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Miller
The Episcopal
and Mission
Church
Duane Alexander
in Jordan:
Identity,
Liturgy,
Miller'
Xphilosopherkingesyahoo.com
ABSTRACT
The article begins with a brief review of the history of the
diocese of Jerusalem. By interviewing eight members of
the diocesan clergy in Jordan, the researcher desires to explore
how the concepts in the title are related to each other within
the Jordanian context. Is there a unique identity of Jordanian
Anglicans? What is the desirability and/or feasibility of
revising the prayer book? Given the declining demographics
of Christians in the region, what avenues are open to these
ministers to sustain their congregations? Specific care is paid
to the topic of incorporating Muslim converts into existing
congregations. Also included are some theological reflections
on the meaning of liturgy within the Jordanian context and
the diocesan policies for the formation of future priests, which
have important implications for the future of the diocese.
KEYWORDS:
Episcopal,
Anglican, Church Missionary Society, dhimmi.
Jerusalem, Jordan, liturgy, mission
In troduciion
The purpose of this article is to provide information on the Episcopal
Church in Jordan regarding questions of identity, mission, and liturgy.
I will begin by providing an overview of the origins of the Anglican
presence in what is now the diocese of Jerusalem and Jordan in particular. I will then describe my research methodology,
including a list
of the clergy whom I interviewed
and their respective positions. My
purpose in those interviews was to discern how the leaders of the
congregations
throughout
the country understood
the relationship
1.
Lecturer in Church History, Nazareth Evangelical Theological Seminary,
f
!
J
The Episcopal Church in iordan
135
between the church's liturgy, its sense of mission (with a focus on the
possibilityof
Muslim evangelism), and the general question of 'what
is the purpose and position of the Anglican church in Jordan?' I will
present some of my own thoughts on a theology of liturgy with a
specific concern for the Christian context in the Middle East, which
is one of an increasingly vocal political Islamic discourse, which
coincides with the demographic
decline of the various indigenous
Christian communities,
Given the great concern of the clergy for the
future of the church in the region, what are the implications for its
mission and continued presence? Is a revised liturgy desirable, and if
it is, is it possible? Also related to the future of the Anglican presence
in the Middle East is the question of the formation of future ministers
for the church there. My research indicates that the topics of ministerial formation and liturgics and mission are all related to each other
in the minds of the priests whom I interviewed.
Having examined
these topics it is then appropriate to look down the road: how viable is
the Anglican presence in Jordan? Given the continuing emigration of
Christians and the agreement not to 'steal sheep' from other churches, is
there a viable evangelistic mission to Muslims, who make up more than
95% of the population of the country? The last question is related not
only to the future of the Anglicans in Jordan, but also to the evangelical
heritage bequeathed to them by the Church Mission Society.
The Middle East and the Muslim world have both received a great
deal of attention in the press over the last years" The reasons for this
are various and include everything from terrorism to the rapid growth
of the Muslim communities throughout the West. With this increase in
attention, we can identify two key reasons why the relatively small
Anglican community in Jordan should be of interest to us: first, they
are in a position to relate the reality of what it is like to be an indigenous Christian in the region, and second, they have a much lengthier history of relating to Muslims and Islam, which is both a
religious and political civilization. The latter point is of particular
import, as the secular tradition of Western Christianity
has left it
without a robust ability to understand
the nature of Islamic dialog in
terms of its relation to political change and the concept of rights. The
experience of the Anglican Jordanian church provides insights into
these various issues.
2. A notable and widely read example of this is Natiol1al Geographic's june
2009 article, 'The Forgotten Faithful' by Don Belt about the dwindling Christian
136
JOIl
run! of Anglican
Studies
Overview of the History of the Diocese3
The Protestant Episcopate in Jerusalem was founded in 1841, and was
a joint venture between the Church of England and the Protestant
Church in Prussia. There was hope that Jerusalem would thus become
a focal point of unity for the various churches born from the Protestant
Reformation, though this would not come to pass.
There were several groups and interests that were influential,
indeed essential. to the establishment of Jerusalem as a Protestant see.
First was the London jews Society: they were zealous for the evanthe world, and understood
that the
gelization of jews throughout
reestablishment
of Israel as a sovereign state and a large-scale
acceptance by Jews that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, were events
whose prophetic fulfillment would come soon.
Also, the British government desired to expand its influence in the
Holy Land, then under the power of the Ottoman Empire. The Russians
were responsible for safeguarding the rights of the Orthodox Christians,
the French were responsible for the Catholic Christians, and it was
judged politically expedient for the British to be entrusted with safeguarding the rights of Protestant Christians. The Ottoman Empire was
deeply indebted to the British, who had basically kept the empire intact
after the rebellion of Muhammad
Ali in Egypt in the early 1830s.
The first bishop in jerusalem was Michael S. AJexander, a jewish Rabbi
who came to believe that jesus, son of Mary, was the Messiah promised
by the Hebrew prophets." He was consecrated as bishop on November
7th, 1841. As the number of Anglican parishes increased the huge diocese
(in terms of territory) that he and his successors presided over gradually
was divided into smaller dioceses, and eventually the Sudan beCan1¤
its own province in the Anglican Communion. The original mission of
Michael Alexander was to convert Jews, not Muslims or Orthodox
Christians, but for various reasons an Episcopal Arab community
developed over time, consisting mainly of converts from Orthodoxy.
