Why Bother?

In his book Pastoral Theology the Anglican theologian Martin Thornton articulates and argues for a “Remnant Theology”. His aim is to present the parish priest with an alternative to judging the health of their church by either its size or its homogeneity. Thornton recommends an alternative which he terms the Remnant theory, which he bases on the Hebrew tradition of the Old Testament and Jesus Christ’s own life and work.

At the core of Christian teaching, and particularly highlighted in Thornton’s Remnant theory, is the idea that the local and embodied work of God has effects throughout the world. Christ’s life and sacrifice in one place and one time is the means of salvation for the whole world throughout time:

“Christ is the Saviour of the whole world, and it is important to realize that apart from a few square miles in the Middle East, he did not bother to look at it. Here is the ultimate answer to “narrow” parochialism: in the prayer and worship of Jesus the environs of Bethlehem is the world, his little social group is both his cure of souls and the microcosm of humanity of all ages, creeds, and classes. In his first thirty years of perfect obedience, prayer, and adoring worship, all infancy, all childhood, all humanity, and all creation are recapitulated. Bethlehem is the epitome of every parish and every home; all is sacrificed in him whose own sanctification is “for their sakes”. (John 17:19)”[1]

The Church, who continues in the work of Jesus and operates by the power of the same Spirit, also offers worship on behalf of the world and receives the grace of God for the sake of the world. Just as in the work of our Lord Bethlehem becomes the world and His disciples become humanity, so in the work of each church the sanctuary becomes the parish (the geographical region of its ministry) and the congregation becomes the community of the faithful.

Thornton further contends that, as the Body of Christ is not divided or partialized in its distribution, the Body of Christ the church is not partial in its reception of communion:

“The Church is the Body of Christ because it feeds on his Eucharistic Body and Blood. The consecrated elements are Christ to the communicant; wholly and completely Christ, divide them into ten thousand fragments and each is the Body and Blood of Christ. So the parish is the catholic Church in microcosm…If the whole Body is complete at every altar, the whole communion of saints are in attendance at every altar… This is why the Church’s Office, said by two souls in the village church on Monday night, is an infinitely tremendous thing; the “special” service with its teeming congregation is trivial by comparison.”[2]

The group of Christians who gather to receive communion represent the whole of the church, and become the means by which the whole church is fed. The “Remnant” is the heart by which blood is pumped to the whole body – “as leaven leavens the lump or salt savours the whole”.[3]

Thornton employs the image of a competitive sports team, “A ‘good cricket school’ is not one wherein all pupils are good at cricket nor even one where all play cricket, but one whose first eleven wins most of its matches.”[4] Similarly, when such a school wins a game, the whole school will proclaim “we” have won. Though only a very few actually played the game, the whole school participates in their victory. Thornton says that this is true of the church. In fact, it is much more true. Because, whereas a school is united by human association, the church is united by the One God through His One Spirit. Thornton writes:

“A parish of ten thousand souls is truly before God, both organically and so individually, if the Remnant of three recite the Church’s Office. It is interesting that whereas the Sunday services are thought of in terms of numbers, an element of the vicarious is often imputed to the weekday Office of the priest. Yet Anglican theology insists that the creative channel of Grace in the world is not the priesthood but the Church; thus there is a most vital distinction between priest alone and priest plus Remnant of one. There is no such particular distinction between priest plus one, and priest plus two, sixty, or six thousand.”[5]

Hence, the priest prays in the Holy Communion office, “AND we earnestly desire thy fatherly goodness, mercifully to accept this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving; most humbly beseeching thee to grant that, by the merits and death of thy Son Jesus Christ, and through faith in his blood, we, and all thy whole Church, may obtain remission of our sins, and all other benefits of his passion.” The whole church is made present and is ministered to by the service of Holy Communion offered by only a few.

Such teaching is particularly important in light of the recent restrictions which the church has been compelled to make with regard to its services in light of our current affliction. Many who desire to be at the altar receiving the sacrament of our Lord’s body and blood are kept away. "However, these are invited to take comfort in their organic connection, through Christ who is our Head, to the Remnant who are able to be in the Church.. The creative channel of Grace in the wor. The creative channel of Grace in the world is not blocked. The Church continues to minister, and therefore the whole body of Christ continues to be united to our Lord. This is true even in those parishes where Christians are unable to participate through video or audio aids. The Grace of God is not transmitted through the internet.

A Remnant theology also calls the priests in the church to continue to offer services of Holy Communion with the remnant which may be present. It is true that the Eucharist is not as compatible with video conferencing as other services, notably the daily offices. The daily offices can be made more participatory over such channels and do not climax with an essentially local ritual. Employing technological aids in order to maintain the communal as well as corporate prayer of the church is indeed valuable. However, they cannot replace the sacramental worship of the church. The Body of Christ requires the Body of Christ.

 The Reverend Tait Deems

[1] MARTIN THORNTON, Pastoral Theology (Eugene, OR: Wipf & stock Publishers, 2010) pg. 32.

[2] Ibid. ppg. 19-21.

[3] Ibid. pg. 28

[4] Ibid.

[5] Ibid. pg. 29