tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post2407202654636372324..comments2024-03-28T21:32:26.550+00:00Comments on Bruce Charlton's Notions: Blogger 'Benedict Seraphim': "neutrality is not only impossible, it's damning"Bruce Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-65226334287997757612011-10-04T06:18:27.609+01:002011-10-04T06:18:27.609+01:00@Dale - these are fair points - but that was not w...@Dale - these are fair points - but that was not what I got from the piece. Within Orthodoxy the same thing happens over and over again as described between denominations - and leads to the same kind of choices. <br /><br />We seem to be at a point in history when the option to discern a Good institution and simply obey is hardly available - *so many* people have been incrementally led-away from Christianity and into secular Leftism by their humble wish to obey The Church that the situation can be bewildering. <br /><br />Absent a clear institutional embodiment of the true Church, we can only trust our own judgment yet the one thing we know is that our judgment is likely to be feebler and more error prone and corrupt than at almost any time in history. If there is an answer, it must be prayer, I think - more frequent and more fervent.Bruce Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-29000073673379370202011-10-03T22:48:36.505+01:002011-10-03T22:48:36.505+01:00Oh, but please, caution, caution.
Many Christians...Oh, but please, caution, caution.<br /><br />Many Christians in 2011 are faced with issues that may exceed their capacity to resolve. In such cases they may have to be "neutral," at least for a while<br /><br />For example, let us take a person raised in an American evangelical free church milieu.<br /><br />He knows that the Bible is sacred Scripture. He knows that there is no salvation outside of the work of Jesus Christ.<br /><br />And he reads around and begins to realize that he has been raised with an impoverished understanding of Holy Baptism, Holy Supper, Holy Church. <br /><br />If there were but one denomination claiming to be THE Church, the untarnished New Testament Church, the Una Sancta, he might well seek to be inducted into it.<br /><br />But there are at least two denominations that make this claim, and they differ on important issues. The Roman Catholic communion claims to be THE Church, and regards its doctrine of the papacy as an integral part of the Faith once given to the saints. Disagreeing with Rome about papal infallibility etc., the Orthodox family of churches claim to be THE Church. Now I say that our inquirer may well find that he cannot make the decision between them. Each might fault him for being "neutral."<br /><br />I was that raised-American-evangelical person, basically. I have finally (?) settled on the Lutheran Confessions and the churches that adhere to them. But this took years, and I am not absolutely certain that I will always remain here, although I think that I will.<br /><br />What was I to do -- make a premature decision, thirty years ago, to end my "neutrality"?<br /><br />Surely that is not a good idea.<br /><br />But I could well imagine that even people with a lot of leisure to read, visit churches (perhaps even having Orthodox, Roman, Lutheran, Anglican, etc. churches in their area), talk to older Christians, etc. could have trouble resolving the issues.<br /><br />For "Benedict Seraphim" this is nt the situation, but surely it is that of some.<br /><br />For many Anglophone Christians, by the way, Orthodox church attendance is not feasible. Are they to move somewhere where it is, on the chance that they will become persuaded that Orthodoxy is the end of their quest?Wurmbrandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17345523517796356674noreply@blogger.com