Let us start with a brief disclaimer. St. Brendan's is not seeking to become a Celtic Church or even to duplicate the ancient model. We believe that God calls the church in every generation to find it's own unique place. It was best expressed by the early Quakers, "We do not want you to copy or imitate us. We want to be like a ship that has crossed the ocean, leaving a wake of foam which soon fades away. We want you to follow the Spirit, which we have sought to follow, but which must be sought anew in every generation."
Although there were many elements of early Celtic Christian culture that would best be left to history, there are yet many more things about the early Celtic Church which inspire us and by which we might profit to reintroduce to today's Church and the postmodern world we hope to impact with the powerful gospel of the High King, our Lord Jesus Christ:
1. The goodness of creation.
2. The good will of God toward man.
3. A magical world full of adventure and surprise.
4. A playfulness in balance with awe of the mystery of God.
5. A generous and relaxed attitude toward the distinction between clergy and laity.
6. An embracing of diversity.
7. A less institutional approach to the Church.
Pre-Christian Celtic Ireland was also characteristically a warrior culture. Yet when Christianity was introduced by Patrick in the 5th century, it was one of a very few historical examples of a conversion and transformation of an entire people without the shedding of blood. The Celtic people were by nature a deeply spiritual people, and they embraced the message of the Three in One God and of the heroic High King and Savior, Jesus Christ. Many elements of their spirituality were assumed in their Christian faith giving it a refreshing and life-embracing vitality. They held an awed reverence for the creation and all its creatures. Their Christian faith perceived the entire creation as being full of God and radiating a beauty and grace that richly spoke of his inherent goodness and might.
Although the Celts were an intelligent and inquisitive people, and the culture had a highly developed oral tradition of poetry, story telling and song, they were essentially illiterate. When they were introduced to the written word of Scripture and classical literature they developed a scribal and teaching tradition that drew people from all over the civilized world to learn at the feet of the Irish monks. The Celts founded monasteries throughout Ireland, Britain and the Continent that became centers of higher learning, many becoming the first great universities of the world..
The Celts never lost their sense of playfulness and brevity. Their faith was not encumbered with a moral heaviness that ever fell short of appeasing an angry God. God's intentions were seen as good and favorable toward his people. They were also virtually untouched by the great schisms and theological infighting that tore at the unity of the Roman church. The Celts embraced a diversity of theological perspective with tolerance toward those who differed from their own.
What is it about the Celts and the style of Christianity that developed in their lands that compels us to give them serious consideration as a guide for the contemporary Church?
Perhaps first we should look into their history and the manner in which Christianity came to and flourished in their lands, particularly in what is now known as Ireland.
The origination of the Celts is shrouded in the mystery of pre-history. Some believe the Celts came from the steppes of Russia, others the regions of the Himalayas. We do know that they eventually settled across most of the continent of Europe in very loose federations of tribes and kingdoms. Their culture was agrarian and pastoral, and they were known for their ferocity as warriors. They were seen as formidable adversaries of the early Roman Empire. In 390 BC they plundered Rome and by the early 3rd century BC has spread their conquest over much of the Mediterranean and parts of Asia Minor. (The Galatian peoples mentioned in the New Testament were Celts.) The Celts of central Europe were finally engaged by the Roman legions of Julius Caesar in the first century BC and were driven to the extreme borders of the empire, as far as Britain and Ireland.
The Celts were a missional people. The movement that established the monasteries in the sixth through twelfth centuries was of the same Spirit that impelled them outwards to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the heathen and apostate Church on the mainland. Soon Irish monks were teaching and advising chieftains and kings across the continent of Europe and were even found in the courts of the Vatican itself. To the Celtic Church the quest for learning and teaching the classics and the physical knowledge of the universe were indistinguishable from the quest for knowing God and proclaiming His Gospel in obedience to Christ's great evangelical mandate.
THE CONVERGENCE MOVEMENT
The convergence movement is a coming together of the three major historic streams of the Church, i.e., the Liturgical/ Sacramental, the Evangelical, and the Charismatic. Each of these expressions of the Church of Jesus Christ have been carefully nurtured by God and greatly used to establish and expand the His work on earth. Modern visionaries have discerned these major streams merging and God's church becoming one. Our Lord's prayer for his church was,"Father, that they may be one even as we are one." Ecclesiastes 4:12 tells us that, "a cord of three strands is not easily broken." When the three strands of God's Church are braided together there will be a new strength and unity in the church that hasn't been witnessed since the apostolic age.
What the Convergence Movement Is Not. The Convergence Movement is not the Ecumenical Movement. The Ecumenical Movement has been a constructive and instrumental part in preparing the scene for the Convergence Movement. It was at first, and will continue to be, necessary for the various factions and denominations of God's church to dialog and commence tearing down the walls of division. God has blessed this effort. The Convergence Movement, however, has identified the three living streams of the Church and invites God to bring them together as one complete and life-giving river. "There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the Place where the Most High dwells" (Psalm 46:4). These three streams each in their own way have defined the map of Christianity through the ages and will merge like a flood into the future to bring reconciliation and unleash God's powerful purpose for his Church. For the present time, Convergence Churches will be powerful symbols and agents of rapprochement and the impending unity of God's people in the midst of a growing darkness and alienation in the world.
What a Convergence Church Will Look Like. A Convergence Church will blend the three dynamics of liturgy and sacrament, evangelical focus and charismatic power in their worship, congregational life and outreach.
Evangelical
The Convergence Church has a high view of Holy Scripture, that it contains all things necessary for salvation and godly living. It is committed to the faithful reading, studying, teaching, and preaching from the Scriptures; as well as believing that the Holy Scriptures are a wellspring for spiritual maturity. It believes in the necessity of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, a holy life, and a commitment to evangelism and missions.
Charismatic
The Convergence Church is open to the work of the Holy Spirit and believes that God's people have always been a spiritually gifted people. From the Apostles to the modern Church, Christians have been endowed with a power beyond themselves; a power from the Holy Spirit Himself. The Convergence Church not only allows, but anticipates the Spirit's presence and working through this gifting in both worship and in daily acts of service.
Liturgical and Sacramental
The Convergence Church practices the living historic forms of the liturgies of the Church and the sacraments of Holy Eucharist (the Lord's Supper) and Baptism. It draws on the traditions and wisdom of the Historic Church and is unashamedly part of the one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. At the center of its worship is the sacrament of Holy Eucharist (The Lord's Supper) in which it believes that grace is imparted by the real presence of Christ.
1. The goodness of creation.
