The one true church

I've got to update the blogroll for a few reasons, but one is to move Hugo Schwyzer to the Episcopalian column. He explains here and here why he's decided to leave the Mennonites for All Saints, which he never exactly left.

His posts remind me of Telford's piece, an introduction to a book on Lesslie Newbigen, called I Belong to the One True Church. Telford, like Hugo (not to mention yours truly), meandered around a few different churches and failed to find one that suited him in every way. But things have changed:

Newbigin has also reformed my evangelical "church-shopping" habit. Rather than looking for one true denomination or local church, I have started simply discerning where God wants my family and me. Frustration turned to relief as my criterion went from doctrinal blackballing to fruits-testing: Where among God's divided people can we bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit and best exercise our spiritual gifts? As a worshiper and teaching pastor, where can I take joy in the holiness of my own tradition, and lead others to appreciate the holiness of Christ's traditions around us? Where can I work most productively for our local and global reconciliation? Ironically, it is by pointing out the ecclesiological incoherence of contemporary Christianity that Newbigin lends ecclesiological coherence to my work in one of Jesus' estranged churches, on behalf of all of them.

It sounds like Hugo's chosen All Saints for similar reasons: he does work as a teaching pastor there that is apparently not available to him with the Mennonites because of his checkered past. And I can certainly understand about missing the liturgy and sacraments.

Gotta get back to work, but I wish Hugo the best.

Posted by Camassia at July 30, 2004 10:39 AM | TrackBack