Theological cryogenics
The front page of this week's is given over to a debate about whether Anglicans are "Protestants". There's even an snappily titled "No Anglican Papacy". It's a curious focus for the Gazette on the Sunday before Devolution in Northern Ireland. Our programme's main feature this Sunday considered the future relationship between faith groups and the new Assembly; whether Ian Paisley's role as First Minister was inconsistent with his role as Moderator of the Free Presbyterian Church; whether our new government should develop the kind of "structured dialogue" with faith groups we've seen in the Republic; and whether we needed a "Faith Tzar" in Northern Ireland.
Later in the programme, we debated the semantics of the Anglican-Protestant rift with two Anglican priests who are divided over the usefulness of these cultural labels. The man in black was -- dressed in full Roman collar -- who describes himself as a Catholic in the "Anglican tradition". The man in the sports jacket and tuck-in grey clerical collar, , was happy to be described as a Protestant and Evangelical.
After the on-air discussion, I told Ron and Christopher that I felt a bit like Miles Monroe, the central character in Woody Allen's , who is revived out of cryostasis in the year 2173 to find a world changed beyond all recognition. In my case, the world features a power-sharing government headed by Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness, and a Church of Ireland Gazette editorial crying "No!" to papacy. It's a funny old world.
Comments
Why would anyone WANT to be called Protestant anyway? It's such an unpleasant term and immediately triggers images of Paisley outside Ireland.
I wondered about that Gazette front page myself. What was Ian Ellis thinking of? An utterly daft lead on this of all weekends. It just makes the church of ireland look out of date and out of the loop.
I wondered about that Gazette front page myself. What was Ian Ellis thinking of? An utterly daft lead on this of all weekends. It just makes the church of ireland look out of date and out of the loop.
Why would any one want to be called protestant I will tell you why? Janice Green, Prayers for the dead, making the sign of the cross, the worship of Mary, worship in the Latin language, the papacy, blessing of bells, fasting, lent, advent and Fridays, and the fabrication of holy water, the marriage of priests forbidden, the rosary, indulgences, the mass, the transubstantiation of the bread, the adoration of the wafer, confession of sins to a priest, the forbidden cup, purgatory, and tradition held equal to the Bible, apocryphal books added to the Bible, the immaculate conception of Mary, and the infallibility of the Pope.
Do we need any more.
"Janice Green, Prayers for the dead, making the sign of the cross, the worship of Mary, worship in the Latin language, the papacy, blessing of bells, fasting, lent, advent and Fridays, and the fabrication of holy water, the marriage of priests forbidden, the rosary, indulgences, the mass, the transubstantiation of the bread, the adoration of the wafer, confession of sins to a priest, the forbidden cup, purgatory, and tradition held equal to the Bible, apocryphal books added to the Bible, the immaculate conception of Mary, and the infallibility of the Pope."
As an Anglo-Catholic I remain unsure as to whether you're making a case for, or against.