Episcopal Church of the USA
What does it mean to be "Episcopalian?

We in the Episcopal church have no predominant single theologian who expresses the Anglican or Episcopal position.

We have instead a methodology, combining Scripture, Reason and Tradition. We ask first what Scripture has to say, if anything, on a subject and also in what context it was said. Then we examine how reasonable and clear is the scripture and what, if anything, tradition has to contribute to the subject.

We do not believe that the Church is without error. We say our prayers and think through our subject matter, realizing that with the accumulation of scientific knowledge, moral sensitivity, and general enlightenment, our attitudes may very likely change over time. If we were to pretend that the Church never made a mistake, we would constantly have to be justifying past decisions. Isn't it healthier, more honest, and more helpful to admit that the Church, like people, falls short and makes mistakes at times? When it does, it is time to admit wrongdoing, confess to God, and attempt to make whatever reparation we can.

The essence of the Episcopal Church is that it is based on scripture (discussed further in the next section), is catholic in tradition, is orderly and reverent in worship, and encourages its people to act on their own informed consciences. It does not encourage a weak laity, dependent on the clergy for decision making.

Henry VIII and All-That

"That's the church which was started when Henry VIII wanted to get a divorce." How often we hear this. Henry VIII was certainly not innocent, but to characterize him as a lustful and self­indulgent king who started a new church because an honorable and righteous Pope would not annul his marriage is historically inaccurate.

During Henrys time, it was common practice for kings to marry off their daughters for political advantage. Princes murdered their way to kingship, and unfaithfulness on the part of the kings in marriage was the rule rather than the exception. Popes had standing armies, and lived in the political realm, fighting in bloody battles to extend their influence and gain treasures!

During the middle ages, the early seeds of change were sewn which ultimately resulted in the Renaissance and Reformation. Among those seeds were the taking form of the modern languages of Europe, which tended to define geographically different countries. To this point, Europe had been defined horizontally by classes (ie.; surfs and nobility) rather than vertically by nations.

Humanity, which to this point had been belittled by the church, focusing on people being miserable sinners, now began to be affirmed and celebrated. This new humanism focused on the strengths and creative qualities of humankind, without reference to God. Thus, the emphasis was on the secular rather than the religious. Had the church focused on humanity being created in the image of God as well as humanity in a fallen, sinful state, the Renaissance could have had a more spiritual, religious emphasis.

During this time, other elements of change were sprouting. The rebirth of classical learning, the flowering of the arts, the invention of printing, the discovery of gunpowder, and the invention of the compass and other nautical instruments changed the whole world. With the increase of navigation came not only the discovery of new worlds and new trade, but a new middle class of merchants.

The conflict between the merchants, workers, and the church came more and more to the fore. The Vatican's heavy taxes and the requirement for attendance at mass on holy days came in conflict with the practical necessity of people having to work to make even a subsistence living.

There were areas of widespread radical abuse going on within the church during the 15th and 16th centuries as well. Many of the "higher-ups" in the church were quite flagrant in violation of their vows of celibacy. Church positions were being bought and sold. A man who had never studied theology or been ordained might buy the position of a bishop to gain the income from his diocese. And that same man might never set foot in the diocese of which he was now bishop. To recoup his money spent to purchase the position, the bishop advertised his priests saying masses for a price to shorten the time a departed loved one spent in painful purgatory. It was in objection to many of these abuses along with the prevailing "doctrine of works" (that a person could earn salvation through the doing of good deeds), that Martin Luther started the debate which resulted in the Reformation.

In England, there were some who bought wholeheartedly into protestant theology, including so-called believers baptism, and denying Christ's real presence in the Eucharist. Some wanted to do away with the sacraments altogether, except for baptism and a watered-down eucharist. However, thankfully, in the 16th century, these persons were in the minority.