In August 1957, a revised jurisdictional system was instated and the
bishop in Jerusalem became the archbishop and metropolitan
for the
3. Additional details appear in, 'The installation of a Bishop in Jerusalem:
The Cathedra! Church of St George the Martyr, 15 April 2007', in Allglimn
and
Episcopal /-listory 75.4 (2007), pp. 549-54.
4. More on Alexander and the early history of the diocese is found in
Kelvin Crombie, A Jewish Bishop ill Jemsalelll (jerusalem: eMJ Press, 2006) and Jack
Sybil, 'No Heavenly Jerusalem: The Anglican Bishopric, 1841-1883', Ti,e JOllrnal of
Religiolls /-listory 19.2 (1995), pp. 181-203.
Miller
The Episcopal Churcn ill Jordan
137
entire Middle East, including Persia (Iran). In January of the following
year, the first-ever Arab bishop of the Anglican Communion was
consecrated, he was the Rev Canon Najib Cubain, and he was named
Bishop of Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.' In 1974, the former Diocese of
Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria was reincorporated into the Diocese of
jerusalem; those are still the boundaries of the diocese today. In 1976,
and given its current name, the
the Province was inaugurated
Episcopal Church of jerusalem and the Middle East, which consists of
four dioceses: jerusalem; Egypt, North Africa, and the Horn of Africa;
Cyprus and the Gulf States; and Iran.
Research Bnckgronnd
In this current project the attempt has been made to explore questions
of identity, mission, and the possibility and desirability of a revision of
the prayer book. Moreover, I have sought to explore how the Jordanian leadership understood the interconnections between these topics.
Interviews were conducted with the clergy residing and ministering in
Jordan during the summer of 2006. The interviews generally lasted
between 90 and 120 min.
My initial concern when beginning this research was quite narrow,
having only to do with the possibility of revising the diocesan prayer
book. My area of interest grew quite quickly and organically to include
topics that go beyond liturgy. Since the original concern was related to
the prayer book specifically, I interviewed only members of the clergy
who are the ones who on daily basis use the book and know it intimately. Moreover, the success of any diocese-wide move to revise or
change the prayer book would rely heavily on the support of the clergy.
A more complete study would certainly include interviews with laity.
For what it is worth, my family and I were part of Church of the
Redeemer in Amman for two years, and I attended both the English and
Arabic services, thus forming relationships with a few Arab lay persons. I
say this simply to clarify that I am not entirely ignorant of the life and
worship of the jordanian laity.
Since the information .presented here is based almost entirely on
clergy working or residing in Jordan, it is important to state that the
clergy working in Israel and Palestine do so under quite different
5.
More on this important period in the diocese, including that sometimestense relations between foreign leaders and the local Arab Christians, can be found
in Rafiq A. Farah, tn Trollbled Waters: A History of the Allgljellll C!/Urcl! ill Jerusalem:
1841-1998 (Leicester: Christians Aware, 2002).
138
Journal of Anglican Studies
circumstances.
Additionally,
Syria and Lebanon are also part of the
diocese, but the Episcopal presence there is small and consists largely
of non-indigenous
congregations, such as the Sudanese and the Englishspeaking congregations in Syria and the international congregation at
All Saints in Beirut.
In doing this research, I interviewed eight Arab priests active in the
pastoral and 'education ministry in the country, as well as four foreign
priests (three from Europe, and one from North America). These
12 priests represent,
to the best of my knowledge,
all the active
Anglican priests in the country at the time of the interviews.
All the clergy were asked certain core questions such as, what are
the strengths and weaknesses of the Anglican liturgy we use? What is
your opinion regarding the use of conversational Arabic versus classical Arabic in the liturgy? And what are your thoughts and desires
regarding a revision of the liturgy or the prayer book? As liturgy and
questions
of revising the prayer book invariably
touch on many
aspects of the congregations'
lives, the interviews generally branched
out in a number of directions, and certain issues emerged again and
again. Central issues that were important to a number of the c1ergy
included relations among Christians
in Jordan, between Christians
and Muslims, initial (seminary)
and continuing
education
for the
clergy, and concerns about the future of the diocese in general.
Questions regarding the future of the Anglican community in Jordan,
and of Christians in general were also discussed.
A Theological Theory of Liturgy
There have been a number of influences on the development
of the
Anglican community in Jordan. These include the evangelical heritage
from the Church Missionary Society (CMS), the influence of Eastern
Orthodoxy
on the Christian population
as a whole, as well as the
concept of being a bridge between the West and the East, between the
liturgical churches and the 'non-liturgical'
churches" The following is
thus my own attempt to present the bare bones of a theological theory
of liturgy that, in my opinion, can account for these different elements.
6. J use the word 'non-liturgical' with reservation. Ultimately, every church
has a liturgy and pattern of worship. Indeed, in my experience it is the churches
without a written liturgy that are often most resistant to changes in their pattern of
worship. Thus by 'non-liturgical' I mean churches that do not have a written
liturgy. In Jordan these would be, for example, the Assemblies of God, the Church
and Missionary Alliance, and the Baptists.
Miller
The Episcopal Church in Jordan
139
The role and function of liturgy is dynamic and it is not possible to
provide a permanent definition of the word, though at the most basic
level the word simply means work of the people. According to this
observation, the work or mission of the people is informed and influenced by the liturgy, whether in a strictly cultic sense (as in Lk. 1.23;
Heb. 8.6, 9.21), or within the general sense of the wider ministry of the
community (2 Cor. 9; Phil. 2). Also, the liturgy creates and sustains 'a
people'. 111at is, when successful. it provides, sustains, and passes on an
identity. When a person asks the question, 'who am Tnr/d iotiat is my role
within my wider community? his or her answer is informed (perhaps
unconsciously) by the liturgy of his or her church. Thus liturgies teach
the difference between lay and clergy; Christian and non-Christian;
married and single; child, adolescent, or adult; man and woman; and so
on. Within the context of the Jordanian church, or indeed other churches
in Islamic states, this is especially important.
