In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

3.5 The Use of Scripture in Generous Love MICHAEL IPGRAVE Michael Ipgrave’s essay is printed after the following selection of passages (sections 1, 3, and 7) from Generous Love: The Truth of the Gospel and the Call to Dialogue: An Anglican Theology of Inter Faith Relations, prepared by the Anglican Communion Network for Inter Faith Concerns and published early in 2008.1 1 Beginning with God Whenever as Christians we meet with people of different faiths and beliefs, we do so in the name and the strength of the one God who is Lord of all. Addressing the pagan Athenians, the apostle declares that this God is the One in whom all human beings live, move and have their being; he is the One of whom all can say: ‘He is not far from every one of us’. 1 We cannot measure the infinity of God’s greatness nor exhaust the mystery of his being; the religions of humanity deceive themselves when they fail to acknowledge the limits of their knowledge. We believe that through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth the One God has made known his triune reality as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The boundless life and perfect love which abide forever in the heart of the Trinity are sent out into the world in a mission of renewal and restoration in which we are called to share. As members of the Church of the Triune God, we are to abide among our neighbours of different faiths as signs of God’s presence with them, and we are sent to engage with our neighbours as agents of God’s mission to them. Thus, We seek to mirror the Father’s generous love. The God who has created our world is generous in grace and rejoices in diversity—‘O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all!’2 He has created all men and women in his image, and he wishes all 142 The Use of Scripture in Generous Love 143 to enjoy that fullness of life in his presence which we know as salvation.3 God cares for each person with a parental love; called to be perfect as our Father is perfect,4 we know that we must show that same love and respect to all. We proclaim Jesus Christ as the one who shows us God’s face. Jesus Christ the Son of God shows us ‘the radiance of God’s glory.’5 He opens for us the way to the Father and we wish others to walk that way with us; he teaches us the truth which sets us free, and we wish to commend that truth to others; he shares with us his risen life, and we wish to communicate that life to others.6 Our witness to Jesus as Lord must be attested by Christlike service and humility7 if it is to be heard and seen by our neighbours as the good news of the Kingdom. We celebrate the work of the Holy Spirit made known through the fruit of the Spirit. It is not for us to set limits to the work of God, for the energy of the Holy Spirit cannot be confined. ‘The tree is known by its fruits’,8 and ‘the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.’9 When we meet these qualities in our encounter with people of other faiths, we must engage joyfully with the Spirit’s work in their lives and in their communities. 3 Shaping Anglican Insights: Reading the Scriptures The Bible has primacy in Anglican theological method, in that we seek to be a community living in obedience to Jesus Christ, the eternal Word of God who is revealed through the words of Holy Scripture. In identifying the message of the Bible for the present, the Anglican method brings the insights of tradition and reason to the interpretation of the text in the light of experience. Our presence in, and engagement with, multireligious contexts lead us to read the Scriptures in new ways. We come to recognise that the people of God have already known and grappled with the challenges and opportunities of living amid religious plurality, and that those experiences have shaped the formative texts of Scripture. Thus, Israel worshipped the one Lord their God amongst the nations of the Ancient Near East, each following their own god; the first...

Share