While the Reformation was taking place on the continent, Henry VIII was having his own political problems at home. Katherine, the woman to whom he was married for 18 years, had produced no living male heir. Henry was quite concerned. Prior to the father of Henry VIII having come to the throne, England had gone through multiple generations of civil war over who the king would be. Henry VIII feared the possibility of a repeat of that chaos, death, and pandemonium if there were no male heir.

Katherine of Aragon, Henry's wife, had previously been married to Henry's older brother Arthur, who was the original heir apparent. When Arthur died at the age of 15, the Pope, for the sake of a political alliance, had given Henry a dispensation to marry her. Henry, an astute theologian, in the reading of scripture, encountered this passage: If a man takes his brother's wife, it is impurity ; has uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless." (Lev.20:21) The question then arose in Henry's mind: Had the Pope the Power to Override the Laws of God? Was the lack of a male heir indicative of God's displeasure? Had God withheld the sacrament even though the ceremony had been performed?

Henry considered this as grounds for an annulment if anything was. So the Pope was petitioned to make a ruling on the matter.

Henry VIII was certainly no choir boy. He had mistresses and was a tyrant. But he loved England, and desired after his death that there be no question about its ruler. Henry's subsequent marriages were certainly not predominantly for romance, but for a male heir. If Henry had an attraction to a woman, he could go "wenching" with any girl in the kingdom.

At that time, annulments were quite common. For example, in 1449 Pope Alexander VI annulled the 23-year marriage of King Louis XII of France so that he could marry the heiress of Brittany and unite it with France. In return, the pope received from France military support for the Vatican army and a princely marriage for his illegitimate son, Cesare Borgia. Henry's older sister Margaret received two annulments, and the two husbands of Henry's younger sister Mary each received an annulment.

Regarding Henry's petition, after seven years of waiting, the Pope still refused to make a ruling. What held him up was not indecision concerning the validity of the annulment, but political concerns. First, in order to grant the annulment, Pope Clement VII would have to admit that his predecessor had made a mistake in granting dispensation to Henry and Katherine. If Pope Julius II had made a mistake, any Pope could make a mistake, even he (God Forbid). Secondly, Katherine, Henry's wife, was the daughter on the King and Queen of Spain, and the aunt of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V. Charles had previously burned, looted, and sacked the Vatican when the Pope issued a ruling with which he had disagreed. He now let it be known that he would do it again. When asked if he would issue the annulment, the Pope responded, "The emperor would never consent to it." Finally, in 1534, Henry VIII broke with Rome and married Anne Boelyn. The church in England remained Catholic, just not under Roman jurisdiction. Eventually, the English church became known as the Anglican Church, of which today's Episcopal Church is still a part. The proceeding was taken from A Brief History of the Episcopal Church, by David Holmes, Professor of Religion, College of William and Mary.

Episcopalians and Biblical Literalism

Although the Episcopal Church is based on Scripture and we lean on the Bible to guide and teach us, most Episcopalians reject the notion of Biblical Literalism, that is the belief that each and every word of the Bible is inerrant.

Consider these factors:
I. The Scriptures have always been of supreme importance to the Episcopal Church.

A. It was the Anglicans who first translated the scriptures into English. The English speaking world received the scriptures from us.

B. In the Episcopal church, absolutely nothing can be taught as necessary to salvation that cannot be found in the scriptures. Every Deacon, Priest, and Bishop ordained in the Episcopal Church must take this oath: '" I do believe that the Old and New Testaments are the word of God and contain all things necessary for one's salvation."

C. On a normal Sunday in the Episcopal Church we hear:

1. an Old Testament Reading
2. an Epistle Reading
3. a Gospel Reading
4. a reading from the Psalms
5. a quoting from scripture concerning the Holy Eucharist (Communion)
And further, the Sermon, which comes after the Scripture readings, is usually an exposition of the scriptures that were read, expanding the essence of it and how it guides us morally today.

Over a three-year time period, our Sunday readings take us through the major portions of the Bible. If one does the daily readings from the Morning and Evening Prayer as laid out in the Book of Common Prayer, the Scriptures will be completed once every two years.

The evidence shown above points to the fact that the Episcopal Church is very much a Bible church.

