Well I have to report that I dutifully attended the service at St Mary the Virgin to commorate the martyrdom of Thomas Cranmer 450 years ago.
It was a 1662 Lord's Supper, and I think they even toned down the bowing and scrapping that usually goes on. Still, the influence of the Oxford movement was much in evidence...
Rowan Williams preached the sermon. It was astonishing really. I was glad that a particular friend of mine was not in earshot: he would have hurled a stool. I certainly came close. What we got was a 21st century Cranmer in postmodern agnostic dress: a man who had become aware that human words (like.... John's Gospel was the example pulled out for us) can never exhaust the divine word. "The word of God is not bound" was the text he preached from. This was the explanation for Cranmer's use of repetition in his liturgy - that is, the inability to ever perfectly capture the divine word in human expression.
So what did Cranmer find to die for? In the end this was the question i felt was not really resolved by His Grace. Where was the truth that one finally might decide to offer oneself up for burning for?
Then we marched up to the cross in Broad St and heard from Foxe's book of martyrs read by Roger Beckwith, while the tourists stared blankly and took photos because I am sure they thought something must have been happening.
8 comments:
G'day Michael.
Did you get any encouragement from the day?
I think perhaps it would have made better headlines if you did indeed throw a stool, a bit like a modern day cramner
Blessings craig b
Hey Michael,
Congratulations on graduating with your Masters! I was thinking of you on Monday.
why did you stay?
Why not walk-out?
As one who was also there in the flesh let me say it was typical Rowan Williams: a lot of words (some difficult to understand) but nothing really of substance. As Michael said, there was no indication of why Cranmer died. You can read the sermon here http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/sermons_speeches/060321.htm . Reading it doesn't quite have the same impact as hearing it since you have time to mull over the man's circumlocution.
What can I say? I don't think the man is all that convinced about the truth for which his predecessor in office Thomas Cranmer (as well as Ridley and Latimer) died. Williams would probably be best classified as belonging to the "liberal catholic" (whatever that means exactly) wing of the Church. Why would you expect a sermon of conviction on a Reformation martyr from such a man?
The Anglican Church is full of people who do not know or love the truth. What do we do? Leave, or stay and continue to preach the truth in love -- even when it appears they don't want to listen? I personally am committed to staying. I owe it to the memory of those martyrs -- and of course the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ -- to do my bit so that the truth of the gospel is proclaimed wherever I am. Whether that is inside or outside Anglicanism is a tough call. Under the present circumstances I think sticking with the Anglican Communion (despite false teaching and practices) makes sense. This is partly based on the realisation that this side of heaven there is no perfect (visible) church on earth. Leaving the Anglican Communion won't actually solve our problems. We will just be faced with different ones. Wherever I am there will be false teaching etc. But maybe things will change in the future and become so hopeless within Anglicanism as to necessitate a break. Only time will tell.
Pray for God to have mercy on the Anglican churches throughout the world and by his Spirit raise up godly men with a zeal for the truth and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. We need some more Cranmers and Latimers and Ridleys for this age. That's for sure.
I think it would be better for the Church if more people were concerned about the communion of saints than the anglican communion.
If Cranmer really believed words so feeble why thrust his recanting hand into the flames? Why die? Why name the Pope as the Anti-Christ? Bad history. Bad Theology. Bad Pastoral Leadership.
If we are to believe Rowan Williams, then frankly, why bother to speak at all? Our world needs to hear the divine word not the weasel words of a wooly headed welsh mystic!
Still, I'm sure they had a lovely tea and biscuits afterwards.
Well: everyone should read the sermon. In some ways he is actually right: in our human talking about God we should follow Cranmer and approach the task with fear and trembling aware of the huge difficulty and responsibility and the fact that our words can never master or bind God. That is a theologians motto, I hope...
BUT: Williams applies this to the Bible as well. He has no place for a doctrine of accomodation - that God might use human words to speak to us. I would have thought this was a pretty key Reformation doctrine...
I am a musician who has been impacted by Keith Green and I would be honored if you would check out my music, all music is free to download. I just wanted to share my music with People who love Jesus.
I don’t want to be a pest, so if this really annoys you, please delete it and accept my humble apology.
Thanks so much,
-Sean
“All my music is free.”
Post a Comment