A Dying Church for an Ailing Nation

Or how Anglicanism will save us all. Again.

Article XXVI. Of the Unworthiness of the Ministers, which hinders not the effect of the Sacraments.

Although in the visible Church the evil be ever mingled with the good, and sometimes the evil have chief authority in the Ministration of the Word and Sacraments, yet forasmuch as they do not the same in their own name, but in Christ’s, and do minister by his commission and authority, we may use their Ministry, both in hearing the Word of God, and in receiving the Sacraments. Neither is the effect of Christ’s ordinance taken away by their wickedness, nor the grace of God’s gifts diminished from such as by faith, and rightly, do receive the Sacraments ministered unto them; which be effectual, because of Christ’s institution and promise, although they be ministered by evil men.

You may have heard it said that mainline protestantism is dead. We are a footnote in history: What with our dry worship, our ancient arguments about pre-destination, transubstantiation, and the balancing act between Scripture. Tradition, and reason. “No one WANTS that anymore!” Put a Starbucks in the back and some speakers in the front and show people God can be fun. More than one person has suggested such a path forward for me and my creaky 160 year old church building.

But Good people of God you need us right now. Or more accurately we, all of us, need the Church. Because we have a lot of experience dealing with less than ideal leaders. You see, this is not the first time we have seen evil rise up in our midst. You may remember some of our greatest hits — like the crusades, the tacit support of slavery, and our encouragement of colonization. Nor is it the first time the church has experienced division and discord; not the first time that ‘evil mingled with the good.’ In fact it happens so often that our old fussy boring church has rules about it. We have THEOLOGY about it. Article 26 of our 39 Articles speaks directly to a moment like this. “Yet for as much as they do not the same in their own name, but in Christ’s…we may use their ministry.” There is a difference between what a Priest does on God’s behalf than on their own.

Just like there is a difference between what a President does on his country’s behalf, than on their own. Our theology teaches us to separate out the Office from the Person and the Sacrament from the People. We do not pretend that Clergy are ‘more perfect’, ‘better’ or ‘closer to God’ than anyone else. In most ways we are perfectly normal, perhaps even worse. There are specific tasks for which we have been called by God and empowered by the community — but that doesn’t lessen our humanity or make us more perfect.

I invite you to use this same theology to understand the Executive Office of the President. The EOP is a multi-faceted organism made up of thousands of different employees and contractors, with myriad responsibilities and line of work, that has at its head the President of the United States of America.

The person who occupies that role, however, has been and will continue to be, for the foreseeable future, human. We have had drunks, racists, murderers, war mongers, peaceniks, introverts, health nuts and men too fat to get out of a bath tub. Whatever you think about the President-elect (and I think a lot of things) he is one in a long line of imperfect sinners who for some reason has saw fit to seek out the most powerful seat in the land. In Eucharist we refer to the SUBSTANCE and the ACCIDENTS of the sacred meal. The Substance is the body and blood of Christ. The Accidents are everything else that happens to be left over (you know that it still tastes like bread and wine). The fitness or not of the President-Elect at this point is immaterial. Because he has been elected. These are the accidents of his nature at this point. We must hold him accountable for the substance.

For this reason, I am less concerned about the person of the President than the Office. The Office of President is not entitled to be racist. Sexist. Homophobic. Bigoted. Anti-immigrant. Anti-Semetic. Or anti-Islamic. Because the Office serves all people and is charged with caring for us. This is the SUBSTANCE of the office. It is to this substance I (and I hope you all) will hold the President-Elect to. There are certain aspects carried out by a president that I honor, value and support regardless of who holds the seat. And others I may challenge. I can respect the office while holding my reservations about the person. The office of president is the highest office in the land and is deserving of our respect. It is also deserving of the respect of those who hold the office. Just as we pray for our clergy to meet this standard for us at the Altar, so we must also pray that our president meets this standard for us in the Oval Office.

BUT.

(Because I can already hear the angry voices saying — we can’t just sit here! We can’t normalize this! )

We also have a responsibility to hold our leaders accountable. The 26th article closes with a warning to clergy and lay alike: Nevertheless, it appertaineth to the discipline of the Church, that inquiry be made of evil Ministers, and that they be accused by those that have knowledge of their offences; and finally, being found guilty, by just judgment be deposed.

You see, you need our theology. You need the richness of a tradition that understands man is never perfect, that God alone perfects, and yet we still have to get along with each other in our imperfection. To do so, we separate the substance from the accidents. We must hold our elected officials, including the President elect, to the standards of the SUBSTANCE of the office — while also not being afraid to hold them and ourselves accountable for the accidents.

Mainline protestantism it turns out is not dead. In fact it may be our theology, and those old traditions, and patterns and prayers, that save this country in the end. It would not be the first time and I suspect it will not be the last.