Many of us at some time have felt isolated and even resentful when denied the sacrament by our Roman Catholic brothers during an otherwise meaningful service. Let us not emulate that unwelcoming behaviour. The danger is that they are also opening the door to other possibilities. As concerned Anglicans are well aware, this same door has swung back on other occasions to permit changes such as the ordination of women and use of generic language, the Book of Alternative Services, and a new hymnal. Future renovations within the Anglican household may well eliminate the necessity for doors.
War is horrible.
There is no other way of putting it. But to state that Christians must renounce war is hopelessly shortsighted and even naive. As long as any state, or political organization, utilizes violence to achieve its aims, there will remain the need for standing military forces. No one would advocate the disbanding of police forces, and the military is merely policing on a larger, albeit more violent, scale. General Sir John Hacket stated that the purpose of the armed forces was to support the political aims of the legally constituted civilian government outside national borders in normal times, and to support the government within national borders in abnormal times.