The idea of the liturgy sustaining a community implies a bifurcation
in terms of purpose: at once the liturgy must be strict or delimited
enough to form a real identity that is not merely lost among the other
identities of the person as a member of an ethnic or national group.
The liturgy of the community must sustain the sense of the otherness of
this community
and why it is special. On the other hand, a liturgy
must establish a sense of identity that is willing and hopefully zealous
(insofar as it is Christian)
to welcome in others. Otherwise
such
communities
become introverted and their greatest goal simply
becomes self-preservation,
It is no secret that the churches of the East
have at times fallen into this under the dhimm? system which '[breeds]
the neuroses of fragmcntation'i''
A helpful image may be the human family. The identity of the
family must be maintained through space and time by a sense of why
7. This concept of dhimmi is essential to understanding Muslim-Christian
relationships both now and in the past. Under a dllill1l11i contract Christians or Jews
(people of the book, or alll al kitaab) are allowed to live within an Islamic state with
inferior religious, civil, and political recourses and rights. They pily a yearly tax
ca lied the jjzya and the dhillllJ1icontract of protection could be unilaterally repealed
by the Muslim ruler without any notification. TI1e word can be used to refer to the
contract of protection or to the groups or individuals themselves. The key book on
the topic is by the Egyptian-born author Bat Ye'or. Islalll (wd DlIilll!llitllde: Where
Civilizations Collide (Madison, New Jersey: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press,
2001). The Ottoman Empire's version of the dhil1lllli system was caned the millet
system (millet being Turkish for nations).
8.
Kenneth Cragg, The Call of the Millaret (Oxford: Oneworld, 3rd edn, 2000),
p.205.
140
Journal of Anglican Studies
Miller
the family is important, good, unique, and so all. Yet there must also
be a willingness to grow, and biologically that means producing offspring with people from other families. Thus identity is paradoxically
maintained only with the awareness of a dynamic and shifting construal of itself. Once identity becomes static it often becomes in itself
an idol and people start worshiping Episcopalianism/ Anglicanism or
Eastern Orthodoxy or Evangelicalism, or what have you.
The missiological implications of such a theory of liturgy are multiple. Within the context of the Eastern Churches, specifically the
Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox, the twin scourges of Islam
and C01111TIUnism
have been devastating
-
far more traumatic than
The Episcopal Church in Jordan
141
wherein numbers (like attendance and giving) are the primary criteria
of success? No: the criterion of success for liturgy does not need to be
viewed through a Western lens of church growth and popularity. But
on the other hand, continuity
of a conununity
is certainly important,
and many of the churches in the Middle East/North Africa (MENA)
are declining, and some are on the verge of total extinction. Additionally, the commission of Jesus to make disciples of all ethnic groups
and nations, as well as the archetypal example of the early church in
Jerusalem, certainly implies that over the long term growth and
welcoming people into the Kingdom of God was to be normative. The
two ideas must indeed be held in tension with each other, and seeking
anything that the Western Churches, whether Latin or Protestant,
a reasonable path forward that honors both the biblical mandate for
have suffered.
evangelism while not falling into a productionist model that reduces
the church to a corporation is a major aim of this paper,
Communism
made
certain promises
regarding
eco-
nomic equality that it ultimately and dramatically failed to fulfill, thus
leading to its general collapse; during its reign it certainly persecuted
Christians zealously and effectively. This can be seen from the fact that
the Russian Orthodox Church in the twentieth century had more
martyrs than any other church in any century. Or consider the fact
that conununist Albania is the only country in this history of the world
to have ever been officially declared an atheistic state. But its reign
was not sustainable because it failed to tie in the most profound needs
of the human being, which are spiritual and transcendent, and it failed
to deliver the very pragmatic prosperity it promised.
Islam has been much more effective in the long term of delimiting the
life of the Christian community by striking at the heart of the liturgy: the
ability to welcome in new members. The liturgies of the Eastern Churches certainly became central to maintaining the identity of the Christian
dhimmis; this is true whether we are speaking of tile earliest dhimmi
contract or the elaborate millet system of the Ottoman Empire. If this
theory of tile liturgy is valid, then baptism actually becomes antiliturgical once it is accepted that certain people within a COllU11WUty
(Muslims) cannot receive it. It is anti-liturgical because it announces the
emptiness of the work of the church, and denigrates the people who are
working it and for whom the work is done. The foun dation of the
Church is
Opeml¤SS
to others, indeed working towards crea ting open-
ness to others (what we have traditionally called mission and evangelism).
And once a church has closed itself to the other, it has made a decision
against the work of the people. For this reason one might say that
martyrdom is the most profound of liturgical acts within the Church: it
is the Eucharist written on the body.
Within a [ordanian context of scarcity, we must ask the following
question: does this then lead us towards a Western evangelical model
Liturgy and Identity in Jordan
Having concluded our historical and theological reflections, we are
now in a position to examine the liturgies currently being used in the
diocese. The Diocese of Jerusalem has a Prayer Book that is entirely in
Arabic, It was last revised in 1965 and this revision contains elements
of then-current prayer books of the Church of England and the
Episcopal Church of the USA. There are a number of other liturgies
that are used, including one based on a translation of the 1928
Episcopal Church in the USA Book of Common Prayer and the liturgy
from the interdenominational Schneller School.
