A Vocation for Anglicanism

In such a shattered time for the Anglican world some thoughts on what the vocation of Anglicanism might indeed be:

 ”…Suppose that in time Anglicanism is enabled by God’s grace to achieve a stable synthesis, in which each fructifies the other:  that will point to others a way they may take toward the goal of a united Catholicism or an exclusive Protestantism”

and from another source,

“…everything we experienced in the Cathedral this morning is Catholic in its origin: the building, the music, the words, the vestments, the ritual, the ethos of prayer. Perhaps in the Providence of God these things had to be kept for us against that day when we would forget our own patrimony and no longer know how to worship the living God in spirit and in truth. All we have to do is reclaim our birthright.”

The Joy of Being

See some wonderful short quotes on A Conservative Blog for Peace.

Continuing Hope

Both Amédé and I are new to Anglicanism outside of the Episcopal Church. But to remain both fully Christian and Anglican it is our (and I will presume to speak for Amédé in this instance) belief that one must exist outside of the Episcopal Church. And it has been our immediate community’s belief that for many reasons that go beyond the scope of this entry the continuing church – and specifically the Anglican Church in America and the Traditional Anglican Communion – are the best of places to inhabit (or possibly the least of the worst places to inhabit).

Prior to entering the Anglican Church in America however, I did not realize the full extend of the divisions of Anglicanism in the United States. These divisions are a scandal and it is time that they end. A bishop of the Anglican Province of Christ the King has taken some steps to address these divisions. I choose to take him at face value and praise his actions. The Lord be with him and with us all.

For more see here and here and here.

Hope?

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills;

…from whence cometh my help? My help cometh even from the Lord, who hath made heaven and earth (Pslam 121).

For a time I lived in a small town in the North Rockies and did quite alot of mountain climbing in that part of the world and in the Cascades. This Psalm has always had special meaning partly because of the climbing that I used to do and partly for a story that is important for my family which I will relate later. In the meantime, check out some beautiful photos of masses held in the high places at Hallowedground. Keep an eye out for the ice axe cross.

Priest…Imam…whatever…

Well, by now I suppose most of you have heard about this development.

The short version is that an Episcopalian Priest in Seattle has converted to Islam, and intends to continue in her priestly capacity, since she considers herself to be “100% Christian and 100% Muslim.” The Seattle Times piece to which I link above is actually a pretty good attempt at understanding the issues involved; though it is superficial and clearly biased (respectful of the Rev Ann Holmes Redding’s New Agey syncretism and orthodox Islam both, while slighting the Christian tradition), the reporter did her due diligence and interviewed enough people to give a sense of how fundamentally wacky, to mainstream Christians AND Muslims, Redding’s position is.

And make no mistake, this is a deeply, deeply confused woman we are talking about. Even before her “conversion,” we are told, Redding 1) denied that the Trinity is anything more than an image of God with no reality behind it 2) denied the divinity of Christ except in a symbolic sense (“Jesus is the son of God insofar as all humans are the children of God, and…Jesus is divine just as all humans are divine–because God dwells in all humans”) 3) never believed in original sin and 4) considered Christianity “the world religion of privilege.” The unspoken thought behind this last formulation is made a bit clearer when she talks about the “relief” she feels upon being reminded, when she enters her new mosque, that “there are more people of color in the world than white people.” An ordained, well-educated priest, she seems unacquainted with her own traditions (such as the Liturgy of the Hours, a Christian way of structuring the day through prayer) and only partly aware of the new tradition she has–irrevocably, I might add–adopted: “I’m still getting to know him,” she says of Mohammed. I should say that this intellectual confusion on her part seems to spring from some pretty profound spiritual damage, since the article makes reference to Redding having suffered sexual abuse and being a recovering alcoholic.

