Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: cms@dragon.uucp (Cindy Smith) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Church definitions Message-ID: Date: 5 Jun 90 03:08:47 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Lines: 281 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu [This posting was an attempt to supplement my list of denominations with descriptions of Catholic and Episcopal. This is a bit long to be used in a summary such as my original one, but it's none the less an interesting posting. The original posting included much of my original one, which I've removed. --clh] To begin the listing of Catholic churches, I thought I'd begin with a definition from the Pocket Catholic Dictionary (an abridged edition of the Modern Catholic Dictionary) by John A. Hardon, S.J. (Society of Jesus; Jesuits). Pages 64-65. (Modifications in format style for ease of reading only.) QUOTE. CATHOLIC. Its original meaning of "general" or "universal" has taken on a variety of applications in the course of Christian history. First used by St. Ignatius of Antioch (A.D. 35-107) (Letter to the Smyrneans, 8, 2), it is now mainly used in five recognized senses: 1. the Catholic Church as distinct from Christian ecclesiastical bodies that do not recognize the papal primacy; 2. the Catholic faith as the belief of the universal body of the faithful, namely that which is believed "everywhere, always, and by all" (Vincentian Canon); 3. orthodoxy as distinguished from what is heretical or schismatical; 4. the undivided Church before the Eastern Schism of 1054; thereafter the Eastern Church has called itself orthodox, in contract with those Christian bodies which did not accept the definitions of Ephesus and Chalcedon on the divinity of Christ. In general, today the term "Catholic" refers to those Christians who profess a continued tradition of faith and worship and who hold to the Apostolic succession of bishops and priests since the time of Christ. (Etym. Latin catholicus, universal; Greek katholikos, universal.) END OF QUOTE. Roman Catholic. Liturgical, connectional, sacramental. Members believe this Church was founded by Jesus Christ and is the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church. Current ecumenical beliefs encourage broader definition encompassing Orthodox, as well as already accepted Uniates, Coptics, other groups with irregular orders. Less warm towards Anglican Catholics, although ecumenical discussions still in progress. Members in communion with the Bishop of Rome whom they believe to be the Vicar of Christ (the Living Representative of Christ on Earth) and the visible head of the Church founded by Christ. The usage of the term "Roman Catholic Church" became prominant only after the Protestant Reformation, although its origin dates back to the early Middle Ages. Belief in the Roman Primacy, to wit: the Bishop of Rome, the Supreme Pontiff, possesses by divine right the supreme and full power of jurisdiction over the whole Church (all Christians) in matters of faith and morals and in matters pertaining to discipline and government of the Church around the world. Not a symbolic power but real and actual; not dependant on human authority; affects all people. Veneration of saints. Saints ("ones set apart" for holiness) implies Christians in general; specifically refers to distinguished Christians whom the Church honors for heroism, martyrdom, great teachings, and whom the Church honors by an official designation in a process called canonization. Official recognition of sanctity implies that said saints are in heavenly glory and can be publicly invoked anywhere, anytime, to the greater glory of God, so that their virtues or holy death are an example to the faithful. Believes in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. Advocates process called transsubstantiation to explain phenomenon. Apostles and Nicene creeds formulas of belief containing fundamental doctrines of Christianity. Organization. Pope (Italian, Father) is the Head of the Church; Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church (Body of Christ); Pope is living representative of Christ on earth. College of Cardinals is considered an organized community of prelates serving the Bishop of Rome. Also refers to cardinals who gather for the purpose of electing a new Pope. Collegiality is a reference to the bishops of the Roman Catholic Church who are in union under the Pope as an episcopal (bishopric) community. According to Vatican II, "St. Peter and the other Apostles constitute a single apostolic college. In like manner, the Roman Pontiff, Peter's successor, and the bishops, successors of the Apostles, are linked together (Constitution on the Church, III, 21). The community of which the Pope and bishops comprise was created by our Lord Jesus Christ and therefore belongs by divine right to the nature of the Church he founded. Church hierarchy is three-fold: teaching, pastoral, and sacerdotal. Prophet or teacher, pastoral or royal office of ruler, and the priestly office