The clergy were unanimous that a revised or updated Prayer Book
was desirable for a number of reasons. Many clergy also stated that a
new Prayer Book would not be well received by the congregations. In
terms of a new Prayer Book there were a number of suggestions, such
as more occasional prayers like the prayer for peace; services for the
blessing or consecration of a house, a church, or a chapel; one priest
expressed a desire for sacramental rites to be included like Reconci-
liation of a Penitent, Additionally, the current Prayer Book does not
have a rite for the baptism of an ad u It.
Interestingly, regarding the central liturgy of the church, the Eucharist, a committee headed by one priest presented a revised proposal to
the synod in 2003, but no action has been taken since then. As one priest
said, 'it has been left in a drawer somewhere', Another priest, who was
on that conunittee, said that, 'We prepared something which really I
considered
was very valuable-
being closer to the Eastern churches',
Another priest though did not feel that the proposed liturgy was
142
Journal of Anglican Studies
Miller
The Episcopal Church ill Jord,,"
143
beneficial, and when asked about the state of the liturgy and the possibility of introducing changes said that the situation was 'a very sad
thing indeed'.
The entire question of drawing closer to the Eastern churches was in
fact a concern for a number of the clergy; one said that, 'we do not
have an Anglican liturgy that was born from the people here'. The
Anglican presence in Jordan was started by the CMS, which was
zealously Low Church and evangelical in its approach." this influence
can be seen quite strongly in a number of the congregations. Some
congregations alternate between Morning Prayer and the Eucharist on
Sundays (or Saturdays,
since Sunday is generally a work day). The
Church of the Redeemer, which is the largest church in the diocese in
terms of membership, does not have a procession with acolytes, does
not use incense, and until a few decades ago, did not use colored
stoles according to the season of the church calendar.
This question of identity is closely related to the theory of liturgy
outlined above: how does the Episcopal Church see itself and want to
see itself? As an Anglican Province? As an evangelical church? As an
Eastern Church along with the Orthodox, Copts, and Maronites? The
link between liturgy and identity is seen very clearly in this instance.
This is not to say that the Anglo-catholic
elements have not entered
into the liturgy in various churches, but clearly the Low Church,
evangelical ethos of the early CMS missionaries
has left a strong
impression on this community.
Many of the priests stated that ultimately the pastor of the church is the most important factor in terms of
how elaborate or austere the liturgy will be. One priest explained how
some pastors from the West Bank had brought some Anglo-Catholic
elements to some of the evangelical parishes of Jordan.
The Eastern churches, whether Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, or Catholic, are often quite different and include numerous
processions, incense, intricate vestments, veneration of icons, prayers
to saints, the frequent use of the sign of the cross, and so on. It should
also be kept in mind that most of the Anglican families come from the
Greek Orthodox, Latin and Maronite churches, so at one point the
ancestors of todays Anglicans chose to leave those indigenous forms
of worship for that of the Episcopal missions. It is within this context
that we can better understand
what it means to say that the Episcopal
churches need to return to a more Eastern form of worship. There does
seem to be a tension between the evangelical, Low Church, confident
Christianity of the CMS on the one hand, and the Eastern ethos that
survived the unpredictable, and sometimes violent, relations with one
Islamic ruler after another, lastly under the Ottoman mitle! system ..
One of the most revealing questions asked of the interviewees was
how it was that their families had come into the Anglican tradition in
the first place. All of the clergy but one have at least one parent from
the Episcopal Church, many of them have several grandparents
who
were part of the church. Each narrative was unique, but two factors
were salient: the role of institutions,
and the explicit teaching of the
BibJe. With regard to institutions, the Episcopal Church was the first to
establish in what is now Jordan, a hospital and a Protestant church.
Under the episcopate of the Swiss-born Samuel Gobat (r, 1846-1879),
the second bishop in Jerusalem, a number of schools were founded
and often attached to these would be a church.
Additionally, a number of Christians were attracted to the emphasis
on the teaching of the Bible, something rare in the Orthodox churches in
Jordan, both then and now. So simple Bible study groups or Sunday
Schools were an attractive element in addition to the services provided
by the schools and healthcare institutions founded and run by the diocese. While the bishop did not intentionally try to convert other Christians to Protestantism, people here and there were refused the Eucharist
by the Orthodox clergy because they were reading the Bible, and Bishop
Gobat claimed that it was his duty to provide care for these Christians.
Some of the priests placed a great deal of emphasis on the teaching of
the Bible along with the maintaining of a liturgical form of worship as an
important element of Anglican identity. Some of the churches offer
weekly Bible teaching, and this seems to be a representation
of the
tradition of having a church that is at once liturgical and emphasizes
lO
teaching the Bible. One priest said that in his area the Latin
and
Orthodox churches had no Bible studies. Another priest, when asked
why the Anglican tradition was special or unique, said that there is a
'very special import on Scriptures, as fountains of our faith, and the need
to create a special kind of love and discovery of Scriptures'.
After explaining the evangelical, Low Church tradition of the CMS,
one priest of an influential parish commented
that in time the liturgy
9. For an example see my article, 'Morning prayer, low style, ill the Anglican
Diocese of Jerusalem: Church of the Redeemer, Amman, Jordan, Sunday, 11 March
2007', Allglican alld Episcopal History 76.3 (2007), pp. 404-408.
