On September 1-2, the Anglican Church of the Redeemer hosted Formed: A Conference for Clergy in Chattanooga, Tennessee. This groundbreaking conference, sponsored by the American Anglican Council (AAC), welcomed nearly 130 individuals from across the country eager to learn more about the pressing issues affecting their congregations. The two-day conference included beautiful worship in the Anglican tradition, informative and challenging presentations and panel discussions, and the best of Christian fellowship.
“The Formed conference was birthed from a series of discussions that we had with Canon Phil Ashey as we wrestled through the many secular ideas imposing themselves on the church,” said Fr. Phil Hanner, rector at Anglican Church of the Redeemer. “Many of us clergy struggle to keep up with cultural changes forming our people, not to mention their philosophical underpinnings. We wanted a conference designed for clergy where we could learn from veteran theologians as they addressed the relevant issues that our parishioners are discussing in our churches.”
“The topics were substantive and timely: power and hierarchy; sex, gender, and human identity; the biblical view of race; critical race theory; justice in the Christian tradition,” said the Rev. Canon John Roop, Canon Theologian. “The presenters are among the foremost Anglican thinkers in their respective disciplines. The discussions were weighty and serious, but without crossing the line into the polemic.” The aforementioned speakers and their designated topics included:
- Hans Boersma – Power and Hierarchy: A Christian View of Reality and Body, Gender, and Sex: Lessons from Gregory of Nyssa
- Stephen Gauthier – Mission and Catechesis: Doctrinal Formation as Essential to Mission and Christian Understanding of Sexual Identity: Thesis vs. Hypothesis
- Adam MacLeod – Christian Critiques of Critical Theory and Justice in the Christian Tradition
- Gerald McDermott – Race and the Bible
- Phil Ashey – A Brief History of Heresy in American Anglicanism
- Bishop Frank Lyons – Homily and Ecclesial Exhortation
“It takes knowledge and wisdom, courage and patience, truth and faithfulness to live at the confusing and sometimes painful intersection of faith and culture,” explained the Rev. Canon John Roop. “It takes being rightly formed. Such formation is first a work of the Spirit, but it is also a joint work of the Spirit with church and academy, with theologians and pastors, with professionals and practitioners.”
For those who were unable to attend the conference, four of the sessions were recorded and are available to view on YouTube.
- Formed: Concerning Sexuality
- Formed: Concerning Race and Justice
- Formed: Concerning Doctrinal Integrity
- Formed: Concerning Critical Theory
Attendee feedback was positive; several individuals expressed interest in attending another Formed conference and would even invite friends and colleagues to attend. This Formed conference was the first of several to follow. News of future events will be forthcoming from the AAC.