Reformed Churchmen

We are Confessional Calvinists and a Prayer Book Church-people. In 2012, we remembered the 350th anniversary of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer; also, we remembered the 450th anniversary of John Jewel's sober, scholarly, and Reformed "An Apology of the Church of England." In 2013, we remembered the publication of the "Heidelberg Catechism" and the influence of Reformed theologians in England, including Heinrich Bullinger's Decades. For 2014: Tyndale's NT translation. For 2015, John Roger, Rowland Taylor and Bishop John Hooper's martyrdom, burned at the stakes. Books of the month. December 2014: Alan Jacob's "Book of Common Prayer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Book-Common-Prayer-Biography-Religious/dp/0691154813/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417814005&sr=8-1&keywords=jacobs+book+of+common+prayer. January 2015: A.F. Pollard's "Thomas Cranmer and the English Reformation: 1489-1556" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-English-Reformation-1489-1556/dp/1592448658/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420055574&sr=8-1&keywords=A.F.+Pollard+Cranmer. February 2015: Jaspar Ridley's "Thomas Cranmer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-Jasper-Ridley/dp/0198212879/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422892154&sr=8-1&keywords=jasper+ridley+cranmer&pebp=1422892151110&peasin=198212879

Sunday, January 5, 2014

(Yahoo): Church of England Accused of Dumbness

Who can ever forget Isaiah 56's chastisement of leaders? Isaiah speaks with constant and refreshing winds [emphasis added below].

Israel's Irresponsible Leaders

All you beasts of the field, come to devour—
    all you beasts in the forest.
10 His watchmen are blind;
    they are all without knowledge;
they are all silent dogs;
    they cannot bark,
dreaming, lying down,
    loving to slumber.
11 The dogs have a mighty appetite;
    they never have enough.
But they are shepherds who have no understanding;
    they have all turned to their own way,
    each to his own gain, one and all.
12 “Come,” they say, “let me get wine;
    let us fill ourselves with strong drink;
and tomorrow will be like this day,
    great beyond measure.”
 
And now, the story from yahoo.com.

http://news.yahoo.com/anglican-church-accused-39-dumbing-down-39-baptism-020223919.html

Anglican church accused of 'dumbing down' baptism service    

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby addresses the congregation after his enthronement at Canterbury Cathedral in Kent, on March 21, 2013
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Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby addresses the congregation after his enthronement at Canterbury Cathedral in Kent, on March 21, 2013 (AFP Photo/Gareth Fuller)
 
London (AFP) - A former Anglican bishop on Sunday criticised a new trial version of the Church's baptism service that no longer calls for parents and godparents to "repent sins".

Former Bishop of Rochester Michael Nazir-Ali said the move, which is being trialed until Easter in around 1,000 parishes, was part of a "constant dumbing down of Christian teaching".

"Instead of explaining what baptism means and what the various parts of the service signify, its solution is to do away with key elements of the service altogether," Nazir-Ali told the Mail on Sunday newspaper.

"Rather than the constant 'dumbing down' of Christian teaching, whether for baptism, marriage or death, we should be spending time preparing people for these great rites of passage.

"It is best to call a halt to this perhaps well-meant effort before it further reduces the fullness of the Church's faith to easily-swallowed soundbites," he added.

The original version asks parents and godparents if they "reject the devil and all rebellion against God", and if they "repent of the sins that separate us from God and neighbour?"

No mention of the devil or sin is made in the trial version.

The trial is backed by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the leader of the world's 80 million Anglicans.

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