1. THE POPE, SAME-SEX BLESSINGS, AND PROTESTANTS

   by Carl R. Trueman12 . 28 . 23
   

The confusion surrounding the pope’s recent statement Fiducia Supplicans, a document that is ambiguous about whether Catholic clergy can bless those in same-sex relationships, says much about the times in which we live. Catholic theologians will argue that Rome has not changed, that the fog of distinctions contained in this latest statement means that it does not affect core Roman dogma. But that is not the point: The watching world cares nothing for such sophistry and sees here a fundamental cultural shift. And it seems naive to think that a fundamental change in pastoral practice will not lead to a significant transformation of attitudes. Such compromises—and this is most surely a compromise—always end up being far more sympathetic to the position they are moving toward than that from which they are moving away. When the pope sows chaos within his church on the matter of gay blessings, it is likely to affect us all—Catholic clergy and laity, certainly, but also us Protestants.

For Protestants (and likely many Catholics), this is a reminder that the papacy is not a cure-all for the alleged problems surrounding Protestant notions of scriptural sufficiency and clarity. Saint Paul promoted both the importance of Scripture and a church marked by ordained office for the preservation and transmission of the faith. Neither on its own can do the task by itself, and if Protestantism is vulnerable to not taking the church seriously enough, then a strong and hierarchical ecclesiology is vulnerable to generating its own forms of chaos. The system only has the competence and integrity of its leadership.

It would be easy in such circumstances to indulge in a certain Protestant triumphalism, as many Catholics now seem to face a conflict of conscience akin to that which Luther faced. Yet the problem is that the woes of contemporary Catholicism are not so easily separated from those of contemporary conservative Protestants at this point. Catholicism has for many years given us an umbrella under which we can shelter from the worst excesses of the broader culture. Whether it is the fight against abortion, intrusive health care mandates, or the imposition of political ideology through regulations governing adoption, the Catholic Church has led, and has had the financial power and cultural presence to do so in a way unavailable to Protestants. Strange to tell, she has also been able to maintain with relative impunity some positions that the broader culture finds intolerable among Protestants. Some years ago, my own appointment to the editorial board of an academic journal was almost vetoed because it was discovered that I belong to a denomination that does not ordain women. The objection was only withdrawn when it was pointed out to the complainant that other members of the same board were Catholics and thus members of a church with an all-male clergy.

Most immediately, Fiducia Supplicans will affect the pope's own clergy, who will now come under huge pressure to bless same-sex couples even if their own consciences are troubled or compromised by doing so. Many will no doubt feel some sympathy for Luther at the Diet of Worms, when he stated clearly that it was not safe for a Christian to speak or act against his conscience.

But Catholic clergy will not be the only ones touched by this dilemma. When the leadership is ambiguous on such an important matter, it weakens the position of the laity. What of the public school teacher under pressure to accept the kaleidoscopic identities of the sexual revolution? What about the employee of the software company pressured to do the same? The case of Franz Jägerstätter, so memorably retold in the movie A Hidden Life, is a good, albeit extreme, example of the courage needed by an ordinary Christian when abandoned by a craven, corrupt, and cowardly church leadership. That is the position in which the pope’s latest antics have placed ordinary people—people for whom taking a stand on the truth could cost them far more than it would ever cost the pope. The public school teacher could lose everything. The pope risks only the goodwill of the New York Times editorial column. And if he is not willing to risk that, why should anybody else bother to make a real sacrifice?

This will also affect Protestants. Whether we like it or not, the officer class of our culture cares little for debates about transubstantiation and papal authority. It makes no real distinction between Catholics and Protestants. In its eyes we are all Christians and thus the shenanigans of the pope will put pressure on us all. The argument will be that, if Rome can change, why can we all not change? The possibility of sheltering under that broad cultural umbrella that Rome has provided will be withdrawn on this issue and we will feel the pain of that.

There are two kinds of leaders: those who see their role as remaking their organizations in their own image, regardless of the collateral damage done to those further down the totem pole; and those who seek to protect the interests of the weakest and most vulnerable of those dependent upon them. Throughout his papacy, Francis has presented himself as the latter, but now it would seem that this has been no more than a specious cover for being the former. A good leader speaks with clarity. Francis seems incapable of doing so. And unfortunately, given the high profile of the Catholic Church, the chaos in Rome has implications for Wittenberg and Geneva, too.

Carl Trueman is a professor of biblical and religious studies at Grove City College and a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.

