Charles+ Yeah, I've always thought it curious that to most of the world outside the Church of Rome, it's viewed as some great monolithic movement. I suppose the reason for this is the central core of teaching and the fact that there is just one institutional -- i.e, visible -- Roman Catholic church. But as you pointed out, on the inside nothing could be farther from the truth. Just look at the orders (not to mention all of the other movements): Dominican theological expression is different from Franciscan, which is different from Benedictine, which is different from Jesuit, which is different from Augustinian, and so forth. Yet, each of these still traces their theological reflection and "praxis" (to use a term from liberation theology) back to this central core of teaching and this one visible church. Perhaps that is one of the things that holds the Roman Church together. But like you, I don't for a second believe that papal infallability or the Curia is the entire explanation. There's more to it than that. I think at bottom there is a sense of identity and connectedness (communion?) that's involved, much like there is in Judaism. It's almost as if to be a Roman Catholic is to take on a spiritual ethnicity, and this spiritual ethnicity transcends cultural differences and geographical boundaries. That and maybe the Holy Spirit has something to do with it! But I wonder: If we were allowed to keep our Anglicanism entirely intact -- you know, our liturgy, our traditions, our property, and our wives -- how many of us do you think would actually take a swim? Dunno. MLW+ -----Original Message----- From: charles scott [mailto:crscottblu@...] Sent: Fri 10/22/2004 10:27 AM To: faithandlife@... Cc: Subject: RE: [FaithandLife] Statement on the Windsor Report 2004 from the Primate of All Nigeria Fr. Mike+ Had I read your post, I wouldn't have made my comment about the cultural differences. I think you have hit on where the main division in Anglicansim will occur Somehow, Christians, regardless of denomination, in Europe and North America have managed over time to bridge language and other differences and begin approaching the questions of unity.. We have fights that may go on for a few generations, but eventually we out grow them. For example, a hundred years ago a person who agreed with N.T. Wright would have been labeled a modernist and run out of many churches. Another example is that if protestants would take the time to read the Catechism of the Catholic Church issued in 1996, and review the Documents of Vatican II (now nearly a half century old), they would find they agree with the Catholic faith, excepting only a few peculiarities regarding Papal authority, etc. Though he was a northern European, some Catholic writers thought Karol Wojtyla would not be elected Pope because Poland at the time was viewed as a third world country and thus Wojtyla would be unacceptable to the European Bishops. Perhaps the RC has grown up enough to have a truly world wide communion and could embrace a "third world" bishop as father because it never lost evangelical fervor and sense of brotherhood. I'm not sure the Curia or the doctrine of papal infallability is sufficient explanation for the cohesion of the RC Church. A history professor pointed out to me in the 1950's that the RC Church we perceive as monolithic has as much variety and internal stress as Protestantism. Charles+ "Michael L. Ward" <mward@...> wrote: Elijah!! Now THERE was a prophet!! Bet +Akinola outweighed him by at least 150 lbs though. But seriously, my guess is that eventually, either way (with +Akinola or without him) the AC will split between the global south and global north. It has already almost done so ideologically; now it'll just be a case of which See one wants to be in communion with. As most of you have heard me mention before, my business partner was raised Serbian Orthodox and, as far as he is concerned, the greatest weakness in the polity of Orthodoxy has always been the autocephalus nature of the churches and not, a la Rome, a centralized worldwide structure. The AC is now experiencing what can happen with that polity when post-modernism is at the helm. I know that this view is anathema to most people, but I believe it would be most helpful if the AC established itself more along the lines of Rome than Orthodoxy, with a central teaching "curia." But that's just my opinion. MLW+ -----Original Message----- From: The Very Rev'd Erich A. Zwingert, SSC [mailto:ezwingert@...] Sent: Fri 10/22/2004 12:22 AM To: faithandlife@... Cc: Subject: Re: [FaithandLife] Statement on the Windsor Report 2004 from the Primate of All Nigeria Mark+ But we also have to remember that finger pointing from others with ambition could be coloring what they say about the good bishop. He has publicly done nothing that dissuades me from giving him the "benefit of the doubt" if you will. I seem to recall that Elijah wasn't particularly cared for by the other prophets of the day. Erich+ ----- Original Message ----- From: To: Sent: Thursday, October 21, 2004 5:08 PM Subject: Re: [FaithandLife] Statement on the Windsor Report 2004 from the Primate of All Nigeria > Erich+, > > I'd like to think so about +Akinola, but I have very good reports that > there > is growing fear among the CAPA Primates that +Akinola wants to use the > present situation for his own advancements (ie to become the African > Canterbury). This may not be anything more than slander. But it does > serve > to remind us that in these situations, as so often in the Continiuum, > personal ambition can be disguised as prophecy. > > On a whole other note, I've also had reports that Moyer+ of FIFNA will > soon > be consecrated by TAC bishops and bishops of the Anglican Communion. > > What times we live in! > > Mark+ > > -- > To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: > faithandlife-unsubscribe@... > > -- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: faithandlife-unsubscribe@... --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? vote.yahoo.com - Register online to vote today! -- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: faithandlife-unsubscribe@...