Did God give us a Book or a Church?

[Traditional_Ang]

My Brothers & Sisters:

As someone who has already answered this question for myself, I already know what my answer is, but I need to ask my brothers & sisters, esp. those who are hesitant about the Pope’s offer, and important question:

Did Our Lord God and Saviour give us a BOOK, or did He give us a CHURCH, which is “the Pillar and Bulwark of Truth”?

I say this because of this article, Roman Theology of Saints attacked by Sidney Bishop, which appeared in VirtueOnline which seems to be advocating AGAINST UNITY with Rome. (Also see article here in Clerical Whispers) and, Because of these:
Solemn Declaration & Constitution of the Anglican Church in America
Article VIII - Of Ministers

No persons shall be ordained and consecrated Bishop, or ordered Priest or Deacon to minister in this Church, unless at the time, in the presence of the ordaining Bishop or Bishops, he shall subscribe and make the following declaration:

             "I do believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be                  the Word of God, and to contain all things necessary to salvation; and I                  do solemnly engage to conform to the Doctrine, Discipline, and Worship of                  the Anglican Church in America."

THE ARTICLES OF RELIGION
VI. Of the Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for Salvation

Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation; so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor can be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation. In the name of Holy Scripture we do understand those canonical books of the Old and New Testament, of whose authority was never any doubt. :sad_yes:

(Here follows standard Protestant Old Testament list)
1928 Book of Common Prayer, Page 603
XIX. Of the Church.

As the Church of Jerusalem, Alexandria and Antioch have erred, so also the Church of Rome hath erred, not only in their living and manner of Ceremonies, but also in matters of Faith. :banghead:
1928 Book of Common Prayer, Page 606

Now, you know why MOST of the copies of the BCP 1928 at St. Mary’s had those blasted 39 Articles torn out, and why we use soft-cover "Missalette"s which we supplement with a bulletin with the readings & minor propers for most of our Masses. :hammering:

However, old myths die hard, and there are still a few of my Anglican Catholic brothers & sisters who believe this garbage in one form or the other. I had one brother, who is actually quite intelligent, telling me that something Rome does (Priestly celibacy) isn’t Biblical. At the same time, I had a priest who was telling us about all of his fears about the Apostolic Constitution.

My usual co-conspirator and I had to withdraw - The combination of fear on one side and the Protestant Worldview on the other was just too much.

Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists & other Protestants with a “Sacramental Tradition” - I want you to answer this for yourselves so you understand why you are/aren’t going to Rome. I want you to be able to say “Why” and not just have a bunch of, “I hate/don’t trust/misunderstand Rome.”

Catholics - Biblical, Apostolic & Post-Apostolic arguments why God gave us a Church, which is “The Pillar and Bulwark of Truth”.

Both - They will know we are Christians by our love for each other.

Your Brother & Servant in Christ, Michael

 

[MarcoPolo]

I must admit, after reading this I am a little unclear. Is the “Catholic Church” in the above poll distinct from the “Undivided Church”?

 

[Traditional_Ang]

I must admit, after reading this I am a little unclear. Is the “Catholic Church” in the above poll distinct from the “Undivided Church”?

Marco Polo:

Since the Schism of Lateran, Christ’s One, Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church has lived with a rupture, a Schism. That’s why there’s been so much activity between Rome and the Orthodox Patriarchs during the past 20-30 years. Because of this Schism, while the Catholic Church has maintained the Authority to Infallibly Bind and Loose Dogma (and sin) given her by Christ, she has been missing a significant part of her spirituality. OTOH, While the Eastern Orthodox Churches have maintained a rich spirituality & Liturgical heritage, they’ve lost the Authority to loose and bind Dogma.

Many Anglicans will claim the Church after the Schism of Lateran was divided, and that neither the Orthodox Churches nor the Catholic Church had the authority to declare doctrine after that point. I think putting this survey this way is a way to see who accepts that explanation and who accepts the authority of the Catholic Church.

Catholics teach that God used the Church to give us the Bible, and the Church is what interprets the Scriptures for us. That’s why nothing the Catholic Church does as a whole can be called “Unbiblical” or “Against Scripture”. That’s why nothing the Pope declares Ex-Cathedra (there are vary few of these) can be said to be “Unscriptural”. Although we’re supposed to study the Scriptures so we can know the Lord, it’s the Church to which we submit our individual interpretations of the Scriptures.

This is something Protestants just can’t live with. I want to see how many Anglicans can live with it.

Your Brother in Christ, Michael