10. Throughout the Middle East the adjective Lntill is often used to refer to the
Roman Catholic Church, while the Arabic cognate for Catholic (kalllliik) is used to
refer to the Greek Catholic or Melkite Church.
144
Journal of Anglican Studies
had become a very important part of the people's religious life and
was like a bridge between the Eastern and Western churches: 'In the
Anglican church you have a Reformed theology in a liturgical setting .. Anglican is "high and hazy, low and lazy, but broad and
easy" ', He attributed the quote to an unnamed Bishop of London.
In terms of changes in liturgy of the Prayer Book in general, several
things were suggested:
•
•
•
•
•
The cycle for biblical readings is yearly; it should be changed to a
bi- or tri-annual cycle.
Summarizing or shortening some of the C0J111TIunion prayers.
Addition of prayers for peace, the consecration of a house, and
the consecration of a chapel.
'The [Episcopal] Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East has
missed out on liturgical renewal. Rather the focus was on issues
of ethics, justice, and peace. These were central, so we missed
out on liturgical renewal'. Thus the two themes of liberation and
liturgy must be studied together and the liturgy revised in light
of the developments in the other area.
More emphasis on pastoral care and sacramental rites, born from
'a holistic approach to the life of the community'.
In general, any revision would have to be very conservative if it were
to be accepted by the congregations.
It should be more Eastern, which
presumably means closer to the liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom used
in the Orthodox churches in Jordan. Interestingly,
while themes of
justice and liberation are emphasized at the diocesan level.l ' none of
the clergy stated a desire to see these themes represented
in the
liturgy. One pastor said quite plainly, 'Sixty years now of this problem
with Israel ... people are tired of hearing about politics', and expressed
his congregation's
desire for a shift towards 'teaching, and taking care
of families'.
Education of Clergy and the Rote of the Pas lor
Related to the difficulties in revising the prayer book and church's
liturgies, was the question of ministerial formation. Obviously, where
one studies for the priesthood will make a profound impact on one's
theological and liturgical viewpoints.
And, in fact, a number of the
clergy expressed dismay at the state of education in the diocese. One
highly educated priest explained that the various ordinands attend a
11.
By then-bishop
Riah Abu El-Assal.
Miller
145
The Episcopal Church in Jord""
number of different seminaries around the world. This is indeed the
case, and the clergy had studied everywhere from Australia, to Egypt,
to the USA, to England, and France, among other places. There is a
seminary in Jordan, Jordan Evangelical Theological Seminaries (JETS),
but the diocese does not send anyone to JETS to study. Of course,
within Anglicanism
there are a great variety of traditions - from
evangelical
to Anglo-catholic,
to progressive
- and the clergy in
jordan, though there are not many, do indeed reflect this variety.
The diocese does have a college in jerusalem, but it does not offer
the traditional MDiv, which 1110st pastors study for. Rather, it offers
shorter seminars that are attended mostly by foreigners. Whether or
not it would be desirable or possible to transform Saint George's
College into a traditional seminary remains to be seen.
One priest lamented, "Through 19 years I have received a maximum
of five books from the bishops. We have very few books - none in
Arabic. I don't care what church they're from [ ... ] Even if [the book] is
very controversial .... l tell the bishops we are like wells, we will dry lip!
Find one priest in our diocese who has gone for a revival [sabbatical]'.
The problem, then, is two-fold: first, regarding seminary education
there is no seminary that at once can speak to the Anglican identity of
the diocese while also addressing specific theological, historical, and
political realities that are unique to Arab Christians; second, continuing education for the clergy is virtually nonexistent. The reason for
this seems to be a lack of desire or resources on the part of the diocesan leadership though. There certainly is a desire among the clergy
to continue learning about topics like theology and pastoral practice.
111e multiplicity of sources of education and thus formation can be
seen in differences regarding pastoral practice. One of the older priests
was very pessimistic regarding the younger generation of clergy: pastoral care now is nil compared to the past ... J used to make 20 visits a
day ... Now I don't see a priest making a visit, even for sick people'.
When asked about the future clergy he said that they are not disciplined,
and that Anglicanism is a tradition that emphasizes discipline, such as
preaching and pastoral visitation. 'What I am saying is really half the
truth; the real truth is horrifying. That is why I'm afraid for the church'.
To the Western Christian it should be pointed out for the sake
of clarity that visiting friends and family is traditionally a cornerstone
of Arab society. The preference for pastoral visits over other sorts of
contacts such as e-mail or scheduled church functions is thus in many
ways a specific instance of a more general disjunct between an older
generation and a younger one for Wh0111 visitation, while still
important, is not necessarily foundational.
I
146
Journal of Anglican Studies
Consider, on the other hand, the comments of one younger priest
regarding the role of the pastor. The priest attracts us to follow Christ,
he says. But many people do not understand the litmgy, 'they are not
connecting'. It is important for people to feel that the pastor is living
the spirituality, so there needs to be heartfelt expression in reading the
prayers, for instance.
One priest is responsible for what is called in the diocese the youth,
though it refers to what Western churches would call young adults,
most of whom are in college or are professionals. His approach was to
emphasize challenging doctrinal teaching. He said that he is not
against things like games and picnics at retreats, but he sees a portrayal of the Christian faith as demanding as central to the future
of the church, especially in terms of retaining the interest and loyalty
of young adults. He strongly emphasizes the evangelical concept of
internal, voluntary, spiritual conversion. As an example he says that
many young Christian women in Jordan ll1arry Muslim men (it is
illegal though for a Muslim woman to marry a Christian man), but if
she has made this decision of spiritual conversion, then she would not
do so. (The topic of marriage and thus the religion of the children is
very important to the future of the diocese, and of Christians in the
Arab world in general. This is a topic we shall return to later.)
