tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534237549485136842.post2446726683653375310..comments2024-01-06T00:07:46.172-06:00Comments on An Odd Work of Grace: An Episcopal Bishop's Teaching on Abortion, Part 5: Traditionmattgunter1081@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14808597688160170927noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534237549485136842.post-23346877969900153152023-09-25T18:22:45.484-05:002023-09-25T18:22:45.484-05:00You are misreading the history. There no simple ea...You are misreading the history. There no simple earliest teaching. The Didache might be the earliest single post New Testament document that touches on the subject. But it is only one document. The Letter of Barnabas is also early but its authorship is unknown. It also has some problematic theology. I would not grant it much authority. Tertullian, who made the distinction between formed and unformed life in the womb, predates Basil who did not. Gregory of Nyssa who also made that distinction was Basil's brother and contemporary. Nyssa also predates Chrysostom who does not wrestle with the the questions Nyssa wrestles with. The Roman Catholic Church's official teaching made the distinction between formed and unformed until 1869. The Jewish tradition reads the OT to mean that life begins with the first breath. That has not led them to be simply pro-choice, but neither is that tradition simply pro-life as that term is generally used now. It does mean though that serious people can read the OT differently. In any event, that has not been the traditional Christian position and is not what I have been offering.<br /><br />I would be wary of dismissing the Church's traditional teaching and so many of its saints and major theologians as "progressive" (or "conservative) just because they do not conform to my biases and the biases of those of my contemporaries with whom I agree. You also would have to say that many conservative Christians before 40-50 years ago were not "with it" because they did not agree with what has become the assumed conservative position. Saying that so much of the Church's teaching is outdated actually sounds like what we often accuse progressives of doing. And whether you agree with me or not, that has never been my argument on this or any other issue.<br /><br />One can wish the scriptures were more clear on this question one way or another. But they are not. One can wish the majority of saints and major teachers of the church taught something other than they did. But they did not. And those are the authorities we have. Grappling with them, rather than dismissing them when they do not conform to our biases, is how we pursue faithfulness. And sometimes we disagree with one another.mattgunter1081@gmail.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14808597688160170927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534237549485136842.post-62116879477527077462023-09-25T10:01:59.766-05:002023-09-25T10:01:59.766-05:00I will stick with the earlier tradition of the Did...I will stick with the earlier tradition of the Didache, Barnabas, Basil, and Chrysostom's views on this and reject your, as well as the views of other "progressive" church fathers. Your arguments have been unconvincing, however they have solidified my opinion that the Episcopal Church is completely off the rails on this as well as other issues of sexuality.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534237549485136842.post-63407438703008021292023-03-23T13:53:22.306-05:002023-03-23T13:53:22.306-05:00So far, a very balanced, careful take on previous ...So far, a very balanced, careful take on previous teachings and understandings. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com