionhudson.com/lion
ISBN 978 0 7459 6835 3 e-ISBN 978 0 7459 6836 0
Acknowledgments Every effort has been made to trace and contact copyright owners for material used in this book. We apologize for any inadvertent omissions or errors.
Extract p. 5 taken from But I Say to You by John Stott, copyright 1970 John Stott. Used by permission of Inter-Varsity Press.
Scripture quotations marked NIV are from The Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton, a member of the Hodder Headline Group. All rights reserved. NIV is a trademark of International Bible Society. UK trademark number 1448790.
Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV ) copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked NRSV are from The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Cover images: fish Johanna Parkin/Getty; water vovan13/iStock
For our church families at St Leonard s, Eynsham, and St James the Less, Pimlico
Contents

Contributors

Foreword
Archbishop of Canterbury

1 Disagreeing with Grace
Andrew Atherstone and Andrew Goddard

2 Reconciliation in the New Testament
Ian Paul

3 Division and Discipline in the New Testament Church
Michael B. Thompson

4 Pastoral Theology for Perplexing Topics: Paul and Adiaphora
Tom Wright

5 Good Disagreement and the Reformation
Ashley Null

6 Ecumenical (Dis)agreements
Andrew Atherstone and Martin Davie

7 Good Disagreement between Religions
Toby Howarth

8 From Castles to Conversations: Reflections on How to Disagree Well
Lis Goddard and Clare Hendry

9 Ministry in Samaria: Peacemaking at Truro Church
Tory Baucum

10 Mediation and the Church s Mission
Stephen Ruttle

Notes
Contributors

Andrew Atherstone is tutor in history and Latimer research fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, and author of Archbishop Justin Welby: Risk-taker and Reconciler (DLT, 2014).

Tory Baucum is rector of Truro Anglican Church in Fairfax, Virginia, chairman of Fresh Expressions USA, and a six preacher at Canterbury Cathedral.

Martin Davie is academic consultant to the Church of England Evangelical Council and to the Oxford Centre for Religion and Public Life. He is the author of Our Inheritance of Faith: A Commentary on the Thirty Nine Articles (Gilead, 2013) and Studies on the Bible and Same Sex Relationships since 2003 (Gilead, 2015).

Andrew Goddard is senior research fellow at the Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics (KLICE), Cambridge, and author of Rowan Williams: His Legacy (Lion, 2013).

Lis Goddard is vicar of St James the Less, Pimlico, and co-author of The Gender Agenda: Discovering God s Plan for Church Leadership (IVP, 2010).

Clare Hendry is assistant minister at Grace Church, Muswell Hill, London, and co-author of The Gender Agenda: Discovering God s Plan for Church Leadership (IVP, 2010).

Toby Howarth is Bishop of Bradford, and former secretary for inter-religious affairs to the Archbishop of Canterbury and former national inter-religious affairs adviser for the Church of England.

Ashley Null is research fellow at Humboldt University of Berlin, visiting fellow of the Faculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge, and author of Thomas Cranmer s Doctrine of Repentance: Renewing the Power to Love (OUP, 2000).

Ian Paul is honorary assistant professor at the University of Nottingham and managing editor of Grove Books. He is co-author of Exploring the New Testament (SPCK, 2011) and co-editor of We Proclaim the Word of Life (IVP, 2013), and is a leading blogger on theology at www.psephizo.com.

Stephen Ruttle is a Queen s Counsel, commercial mediator, and arbitrator, and has mediated numerous commercial, business, and government disputes. He is a member of the Church of England s mediation and facilitation team, co-author of the Waging Peace training course, and helps to run a community mediation charity.

Michael B. Thompson is vice-principal of Ridley Hall, Cambridge, and author of Clothed with Christ (Wipf and Stock, 2011), The New Perspective on Paul (Grove Books, 2002), and When Should We Divide? Schism and Discipline in the New Testament (Grove Books, 2004).

Tom Wright is research professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of St Andrews, and former Bishop of Durham. He is author of dozens of books, including Paul and the Faithfulness of God (SPCK, 2013), Paul and His Recent Interpreters (SPCK, 2015), and the popular New Testament for Everyone commentaries.
Foreword

There is not a little irony in the fact that one of the greatest sources of tension between Christians is the issue of how they should disagree with one another. As alluded to at various points in this book, I have spoken of my hope that the Church might model good disagreement in living out its differences and conflicts. Yet the telling question mark in this book s title, Good Disagreement? , points to the unease which the concept evokes in many people. As the editors set out eloquently in their opening chapter, this unease is often rooted in questions of profound theological importance which it is valuable and essential to explore: can disagreement be good ? How can we find the balance between grace and truth or (as explored in Tom Wright s excellent fourth chapter) unity and holiness?
This book reminds us that these questions are nothing new. From the first years of the early Church, Christians have grappled with the reality of deep division and have sought to respond in ways which build, rather than hamper, the Kingdom of God. It is very appropriate that Ian Paul s study of the meaning of reconciliation in Pauline theology should be one of the first chapters, laying as it does this crucial foundation: that we seek reconciliation because we have first been reconciled to God in Christ.
It becomes increasingly apparent as we journey through these essays that no one-size-fits-all definition of good disagreement will suffice. One of the great strengths of this collection is its diversity. Each author writes insightfully from their own experience and expertise, from Reformation history to interfaith dialogue and women s ministry. This allows the full complexity of our calling as reconcilers to shine through, highlighting the subtle, prayerful discernments which each different context demands.
At the same time, there are some common themes which unite many of these accounts of what it means to follow Christ faithfully in a divided Church. I was struck again and again by the importance of truly encountering, in their full humanity, those with whom we disagree. Whether each side has much or little in common with one another, whether the outcome is unanimity or separation, it seems the only way to imitate Christ in our conflicts is to invest trust, love, and time in the people from whom we are currently divided.
What the authors of this book repeatedly and often movingly illustrate is that it is possible - and it is our calling - to uphold both grace and truth, unity and holiness: Christians can engage with one another and their profound differences in an attitude of sacrificial love and openness to Christ. And when they do, the Holy Spirit moves, fellowship is restored and Christian witness is transformed.
Justin Welby , Archbishop of Canterbury September 2015
1
Disagreeing with Grace
Andrew Atherstone and Andrew Goddard

The history of the church is marred by violent and vociferous disagreements between professing Christians. Even the apostles use language which shocks modern readers, though they also teach grace and gentleness in the midst of conflict. What does it mean to disagree with grace? Shall we simply agree to disagree ? What about the essentials of the Christian message? This introductory chapter sets the scene for the rest of the book, exploring the language of good disagreement . It appeals for greater theological clarity, for the significance of individual disputes to be carefully distinguished, and for the church to demonstrate grace in all things.

Insult me again!
One of the most entertaining and also sometimes disturbing theology websites on the Internet is the Lutheran Insulter. 1 It randomly selects an insult from the writings of the great Protestant reformer Martin Luther and then gives you the chance to request Insult me again . All of the insults are fully referenced from Luther s Works. Some are simply childish ( Snot-nose! ), even if presenting amusing similes ( You are like mouse-dropping in the pepper ). Some are highly personal: writing on marriage Luther exclaims, Go, you whore, go to the devil for all I care. At times he calls down God s wrath on those with whom he disagrees, especially in his writings against the Roman papacy where he is at his most vehement with challenges such as May God punish you, I say, you shame