from man’s standpoint and not from before he enters it as man. One wonders they do not only focus on those aspects of
God’s.’ And this is Dr Williams’ stand- why he bothered. the world which inspire trust. The world,
point: ‘tokens of trust’ are the presence of they say, cannot even be depended upon
God in the world. They include people – Maintaining faith to exist. So it only makes sense to trust
Etty Hillesum, Fr Joe from Quarr Abbey, Dr Williams is quite wrong to say that God, He Who Is.
and Jesus himself – and things – the the arguments for God’s existence are an Some Christians are reluctant to take
behaviour of dominoes in a line when the attempt to make sense of the world as a the arguments for the existence of God
first one is knocked over; Paley’s watch; seriously because they mistakenly assume
even, paradoxically, an Asian tsunami they have nothing to do with faith in God.
which shows us that ‘the world is not just
the world, they say, cannot
But as I have tried to indicate in the final
a veil for God’s reality.’ couple of sentences, they can be an enor-
But although these tokens might con-
even be depended upon
mous help to keeping that faith, of main-
vince us to speak of God as One Who taining, as Mascall puts it, ‘contact…with
Can Be Trusted, they do not enable us
to exist, so it only makes
the practices and objects of Christian
to speak of his existence apart from that
sense to trust God
devotion: the crucifix or picture above
of the world. God, in Dr Williams’ argu- our bed, the prayers which were first said
ment, is a generalization from, even a for us and which later on we learnt to say
generalization of, the existence of the whole. They are just what they say they for ourselves, the structure and furniture
world. are: an attempt to make sense of the exist- of our parish church.’
This is explicit in his claim that tra- ence of God. They start from features of If you do not believe me, consider the
ditional theism’s ‘arguments for God’s the world, not least the fact of its exist- Archbishop’s own description of him-
existence invite us to look at the world ence, but this is not where they end up. self at prayer from the last few pages of
as a whole…the processes we can think The author, or perhaps we should say Tokens: ‘why exactly am I sitting here
of as actual and possible and to ask, ‘Is editor since they were not all original to twiddling my thumbs, shifting from but-
there a way of making sense of them as a him, of most of them, St Thomas Aquinas, tock to buttock, and wondering where,
whole?’’ No wonder that with this under- called them ‘ways’, not, as in the popular what and who God is?’ If he read, or
standing of God’s existence as the sense misconception which Dr Williams does perhaps reread, Eric Mascall’s He Who
of the whole, he cannot make sense of the nothing to dispel, ‘proofs’. They lead from Is, he would be able to concentrate better
Incarnation. According to Dr Williams, the world’s existence to God’s existence. because he would know the answers to
God is already the whole of the world And contrary to Dr Williams’ approach, those questions.
ND
faith of our fathers
Church of England. Today we hear much
about the American Church, the African
Church, the Anglican Church in Canada,
Arthur Middleton on the sidelining of the the Anglican Communion, the Church of
One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church
England. But in the chaos and confusion
within Anglicanism, the doctrine of the
I
n 1832, Thomas Sikes, the Rector betide those…who shall in the course of One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church
of Guilsborough, a student of non- Providence have to bring it forward… is of the last importance.
juror theology and the theology of They will be endlessly misunderstood When the Orthodox and Roman
the Caroline divines, was in Hackney and misinterpreted. There will be one Churches were consulted on the
Vicarage talking to William Copeland, great outcry of Popery from one end of ordination of women to the priesthood
a young priest who had studied classical the country to the other.’ and episcopate, their advice was
Anglican theology through the influence Also he said that it would be ‘thrust dismissed as irrelevant. Cardinal
of his first vicar. upon minds unprepared and upon an Kasper’s advice to the House of Bishops
Sikes said, ‘Wherever I go, all about uncatechized Church. Some will take was ignored. What the Holy, Catholic
the country, I see amongst the clergy a it up as a beautiful theory unrealized; and Apostolic Church has to say about
number of very amiable and estimable others will be frightened and scandalized these innovations is not taken seriously
men, many of them much in earnest and reject it, and all will want a guidance by those responsible for such decisions.
and wishing to do good. But I have which one hardly knows where they shall They have ceased to be matters of
observed…the uniform suppression find… How the doctrine may be first doctrine and, like sexuality, have become
of one great truth. There is no account thrown forward we know not, but the matters of human rights as understood
given anywhere, so far as I can see, of powers of the world may any day turn by secular humanism. The next issue in
the One Holy Catholic Church… The their backs upon us, and this probably waiting is euthanasia.
doctrine is of the last importance and will lead to those effects I have described.’ Perhaps the fundamental problem is
some day, not far distant, it will judicially This is exactly what happened; the the Church of England’s descent into
have its reprisals…it will seem, when it powers of the world turned their backs Arianism. Pardon me for thinking that
is brought forward, to swallow up the upon the Church; but its champions were the Anglican Communion is no longer
rest. We now hear not a breath about being prepared. serious about the unity of the One, Holy,
the Church, by and by those who live The Church of England is in the One, Catholic and Apostolic Church. If the
to see it will hear of nothing else… The Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. current innovations are not rejected, we
effects of it I even dread to contemplate, The Oxford fathers suffered to re- will cease to be part of it and this article
especially if it comes suddenly: and woe establish the significance of this for the in our Creed will become meaningless.
16
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newdirections
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August 2007
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