I have been thinking a lot about the situation in England and the advent of the Anglican Church. I believe, that the odds are stacked against the Anglicans and redemption is almost impossible, but if we stick together and make a very careful development of the basic virtues of the church, we still have a good chance of turning the tide. But, it will be extremely difficult.
First of all, you need to help me as well. If I am to really support a comeback of the Anglican Church, I need a place or an office somewhere in England, preferably Oxford, and a good connection to the local clericals. Mr. Brian Mountford, the Vicar of st. Marys could be such a person, a skilled, intelligent and good man, that I really like.
Especially in the beginning, we need to be extremely careful. The overall structure of the church is in need of repair, and we are looking at a possible breakdown of the entire church, so rocking the boat too much, might just tip the scales.
The basic challenge of the Anglican church is the very structure of the church. Englishmen prefer to be free, and this attitude creates a much more individual character of the church as such. At the other hand, if a balance is reached between freedom and cooperation, it could heal the wounds that are already there. In other words, a new structure that gives the right amount of freedom and the right amount of responsability towards the motherchurch is needed. The work however has to be done very carefully and without making any more negative feelings within the church. What the Anglican motherchurch can supply in this process, is wisdom. Create a source of new ideas and replenish the toolbox of the vicars, so that they feel that Cantebury helps and it makes sense to stay in communion.
Then there is that work; the replenishment of the toolbox of the vicars. Here we are looking at a very complex work. The Anglican church is, ideologically, a very layered project. There are the basic roman virtues of disciplin and order, the ideas of mithraism in supper, the ideas of Isis in the belief in mother Mary, off cause the Jewish roots of the church. But, add to this, there are all the indeginous virtues of being, originally an ethnic English church. This must have coloured the ideas of the Anglicans. So the focus on the shire, on community, but also on the individuality of each person is something English.
All these many layers must be understood and reunderstood in a modern frame of mind. We need to make new tools on the basis of our understanding of the church, something that works today. On top of this, there are a work on corruption in the church. But we need to be extremely careful, and not do anything people will be in disagreement about.
G-d bless the Anglican church.