The Gospel Preached to the Patriarch Abraham
3 hours ago
Friday, October 05, 2007
Who should be saving whom?
Find out by reading this excellent essay by Fr. Stephen Freeman. My first reaction was that this was must reading for Episcopalians. (I still think they would do well to read it.) But then after reading it a second time, I began to realize this is must reading for everyone in the Orthodox Church in America. And then after reading it a third time I realized that this was must reading for everyone in my home parish. And after reading it for the fourth time, I realized he was talking to me.
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6 comments:
I understand what you are saying. It is for me too!
I read it and re-read it and re-read it as you did. I completely concur. I look for the Body of Christ to save me. If more e'copalians thought of the Church as the immutable Body of Christ I don't think we'd be in the situation that we find ourselves. Fr. Kimmel's analysis of our deficient ecclesiology [pontifications.wordpress.com/ecclesiological-relativism/] is one facet of the problem. We're merely a deficient denomination, not the Church.
Fr. David,
I think you have hit that nail on the head. If TEC is not The Church, then the question becomes where is The Church? I can not see Anglicanism as ever really having a valid claim on that. Once one comes to that conclusion one is logically left with two choices, Orthodoxy or Rome.
ICXC
John
Yup. That's where I'm at.
That's for the thoughts.
FYI: Your comments (and Fr. Stephen's original post) have inspired me to post an interesting passage from Fr. Florovsky on the Vincentian canon.
Fr. David,
Where did you post that passage?
ICXC
John
"If more e'copalians thought of the Church as the immutable Body of Christ I don't think we'd be in the situation that we find ourselves."
I agree 100%. The key word here is "immutable" in all that it is, in terms of all who are incorporated, and in steadfast faith in and freedom granted to the unseen. There is so much packed into this that we resist. And perhaps much as well that predisposes our recourse upon awakening from dreams of this long severed branch in terms of whether we resolve to head either to Rome or Orthodoxy. More importantly, there is much here in terms of what we resolve to do in obedience and love thereafter.
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