| First Name | Last Name | Position | Company | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas | Best | tfb@wcc-coe.org |
|
Faith & Order, WCC |
| Carol | Cook | ccook@Drew.edu |
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| Ruth | Duck | Ruth.Duck@garrett.edu | Professor of Worship | Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary |
| William | Kervin | w.kervin@utoronto.ca | Assistant Professor of Public Worship | Emmanuel College, Room 12 |
| Marit | Rong | Marit.Rong@hib.no |
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| Laurence | Stookey | yekoots@aol.com | Professor of Preaching and Worship | Wesley Theological Seminary |
| Brian | Wren | wrenb@ctsnet.edu |
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Active 2002: Gail Ramshaw, William Kervin, Mindy Quivik, Carol Cook, Thomas Best, Lawrence Stookey, Brian Wren
For agenda, click here
The seminar concluded its three-year study on the triune Name, this year focusing on its application to the sacrament of baptism. The meeting finished on a joyful note, with Brian Wren leading us in song from a selection of his hymns praising the triune Name of God.
"In the Name: Towards Alternative Baptismal Idioms" by Gail Ramshaw,in this paper Ramshaw proposes alternative wording for the trinitarian blessing within baptism. She argues that while the baptismal blessing comes to us because of Christ, we need not rely solely upon father-son imagery. "The task is to find alternative imagery that connects the naming of Jesus to the being of God, and so the baptized to God through Christ." The primary objection to the traditional imagery, she explains, is that the titles Father and Son reflect not so much the being of God but more of the androcentric world view of first century Christianity. This world view, a vestige of Near Eastern mythology in which the king is esteemed as the son of the father-god, contributes to a patriarchal society. Ramshaw suggests several alternative idioms, for example, by focusing on the "image of Word" and its significance in Scripture, she suggests "Holy One, Word, and Power of the Most High" or the Episcopalian benediction, "Holy Eternal Majesty, holy incarnate Word, holy abiding Spirit." Another idiom is found with Augustine's reference to God as "Lover, Beloved, and Love." It is the purpose of baptism to incorporate a person into the community of believers by placing a believer under the name of God. Rather than asking what God's name is, we would be better served to seek appropriate language for the invocation of divine blessing. The purpose of searching for alternatives is that a Christian community may find baptismal idioms that speak Christian truth for all.
"An Annotated Bibliography of Trinitarian Language" by Carol Cook,Cook has compiled a twelve-page bibliography of sources concerned with the triune Name. Twenty-six works are cited here which she divides into three categories: "Feminist Liturgical-Theological Sources," "Sources in Defense of Traditional Language," and "Ecumenical and Denominational Sources." Her selection covers a wide ecumenical spectrum.
"The Trinity: A Model for Belonging in Contemporary Society" by Thomas Scirghi,In this paper Scirghi searches for a touchstone for teaching the significance of the Trinity, i.e., what do most (if not all) people consider important in their lives. The author contends that people today find the notion of "belonging" to be an important quality of life, whether it takes the form of belonging to a family, a political society, a social organization, or a gang. Belonging is what helps to make us who we are. For Christians, baptism into the triune Name of God provides a means of belonging, as we are joined with Christ through the community of believers. The Trinity, however, is more than the name of an organization to which Christians belong. The community of the Trinity provides a model of how we enact our belonging within the community. Drawing from the work of Leonardo Boff and Michael and Kenneth Himes, Scirghi shows that the Trinity demonstrates a model of belonging by which the Father, Son, and Spirit each make of themselves a pure gift. They are engaged in an eternal communion, continually giving to, and receiving from, one another. Through the work of the Spirit this divine communal activity overflows to all of creation. Since human beings are made in the image of God then we, too, are called to make our lives a gift, in communion with others, giving ourselves and receiving in kind. This model of belonging challenges the models which come to us from political ideology, namely, the individualism of capitalism or the collectivism of socialism. Also, Scirghi explores the notion of belonging presented to American society today by the advertising industry. He contends that the trinitarian, or communitarian, model of belonging raises a prophetic voice, restoring the dignity of humankind.