 

Matthew 2:13-18 The massacre of the innocents

The Massacre of the Innocents,

After the wise men had left, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother with you, and escape into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, because Herod intends to search for the child and do away with him.’ So Joseph got up and, taking the child and his mother with him, left that night for Egypt, where he stayed until Herod was dead. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: I called my son out of Egypt. Herod was furious when he realised that he had been outwitted by the wise men, and in Bethlehem and its surrounding district he had all the male children killed who were two years old or under, reckoning by the date he had been careful to ask the wise men. It was then that the words spoken through the prophet Jeremiah were fulfilled: A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loudly lamenting: it was Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted because they were no more.

 OVERHEARD IN HARRIS & HOOLE...

(An occasional feature)

27th December 2023

Myself , Mary Winterbourne, Ducky Duckworth, Sebastian D'Orsai and Tony of the Big Saloon got together this morning in Harris & Hoole. The following conversation could be overheard:

Mary Winterbourne: Gene any news yet on how Granny Barkes Fell in Woolworth's is selling?

Gene: No  Mary,  I don't suppose this information will be available for some months yet. Anyhow my ambitions for Granny Barkes Fell in Woolworth's  are modest. One never knows how a new literary form may be received. I've got to say that I really don't mind whether it sells just a few hundred copies in Uxbridge or goes to number one on the New York Times best seller list.

Mary Winterbourne: Gene let's once again all raise our cappuccinos. Here's to Gene. Here's to Uxbridge. Here's to Granny Barkes.

Tony of the Big Saloon: And perhaps Justin Welby will 'joyfully' join us in our celebration. Tee! Hee! Hee!

Ducky Duckworth: I see that the Canting Old Phony has been sticking his oar in.

Gene: He is still of course not admitting defeat over his lies about it not being published. No change there. Anyone else would be dignified enough to say, 'Fair Dinkum', I got it wrong.

Still he says he is buying a copy from Amazon and will review it.

And by the way, he is going to return his copy of the book and get a refund once he has read and reviewed it.

All: My God! How mean can you get? The spirit of Ebenezer Scrooge is alive and well and living on Tyneside.

Ducky Duckworth:  And you can bet his review will be a hatchet job.

Sebastian D'Orsai: Undoubtedly!

Mary Winterbourne: Well, who knows? Let's not underestimate Detterling. Perhaps his review will be generous?

Ducky Duckworth:  His review generous!!! Oh! look Mary. What's that up in the sky? Oh! yes. It's a whole squadron of pigs flying over Uxbridge.

Tony of the Big Saloon: What about Detterling's memoirs? Any news of publication?

Gene: He says his memoirs will be published posthumously. He doesn't wish to offend certain people while he is alive.

All: What a lily-livered, yellow-bellied bottlejob!

Tony of the Big Saloon: He doesn't wish to offend people! Gene you were never afraid of offending people!!!

(Loud laughter from all)

 JUST LOVE THIS DEPICTION OF CHRISTMAS ON TYNESIDE

I posted this on the TES website prior to Christmas 2020. It was met with derision from many TESSERS.  Nevertheless, I love this wholesome glimpse of Christmas at Chez Detters. 

I RATE IT UP THERE WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF CHRISTMAS BY DICKENS, LAURIE LEE et al.

(It was sent to me by Detterling  on Christmas Day 2018)

Chez Detters set up for Christmas

Detterling 25 December 2018 at 14:58

CHRISTMAS 2018 

Saturday, a warm and hilarious family gathering with mother-in-law, brother-in-law and partner.

.....Sunday, daughters, husbands and grand-daughters convene at our house for a loud and happy afternoon culminating in acapella carol- singing round the piano which brought the neighbours round with requests for Silent Night and The Angel Gabriel, then all the family to Nine Lessons and Carols at our local church, where my son read a lesson with aplomb, understanding and relish.

.....yesterday, final preparations for the festival and in the evening, playing the organ at a carol service for an old friend whom I have known since she was six weeks old and who is now a vicar in the next parish but two.

.....and today, an early start with our son opening his presents, an afternoon with in-laws and nieces, and tonight Christmas dinner with the family, cooked by me and enjoyed by everyone.

GENE

 

Luke 1:26-38 Fourth Sunday of Advent: 'I am the handmaid of the Lord'

Ecce Ancilla Domini! (The Annunciation), Painting by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828–1882), Painted in 1849-50, Oil on canvas © Tate Gallery, London

Gospel Reading

The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. He went in and said to her, ‘Rejoice, so highly favoured! The Lord is with you.’ She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, ‘Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God’s favour. Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?’ ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you’ the angel answered ‘and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. Know this too: your kinswoman Elizabeth has, in her old age, herself conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God.’ ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord,’ said Mary ‘let what you have said be done to me.’ And the angel left her.