But none of that is really what bothers me about this story. The portrait of Redding that emerges is that of a classic spiritual solipsist of a very American kind. A “seeker,” she really acknowledges no source of authority or truth outside of herself, which is why she can claim to be of two mutually exclusive faiths (and they are mutually exclusive) with no trouble at all. She simply defines the terms of her belief in the way that provides her with the most temporary solace from her sense of hurt and emptiness. On the evidence above, she was never an orthodox Christian to begin with, so, hey, why not add a little Islam to the mix–it’s a beautiful, misunderstood religion after all, and aren’t all faiths Really Saying the Same Thing in Different Ways? As my dad, a Roman Catholic deacon, said when we discussed this story, “every church’s got their flakes.”

No, what bothers me about this story is nothing said by this poor troubled woman, for whom I honestly wish the best. What gets me is the response of her bishop: “Redding’s bishop, the Rt. Rev. Vincent Warner, says he accepts Redding as an Episcopal priest and a Muslim, and that he finds the interfaith possibilities exciting.” Oh, of course he does. Redding is an abuse survivor and recovering alcoholic who is self-medicating through religion (in Dr. Amede’s diagnosis, that is). What on earth is Bishop Warner’s excuse? How was this woman–who didn’t believe in the Trinity, the divinity of Christ, or original sin, and who seems to be rather bigoted against most of her own congregation–still a priest in good standing, much less put in charge of the “Faith Formation” of others? And now that she has [sound of throat clearing] CONVERTED TO ANOTHER RELIGION, how is that not an abrogation of her priestly vows? And just what is a Bishop FOR, anyway, if he doesn’t care what his priests profess…hasn’t he failed in pastoral care to Redding to let her become so far lost on his watch?

Anyway, THAT’S what bugged me. As Mark Steyn said regarding this story, the ECUSA really is beyond parody at this point. Now it’s just sad.

I’m Back Too!

Well, it’s a belated return to blogging for me as well, thanks to a recent move and a nasty virus (thanks kids!) that, among other things, completely disabled my sense of smell. I’m not saying that I suffered greatly by not being able to smell dirty diapers, coffee, or grass clippings…just that it was so darn WEIRD. As for the house move, all I can say is, if you are thinking of moving from your current digs for any reason–don’t. Just don’t. Brighten the corner where you are. It’ll save a lot of trouble.

A TAC Bishop Dies…

From the Messenger:

Bishop of great courage and faith dies – Bishop Trevor Rhodes

Archbishop Hepworth reports:

I have just heard from Canon Michael Gill, our Vicar General in Southern Africa, that Bishop Trevor Rhodes died shortly after Mass this morning (Sunday 10th June). His funeral will be held on Saturday 23rd June (the delay being necessary to allow people to gather from overseas, and because of the African tradition of conducting funerals on a Saturday).

I have only just returned from a somewhat arduous journey in Central and Southern Africa, which concluded with a day in Johannesburg with Bishop Trevor, who was “feeling his years” but seemed in good health and looking forward to retirement in the US from the end of the year. Much more will be said about Bishop Trevor in the weeks ahead, but may I simply say now that he was a man of great courage and great faith, who saw long ago what must be done by Anglican Catholics in good conscience, and who proceeded to devote his life to the poorest – in India, Central America and then as our bishop in Southern Africa, where he led the most extraordinary growth. May he rest in peace.

Islam…

I recently heard Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) Archbishop John Hepworth speak about the troubles some African TAC parishes were having simply existing in Islamic territory. In regards to the western embrace of the great peaceful religion he remarked that we very much have the right to protest if we are being persecuted out of existence. See some interesting remarks and photos on a similar subject at Hallowedground.

Also, see Amédé’s piece below on a similar subject.

Out of the Mouths of Babes – the Chapel Veil

I have three children – five, two and one. The two oldest are girls. As with nearly every child I have encountered, they tend to be aware spiritually on a level distinctly different than my own. After seeing some older women wearing chapel veils to church, they asked why and after hearing my explanation asked if they both could wear one as well. Who could refuse. I ordered from this vendor. Also, see some other thoughts on wearing chapel veils:

Here, and here…

Back to blogging!

After a month’s absence I seem to be getting back into the swing of things and hope to be writing some this weekend…in the mean time I am adding some links…