Another priest expressed the important link between education and
mission: '[The Church] needs to redefine its identity and its mission.
We don't have one clear vision specific to the Episcopal church of the
area', Since each priest is educated at a different seminary or university, their exposure
to theological ideas and authors is varied, and
since continuing education is virtually nonexistent a sustained conversation regarding the mission of the church is difficult. A lack of
continuing education may also contribute to the perceived geneTationa I gap. Finally, in addition to these conditions, the fact that the
various congregations in the diocese worship in three different languages (or four if one considers Sudanese Arabic as its own language),
and it is easy to understand why the clergy do not feel that there is a
unified diocesan vision.
Possible suggestions for addressing these problems would include a
diocesan selection of two or three seminaries that embody that ethos
of the diocese. Seminarians studying in the West might receive additional training on indigenous topics, while students studying in the
Middle East could receive supplementary
education on Anglican
topics like liturgy, theology, and especially history. A specific example
of this might be medieval church history. For many in the West it is a
period of secondary importance when compared to the Patristic era or
Miller
The Episcopal Church in Jordan
147
the Reformation. It is possible there to graduate with an MDiv and
know nothing about medieval church history. But for the Christians in
the Middle East this is a focal period containing the rise and spread of
Islam and the schism between the sees of Rome and Constantinople.
It is also certainly possible to hold a yearly or biyearly retreat for the
clergy in Jordan, with guest speakers who can teach and converse about
theology, missiology, and pastoral practice. (At the very least this will
provide a time for discussion and reflection for all the clergy in the
country perhaps the few clergy in Syria and Lebanon could attend
as well, if there are no problems in getting entry visas to the country.)
Finally, the possibility of establishing a provincial seminary, probably in Jerusalem, Cairo, or Alexandria, could also be brought up.
Episcopal Ministry
in Relation to Jordan and tue Future
The bishop of Jerusalem at the time of the interviews was Riah Abu
el-Assal, a native of Nazareth, who became the diocesan bishop on
15 August 1998, and retired in April, 2007. A primary focus of Bishop
Abu el-Assal's ministry had been one of exploring the implications of
Liberation Theology with regard to the difficulties faced by the Palestinians. Thus, there has been at least the perception that he has aspired
to unite the role of prophet and bishop into one: overseeing the lives of
the individual conununities and safe-guarding their doctrinal purity,
while also operating as an advocate against corruption and the
oppression of Palestinians by Israeli Jews, and to a lesser extent Zionist
Christians. On the whole he is now (in 2009) a largely unpopular figure.
The idea of combining the role of a bishop and a prophet is certainly
interesting. There is no indication in the New Testament that this is
permissible - or if it is permissible, that it is desirable. Moreover, the
pattern of prophetic denunciation we see in the Bible always includes
willingness to prophecy against one's own people. Thus the absence
of prophetic denunciation against the corruption and nepotism of
the Palestinian Authority, say, or the perpetual internecine fight,
ing between political parties like Hamas and Fatah, or the lack of
denunciation against the govenunents of Jordan and Syria for prohibiting the conversion of Muslims to Christianity, are also occasions of
concern among those who try to evaluate his ministry as a Christian
prophet. It is no way clear how that 'prophetic' ministry has served to
help the clergy and churches in Jordan to grow and mature.
One of the questions that was raised during the interviews with the
pastors was regarding the future of the congregations in terms of
growth, specifically numerical growth. Protestant Christians are a
148
Journal of Anglican Studies
minority of a small minority in Jordan. Christians form only about
three percent of the population
of Jordan, and the primary church
is the Greek Orthodox
Patriarchate
of Jerusalem.
Working under
the Patriarch of Jerusalem (who is Greek, not Arab) is the bishop of
Philadelphia
(Amman), who is responsible for the churches in Jordan.
While a good number of the first Anglicans came from the Orthodox
Church, it is not the practice of the Episcopal Church here to actively
recruit or proselytize Orthodox or Latin (Roman Catholic) Christians.
In fact, ecumenical relations were mentioned by a number of priests as
being an important part of the role of the Episcopal Church in the
region." Moreover, the Tractarians in the Church of England opposed
the establishment
of a see in Jerusalem because they held that see to
already be occupied by the Orthodox Patriarch. In the interviews, the
tone towards the Orthodox and Latin Churches was friendly, and the
clergy genuinely desire greater interaction with these communities.
Thus the proselytizing
of Christians from the older churches as a form
of church growth is neither viable nor desired,
A number of the priests were disappointed
by the lack of attendance
of their own Episcopalian Christians. One priest pointed out that one
of his two churches was still experiencing divisions over issues from
several decades ago. This is a consequence of the family-based (or one
might even use the word tribal) understanding
of identity. Pastors
provided estimates of attendance
and membership
for a few of the
churches in the country: Saint Paul's in Jabal Ashrafiyyi in Amman
has a membership
of about 150 with an average attendance"
of
of about 100 with an
15; Saint Luke's in Marka has a membership
average attendance of 20; For the city of Amman one priest estimates
2000 Anglicans and an average attendance
of less than 200 for four
parishes and about 100 at Church of the Redeemer; another priest
estimates that there are at least 1600 Anglicans in Amman, and that
fewer than 20% attend regular services in the four Amman parishes.
