Joseph Bottum muses here about the future of the Anglican Communion. Nothing new to CofE watchers, but a reminder about the power shift in the global church.
What a nasty piece of writing this is, to be sure! It takes as read something that the Archbishop has denied; it (deliberately?) misunderstands Canterbury's position in the Anglican Communion; and it repeats the lying misrepresentation of what Rowan Williams actually said about Sharia Law. But I did smile at a sideline on the right of the page: "The Chump Effect. Reporters are credulous, studies show." Too right! This article seems a perfect example!
The Anglican Communion is not a dictatorship, benign or otherwise, like the Church of Rome; it is a fairly loose federation of independent and self-governing national churches. It is not, therefore, for the head of the Church of England, even when wearing the mitre of Canterbury, to tell other churches what to do: what American Anglicans decide to do, for example, is none of his business. Would South Carolina take instruction in how to worship from California? When the states of America fell out the North went to bloody war against the South. Would the writer like to see General Rowan leading the charge? Give me a break and write something worth reading!
no, not uniformity.....one in belief with The Church founded by Christ, unified in Christ as Christ is Unified with The Father. The Catholic Church is the only Church. Learn your history.
The more closely you define what your church must be, the closer you come to uniformity and the less room you leave for the Spirit who blows where he wills. Learn your history.
As long as your collective faith communities continue to cater to the whims and desires of man, as long as the focus is on man and no longer on Jesus Christ, you will never know unity!....and as for that old chestnut called uniformity....You WILL accept women priests, you WILL accept women bishops, you WILL accept gay unions whether you like it or not.....it sounds to me that in your disarray, you yourselves demand "uniformity". ;)
Acontra, since the thrust of Roman Catholic rhetoric against Protestantism includes the jibe that there are 30,000 denominations, many of which find it easy to disagree with the others, your suggestion that this indicates uniformity is bizarre to say the least!
Not Protestantism that I was referring to, but Anglicanism. With the multiple dictators in your Church, changing rules and principles and expecting all members to conform to the new rules.....well, is that not a demand for uniformity? Dictators love uniformity, do they not?
Acontra, in an Anglican Communion threatened with splits, not least between liberal Americans and conservative Africans, uniformity is the last thing to accuse us of. There are those in every church who seek a form of security in making everyone believe the same way they do - but there has been more criticism of Anglicans over the years for being allowed to believe almost anything rather than everyone believing the same.
What a nasty piece of writing this is, to be sure! It takes as read something that the Archbishop has denied; it (deliberately?) misunderstands Canterbury's position in the Anglican Communion; and it repeats the lying misrepresentation of what Rowan Williams actually said about Sharia Law. But I did smile at a sideline on the right of the page: "The Chump Effect. Reporters are credulous, studies show." Too right! This article seems a perfect example!
ReplyDeleteThe Anglican Communion is not a dictatorship, benign or otherwise, like the Church of Rome; it is a fairly loose federation of independent and self-governing national churches. It is not, therefore, for the head of the Church of England, even when wearing the mitre of Canterbury, to tell other churches what to do: what American Anglicans decide to do, for example, is none of his business. Would South Carolina take instruction in how to worship from California? When the states of America fell out the North went to bloody war against the South. Would the writer like to see General Rowan leading the charge? Give me a break and write something worth reading!
Vic, the Pope is not a dictator. He's an elected monarch.
ReplyDelete"A rose by any other name..."
ReplyDelete"...a rose elected by the guidance of the Holy Spirit"
ReplyDeleteFlyingvic, do you ever listen to Anglican Unscripted on YouTube, and if so, what's your opinion of the content?
ReplyDelete"The Anglican Communion is a fairly loose federation of independent and self-governing national churches."
ReplyDeletewell flyingvic, that is your problem right there.......sure doesn't sound like, "May they all be one as I am One with the Father"....does it!!
Acontra - so you define "as one" as "uniformity", then?
ReplyDeleteno, not uniformity.....one in belief with The Church founded by Christ, unified in Christ as Christ is Unified with The Father. The Catholic Church is the only Church. Learn your history.
ReplyDeleteThe more closely you define what your church must be, the closer you come to uniformity and the less room you leave for the Spirit who blows where he wills. Learn your history.
ReplyDeleteAs long as your collective faith communities continue to cater to the whims and desires of man, as long as the focus is on man and no longer on Jesus Christ, you will never know unity!....and as for that old chestnut called uniformity....You WILL accept women priests, you WILL accept women bishops, you WILL accept gay unions whether you like it or not.....it sounds to me that in your disarray, you yourselves demand "uniformity". ;)
ReplyDeleteAcontra, since the thrust of Roman Catholic rhetoric against Protestantism includes the jibe that there are 30,000 denominations, many of which find it easy to disagree with the others, your suggestion that this indicates uniformity is bizarre to say the least!
ReplyDeleteNot Protestantism that I was referring to, but Anglicanism. With the multiple dictators in your Church, changing rules and principles and expecting all members to conform to the new rules.....well, is that not a demand for uniformity? Dictators love uniformity, do they not?
ReplyDeleteAcontra, in an Anglican Communion threatened with splits, not least between liberal Americans and conservative Africans, uniformity is the last thing to accuse us of. There are those in every church who seek a form of security in making everyone believe the same way they do - but there has been more criticism of Anglicans over the years for being allowed to believe almost anything rather than everyone believing the same.
ReplyDeleteWhich brings us back to the end of Anglicanism. A house in ruin, built on shifting sands.
ReplyDelete