of sanctifying the faithful. Christ transferred this three-fold office to his divinely appointed Apostles and their successors. Catholic hierarchy down the line: Pope, Cardinal, Arch-Bishop, Bishop, Priest, Deacon, Sub-Deacon. (Sub-Deacons, according to my sources, get stuck doing the laundry; washing vestments in the sacrarium). Episcopal. Liturgical, connectional, sacramental. Makes use of all seven sacraments instituted by our Lord. Believes in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist; generally not interested in how the process works, i.e., some Episcopalians believe transsubstantiation adequately and properly explains the process, others do not. Episcopal hierarchy does not insist members believe anything other than the Real Presence. Apostles and Nicene Creeds formulas of belief containing fundamental doctrines of Christianity. The Episcopal Church of the United States, along with the rest of the Anglican Communion, has long been at the forefront of the ecumenical movement. Due to increased interest in forms of worship, the Church has undergone many revisions, some painful, of its prayer book. The Liturgical Movement has seen the introduction of new forms of worship including the reintroduction of many old forms of worship. Such changes have spurred changes not only in the Anglican Communion as a whole but also in the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches as well. The Episcopal Church keeps at the forefront the knowledge that it was founded by Our Lord Himself and, in the course of its history, the one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church has seen many forms of government and many forms of worship in many languages. At the center Episcopal theology is the belief that the Episcopal Church received from the apostles the revelation of God in the Person of Jesus Christ and is guided by the Holy Spirit in the spread of the Good News. The Church which Our Lord founded is based on four characteristics: One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic. One: Our Church is One. Our Lord founded only One Church comprised of disciples of Christ. Our Lord is not responsible for the various sects into which Christianity is now divided. Perhaps one day the Roman Catholic Church will become a member of the Anglican Catholic Communion, healing many wounds in the current rift. Or perhaps the Roman Catholic Church will accept the Episcopal Church as a separate rite with irregular orders, like the Uniates, Coptics, etc. Or perhaps both. Holy: The Church is set apart as Israel was always set apart for God. The Church is sacred, intended to be a bastion of righteousness against the forces of evil. Catholic: Our Lord was a light to the Gentiles and the glory of Israel. All peoples of all cultures, regardless of economic status or social condition, can embrace Jesus Christ and become one with God. Apostolic: The Church was founded by the Apostles who were the first members and leaders of the new communities of faith. The business of the Apostles was to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ to all peoples, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Today, the Church is unfortunately divided into what, for the purposes of this discussion, I shall loosely call Protestant and Catholic. The Catholic churches include the Church of Rome, the Old Catholics, the Greek Orthodox Church, and other various national Eastern churches. The Protestant churches include the Lutheran Church, various Reformed Churches begotten by John Calvin among which are the Hugeunots, the Dutch Reformed, and the Presbyterian Churches. Later, the Baptist, Congregational, Methodist, and other Protestant churches arose. However, the Episcopal Church of the United States, being the offspring of the Church of England, is both Catholic and Protestant. To be considered Catholic a church must meet several requirements among which are: 1. A three-fold ministry of bishops, priests, and deacons, in the tradition of the Apostolic succession sometimes called the historical episcopate 2. Catholic creeds including the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed; the Bible; the Sacraments of Baptism and Communion. These are conditions which must be met for the union of the Episcopal Church with any other Church (Chicago Lambeth Quadrilateral of 1886-1888). To be considered Protestant a church must meet different criteria among which are: 1. It must proclaim a protest, or witness to, or proclamation of the fundamental truths of the Gospel 2. It must proclaim a protest, or witness against, or proclamation against the unique authority of the Pope or Bishop of Rome over other bishops and clergy, his right to rule all Christians, and to exercise power accordingly Obviously, the Episcopal Church meets the essential criteria for membership in both Churches. Consequently, the Episcopal Church is often called the "Bridge Church" since it exists between the extremes, inviting people of all denominations to be strengthened by participation in the Holy Eucharist. The