Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-18

| Q. Will you kindly state what are the
| fundamental doctrines Of the Anglo
Catholics Of Great Britain and suggest
several authoritative books which ex-
plain their position sympathetically?
| A. Anglo Catholicism as movement
bsgan with the Tractarians Of oxford
in the early nineteenth century. They
asserted the fundamental separateness
Of church and state and emphatically
repudiated the connection established
between them by King Henry VIII. In
| the famous tract Number Ninety
written by Cardinal John Henry New
man, he commended that the Thirty
nine Articles Of Religion should be in
terpreted "in the sense Of the Catholic
Church" and not according to the then
accepted meanings or the inter t Of their
authors But Newman later felt that
his argument was unsound, and in the
! interests Of consistency he entered the
Church Of Rome. which he declared
| to be the only Catholic Church.
His conversion was staggering blow
to the Tractariens. but it did not justify
the suspicious Of the opponents that the
Oxford movement was conspiracy In
favor of the Holy See. The present
prayer book controversy in England
shows how intense are the convictions
of both sides
Advanced Anglo Catholics teach bap-
tismal regeneration, transubstantiation,
the eucharistic sacrifice of the mass,
the rights Of sacerdotalism and the In
vocation of saints and fasting as in
dispensab]e doctrines for the valid and
authoritative worship and ministry OF
the church.
These issues are discussed ct length
in INV book. "The Three Religious
Leaders of oxford and Their Move
ments." "The Anglo Catholic Faith, y
by Canon r. A. Lacey. is also recent
and available treatment CT the entire
question. If you cannot get 1t. read
Dean Richard William Church on the
oxford movement. 1t is q reverent, de-
vout and dispassionate survey by mas
ter In Israel.
G. Is II not true that churches are
poor;y attended and anemic In their
influence because many Of the preachers
haven't full faith in Christionity? why
don't they get together in one church?
A. Economic conditions, the uncon-
trolled pursuit of pleasure, the religious
indifference of people in times OF pros.
perity. useless sectarian boundaries ana
the meaningless controversies between
theological extremists largely account
for small attendance at church services.
T personally know numerous ministers
of whom It cannot be truthfully said
that they occupy their pulpits under
false pretenses. 1t is by no means a
necessary conclusion that because they
do not use the pious phraseology OF a
former day. therefore they are without
faith in the religion Of Jesus. On the
contrary, the very strength Of their
faith in that religion explains their eff
forts to adapt 1t to the modern view
point and to rsstate its permanent veri-
ties in ineligible terms. Like the
apostles, they do not interpret its varie-
gated riches with mechanical Uniform
ity nor emphasize the same themes with
suspicious unanimity.
Christianity is entirely too vital and
versatile to be confined within the for
mutations OF single creed. Nor can
It be restricted to certain traditional
methods of testimony. The spiritual
experiences of our forefathers con-
corning the divine life impaired by
their Lord are also enjoyed by US, but