II. However, we are not Biblical Literalists. If one chooses to do so, one can substantiate any position by selectively quoting scripture. Such things as slavery, the subjugation of women, and many other morally reprehensible positions have been "justified" by using so-called "proof texts". In the 40 days Jesus was in the wilderness, the Devil himself quoted scripture to tempt Him.

Before we can understand what the Bible means, we have to first understand who wrote it, to whom it was written, the culture of the people, and the context the writer was addressing. Scholarship, at its best, helps us to better comprehend scripture. Faith does not come from superstition.

We in the Episcopal Church do not worship the Bible. That is a heresy called Bibliolatry. The essence of Christianity is not faith in a book, but in a living person, Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit can, and often does, speak to us through scripture. But God is not limited to speak to us through scripture only. He can also speak to us as we say our prayers, as we learn from our successes and mistakes, and as we learn from others who have acted faithfully and courageously in adversity.

Be careful not to accept any who attempt, through the Bible to justify hatred or prejudice; the Bible is a love story, not a condemnatory tool. Read, mark, learn, and digest Holy Scripture - but do not worship it. Fr. Dennis Maynard

Discerning the Will of God

How is the Mind of Christ or Will of God most clearly known and lived out today? Is there anyone person or church which has an unimpeded "hotline" to God that allows complete and clear knowledge of God's will?

We in the Episcopal Church believe that no individual or denomination can know completely and perfectly what God's will is. Unlike our Roman Catholic friends, we do not believe that anyone speaks inerrantly on faith and morals. Unlike our biblically literalistic Protestant friends, we do not believe that the Bible answers all questions in life or addresses explicitly what we should do in every situation. It is our belief that God gave us a brain to use to discern his will, after reflecting on the general tenants of scripture and considering the teachings of the early church. Thus, scripture, tradition, and godly reason help us to struggle with the problems we face, in order to arrive at the best solutions. However, our world is imperfect, we humans are imperfect, and our spiritual solutions to problems, even at best, are only partial. We feel that the Church, the body of Christ, is holy in its task to reconcile God and humanity, but it is not errorless in carrying out that task. The Church, composed of individuals, is imperfect, and that imperfection can blind us to what the truth is and how to live out our response.

The truth is not a static entity, and often it is only with the passage of time and insights from other academic and practical disciplines that we come to know the truth and, as a result, God's will. For instance, two hundred years ago, slavery was not only a socially acceptable institution, it also was accepted by all churches, Catholic and Protestant alike, as God's will. It was only with the passage of time and the moral sensitivity of William Wilberforce, an Anglican (English Episcopalian) legislator, that we recognized the inherent wrong of slavery and the slave trade. Laws in England which resulted were among the first to right those terrible wrongs. Such things as being left handed or being born female were once thought to be wrong or inferior states of being. They resulted in inhibiting those persons from the living of full, productive, and healthy lives. Was it the church that recognized the wrong of these attitudes? No, it was certain psychologists and educators who accepted left handedness as natural, and it was the woman's suffrage movement that resulted in the right of women to vote.

We now realize that individual differences add richness and wonder to our universe, which increases not only quality of life for the individual, but strength to the entire fabric of humanity.

Getting back to discerning the will of God, the goal is not to arrive at a succinct, timeless set of moral and ethical absolutes. The goal is communion or fellowship with God. Then, as a result of that fellowship (built on prayer, the reading of scripture, the receiving of the sacraments, etc.) it is our belief that knowledge of God's will will become more evident. St. Augustine of Hippo expressed it profoundly and succinctly: "Love God and do what you will."

When a person loves being in God's company, he or she lives out God's will. Life is a journey, inviting and celebrating God's presence along the way. Fr. Pete Smith

Church Governance

The Episcopal Church, the "via media," is a church whose Clergy, Bishops, Priests, and Deacons are well educated and theologically knowledgeable, whose spirituality is nurtured in a disciplined manner.

