Then Kevin and George look at the international implications:
Of course this has seemed inevitable for a long time - it is more than thirty years since the tide turned decisively.
(See Crockford's file: Gareth Bennett and the death of the Anglican mind by William Oddie, 1989.)
But there has to be a moment when the line is crossed, and it has now actually happened: it's official.
To use a favourite phrase of CS Lewis - things are coming to a point. Matters are becoming crystal clear. The sheep and the goats are now in separate flocks.
For those of us who just can't stand watching videos (I'm not the only one, right?), I assume these are the changes they are discussing:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/07/09/transgender-worshippers-could-get-church-services-celebrate/
William - Well, the secular mass media 'take' on things doesn't come near in quality or validity to the explanation and context provided by the commentators I linked!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that's true, but unless they care to comment on writing, I'm just going to have to miss out. My link was for people who just want to know what the CoE has done now.
ReplyDeleteTrying to change your patterns of sexual attraction? A horrible thing to do, and biologically impossible to boot. Only a hate-filled bigot would countenance such wicked nonsense!
Trying to change your actual physical sex? Totally okay. It is, after all, the current year.
@William - It is an encapsulated example of the fact that the mainstream Leftism is self-contradictory - and therefore provides support for the idea that Leftism is tactical not strategic at the specific level, and that its strategy is merely oppositional.
ReplyDeleteConsidering how sidelined and ignored is Christianity in the modern West - it is striking how the Left still seems to organise itself around opposition to it - (anti religious laws/ rules and regulations are quite blatantly enforced only on Christians, other religions being exempted; while relgious/ organisational protections are the other way around)- and this, of course, fits with the idea that in the 'culture wars' we are essentially engaged in *spiritual* warfare.
That the CofE Leadership has decisively chosen the side of Leftism in this spiritual war is now crystal clear; even to those moderates who try to give the 'benefit of the doubt' or be 'charitable'. or 'think the best' of the individuals and institutions.
In this fight I am of course on the side of the traditionalists; but I don't think the traditionalists can win from their position - as I've said many times, the Christianity of the future will be (and needs to be) different from any Christianity of the past. This is not a view derived 'inductively' from evidence (although consistent with it) but derived from a basis in my metaphysical understanding of the developmental/ evolutionary nature of human life and society.
@William - Gavin Ashendon made a similar point to you here:
ReplyDeletehttps://ashenden.org/2017/07/09/sin-at-synod-how-the-church-forbad-forgiveness/
I think to remain an active and faithful Catholic it seems best to just attend a traditional-oriented parish and ignore, as much as possible, most of the hierarchy and its politics (though there are a few strong Cardinals and Bishops, and perhaps many Priests).
ReplyDeleteThe corrupted officials in the Vatican still hide their agenda behind ambiguity, though actively attacking all attempts to clearly define what the faith still means these days as "rigid." C.S. Lewis did a good job profiling these behavior in the N.I.C.E. bureaucrats.
I think we must simply rely on the Gospel as guidance here.
Matthew 13:28-29
“‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed.
“‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked.
“‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do.
@Nathaniel - I don't agree. "best to just attend a traditional-oriented parish" - but the problem is 'just'...
ReplyDeleteAs for pulling out the weeds (anti-Christian church leaders) - it isn't even an option because there is nobody to do the pulling.
In an Episcopal church, where the hierarchy control appointments and bishops have been corrupted en masse, everytime a traditional priest leaves he will be replaced by a Leftist/ liberal or (or a priestess).
The answer is to create new structures before the Episcopate (or leadership) has been fully corrupted - building from uncorrupted leaders, but that point has for some time been passed in the CoE, where I think *all* the Bishops (?) voted against Christianity in this recent Synod.
By 'staying and fighting' and losing; the traditionalists have become so few as to be too few; except among conservative evangelical Anglicans who are beginning to create British Bishops from a base in overseas Anglican churches (this happened at my local church recently).
If only this had happened thirty, twenty, or even ten, years ago... because the delay has just weakened (and corrupted) the real Christian elements.
(The thin end of the wedge was undoubtedly the issue of priestesses - because this was a 'social justice' issue (driven from outside the church by the political and media agenda), and not a matter of theology; the actual priestesses have been a wedge for more and more anti-Christian change from the very beginning.
(My personal Christianity is a long way from traditional/ orthodox - but I would always favour real Christians of whatever stripe over anti-Christians.)