Tradition in the Church
Sir: Two years ago, when Church in Danger was launched to represent the views and fears of Traditionalists within the Church of England, we listed a number of warning signs which, in our view, signalled the threat of rapid disintegration of the Church is unchecked.
With the appointment of a new Archbishop of Canterbury and the current elections for General Synod, we feel it appropriate to reiterate them: Decisions over the ordination of women as priests Loss of a common reference point for belief and order once provided by the Book of Common Prayer Continuing decline in church attendance and numbers of communicants Loss of pride and confidence in Church tradition Vague and equivocal public statements about Church faith and morals, heavily influenced by passing secular concerns Amendment of Bible teachings to fit re- levant cultural demands Excessive growth and bureaucratisation of Synodical government Growth of divorce, illegitimacy and abor- tion unchecked by clear Church guidance Growth of sectarianism — a church re- served for the wholly committed and in- tolerant exclusivists Failure to recruit and educate the young and rising proportion of elderly members Failing academic standards of ordinands Insensitive closure and amalgamation of many churches.
It is easy to be dismissive of Traditional- ists, label their fears 'ill-founded' and accuse them of resenting change. Yet the facts speak. The Church of England, the Church of the English people, is being hijacked by a group intent on reforms at any cost which mock at revealed truth, the faith for which our ancestors fought and died, and which even deny scripture. We believe the Church of England must stand firm in scriptural orthodoxy and resist changes which will be divisive.
The choice is clear cut — an opportunity to renew and rebuild the Church of Eng- land as the church of the land available to all and in accordance with its traditions respecting individual preferences, or on the other hand to accelerate its demise into a sectarian, exclusivist church, happy to see those who dissent and who have supported it throughout their lives become churchless or driven to worship elsewhere. Lauderdale; Holderness; Williams of Elvel; John Gummer; Rodney Bennett- England
Trustees, Church in Danger, PO Box 132, East Rudham, Norfolk
Previous page
