It now means “dilution”. Bishop Michael Ingham enlightens the faithful at the 2010 synod of the Diocese of New Westminster:
Mission simply means ‘being sent.’ Put it another way – it’s where God already is and we are sent to help. There is an old view of mission that saw the world outside the church as a godless place, mired in darkness. Christians were to take the light of Christ into the darkness. But we no longer hold that triumphalist view. Many of us would agree with something the Persian poet Rumi wrote eight centuries ago: “we are all different lamps, but the light is the same.” In other words, the light is all around. All light comes from God. We have to find ways to join our light with those of others so we can illuminate the world with a great brightness, a great hope. This is our mission….
But the missional church is about much more than numbers. Alan Roxburgh is trying to teach us to get out of our buildings and find out where the light of God is already shining in our neighbourhoods. The purpose is not to grow the church but to join the light. That can mean forming partnerships with social service agencies, schools, hospitals, community organizations, other Christians, and other people of faith like Jews, Sikhs and Muslims. Mission is first and foremost about imagination. It’s a mindset. It’s about seeing God already in the world and joining in willingly to help.
According to Ingham, the view that Christ has something unique to offer – salvation, for example – is “old” and “triumphalist”. The enlightened Anglican should throw his lot in with those who are outside the church – it doesn’t seem to matter much who – to “join their light”, whatever that means. It’s hard to believe that anyone could fall for such twaddle; why was there no outcry, no mass walkout, no booing? The only explanation I can think of is that the delegates were all sound asleep.
No one stood up for Christ? I’d be afraid, very afraid if I was one of this Synod.
BTW this silly bishop was one of the foremost promoters of the Book of Common Praise and all its new theology back in the day. Now see where the Anglican Church of Canada has got to. I think there will be a roaring business in millstones.
Light. Sure, there is only One True Light – but there is a reason ‘someone’ is called ‘Lucifer’. (And do you remember that wartime song?)
In spite of appearances to the contrary I wasn’t actually in the war, but we did sing it in scouts.
Of course, you could never get away with a song that contained “While you’ve a lucifer to light your fag” now.
David has obviously never been in the vestry of certain Anglo Catholic churches as the thurifers are lighting up the charcoal. Ditties about smut, smoke and burning bishops who promote ludicrous liturgies are only part of the repertoire.
Thankfully, I haven’t. I’d go through way too much ventolin.