|
Letters
from 8 to 14 March 2010
Like
all letters to the editor everywhere, these letters express
the opinions of the writers and not Anglicans Online.
We publish letters that we think will be of interest
to our readers, whether we agree with them or not. If
you'd like to write a letter of your own, click here.
“Traditional
Anglicans to join Catholic Church”
I have to say I think this
a positive move. As a dyed-in-the-wool Anglican Communion Anglican (as ‘twere)
it seems to me far better that these fellow Christians have a comfortable home where
they can settle down again to being doers of the Word and perhaps – dare I say
it, in all charity – get a life instead of expending their energy sniping at
their former Anglican fellows. And instead of being marginal sectarians.
As a cradle United Church
of Canada person, till I discovered a to-me more satisfying and perhaps – well,
again, to me – less boring form of religiosity in the Anglican Church, I’m
all in favour of Christians drawing in to churches rather than sects (to use some Romish
pejoratives) and if that is Roman Catholicism, well, so be it. We Anglicans and Presbyterians
and Lutherans and other mainstream western reform Christians can hardly complain, given
that our forbears were disgruntled Roman Catholics.
On a not wholly different
note, I received an email from a couple of my indecently plentiful aunts and uncles
(time was that middle class liberal Evangelical Protestants had large families) making
inquiry about just when assorted Christian denominations dated the “founding” of
their churches. It was prompted by a standard-issue Eastern Orthodox manifesto as to
only Eastern Orthodoxy having been “founded” on Pentecost, and schismatic
sects like Roman Catholicism, Anglicanism, Lutheranism and all us such rabble having
been “founded” much later, on the assorted relevant dates.
I won’t burden you
with my careful but obvious answer. The part which I think bears sharing was this: “Could
you fwd to Mac and get his opinion as he seems to be wound up in things celestial (I
don’t have his email and he uses such big words I can’t follow him).”
It occurs to me that as
much pleasure as I take in AO’s weekly front page, which is always thought-provoking
and almost always tells me things I hadn’t known but delight to learn, my Uncle
Tom might have a point as to my own self which AO could – I don’t say should – consider.
Are we talking to ourselves and none other? Do we become so scholarly and highfalutin
that others “can’t follow”?
Please don’t think this a criticism or even a suggestion as to change: I love the
front page as it has developed over time and I vastly look forward to reading it every
Monday. But maybe – just maybe, mind – others than only me might consider
being just a tad more demotic.
Mac Robb
Holy Trinity, Fortitude Valley (occasionally)
Brisbane, Australia
mac.robb@gmail.com
8 March 2010
Getting it all out there
Is
it not time that
the Church stops pulling itself apart and take up our Lord's Great Commission (Matthew
28;16-20 ) to bring all people to God's redeeming love? Too much time and energy has
been wasted in "party disagreements".
For nearly forty years,
I recall discussion and argument about a list of issues: a Constitution, Liturgical
and Prayer Book Revision, Ecumenical and Churchmanship issues, not to mention the Ordination
of Women to the three Orders of ministry over a period of years. And we continue to
live with Human Sexuality and Lay Presidency. Surely we each bring our gifts and talents
and our very being to Our Lord for his service. How those gifts are packaged is really
not up to us. Why can we not live with our differences?
For hundreds of years the
Church has lived and progressed with a wide variety of humankind doing his work on
earth leading and being led in the Church he gave us. For hundeds of years no one questioned
the sexuality of those who offer for ministry. Why must it happen now ? Obviously,
there needs to be some criteria for selection but again hopefully that has always been
the case
I am fairly sure that Gene
Robinson was not the first gay man to be episcopally ordained. So, why does he take
the brunt of some peoples' scourging? I believe that The Church faces much greater
harm from those who want to move away from the fundamentals of true Anglicanism and
turn us into Cromwell's soldiers to finish off what he started all those years ago.
Millions
of hours of energy have been wasted over the years by those who want to change our
ways when we all could have been happily working towards the same goal; albeit, as
Anglicans in slightly different ways. When the average non attender of Church hears
of all the arguments that go on between the various strands of church, is it any wonder
they do not want anything to do with The Church and or organized religion? If
all this "false energy" had not been wasted on infighting and bickering, perhaps our
Diocese of Sydney would be 160 Million dollars wealthier with 10% more people in church
as the Body of Christ
Let us wipe the slate clean,
work up our strategies and move on to follow Our Lord's Command. Then too, hopefully
Anglicans who think about their faith will accept that Lay Presidency is not an option,
even if you are a Deacon. I conclude with some wonderful words that I borrow from the
Vicar of All Saints Margaret Street, London in the most recent Monthly Parish Paper
"For God's love is not an emotion but self giving and self giving is the sort of
participation in the Mission of God, which is most persuasive."
With Holy Week and
Easter imminent, I believe it is timely to look at our priorities. Come Holy Spirit
and fill the hearts of your faithful people and kindle within us the fire of your Love,
renew a right Spirit in us O God, that we may renew the face of the earth
Graeme Bailey
St James', King Street, Sydney (NFP)
Sydney, AUSTRALIA
graemejbailey@optusnet.com.au
10 March 2010
Earlier
letters
We launched
our 'Letters to AO' section on 11 May 2003. All published our
archives.
|
