SIR,—To say that 'Jesus, the son of Mary, is the
Son of God' is not at all the same thing as saying that 'Jesus is the Son of God and the Son of Mary.' Roman Catholics can use the latter phrase as their way of expressing their faith if they like; they have no right to say that Christians who prefer to stick to the former phrase do not, in fact, believe in the Incarna- tion. The Church of Rome does nothing to safeguard this central doctrine of the Faith by inventing or imagining details. Doctrines such as the Assumption and the Immaculate Con- ception simply are not things which have always been believed. Of the latter doctripp Bishop Gore says that . . what was at first undreamt of, what scripture does not hint at, what when it appeared, appeared as the opinion of a school repudiated by the greatest medi- eval theologians, has finally been raised to the position of a dogma binding on the faith of every Catholic.'
Whatever this sort of thinking is it is not Christianity and it is not theology; it is moon- shine (which one might define as a concoction which goes to people's heads). The regrettable thing is that writers like Hugh Ross Williamson and Evelyn Waugh too often get away with it; yet, as has been well said, we must maintain the distinction 'between God's revelation and man's speculation.' It is no good trying to pass human speculations off as part and parcel of God's revelation. You can try it on as much as you like; but it just will not do.—Yours faith- fully,
JOHN W. KENNEDY
The Vicarage, ThurCroft, Rotherham
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