Image via WikipediaAt the March meeting, we had papers by Paul Avis, of the Anglican Commission for Christian Unity, on doctrinal development and by John Bradbury of Westminster College, Cambridge on the Reformed understanding of ecclesia semper reformanda. Both concepts raise key issues relating to the preservation and transmission of the apostolic faith and the authenticity of the ways in which it can be expressed in varying modes across time and space. Both papers engendered lively discussion with particular stress being laid on such matters as the relationship of diversity of expression to unity in faith and the extent to which contextualisation necessarily involved different expressions. Roger Paul drew our attention to current scientific thinking about co-evolution and wondered whether this had a bearing on the possibility of alternate authentic developments within the one Tradition. The relationship of the reformed ecclesia semper reformanda to the Roman Catholic stress on ecclesia semper purificanda was also raised.
At the June residential meeting, we explored Paul Avis' new book on ecumenical theology. We looked in particular at Paul's stress on the importance of the relational in ecumenism.
At the November meeting, we majored first on the recent papal visit, with particular reference to its ecumenical impact. On this we were carefully guided in a comprehensive review by Rev Mark Woodruff, who, in taking 'Peter has strengthened his brethren' as a sort of text, stressed the way in which the Holy Father had helped to give confidence to all the church leaders, not just the Roman Catholic bishops. He particularly stressed the impact of the Holy Father's speech to Parliament and its role in returning faith to the realm of public discourse. The other main topic considered was the compatibility of the practice in 'fresh expressions' with traditional ecclesiology.
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