The Beginning of the Reformation's End?

The Wall Street Journal ^ | 2/26/10 | Charlotte Hays

[marshmallow]

On a recent evening, about 60 people—ex-Episcopalians, curious Catholics and a smattering of earnest Episcopal priests in clerical collars—gathered downtown for an unusual liturgy: It was Evensong and Benediction, sung according to the Book of Divine Worship, an Anglican Use liturgical book still being prepared in Rome.

Beautiful evensongs are a signature of Protestant Episcopal worship. Benediction, which consists of hymns, canticles or litanies before the consecrated host on the altar, is a Catholic devotion. We were getting a blend of both at St. Mary Mother of God Church, lent for the occasion.

One former Episcopalian present confessed to having to choke back tears as the first plainsong strains of "Humbly I Adore Thee," the Anglican version of a hymn by St. Thomas Aquinas, floated down from the organ in the balcony. A convert to Catholicism, she could not believe she was sitting in a Catholic Church, hearing the words of her Anglican girlhood—and as part of an authorized, Roman Catholic liturgy.

And that was not the only miracle. Although the texts had been carefully vetted in Rome for theological points, the words being sung were written by Thomas Cranmer, King Henry VIII's architect of the English Reformation. "He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel," the congregation chanted, "as he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed for ever."

The language of this translation of the Magnificat, one of Christianity's two great evening canticles, is unfamiliar to many Episcopalians today, as it comes from earlier versions of their Book of Common Prayer. Yet a number of former Anglicans are eager to carry some of this liturgy with them when they swim the Tiber, as Episcopalians becoming Catholic often call the conversion. "I wonder why the phrase 'and there is no health in us' was omitted from the...................

[Quix]

INDEED.

Well put.

[xone]

they too shall belong to God, and so bring their lives into conformity with Jesus Christ. But make no mistkae, my brothers; the adherents of a heretic can never inherit the kingdom of God. Those who wander in outlandish by-ways of doctrine must forfeit all part in the Lord's Passion.

Good, St Ignatius agrees with me. 'Outlandish by-ways of doctrine', sounds like a church body not relying on the Word of God as the final arbiter.

[Cronos]

Actually, it describes the heretics outside orthodoxy. Lutherans hold to the episcopate, so they do follow to a large extent orthodoxy.

[xone]

As they recognize that there is no devinely-appointed difference in rank between bishop and pastor.

LCMS

[campaignPete R-CT]

it is not clear that just anyone who stops in to comment is authorized to declare “that anyone who is a member of the Anglican/Episcopalian Church in 2010 qualifies as an ‘adherent of a heretic.’ “

[Cronos]

Oh, I'm not commenting -- I'm just quoting from the end of the article.

And, I, personally, think that Traditional Anglicans are so DEFINITELY NOT heretics. GEne Robinson on the other hand....

[1010RD]

Can’t argue with the words, but I don’t know the exact context.

[Cronos]

Not really for arguing — I just discovered these writings and it is fascinating to read, I was hoping that others would also look them up and read.

[1010RD]

No, no. I am sorry. I did not mean for that. I do love reading these early Fathers. I do think you get a better understanding, although I really love parsing the Bible myself.

I worry about the influence of other thinkers who have their own philosophy and politics to defend and thus interpret the Scriptures with those in mind. For me I prefer to read the Word of God in the raw or as close as I can get to it.

You may enjoy the Jewish Study Bible for your OT studies. It is very insightful and you can follow Jewish thinking and see how they got to were they ended up at when Jesus arrived on the earth.

[Cronos]

thank you — I will look up the Jewish bible! It is good to read the word of God in the raw, but it is also good to read it in community — and that community also includes past Christians.

[Cronos]

National Council of Churchs list throws something quite interesting

	Group	Population	Growth
1	The Catholic Church	68,115,001	1.49%
2	Southern Baptist Convention	16,228,438	-0.24%
3	The United Methodist Church	7,853,987	-0.98%
4	Mormons (LDS)	5,974,041	1.71%
5	The Church of God in Christ	5,499,875	-
6	National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc	5,000,000	-
7	ELCA	4,633,887	-1.62%
8	National Baptist Convention of America, Inc	3,500,000	-
9	Assemblies of God	2,899,702	1.27%
10	PCUSA	2,844,952	-3.28%
11	African Methodist Episcopal Church	2,500,000	-
11	National Missionary Baptist Convention	2,500,000	-
11	Progressive National Baptist Convention	2,500,000	-
14	LCMS	2,337,349	-1.92%
15	ECUSA	2,057,292	-2.81%
16	Churches of Christ	1,638,485	-
17	Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America	1,500,000	-
17	Pentecostal Assemblies of the Word	1,500,000	-
19	The African Methodist Episcopal Zioan Church	1,400,000	-
20	American Baptist Churches in the USA	1,331,127	-2.00%
21	Baptist Bible Fellowship International	1,200,000	-
22	Jehovah's Witnesses	1,114,009	2.00%
23	United Church of Church	1,111,691	-2.93%
24	Church of God (Cleveland Tennessee)	1,072,169	1.76%
25	Christian Churchs and Churches of Christ	1,071,616	-
	Total	147,383,621

Now, I can understand the ELCA and the ECUSA and PCUSA declining, but why is the LCMS declining? They are orthodox in their beliefs? Ditto for the SBC (though it is a much smaller percentage). And I'm sincerely asking -- if they are losing numbers, then they must most likely be losing numbers to secularism which is a common enemy. What can we all learn?

As an aside -- the PCUSA, ECUSA (with -3.28 and -2.81% declines) are seemingly in a no-way-out downward spiral, which is sad and shows the power of the pink mafia.

[GAB-1955]

It would be true if we Protestants were heretics and we truly had only one organizational Church body on Earth. In the truest sense, we are one Body under Jesus Christ our Head. This is not a one-to-one correspondence with the church headed by the Bishop of Rome. What about the Orthodox and the Copts?

[Cronos]

Well, a born Protestant is not a heretic -- a heretic would be someone who was baptised into the Church and apostasized.

The Orthodox and Copts/Armenians/Ethiopaisn and the Assyrians are all members, along with the CAtholics in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. For many Protestants who hold to orthodox views like the Anglo-Catholics (NOT the Gene Robinson crowd) and many Lutheran groups (LCMS), I, personally, would not hold the term heresy. For the Mormons, yes I would. In between there are a number of groups that makes it impossible for a blanket statement

[redgolum]

The LCMS is loosing numbers because of what it is. The synod was an immigrant synod, based in the most part on Germans who fled to the US and homesteded. As the years go by, the children of these farmers have move to town and left the synod. More often than not left the Church completely.

Not all LCMS churches are shrinking. Some have adapted and grown. But for the most part there are a lot of old, rural, congregations that are fading away.

[redgolum]

Forgot to mention that the Catholic growth is probably over stated a bit. Many illegal immigrants start off Catholic, and end up evangelical. The Catholic church doesn’t have a way of tracking that very well.

[Cronos]

Possible.

[Cronos]

I didn’t know that — I thought the LCMS was primarily founded due to orthodoxy doctrines not compatible with the ELCA.

[Marysecretary]

We should not be surprised because the Bible says there will be a great falling away before His return. It’s just further proof to me that His return is soon.

[Cronos]

well, it’s not a great falling away — the SBC is still strong and the Assemblies of God are increasing at 2.9%

[Marysecretary]

There will be a remnant. Not all will fall away. This is just the beginning.