There is clearly room for improvement
in the area of motivating nonattending Episcopalians.
12. For more on the history of the relation between Anglicans and some of the
Orthodox Churches see Geoffrey Rowell, 'Eastern horizons: Anglicans and the
Oriental Orthodox Churches', in Nigel Aston (ell), Religious Ctmnge it! Europe,
1650-19:14: Essnys for John McMnllllers (Oxford, UK: Clarendon, 1997).
13. We cannot use average Sunday attendance in reference to the churches in
Jordan since Friday is the Muslim holy day and Sunday is a work-day for most
Christians. Thus many churches hold services on Saturday evening or even Friday
morning. The attendance estimates are for these main weekly services.
Miller
The Episcopal Church in [orda»
149
Particularly challenging to the clergy was the question regarding the
viability of welcoming Muslim converts into the churches, a concern
outlined above in the section on liturgy. One interviewee said that,
'Civil laws don't allow us to evangelize. You don't have a right to say
anything against Islam'. He explained that even if Muslims don't use
the word dliimmi very often, the concept still has a powerful influence
in social relations between the religious groups. Muslims enjoy rights
that other groups do not, and it is legal for Christians to convert to
Islam, while it is illegal for a Muslim to leave Islam. One priest said, 'If
any Muslims change [religions], it is allowed to kill this man'. Indeed,
according to the Prophet, the punishment
for apostasy is death.!"
though it is not actively enforced by the Jordanian government. On the
other hand, it is widely believed that there are ways in which a family
can carry out an honor killing and avoid legal prosecution. Another
priest, upon being asked what happened to Muslims who converted
to Christianity,
said, 'That is Simple: they kill him'.
The dhimmi status of Christians thus lingers in Jordan because it is and
always has been an integral aspect of Islamic society: 'Even if Muslims
don't say it they still believe that non-Muslims are a dhinnni', Within the
larger Christian community in the Middle East the converts to Christianity from Islam generally keep it secret for fear of persecution, Muslims who do convert then, even if they are welcomed into a church,
Episcopalian or otherwise, cannot contribute to the life of the community
for fear of visibility. A large-scale, public conversion of Muslims to
Christianity would almost certainly bring about a wave of persecution
against Christians of all sorts. The continuation of a Christian community
within a country like Jordan is contingent on the unspoken agreement
that Christians forfeit rights for the sake of the permission from the
Muslim community to continue to exist. TI1US they are 'entrusted to the
conscience [dhimlnij and generosity of the Muslims', as one pastor put it.
14. The most poignant and clear hadith on the topic is this: Narrated lkrima: Ali
burnt some people and this news reached Ibn Abbas, who said, 'Had 1 been in his
place I would not have burnt them, as the Prophet said, "Don't punish (anybody)
with Allah's Punishment". No doubt, I would have killed them, for the Prophet said,
"If somebody (a Muslim) discards Ius religion, kill him" , (Snhiilz (1/ Bllkhllri 4:52:260).
All four major schools of shari' a (Arabic lIladl/(whib) are agreed on the topic that the
shari'a regards apostasy (ridda or irtidaad) as a capital crime requiring execution for
males. There are different opinions regarding whether the apostate should have a
chance to recant or not. A helpful background on the topic is Frank Griffe!, 'Toleration and exclusion: Al-Shafi'i and aJ-Ghazali on the treatment of apostates', BI/lletill
of the School of Oriental and African Studies, Universih) of London 643 (2001), Pp- 339-54.
150
Journal of Anglican Studies
One pastor remarked on this stressful situation, saying, 'The community grows stronger when there is pressure. We are starting to be
under pressure in Jordan. We see it on TV, talks, in our lives with
Muslims. Christians become more hated due to Afghanistan, Lebanon,
Iraq, etc. They view us as agents of crusaders or people who love [then
US President George] Bush'.
Is it possible that the problems of low attendance and the general
lack of interest in evangelizing Muslims are related? If the Good News
is not good enough to share with Muslims, despite the sacrifices that
this action might entail, then why is it good enough to cause someone
to sacrifice his or her time of rest and relaxation on Saturday evening
or Sunday? There are certainly historical grounds for exploring an
Episcopal mission to Muslims. While Michael Alexander focused on
evangelizing
Jews, later bishops hoped that Arab Episcopalians
would carry out this work. For they would be equipped with what the
missionaries perceived to be the reformed gospel of evangelical
Anglicanism,
the sacraments,
and the cultural and linguistic knowledge that most Westerners
could never acquire."
A Western-style
evangelistic
campaign
is neither
possible
nor desirable,
but
acknowledging
how important
the topic is and listening to the
experiences of Muslim converts as well as other Arab Christians
working in this area could provide at least the raw material for an
intentional
and fruitful conversation
among the clergy, possibly
leading to the formulation
of a clear vision or plan for the diocese, or
at least the churches in Jordan.
