The Archive
Author: Jim Naughton
Whole church
Experience has shown it to be possible for men to live peaceably together within the same national limits and under the same flag who differ very widely in political opinions—so widely, in fact, that in old times the notion of including such discordant elements within a single civil framework would have been scouted as an “iridescent dream.”
Blessed Mary, never virgin? Part I
On one side, you have the Scripture, the creeds, and the faith of the Church; on the other, you have modern biology. According to our biological canons, we all know that human parthenogenesis is not medically attested. Lizards, yes; sharks, yes; humans, not so much. As a result there are two basic positions: either 1) we have miracle or 2) we have a miraculous explanation of a less-than-miraculous situation.
Camel-knees
James, the brother of the Lord, and the author of this Epistle, was nicknamed “Camel-knees” by the early Church. James had been so slow of heart to believe that his brother, Jesus, could possibly be the Christ, that, after he was brought to believe, he was never off his knees. And when they came to coffin him, it was like coffining the knees of a camel rather than the knees of a man, so hard, so worn, so stiff were they with prayer,
A change of priority
How do you set about praying? From our point of view, there is a fairly obvious order of priorities. We’re usually in some sort of mess, and we want God to get us out of it. Then we’ve usually got some fairly pressing needs, and we want God to supply them. It may strike us at that point that there’s a larger world out there. Again, we probably move from mess to wants: please sort out the Middle East, please feed the hungry, please house the homeless.
A #mitregate update
Q. Does the House of Bishops have an ‘agreed approach’ to ‘the issue of vesture’ for women bishops from other Anglican provinces when preaching or officiating in England, and if so will this be made public? The Archbishop of Canterbury to reply: …
In a welcome move, ACO Standing Committee reports on its activities
Sensing perhaps that it has a significant public relations problem, the Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion has begun to offer reports on its activities. This constitutes a welcome step in the direction of transparency, even if the need for the existence of this body remains opaque.
Joy-spreaders
Susan and their three children became involved at the American Cathedral in Paris. One Shrove Tuesday, Hermann, a self-proclaimed atheist who attended church functions to support his family, cooked the best pancake supper in Christendom. Susan said, “We’ve always given each other space while supporting our differences.” Hermann added, “With that attitude Susan made my career possible.”
Bear with one another
Until God ordains otherwise, a man ought to bear patiently whatever he cannot correct in himself and in others. Consider it better thus—perhaps to try your patience and to test you, for without such patience and trial your merits are of little account. Nevertheless, under such difficulties you should pray that God will consent to help you bear them calmly.
Don’t give me the facts,
I’m reactionary
People ignorant of the facts could simply choose not to vote. But instead, it appears that misinformed people often have some of the strongest political opinions.