Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 10
Dean argues sacraments can be “effectual” without the participant holding the “right theology in your head,” pointing to the Didache lacking words of institution or epiclesis, and warns that “the word ‘merely’…should never be in the same sentence” as sacraments; what does this say about God’s freedom to work through simplicity and mystery, and how should that shape the way you start conversations in a memorialist environment without triggering ex opere operato fears or divisive “this is not that” posturing?
Another way to ask: Dean says sacraments can truly work even if people don’t have the “right theology” in their heads, and we should never call them “merely” symbolic. What does that show about God working through simple, mysterious practices, and how should you talk about this in a memorialist church without starting fear or arguments?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
Dean’s teaching suggests God is free to work through simple, faithful practice without requiring detailed theological precision, because the sacraments are a “mystery”; in a memorialist setting, conversations should stay close to Scripture, avoid saying it is “merely” symbolic, and emphasize faith and obedience so people don’t hear ex opere operato or divisive polemics.
- Dean asks whether lacking correct theology means “does it count?” and answers “emphatically, yes,” saying he doesn’t see “dogmatic explanations required… to make these things effectual.”
- He cites the Didache (DDK): it has “no words of institution” and “no epiclesis,” yet still has “powerful… rich communion prayers.”
- He warns against memorial reductionism: “The word ‘merely’… should never be in the same sentence” with sacraments because “it’s a mystery.”
- He also sets guardrails: rejects transubstantiation as “bad wrong,” and rejects “raw memorialism” as forced.
- On starting conversations, he advises: “try to keep to the scripture as much as possible,” and warns some kingdom people drift toward ex opere operato (“by the work, the work happens”) and forget “faith has to be operating first.”