There are many differences, of course, but this one might be less than obvious:
A friend of mine who is a liberal Christian made what I thought was an interesting observation about liberal vs. conservative Anglican churches. He was attending St. Hilda’s at the time; one of the things that drew him to the parish in spite of the fact that he is theologically liberal and St. Hilda’s theologically conservative, was that liberal churches constantly talk about social justice but don’t actually do much about it.
St. Hilda’s, he said, didn’t talk about social justice, they just did it.
One example is Food for Life. Poverty is not the first thing that springs to mind when thinking about Oakville; nevertheless, there are poor people in the city – more than one might expect. For many years now, St. Hilda’s has been delivering food to Oakville’s poor. Here is an unsolicited testimonial from one recipient:
“I just wanted to tell you how much this program means to me. Things have been very lean and food is often a luxury. A friend told me about the (Food for Life) program at St. Hilda’s Anglican Church. I can count on them every week and they always have a smile for me. They are so supportive and kind I just had to say THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. Every little bit helps so much. Just so you know that there are a lot of people truly grateful for what you bring to me every Thursday, because it is not just food items – it’s dignity as well.”
My compliments to St. Hilda’s. I am proud to learn of them and their living testimony. They serve without bravado instead of boasting of their service without commitment. God bless them.
6 years ago I left the Episcopal church for the reasons most conservatives do. There were many outreach programs in the ACNA church, still meeting in a school cafeteria at the time, which I jointed. They were seldom mentioned in sermons; people just did them. That seems to be the norm for congregations which are past the initial survival phase.
While not without our worts and foibles, St Hildian’s do get out there and try to make a diference in the world- I’m proud to count them as my brothers and sisters in the Kingdom
Alone we are fragile twigs that snap easily under stress, but tied together by our threads of faith, we are a bundle that which
withstands the forces that would try to break us.
May God continue to bless us and all our A.N.I.C. brothers and sisters.
Well said Terry, I so agree.
We need to dispense with the terms “liberal” and “conservative” as both have different meanings for almost every individual. When it comes to the Anglican Communion there are only two groups:-
1. Those who uphold the two mandatory requirements:-
a) full acceptance of the authority of Scripture; and
b) full recognition and acceptance of the uniqueness of Jesus Christ.
The apostates which include many so-called bishops including the Primate do not accept either one or both of these requirements. Therefore they cannot claim to be Anglican or Christian regardless of the colour of their collar.