When exploring the question of how leaders are chosen and how much power they have, it is most meaningful to compare our system with others to reveal the answer. A third issue to be explored is the level of authority that the laity have.

There are three different types of church government:

In a hierarchical system, the leaders of the church have great authority, and those leaders are not elected by the people. In this system, the people have the least authority to make their own decisions. Examples include Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and others.

In a representational system, the people and the leaders share the making of decisions. The leaders do have sizeable authority, but they are elected by the people. The Episcopal Church falls in this category, as do the Methodist, Lutheran, and Presbyterian denominations. In the congregational system, the people have the most power to make decisions. They elect their leaders, but the leaders' authority is less than in the other systems. Examples include Baptists, Congregationalists, the Brethren, the Amish, and many non-denominational churches.

The Episcopalian System

Each individual Episcopal Church belongs to a Diocese, delineated along geographic lines, led by a Bishop. Epiphany belongs to the Diocese of Western Louisiana.

The Diocese is governed by the Bishop, with the help of the Standing Committee and the Executive Committee (made up of clergy and laity elected at each Diocesan Convention.) Each church in the diocese sends representatives to this convention, where changes to diocesan canons and other business items come for vote. All parishes (self-supporting churches) are entitled to four lay votes and the priest's vote. Each mission (non-self supporting church) is entitled to one lay vote and one clergy vote.

Each diocese across the United States elects representatives (four clerics and four lay people) to the National Convention, which meets every three years. The national church is governed in a system somewhat analogous to the English Parliament. The House of Deputies is comprised of representatives, laity and clergy, elected by each diocese across the United States. Every Bishop belongs to the House of Bishops, and resolutions and changes to canon law must be approved by both Houses to be enacted. Finally, there is a Presiding Bishop, elected by the House of Bishops, appointed to lead the Episcopal Church of the USA, as the Diocese - a group of churches and missions, defined by geographic scope, under the direction of a bishop and his staff.

Ecumenical - referring to points of unity between all Christian churches, Episcopal or otherwise

Laity - the people of the church, usually used to refer to the non-ordained members of the body

Lay - a lay person is a non-ordained member of the church and, therefore, a member of the laity

Liturgy - the prayers and services employed in corporate worship

Narthex - the vestibule between the front door of the church and the nave

Nave - the main room of the church building, between the altar rail and the narthex

Presiding Bishop - the presiding officer of the Episcopal Church of the USA and our representative in the Anglican Communion

Rector - the priest who serves as clerical leader of a parish

Sacrament - defined by the Book of Common Prayer as an "outward and visible sign of inward and spiritual grace, given by Christ as sure and certain means by which we receive that grace" (BCP, p. 857); the sacraments include baptism, the eucharist, confirmation, ordination, marriage, reconciliation, and unction
Vestry - governing body of the church, including the rector and nine elected lay members

Vicar - a priest or minister in charge of a mission (a non self-supporting church)

Rummage sales, church breakfasts, formal dinners, etc. have helped us raise money to fund church projects. We are not, and never have been, a congregation of wealthy parishioners. Epiphany Church and her members have weathered such historic storms as World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, the Korean Conflict, Viet Nam, and Desert Storm. God has sustained us through these difficult times and allowed us to shine forth with the light of Christ. We have prayed for our heroic men and women, built up and encouraged the families at home, and done our best to be God's ministering agency.

In 1960, we relocated to our current place of worship. More recently, we have made it through the economic hardships of the "oil bust" with the oil companies closing down local facilities and downsizing radically. We have lost many professional parishioners who have been forced to relocate.

However, in St. Landry Parish, our demographic projections look good for the future, with new industry and attractions bringing new people to the area. Our church family lives out its mission statement "To Bring Christ Into the Lives of Others." We are active in both local and international programs to reach out to those in need. We have helped sponsor trips to do mission work in the Dominican Republic, Honduras, the Mississippi River Delta, and in our local community. We are a close-knit family that worships together and prays and gives for the advancement of Christ's Kingdom. Our most exciting history is yet to be written.