The War and Unity: Being Lectures Delivered At The Local Lectures Summer Meeting Of The University Of Cambridge, 1918
Religion
The War and Unity: Being Lectures Delivered At The Local Lectures Summer Meeting Of The University Of Cambridge, 1918
Christian sociology; Christian union; Social change; World War, 1914-1918 -- Religious aspects
(_e_) This leaves but one more subject to touch on: the old, hard,
question of Church order, and the orders of ministry. But all looks in
the best sense hopeful here, very hopeful, since the striking report
signed by the thirteen members of the sub-committee appointed by the
Archbishops' Committee, and by representatives of the English Free
Churches' Commissions. Let me quote it.
Looking as frankly and as widely as possible at the whole
situation, we desire with a due sense of responsibility to submit
for the serious consideration of all the parts of a divided
Christendom what seem to us the necessary conditions of any
possibility of reunion: That continuity with the historic
Episcopate should be effectively preserved. That, in order that the
rights and responsibilities of the whole Christian community in the
government of the Church may be adequately recognised, the
Episcopate should reassume a constitutional form both as regards
the method of the election of the Bishop as by clergy and people,
and the method of government after election.... The acceptance of
the fact of Episcopacy and not any theory as to its character
should be all that is asked for.... It would no doubt be necessary
before any arrangement for corporate reunion could be made to
discuss the exact functions which it may be agreed to recognise as
belonging to the Episcopate, but we think this can be left to the
future.
The acceptance of Episcopacy on these terms should not involve any
Christian community in the necessity of disowning its past, but
should enable all to maintain the continuity of their witness and
influence as heirs and trustees of types of Christian thought,
life, and order, not only of value to themselves, but of value to
the Church as a whole....
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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