Required reading
Discussions (Vol 2) by Robert L. Dabney (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read 'Fraternal relations'.
My summary
Today Dabney continues to speak about the divisions between Presbyterians in North America.
He defends the actions of the Southern states and condemns the actions of the Northern states.
Dabney says that one of the reasons there has been so much damage is that fraternal relations have never been defined. He then defines fraternal relations: 'Hence, fraternal relations between distinct churches consist in this recognition ; in admitting the validity of each others' or- dination, sacraments and disciplinary verdicts ; in respecting each others' church-rights, institutions, property and enterprises for evangelizing the world ; in holding ministerial and Christian communion in individual cases, according to the individual merits thereof ; and in suitable acts of Christian hospitality and alms-giving, wdien needed by persons journeying from home, or destitute, or afflicted. These are fraternal relations.'
What grabbed me
I still remain surprised that Presbyterians do not see a problem with giving authority over their local congregations to other congregations.
Particularly when history teaches that this is a dangerous practice, as is seen again in today's reading: 'Well, after the lapse of a few years, the Northern Assembly, moved by policy, and undeceived by the quiet firmness of the Southern people, retracted so much of their own action as had sought to exclude us from the pale of the catholic church, and made a grudging recognition of our denominational existence and church-rights. But they still practiced and encouraged all the annoyances they could, by grasping our church-property, dividing our congregations and egging on the minorities therein, usually contemptibly small, to seek to govern the majorities. It must also be remembered that the Assembly itself has since formally committed itself to the partisan, illegal and unconstitutional decision of a faction in the Supreme Court, designed to provide for the unlimited plunder of the weaker party.'
This is what they do to each other when they are 'grudgingly' recognising one another!
Next week's reading
Read Atlanta Assembly and fraternal relations.
Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
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