Episcopal Church is governed by bishops; however, its finally authority rests in the General Convention which meets every three years. The structure is very similar to that found in the Constitution of the United States for reasons noted earlier: It consists of a House of Bishops and a House of Deputies, the latter comprised of priests and laity. Each diocese has the right to send four delegates from among the clergy and four >From among the laity. Each diocese of the Episcopal Church is governed by a diocesan convention which meets every year. Every parish has the right to send a certain number of delegates who are members of the laity in addition to clergy. The House of Bishops is roughly similar to the Senate; the House of Deputies roughly similar to the House of Representatives. The Presiding Bishop is like the President and the Executive Council is like the Cabinet. A diocese is like a state, a diocesan convention like a state legislature, a bishop like a governor. A parish is like a city, a vestry like a town council, and a rector like a mayor. All members of the Church have the right to vote, electing representatives to the vestry and, usually but not always, delegates to diocesan conventions. Delegates to diocesan conventions elect delegates to the General Convention. Parishes are grouped together into dioceses presided over by bishops; dioceses are divided into Provinces presided over by archbishops; these in turn are joined together into patriarchates presided over by patriarchs. In the Episcopal Church, however, there are no archbishops or patriarchs but instead an elected administrative head of the Church known as the Presiding Bishop, who is the President of the Executive Council, which supervises and guides the Church and also acts as the Board of Directors of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society, which holds the endowment funds for the Church. Every ten years the Episcopal Church joins with all the other members of the Anglican Communion to consult together at the Lambeth Conference in England. The Archbishop of Canterbury is considered the spiritual head of the Anglican Communion. Certain churches are considered to be members of what is known as the Wider Episcopal Fellowship, meaning that we are either in full communion with them or a relationship of intercommunion; these churches include: Old Catholic Churches, the Philippine Independent Church, united churches containing former Anglican dioceses, such as those of South India, Pakistan, and North India, Bandgladesh, and a number of other national Churches. The Episcopal Church is sacramentally based. A Sacrament is "an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual base." As such, there are an unlimited number of sacraments. However, over the course of time, the Church settled on seven Sacraments: Holy Baptism, Holy Penance, Holy Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Holy Matrimony, Holy Unction, and Holy Orders. The Episcopal Church recognizes two which are generally necessary for salvation: Baptism and Communion. However, it recognizes the other five as valid "outward signs of inward and spiritual grace." Not everyone in the Episcopal Church partakes of all the Sacraments or believe all the same things (aside from the Creeds, obviously). So what makes us Episcopalians? What binds us together as a People? Answer: The Book of Common Prayer, second only the Bible in its influence upon our language and culture. Our common worship. The Pope binds together the Roman Catholic Church as a People; the Book of Common Prayer binds us together as a People. Episcopalians are people who ask questions in the belief that faith needs reason and reason needs grace. Strong in Anglican tradition is the use of reason in matters religious. Reason, when not misled by passion, nevertheless works in tension with Scripture and tradition, always subservient to the Word of God. Reason thus requires the revelation to which Scripture and tradition attest. The Church acknowledges reason, therefore, as guided by the Holy Spirit as a valid guide. "Redeemed reason" therefore can be thought of as a yearning for God through which Scripture and tradition are the paths. In many ways, the Episcopal Church encourages the struggle between individual reason and Church authority. In many ways, the revision of our Prayer Book is an outstanding example of this attitude at work. Thus, Episcopalians seek to proclaim the Good News of God in Christ by word and example through Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. Episcopalians are not afraid of worldy wisdom, we embrace it, and use it to propogate our faith, when such is helpful. This, then, is what it means to be an Episcopalian: To be a Christian guided by Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience, while experiencing other traditions and seeing their value, and thus being more ecumenical in a vast array of Christian churches by proclaiming to the world that we are truly One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.