Religion in Daily Life By the Rev. Edward Chinn, D.Min. Rector, All Saints' Church

Written 10 August 2000

"Pennsylvania Bishop Charles E. Bennison was denied Holy Communion at two services he attended last Sunday (August 6, 2000) at St. John's Church, Huntingdon Valley, an evangelical parish outside Philadelphia." These are the opening words of an e-mail report from David W. Virtue. When the associate rector learned that the Bishop planned to attend services, he left a message on the Bishop's answering machine: "We have no desire or willingness to administer the sacrament to you." The report stated that St. John's has asked the Bishop to repent his false teachings and unbiblical policies.

The Rabbinic Approach. This parish's call to repentance raises the fundamental question: "Does repentance come before or follow forgiveness and acceptance?" Alfred Edersheim, a 19th century Jew who became a priest of the Church of England, wrote that the Jewish rabbis of Jesus' day "know of no welcome to [the sinner] till . . . he has ceased to be a sinner and become a penitent. They would first make him a penitent, and then bid him welcome to God." Edersheim comments that this repentance, as preceding the free welcome of invitation to the sinner, was only another form of work-righteousness.

Jesus' Approach. While the Rabbinic approach put repentance before forgiveness/acceptance, Jesus put forgiveness/acceptance before repentance. Edersheim wrote: "Christ first welcomes [the sinner] to God, and so makes him a penitent." Both by parable and action, Jesus offered forgiveness and acceptance before the sinner had repented. Taking the initiative and accepting the tax collector Zacchaeus, Jesus invited himself to dinner at Zacchaeus' house. "All who saw it began to grumble and said, 'He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner'" (Luke 19:7). Such forgiveness and acceptance moved Zacchaeus to repent and change. Citing the example of Abraham, St. Paul wrote about God as "the God who declares the guilty to be innocent" (Romans 4:5, Good News Bible). No wonder God's grace is called "amazing!"

The word "evangelical" is used to describe the parish that refused to give Communion to the Bishop. The word "evangelical" came from the Greek word for the "Gospel." The Gospel teaches us that God accepts us before we change and loves us into repenting. St. Paul saw the correct sequence when he wrote, "Do you not realize that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance" (Romans 2:4)? While we recognize the sincerity of those who hold differing theological views, we need also to remember the words of Oliver Cromwell to the intransigent Scots: "I beseech you by the compassion of Christ, think it possible that you may be mistaken."