Via Media

Strongly present in the DNA of Anglicanism is the notion of Via Media or ‘middle way’.  It was adopted as an Anglican catch-cry when facing the divide between 17th Century Catholicism and the polarised protestant views of the day.  While the Anglican Church currently represents a greater dichotomy of views worldwide than it has in previous centuries, it still, by and large, represents the middle way.  However the middle way is both a strength and a weakness.  It is a strength because it allows us to draw from the traditions from which we have come without being assumed into them.  On the other hand, any organisation that does not carry a single voice, goal or understanding of its existence inevitably brings with it discord and disunity that often consumes it. 

This is the beauty of days like this Sunday where we honour Christ the King.  This Sunday is about recognising that despite the disagreements we may have, the plurality of views we might bring, the personalities, histories and baggage that we all carry, we come here together for the purpose of confessing the name of Christ and holding tightly to our chest but openly in our hands and loosely on our lips the command to make disciples and spread the Good News.  Now that looks differently depending upon your background and all those things I mentioned before, but beyond our differences are the many ways which we can succeed in being disciples and honouring the Kingdom of Christ the King.  We can, as the Gospel says, clothe the naked by giving to TFSN and assisting our op-shop.  We can care for the stranger by going out of our way to be caring toward them.  We can show mercy to those who society deems unworthy of mercy - the drug addicts, the disassociated, the downtrodden and the depressed by getting out there and being amongst them.  If we think 'we can't do this', or worse still, 'someone else will' - we are fooling ourselves.  It's our mission, our goal and our reality.   Our middle way means we all have a place and an opportunity to make way for the Kingdom coming and make clear our place in it.

Ian Dredge.