knitternun

Friday, August 01, 2008

Only the Holy Spirit heals

This was written in regard to the present crisis in the Anglican Communion:

> The church can heal this crisis, but only if we get rid of the foolish use of >incendiary language.

My answer:

I agree wholeheartedly that we need to drop the incendiary language.

However I am in serious disagreement that the church can heal this crisis. None of us have the power to heal anything. The best we can hope for is to be used in the process of healing.

Only the Holy Spirit heals.

And the Holy Spirit will not heal as long as there are those who think it is their right to exclude themselves from fellowship with other Christians no matter how much they disagree with them. Regardless of whom one perceives to have initiated the schism, a refusal to fellowship with them only makes one a schismatic also because one is adding to and participating in the schism one perceives already to exist.

Our own hardness of heart, our continued belief that we have the right to deny fellowship to other Christians will create an environment in which the Holy Spirit will allow us to stew. And one of the worst things we can do is to treat other people as we perceive them to be treating us. Regardless of agreement or disagreement, regardless of this or that theological position, regardless of language aimed at us, we must treat all persons and especially those with whom we disagree as if they were Christ Himself.

The more we attempt that, and only then, will wee see healing.

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