This week, I'd like to focus on my sermon from the Wednesday Healing Eucharist, which is held every Wednesday at 12 noon. This is a short service of Holy Eucharist with the laying on hands for healing prayers for ourselves, our friends/family members in need of prayer, and our world. Try it out sometime!
At this service, I pick one of the saints of the church whose feast day is commemorated that week. This Thursday is one of my favorite such feast days- the Feast of Richard Hooker. You can read more about him here, but essentially Hooker is one of the "founders" of Anglican theology. Hooker did a lot for the Church of England, but is perhaps best remembered for two concepts (though he never spelled them out this succinctly)-
- via media- which is Latin for the "middle way." Hooker lived in a church that was between the traditional Roman Catholic world and the new Protestant Reformation world. Hooker argued that truth was found in the middle, not in the poles. It's essentially bipartianship at it's best. Take healthcare reform for example, are the Republicans right? No. Are the Democrats right? No. But is the best healthcare option somewhere between the two sides? Probably. We don't know everything there is to know, especially about God. So by listening to all sides, hearing different revelations, and discerning where the real truth might lie, it is often found to be in the middle.
- the "three-legged stool" of Anglicanism:
- Scripture- this was primary for Hooker, it is the Bible, or the revealed word of God
- Reason- reason is where science, philosophy, and our own experiences and thoughts come into play. We all can be theologians at this level.
- Tradition- this is where the wisdom of history and the Church come into play.
- Hooker says about all three of these are needed to do proper theology or to find the via media. We interpret Scripture through Reason and Tradition; reason is kept in check by being grounded in Scripture and vetted by the Tradition; and Tradition is reminded of it's Biblical roots in Scripture and kept relevant by Reason. It's sort of like a system of checks and balances on the Truth.
- Where are you on one of the poles and perhaps need to come toward the middle?
- What voices do you ignore?
- Does Scripture, Reason, or Tradition speak louder to you?
- Have you ever found a situation where these seem to be in conflict?
- How can you apply these to your daily life?
- How have you seen these three legs of the stool abused?
- What do you think of Hooker's theology?
