Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Anglican Bits and Catholic Bites

Three items of note this morning:

ACNA sails very, very close to a moral and theological crisis here. Preludium offers a reflection here.

The Primate of the West Island reflects on ACC-16 here. (PS Have you seen that the West Island government is paying the French $50 billion to build submarines. Surely they are not expecting an attack from the seaborne power to their east?)

Catholics and Anglicans have been talking - again!! - about recognition of ministry, here. Having been at a joint Catholic-Anglican Ash Wednesday service this year, in the Catholic Pro-Cathedral here in Christchurch, at which Bishop Victoria Matthews preached,  I and many readers here want to say, "Let theology catch up with reality." Really, it is just about finding an aggiornamento which walks backwards into the void Leo's "null and void" Bull!

It is not as though things cannot change in the Vatican ... or can they? Our Prelatical friend from the West Island will need more smarts than an Ozzie Union leader caught with unexplained cash in his briefcase to get this audit completed!

4 comments:

Father Ron Smith said...

"Let theology catch up with reality." Really, it is just about finding an aggiornamento which walks backwards into the void Leo's "null and void" Bull!"

Good thought Peter. However, we Anglicans, too, have our very own culture of exclusivity: Gafcon/Acna.Focna Bull. The only way to overcome the culture of any 'Bull' is to scatter it to the winds, in the hope that it will cause no harm to the local environment.

Andrew Reid said...

That ACNA vote is very troubling. As you have pointed out numerous times, Peter, you can't say you are holding the line on Biblical orthodoxy when it comes to same sex relationships and then equivocate about other matters where the Bible is very clear. Of course, circumstances matter, but for a body that has seceded from the Communion on grounds of Biblical orthodoxy to so quickly consider a divorced candidate for bishop is very strange.

Unknown said...

Andrew, I don't think it is very strange at all. It seems more like the issue for many who left over LGBT full inclusion weren't as motivated by adherence to orthodoxy as by inherent bias and prejudice against LGBT persons. No one wants to be called a bigot, and the weight of tradition gave some apparent grounding to their biases.

In Pittsburgh, the reality of divorce and marriage in North America has allowed many to see that being divorced is not an automatic disqualifier for ordained ministry and leadership due to the witness of so many divorced but faithful and spirit filled people. Similarly, if one is able to let their biases stand aside for a bit and actually witness to the life of faith lived by many LGBT followers of Christ, many will see that that their sexuality is not a barrier to full inclusion in the life of the church.

The scriptures are meant for humanity, not humanity for the scriptures and a living Christ and Holy Spirit invites us into an ever widening circle of inclusion in God's wonderful creation.

Father Ron Smith said...

"The scriptures are meant for humanity, not humanity for the scriptures and a living Christ and Holy Spirit invites us into an ever widening circle of inclusion in God's wonderful creation." - Fr. Jon White -

Succicnt, and clearly in line with the ethos of the scriptures themselves; as per "Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath".
Thank you, John.