 

1. ANGLICANISM AT A CROSSROADS

   by Mouneer Anis and Gerald McDermott12 . 21 . 23
   

Orthodox Anglicans have something to cheer in this otherwise dismal year. On Ash Wednesday 2023, Anglican leaders in the Global South rejected Canterbury’s decision to bless same-sex unions. They declared they are “no longer able to recognize the present Archbishop of Canterbury, the Rt Hon and Revd Justin Welby, as the ‘first among equals’ Leader of the global Communion.” And in April of this past year, another gathering of Anglican leaders joined this departure from Canterbury. In total, 85 percent of the Anglican Communion is determined to “reset the Communion on its biblical foundations.” As progressive Anglicanism in the Global North continues to decline, orthodox Anglicanism in the Global South is booming. There are more Anglicans in church on Sunday morning in Nigeria alone, for instance, than in all of North America and Great Britain combined. Yet amidst this energy, there are worrying signs.

Global South Anglican leaders opposed to same-sex marriage are preparing to bind themselves with a document that rests on ambiguous theological foundations. Their bishops will gather in June 2024 to review and reaffirm the “Cairo Covenant,” first written in 2019 to “strengthen Global South identity, [establish doctrine] in keeping with orthodox faith . . . and establish conciliar structures [that hold] each other accountable to a common dogmatic and liturgical tradition.” The new covenantal structure is a vast improvement over Canterbury’s regime because it provides for genuine doctrinal accountability. But there are parts of the document that may contradict traditional Anglicanism, and need further review.

The problem is that the Cairo Covenant uses the language of sola scriptura without sufficient qualification. The term sola scriptura suggests that the Bible by itself can ensure orthodoxy without the guidance of the historic Church. The Covenant defines sola scriptura as “the Scriptures’ authority over the Church,” which itself is “a creature of the divine Word.” Yet as students of church history know, the Church produced the Bible and protected it against heretical interpretations at ecumenical councils like Nicaea. So while the divine Word guided the Church as it protected the Bible, the Bible was a “creature” of the Church—not the other way around.

Athanasius, for example, recognized the critical role of church tradition in his battle against Arianism. Arius argued from the Bible alone (using such verses as Jesus’s statement “The Father is greater than I”) that Christ is more than a man but less than fully God. In his epistle to the African bishops, Athanasius insisted that proper biblical interpretation requires “the sound Faith which Christ gave us, the Apostles preached, and the Fathers, who met at Nicaea from all this world of ours, have handed down” (emphasis added). The Fathers at Nicaea taught that Christ is homoousios—of the same nature (as the Father). Athanasius pointed out that while this Greek word is not in the Bible, its concept is, and we need the Church’s tradition to teach us this.  

The Anglican reformers of the sixteenth century also saw the need for the ecumenical councils and creeds to interpret the Bible properly. Bishop John Jewel wrote in his Apology of the Church of England that the English reformation was “confirmed by the words of Christ, by the writings of the apostles, by the testimonies of the Catholic fathers, and by the examples of many ages.” When Anglican bishops approved the Thirty-Nine Articles in 1571, they declared in canon law that preachers were not to assert anything different from Scripture or “what the Catholic fathers and ancient bishops have collected from this selfsame doctrine.” They added that the Articles “in all respects agree with” the Fathers and ancient bishops.

The greatest theologian of the English Reformation was Richard Hooker (1554–1600), whose massive Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity appealed to the Fathers 774 times, as often to those in the West as to those in the East. Bishop Francis White (1564‒1638), bishop of Ely, wrote, “The Church of England in her public and authorized Doctrine and Religion” looks to Scripture as “her main and prime foundation” but after that “relieth upon the consentieth testimony and authority of the Bishops and Patrons of the true ancient Catholic Church; and it prefereth the sentence thereof before all other curious and profane novelties.”

The Cairo Covenant makes other statements that separate Scripture from the Church’s interpretation. For example, it uses a polemical Latin axiom from the Reformation: “Scriptura sacra locuta, res decisa est” (Sacred Scripture has spoken, the matter is decided). The Covenant fails to indicate that the magisterial reformers Luther and Calvin regularly appealed to the Fathers and the ecumenical councils in their arguments for the meaning of the Bible.

