Letters
from 30 May to 5 June 2005
Like
all letters to the editor everywhere, these letters are
the opinions of the writers and not Anglicans Online.
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Thank
you
In
your opener for Sunday,
May 29, 2005, you said, 'But
today is many other things. In many parts of the
Anglican Communion, it's a holiday of one kind or
another. We're feeling rather off-duty, ourselves.
Your Anglicans Online editorial crew is somewhat
fagged by the last few months; among us we've got
a sprained ankle, a dislocated vertebra, various
family anxieties, deep stress over a pending financial
transaction, massive tree branches fallen across
the driveway, a computer sent off for its third warranty
repair and, not long ago, a migraine'.
Wow,
suddenly my own problems don't seem so bad after
all. Can't
say that I'll pray for you since I haven't really
prayed for quite some time now.
OK,
it's been years since I've done any praying. (Would
it be alright to send well wishes your way?)
During
my self-imposed exile from Anglicanism in general
and the Episcopal Church (USA) to be specific (not
because of the usual suspects — sexuality, gender
issues, etc), Anglicans Online has been my soul
contact with Anglicanism and the church here at home
in the United States.
What
I'm trying to convey to you is that there are a few
of us out here, even though we may be 50 something
and late bloomers when it comes to doubting our spirituality
and religion, you are in our thoughts, at least mine
here in northern California. We all have our trials
and tribulations. But as the philosopher said, 'that
which doesn't kill us only makes us stronger'.
If
there is a God who listens and cares, may he (or
she) take you by her (or his) arms and comfort you
the same as a loving parent reassures a needy child.
Even
though I've been a marginal Christian and a congregant
in good sitting on the Church of the Holy Fence Line,
I look forward each and every Sunday evening to reading
your weekly opener and news from the Anglican community.
Mark
Wood
Vacaville, California, USA
30 May 2005
Calling
Colenso collectors
As
a retired, broad-church priest of Sydney Diocese,
I have established and seek to enlarge the free Bishop
John Colenso Library at Campbelltown near Sydney.
Among its thousands of diverse works (theological,
historical, liturgical, hymnological, architectural,
etc.) there is a large number of liberal Christian
works and a considerable number by or about Bishop
Colenso: Biblical works, biographies, sermons, theses.
What
is missing are the four volumes of his fascinating
NATAL SERMONS, now very difficult to obtain. (We
do have photocopies.) Other Colenso works have been
reprinted in recent years by Elibron in the US or
Cluster Publications in South Africa and it would
be great to have the Natal Sermons reprinted. In
the meantime, does any individual or library out
there have copies which they could donate or sell
at a reasonable price? That would be marvellous!
The
Revd Dr John Bunyan
St Peter's Parish Church, Campbelltown
PO Box N109, Campbelltown North, NSW 2560, AUSTRALIA
jrbpilgrim@bocnet.com.au
30 May 2005
Peace
club?
Your
excellent article on Trinity Sunday, concerning Christians
being resident aliens, touched my conscience, especially
the habit of drawing lines and hunting shibboleths,
faults to which I am more prone than most.
After
reading it, my thoughts went towards that moment
in the Communion called 'The Peace', which I find
can, if care is not taken, become divisive.
This
was originally a very sensible hand-shake with people
close at hand -- a symbolic expression of church
unity. Yet there is a bit of a temptation for it
to become a nightmare of hugging and kissing, confirming
exclusive cliques at the expense of the less socially
competent. But,
more importantly, any nervous newcomer to the church
looks on with terrified horror.
What
started as an action of friendship can become the
expression of a closed club rather than that of an
open friendly church. These moments make me feel
uneasy and I wonder if we might take a wrong turning
in our expression of 'The Peace', but only if we
are not aware of the dangers. I
have to remind myself of the temptations of divisive
actions and I may not be totally successful in this.
Many
thanks again for your thought-provoking article.
Your site is superb.
David
Crowther
Clayton Parish Church
Bradford, Yorkshire, UNITED KINGDOM
2 June 2005
Anglican
travel
budgets
YOU
GOTTA HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOUR.
It's
a good job we decided to accede to the wishes
of those Primates that appear to be a bit homophobic
and voluntarily withdraw
from the Anglican Consultative Council. Otherwise
we would have to spend a great deal of money sending
a lot of people to the meeting next month rather
than just the Primate (God Bless Him), four presenters,
and three regularly elected representatives. Perhaps
we can send the money we are saving to a
good cause someplace.
I
certainly hope our American cousins to the south
are being just as frugal.
David
T. Brown
St. Peter's Anglican Church
Campbell River, British Columbia, CANADA
diggerb@telus.net
30 May 2005
Earlier
letters
We launched
our 'Letters to AO' section on 11 May 2003. All of our
letters are in our
archives.
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