Is Anglican Unity That Important?

That’s a question some are venturing to ask as the Primates of the Anglican Communion are meeting.

My answer is: Yes and No . . . depending on what *that* is. Oh my! I have become a good Anglican, haven’t I.

But there is good unity and bad unity – which really is not real unity at all. Unity among Christians who sincerely confess Jesus is Lord, who believe He died and rose bodily from the dead for us, who believe His word, the scriptures – that’s good unity and the sort Jesus prayed for. But for Christians to be in the same church body with those, especially clergy, whose faith does not include even those basics is not real unity at all. And cohabiting with such counterfeit “Christianity” has been historically and still is corrosive to the church and destructive to souls.

As a number have pointed out, including Brad Drell, there are two religions under the same roof, and there is not nearly enough in common between these religions to justify communion. A number of the Southern Primates clearly consider such communion to be sin, and I agree.

Personally, one reason I became Anglican is that the breath of unity among orthodox Anglicans appealed to me. I like the idea of being in the same church and having communion with, say, a conservative Anglo-Catholic. We may provoke each other when he puts the church in authority over scripture and I insist on keeping the church under the authority of scripture. Our views of just what exactly happens to the sacrament during communion may be different. He will surely be more Marian than me. But we both believe in Jesus as Lord, we both believe the scriptures, and we both contend for the Faith. So he’s my brother and I want us to be in the same church, even if our discussion may get a little . . . vigorous. I think that’s what the church should look like.

But I have no Christian unity with those, especially clergy (I might cut laity a little slack because we are all hopefully seeking and learning.), who are wolves in sheep clothing, posers who hold to the forms and even the vocabulary of the Faith but deny the basics of the Faith, who don’t hold to Jesus as Lord, who deny His bodily resurrection and His word. Pretending such unity is embracing deadly leaven as the apostles warned against. Such faux unity has been killing the mainline churches for decades. I want no part of it.

And it will kill the Anglican Communion if the Primates don’t put a stop to it or least say, “Enough!” Not strongly disciplining the ECUSA and the Anglican Church of Canada in the name of Anglican unity would be the sort of faux unity that has been the downfall of the mainline churches.

Genuine unity among Christians is a beautiful thing that glorifies God. But there are two religions in the Anglican house. It’s past time we stop pretending otherwise. It’s time to tell that other religion to find other lodging.

Churchly Quality Control XIII: a timely Morning Prayer lesson

With the Primates meeting beginning today, I find it interesting that one of the 1928 BCP Morning Prayer lessons for today is I Corinthians 5, a prime chapter on church discipline.

In it, Paul berates the Corinthian church for being “puffed up” about their inclusiveness and tolerance instead of calling sin sin and dealing with it. He warns them that “a little leaven leavens the whole lump” – which sounds like the 20th century history of the mainline denominations. And he tells them to “purge out the old leaven” of the evil among them.

It sounds very like a good agenda for the Primates.

The time has come.

It’s seems unreal to me in a way, but the meeting we’ve all been waiting for is upon us. The Primates of the Anglican Communion meet in Ireland beginning tomorrow. At the risk of sounding melodramatic, the future of the Anglican Communion is at stake.

Pray.

Greenpeace gets theirs.

I find few things as insufferable as the self-righteousness of certain leftists. College-aged protester-types and organizations such as Greenpeace particularly annoy me. That they feel their causes and the supposed eeeeevil of their opponents justify any tactics adds to the annoyance. So forgive me for rejoicing in Greenpeace protesters getting theirs.

They tried to disrupt a legitimate and important business. And they were stopped in no uncertain terms with appropriate violence. Wonderful! I would have loved to have been there (and maybe join in ejecting them).

This line from one of the protesters is priceless: “I’ve never seen anyone less amenable to listening to our point of view.” So you come trespassing with noisemakers in order to disrupt business and the businessmen are supposed to listen to you?

Are these people related to those who cram their apostate agenda down the throats of Anglicans, then call for “holy listening”?

No one expects the English Inquisition!?!

I hope you’re sitting down. Are you? In fact, find a Comfy Chair. Ready? O. K., then.

The Church of England is actually considering having heresy trials for clergy.

Yes. Shocking. But wonderful!

I strongly feel that the church must exercise church discipline against heretic and apostate clergy, especially those who are willfully so. To refuse to do so puts aside a vital God-mandated tool in defending the Faith, the integrity of the Church, and the souls of the people.

Yes, there will always be phonies and wolves. But the church should make darn sure they aren’t in the pulpits (much less wearing pointy hats).

Such common sense has sadly been lacking in most large Western church bodies for years. So to see this news is a breath of fresh air.

”I’m not dead yet.”

I’m actually feeling much better.

Nor am I giving up blogging for Lent. But between being sick for over two weeks and falling behind on some things, I think it best to take a short break from this blog.

Unless something sufficiently provokes me first, I’ll probably be back sometime next week.

A timely word on Ash Wednesday

The Pontificator has posted an excellent quote linking effective prayer and fasting with acts of mercy. This is in line with the 1928 BCP Morning Prayer lesson today from Isaiah 58 among other scriptures.

I commend the quote to you as a timely exhortation. It certainly is a timely exhortation to me.

(By the way, although I’m by no means deathly ill, I haven’t been completely well for two weeks now. Prayers would be appreciated.)