Colin Buchanan (1)Reseñas

See review at https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2019/21-june/books-arts/book-reviews/did-...

Interesting book on the liturgies of the Reformed Episcopal Church in Spain and Portugal, which date from the late 19th century, late 20th century, and which are translated into English.

There are some interesting variations from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. In the 1984 revision of Holy Communion in the Spanish Church, when the priest or the bishop rises to absolve the congregation after their confession, the congregation also responds by asking for an absolution of the sins of the bishop. The congregation responds: "God have mercy on you also, forgive you your sins through Jesus Christ and give you eternal life by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

An interesting book for seminaries, church libraries, Anglican churches of all types, and for Episcopalians who value the Book of Common Prayer.

Colin Buchanan has fun demolishing the arguments of Paul Avis and co who wrote "The Journey of Christian Initiation" under the aegis of the Faith and Order Commission of the Church of England. There they tried to make the case for why confirmation, as practised by the Church of England is necessary for Christian Initiation, not just baptism. But Buchanan then shows why BACSI is much more clearly scriptural, and has better support from the church fathers too.

Colin Buchanan is always worth reading, bringing his clear analysis and historical grasp to people in a most readable way. This booklet needs reading carefully, as the underlying topic is quite subtle and complex. But go slowly and he most helpfully examines different current and historic theories of what's happening in the 'consecration' of elements in Holy Communion. He gently demolishes the traditional catholic arguments for a physical change of the elements at consecration prior to distribution and reception. I'd read several books on eucharistic theology before, but in this short treatment he included significant arguments I'd not read before.

I wish I'd read this before having to write some of my essays this term!

Buchanan traces the history of the Anglican - Roman Catholic Interational Commission from its founding in 1966 (and its pre-history from Vatican i in 1870), and their various published statements. His focus is on Authority and place of Scripture, and he shows that the ARCIC-2 statements reflect an understanding of Roman primacy, authority and infallibility, that have no place in an Anglican ecclesiology.

Sections 6 and 7 are the core of the booklet, discussing the ARCIC-2 statement "The Gift of Authority" of May 1999 in some detail. He shows how it contains 4 key problems:

1. The authority of Scripture is undermined, being normative but only "within Tradition".
2. The place of the laity in the structure of the church -- effectively ignored in all decision making
3. Whilst clearly rejecting most of the published conclusions, Buchanan isn't un-thinking about it, showing parts which are acceptable, particularly in ARCIC-1. He also doesn't a priori reject a potential universal primacy, but does reject it being necessarily based on the Bishop of Rome:

"in short, and universal primacy could in principle well correspond to the universal organic 'one-ness' of the body of Christ; but it would have to be proposed on the perceived merits of its proposed functions. It cannot be accepted as revealed from heaven as ecclesiologically necessary – and, we must had, any attempts to attach infallibility to the office would be totally self-destructive." (p.27)

4. Infallibility - and the claim that "Within his wider ministry, the Bishop of Rome offers a specific ministry concerning the discernment of truth ...". Unfortunately this issue is historically bound up with the two Marian decrees (Immaculate Conception of 1854 and 1870, and Bodily Assumption of 1950), which are the only times the ex cathedra infallibility has been invoked. But even leaving those particularly un-Scriptural doctrines (which to RCs are not optional but vital to being of the true faith) aside, Buchanan shows that this statement of Papal infallibility (understood to be in the present tense as nowhere does it refer to a future situation) suggests that the Anglican members of the Commission held a view that couldn't have been held before 1870 even by RCs. Further he sees no reason why those members didn't become Roman Catholics on the spot, if they actually believed what their statement said.

In the Concluding section, he also helpfully highlights that the other seven Anglican ecumenical dialogues of recent years have not once brought up the topic of universal primacy as being useful or necessary, now or in the future.

This will be a helpful read to anyone concerned with issues of ecclesiastical authority (including infallibility) and relations with other Churches, including the Roman Catholic Church.

Buchanan booklet reads like a way to air his regrets at the changes made to the Common Worship Ordination services in its final passage through the House of Bishops, and for the suggestions that the prior Commission didn't agree with.

But for all that it's still an interesting read, particularly if you're one of that small group that is a Bishop or his assistant preparing to put on an ordination service, or will be being ordained in a small ceremony yourself.½

This is an interesting short journey through the ways that Archbishop Cranmer iteratively created the first English Communion Rites during the period 1548-1552, and how they reflected Reformation thinking, and responded to comment and experience at the time. Not knowing anything about others who have written on this topic in the past, bits of the story didn't make much sense, and some parts (and most of the very extensive footnotes) will only be of interest to deep scholars. But overall I enjoyed this insight into the formation of this key Rite which remained almost unchanged in the 1662 BCP, which is of course still with us.