Letters from the week of 29 September to 5 October 2014
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Reflections on Faith and Doubt These letters are in response to the 28 September 2014 front page letter
I was surprised by the reaction to Archbishop Welby's words on doubt.
He is a person of faith, ergo, he has doubts.
The opposite of faith is certainty, not doubt. I hate my moments of doubt, because they are apinful; however, there has been no other way for me to grow in trust. And yes, when in doubt, keep worshipping.
Pierre Whalon
Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe
Paris, France. Province II
bishop@tec-europe.org
29 September 2014
On the issue of doubt: Archbishop Welby's refreshingly candid comments raise some important points. Without doubt, there would be no need for faith. You have faith precisely because you doubt. For example: Am I certain that an immensely gifted young rabbi who suffered death by crucifixion leave the tomb to encounter some of his followers in some physical, or trans-physical, form? No, I am not certain. But do I have faith that this happened? Yes, because I trust God. Trust in God helps us walk confidently across the chasm of our doubts.
Mark Siegel
All Saints Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
29 September 2014
Thank you for this editorial, I loved the way that the ABC addressed the question. What better way to respond than with a Psalm that shows doubt is not some postmodern off ramp to faith, but a very real, historic element of living in faith that all of us grapple with from time to time?
Maybe we Anglicans should sit around talking about faith more. Why leave the field to fundamentalists and Christian-flavored nationalists? We have something to say and a unique voice to say it in, we are part of a dialogue on faith within the faith, and if we’re concerned about how the wider world perceives Christian faith, keeping to ourselves just ensures no one hears how we see things (which I presume we believe is a perfectly reasonable way to believe seeing that we’ve adopted it for ourselves). We have so many venues to talk our faith: coffeehouse discussions, book clubs, over tea… with one another, with other denominations, and, yes, maybe with non-Christians as well. At least we shouldn’t leave it to others to tell our story about our own belief - look where the media ran with Archbishop Welby’s simple statement of fact?
Nayla Caruso
Christ Church New Brunswick
Highland Park, New Jersey
30 September 2014
On the sale of art
I would like to comment on the news item on 28 September titled “Chancellor lambasts 'really stupid' sale of painting” about a parish and their minister selling a painting of the Madonna & Child that did not match the theological bent of the current serving clergy.
This story is a painful reminder of a similar incident involving the library of a certain campus ministry that once had what was described by a scholar who knew about such things as “one of the finest collections of Anglo-Catholic literature in the United States.” When a young scholar sought access to this collection he was told that the library had been thrown out because it had just been 'a lot of old books by dead white men.'
In the life of the church it will always be the case that certain ideas are out of fashion and some may deserve to be on a permanent basis. Nonetheless, artifacts that contain these ideas are part of a long, rich heritage and it should be preserved by clergy and lay leaders whether they agree with all the ideas or not.
The Rev. Dr. Stephen L. White
St. John's, Williamstown
Hancock, Massachusetts, USA
jerichovalley@gmail.com
29 September 2014
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