Foundational Anglican documents support the principle that Scripture should be interpreted with deference to ancient church authorities. The Chicago Quadrilateral (1888) asserts that the Nicene Creed is “the sufficient statement of the Christian Faith.” The Jerusalem Declaration (2008) maintains that the Bible is to be taught in its “plain and canonical sense, respectful of the church’s historic and consensual reading.” The Declaration upholds “the four Ecumenical Councils and the three historic Creeds as expressing the rule of faith of the one holy catholic and apostolic Church.”

The Cairo Covenant asserts the final authority of Scripture, which is commendable. But it does not acknowledge that the guardian of Scripture has always been the Church’s councils, creeds, and teachings. 

It was this omission of tradition that caused progressive Anglicans to go astray decades ago when they started ordaining women to Holy Orders, an innovation rejected by tradition for nearly two millennia. Anglicans who would sign the Cairo Covenant in its present form should recognize that the way to same-sex blessings was partly paved by this Anglican approval of women’s ordination in the 1970s. A new hermeneutic was established whereby Anglicans dismissed both tradition and the plain sense of Scripture in order to make spurious biblical arguments about justice and equality. In both debates—over Holy Orders and marriage—tradition was jettisoned in order to sidestep the Bible’s teachings. The appeal to Scripture alone was convenient in the process. Only prima scriptura could have prevented this devolution to heresy.

This is not a disagreement over the final authority of Scripture. We suggest replacement of sola scriptura with prima scriptura, Scripture’s primary authority protected by the wisdom of the Great Tradition—or, as Aidan Nichols has put it, reading Scripture with the Church’s eyes of faith. Prima scriptura protects orthodoxy and the final authority of Scripture.

Connected to this issue is another potentially fatal error in the Cairo Covenant: The document calls for the creation of a new body of clergy and laity that will be given final authority to authorize “innovations” that would change its doctrine. But this move, while ostensibly protecting orthodox doctrine, opens the door to doctrinal innovation. In one place, the Cairo Covenant states that bishops have final authority; but later, the document contradicts that eccelesiology by calling for this new body of higher authority that includes laity. This error threatens to undermine the orthodoxy that was protected by prima scriptura and episcopacy before the twentieth century.

We recognize that many of those poised to sign the Cairo Covenant do not believe that sola scriptura is nuda scriptura—Scripture outside the protection of the Church’s traditional teaching. Many of these bishops are in fact opposed to women’s ordination as a violation of the tradition’s Holy Orders.  

But the problem lies in the plain sense of the text. While most of today’s bishops might agree with prima scriptura, their sons and daughters will learn from the Covenant’s plain sense that we can ignore tradition when interpreting the Bible. This will be easier to do when—as is likely—the world’s condemnations grow louder and its financial coercions multiply against Christians who fail to approve what the world considers just and moral. If and when these sons and daughters yield to these greater temptations—occasioned by the problematic language of the Cairo Covenant—the Anglican Communion risks becoming one more liberal Protestant denomination.

While the Anglican Communion is being reset, as it ought to be, let us also suggest revising the language of the Cairo Covenant so that it better reflects the thinking of historic Anglicanism.

Mouneer Anis was the first Anglican archbishop of Alexandria, Egypt.

Gerald McDermott is an Anglican theologian who teaches at the Reformed Episcopal Seminary and Jerusalem Seminary.

 

WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU DETTERLING?

'Granny Barkes Fell In Woolworth's' is available in bookshops and with online retailers. Just check it out on Amazon UK.

Granny Barkes Fell in Woolworth's: Amazon.co.uk: Vincent, Gene, Bluenote, Johnny: 9781671990722: Books

You are in denial and all readers of this blog can see that. You are stuffed and are making yourself more ridiculous by your denials.

If you wish to buy a copy of the book from Amazon and review it there is nothing stopping you  - and you know it!

GENE

 

Granny Barkes Fell in Woolworth's Paperback – 20 Dec. 2023

by Gene Vincent (Author), Johnny Bluenote (Illustrator)

See all formats and editions

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Granny Barkes: a biography and an illustrated life.

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1. Length

   114

   Pages

2. Language

   EN

   English

3. Publication date

   2023

   December 20

Available at amazon.co.uk and Amazon USA,  Amazon Italy, Amazon Japan, Amazon France,  Amazon Germany,  Amazon Poland,  Amazon Canada, Amazon Netherlands, Amazon Australia etc. 

ISBN: 9781671990722

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