Catherineanne
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- Sep 1, 2004
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Perhaps my point wasn't clear, but the argument was that secular Canadian society believed in gender equality, not that it was supported by Christ or by Scriptures, Church tradition, etc. The argument ignored any of the effective Christian arguments noted in the previously cited article by NT Wright.
As PaladinValer said, sometimes these arguments can still hold truth, but in effect we are then saying the ends (that it is a Christian position to arrive at) justify the means (using a secular, non-Christian argument). If these positions can be reached using Christian positions (and barring the catholicity issue, I believe they can be, again see Bishop Wright's article rooted in Scripture and tradition), then why are we not using the Christian arguments rather than the secular arguments? How long will it take before we're simply used to accepting the legitimacy of secular arguments informing Church doctrine?
I do not see a divide. I am a Christian; any valid argument is a Christian one as long as it is true. The only invalid arguments would be those without truth, because their roots would not be in God but in the evil one; the liar.
Given the debates occurring in Canada right now, many Canadian Anglicans are perfectly comfortable basing their views on what the position of the Anglican Church of Canada should be 100% on secular arguments and values without any reference to God, the Bible, the Church, etc.
I have no problem with that, if it were true. But there can be few matters which are 100% secular and not at all relating to our faith; this one certainly isn't. Perhaps it is your perception of other people's motivation which is somewhat lacking.
If you assume secular values = women's equality and religious values = differentiated gender roles, then perhaps your definition of religious values is not what it could be. This is certainly true of much of the church; it has seriously mistaken this point. But there is much of the church which has changed, which sees true equality as God's purpose from the beginning, and the outworking of that true equality within the church as 100% in line with his will for the future. Nothing secular about that.
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