An example of the vigor, or lack of vigor, of the church in terms of
growth was mentioned
during one interview. The priest explained
that the last time a new Episcopal church was founded in Jordan was
in the 1990s, but it was not so much starting a new parish, as splitting
off a part of the Church of the Redeemer to establish the parish of
Saint Paul's in the neighborhood
of Al Ashrafiyyi. Another pastor
lamented that the percentage of population of Jordan that is Christian
has gone down from 8% to about 2% during his lifetime. He also
15. Indeed, a large number of Protestant missionary groups held to this
strategy, it is called The Great Experiment and characterized
much Protestant
mission from the ninteenth Century on, On the balance though the great experiment was a failure. Good resources on this topic are Lyle Vander Werff, Christian
Mission to Muslims: the Record: Anglicnll alld Reformed Approaches in India and tile
Near East (Pasadena, California: William Carey Library, 1977) and Peter Pikkert,
Protestant Missionaries
to the Middle East: Ambassadors of Christ or Culture?
(Hamilton, Ontario: WEe Canada, 2008).
Miller
The Episcopal Church in Jordan
151
commented on the irony of towns named after convents, which used
to be entirely Christian, but now do not have a single Christian family.
Matthew Walter is an American priest, then from the Diocese of
Pittsburgh,
but he and his family have lived in Amman for over
7 years, and he assists at the Church of the Redeemer on a regular basis
in the Arabic-language
service. On being asked about the possibility of
planting a new church in Amman, he pointed out the difficulty
involved, since such a process would inevitably involve subtracting
parishioners from other churches, and thus lead to acrimony.
Another
foreign priest, the chaplain
of the English Speaking
Anglican Congregation
in Amman, commented that he suspected that
the present generation of Arab Christians could be the last one that
has numbers significant enough to make a distinct impact on the
direction of society and culture here.
One objection that is often raised when the question of evangelization
of Muslims is raised is this: first we must worry about our own congregations, then when they are healthy we can engage in outreach. But
the spiritual dynamic embodied in the Scripture and many of the
churches of the emerging world reflect the reverse of this dynamic:
when a church becomes concerned with sharing the gospel and welCOIning in new members, including entire families, people are more
interested in their church, including people who have not been regularly
attending. Why is this? Simply because it is exciting to see the impact of
the gospel on peoples' lives as they experience substantial healing in the
areas of emotional, spiritual, and physical wholeness. When you have
new members teaching the Scripture becomes not simply an optional
program that could be added, but something utterly essential. Also,
new converts tend to bring an excitement and devotion that challenge
the sincerity and points of view of the congregation. When accompanied
by appropriate pastoral care and teaching this can be an opportunity for
real growth in the life of the congregation. The only other route whereby
the Episcopal Church in Jordan could see substantial growth would be a
confluence of increased birth rates and decreased emigration. In any
case, such a move towards a more robust engagement of the Muslim
population would require cooperation and strong leadership from the
bishop, in addition to cooperation from churches and leaders who have
some experience in that area of ministry.
Conclusion
The status of the Episcopal Church as it exists in Jordan is precarious.
Continuing emigration, relatively low birth rates among the Christian
152
[ourna! of Anglican
Studies
population, and the lack of desire or ability to extend an invitation to
Muslims (>95% of the population) to become part of their churches all
coalesce. The picture is one of stagnation, it is not as bad as the decimation of the Chaldean C0111mt111ity in Iraq, but neither are there the
numbers to create a proper and sustainable sub-culture, as is the case
with the Copts in Egypt. This situation corresponds
to a kind of
liturgical stalemate: there is an awareness that the liturgy should be
- to make it more intelligible to the
revised for several purposes
younger generation, to reflect the Eastern roots of Christianity in
Jordan - and preliminary steps have been taken in that direction, but
that is all In 2006 it was realistic to look forward to the installation of a
new bishop and hope for movement in these areas, but the breakdown
of the Anglican Communion
and geo-political events in the diocese
(Lebanon, Gaza) have made movement on these issues of secondary
importance.
ft is not impossible, however, to picture the Jordanian leadership
taking up the mantle of a patient, respectful outreach to Muslims. The
nature of this outreach would not preclude the possibility of conversion and would be a continuation
of numerically small but significant
understanding of Anglican witness. 1£ we look close to home we
find the irenic but evangelical witness and work of Kenneth Cragg
(b. 1913), former assistant bishop in Jerusalem. If we look further away
we find men like Hassan Dehqani Tafti (1920--2008), himself a convert
from Islam and bishop of the Diocese of Iran from 1961 through 1990.
If we look back in time we find the creative combination of medical
mission and apologetics of Abdul Masih (1776-1827), an ex-Muslim,
medical doctor and Anglican priest.!? Examples could be multiplied,
but certainly the Anglican Communion
as an expression of catholic
Christianity has demonstrated
time and again both the will and ability
to constructively
engage in the evangelization
of Muslims. It would
not be difficult for the Anglicans of Jordan to draw on this aspect of
their heritage and explore how to put what they learn into practice
within their own context.
While the picture of stagnation mentioned above seems accurate to
me, there are other some positive possibilities for ministry as well. The
Anglican leadership in Jordan understand
themselves to be a bridgebuilding community,
one that enables different communities
to meet
16. An enjoyable and brief introduction to the life and work of Abdul Masih
can be found in Graham Kings, 'Abdul Masih: leon of Indian indegeneity',
International
Bulleti!! of Missiol1ary Research 23.2 (1999), pp. 66-69.
Miller
TIle Episcopal Church ill Jordan
153
in a space comfortable to both. There are resonances with both the
non-liturgical evangelicals and the Greek Catholics. The Church has
deep roots both in the Arab world and close relations to Western
Provinces like TI,e Episcopal Church and the Church of England. If the
stagnation described above, which is a real existential challenge, can
be reversed, one can expect the Church in Jordan to use this unique
status to bring together disparate communities to promote Christian
unity in a region where it is sorely lacking.