What is the ancient notion of a “Disputed Question” and how might recovering it help us today?

By The Rev. James Medley, Associate Priest
Eastern Shore Chapel, Virginia Beach

The disputed question is an ancient practice of the medieval Church where groups of students bring forth opposing arguments about theological questions (normally questions not having to do with core doctrine) and debate their contrasting points.   The master (professor) resolved the dispute by making a doctrinal decision as to which argument was correct. 

The disputation is also used today in most, if not all, Episcopal seminaries.  I remember participating in the discipline at the Seminary of the Southwest under our theology professor, Anthony Baker. Tony would give us a question like, “Does scripture contain everything necessary for salvation?” or “Does God suffer?” and then divide a group of us into two teams. One team had to defend the yes point and one defend the no point.  After each team made brilliant arguments (drawing on scripture, early theologians, and reason) Tony would tell us who made the better argument and then which answer, yes or no, was correct from the standpoint of the orthodox faith of the Church. 

Tony had only one hard and fast rule for our disputations: a participant could never argue from the position of unsupported belief.  For example, we couldn’t say, “The answer is this because that’s just what I believe.”   You had to argue from the evidence of your sources.  Sometimes that evidence was inconclusive, especially if the question being disputed concerned issues that weren’t considered matters of core doctrine by the Church.  On those types of questions, we sometimes had to agree to disagree, even to the point of disagreeing with our professor. 

If homosexuality is not a sin, then what is?

By the Rev. Drew Foisie, Curate for Christian Formation

Old Donation, Virginia Beach

It’s a good question, actually. The question is really a straight up look into what sin is and what sin is not. But that’s a big question. Not an easy question. Look up sin in the bible dictionary and you will get reams of entries on the matter. You’ll learn about “moralistic” sin, “monistic” sin, “personalistic” sin and all sorts of other fun things to bring up at cocktail parties. The simplest and most universally agreed upon answer to this question, however, might just be that sin is whatever separates us from God, whatever severs our relationship with the Creator. To do that, to make that happen, usually involves a choice to, in some form or other, either take life from others, or reject and walk away from Life being offered to you. When in the Garden and confronted by the serpent Adam and Eve decided, after some “reasoning”, to walk away from life and into death (Gen 3:2). After eating the fruit and experiencing shame for their nakedness they were later led out of the Garden. But before going God made for them garments. He gave them what they needed to begin their next life – one in which they would learn how to live again. One that would involve loving and trusting God with all their heart, mind and strength and loving their neighbor as themselves.  

What is meant by blessing? *

By Bill Hunter, Eastern Shore Chapel, Virginia Beach

& member of the Leading a Holy Life Task Force

“Blessing” has been defined as the authoritative pronouncement of God’s favor… In Christian practice, blessing finds a frequent place in liturgy, especially in the blessing of the elements in consecration and the blessing of the people at the end of the Mass.  In Holy Matrimony, the formal name of the service is “The Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage.”

From a theological perspective what then is a “blessing”?  If a blessing is the pronouncement of God’s favor, does this also imply God’s approval?  

Blessings appear to have one function in liturgy (the act of consecration or to make holy) and another in the context of the blessing of a home.  In such a blessing, homes are not made holy in the way that a church is dedicated or consecrated as holy space.  What is happening when a home is blessed?  Could it be that we are inviting God’s favor in the hope that we will be worthy of such favor and that we will align our lives with God’s will?  If so, the function of blessing is to remind the ones blessed of who they are.  By grace, we receive the blessing of God.  The blessing is intended to be relational, a two-way street.

Then, what would it mean to bless a same-gender relationship in the context of worship?