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Saturday 31 July 2010

Space to think...




Christ Abandoned


I have noticed that some Blogs are taking a break during the summer so perhaps I should take the hint and leave some space to ponder for a while, in particular on what has happened to Anglicanism and where we go from here.

When I came across the above image a few years ago it spoke volumes to me. The church was derelict leaving Jesus hanging abandoned on the cross.
 
("O my people, what have I done to you? What have I done to make you tired of me? Answer me!")
Old Anglicanism hangs by a thread; New Anglicanism wants it cut. Why? The road to the ordination of women was not easy for them. There were failures and disappointments which proponents put down to the work of the devil but after the voting procedures had been suitably engineered, success was proclaimed as the work of the Holy Spirit. That cannot be right. The constant misrepresentation of those with a conscientious objection to the ordination of women, together with the way New Anglicanism is moving, demonstrates that what has been ‘achieved’ cannot be the work of the Holy Spirit, in fact, it is the other way round.

While I have been heartened by the ‘traditionalist’ faithful women and men who have contributed to blogs on this subject, I have despaired of the mean, vindictive ‘Christian’ people, often women, who, now they have what they wanted, enjoy rubbing the noses of the faithful in the dirt as they attempt to cast us adrift. To their credit, there are still faithful Old Anglicans who are determined not be put down by these strident advocates of liberalism whose attitude is “If you don’t like it, leave!” But leave for what? For confirmed Anglicans there is nowhere to go. If, as seems implied, Rome were an option, worshippers would have made that decision on its merits, not on a single issue however fundamental that issue. It does not concern ‘liberal’ Christians that for many there simply isn’t anywhere to go, hence our desire for sacramental and pastoral oversight that accords with our consciences and with what we believe to be Christ’s example. That does not make women bishops second class, it maintains the gospel.

New Anglicans pick and mix to suit their cause while many of them regard Jesus simply as a man of his time from which we have to move on. If that were true, the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church must be nonsense but for those who believe that Peter answered Jesus correctly when he said You are the Christ, the Son of the living God, there can be no leaving. Can New Anglicans seriously suggest that Christ did not know what He was doing, or is it that they simply do not care?

4 comments:

  1. "If, as seems implied, Rome were an option, worshippers would have made that decision on its merits, not on a single issue however fundamental that issue." Actually, for many, corporate reunion with Rome has always been a primary goal. We thought we could work within the CofE to obtain it for the whole Church. Now we know we cannot, we must settle for something more limited.

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  2. Do any of you give serious consideration to what we in the US call the Continuing Anglican Church?

    This has been the way of relief for those tradition minded Anglicans in America who were long ago forced out of the Episcopal Church USA. We are not strong, and we are unfortunately fragmented, although there are movements toward unification.

    I know that you have existing in the UK a diocese of the Anglican Catholic Church, a Continuing Church. The United Episcopal Church of North America stands ready to work with any there who would like to form continuing parishes, so this is not out of reach by any means.

    It would mean for you, just as it has meant for us, giving up your fine old buildings and all of the attachments to things of that sort. It is life in the desert after a fashion. It is also a chance to be fully committed to a parish that will fail if the individual members do not take an active part, as opposed to something that is simply there because the government keeps it there.

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  3. Thank you for your comment Dr D.
    Mine is but a small voice without influence hoping to be heard by those who have but there is an article in this month's 'New Directions' which will be of interest to you.
    Here is the link:
    http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1opsw/46NewDirectionsAugus/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=http://www.yudu.com/item/embed/202227/46--New-Directions-August-2010

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  4. PS Sorry Dr D, the above link takes you only to the Magazine. The article is "The law as a friend".

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