A Volley from the Canon, #71

A VOLLEY FROM THE CANON, NUMBER 71

A SELECTIVE CONSERVATISM

It seems there is a constant tug of war going on in the church: progressives want to make the church something new as quickly as possible, perhaps unrecognizably so, while traditionalists want to cling to every vestige of what it has been, no matter what. Both, I believe, are sincere in their desire to build up the church. Unfortunately, we waste a whole lot of energy and momentum struggling for either direction. There is futility in both efforts.

When conservatives try to preserve whole systems just as they were, or restore them to some ideal past condition (1928 Prayer Book, anyone?), they leave the baby sitting in murky, cold bathwater. When liberals fight to toss out bathwater, tub, and bathing gel, they often show insufficient regard for the safety of the baby. We ought to recognize that neither side is ever going to get all it wants, for some very good reasons, and negotiate accordingly from the outset.
A better approach would be to work to preserve the best of what is, recover the best of what was, embrace the best of what is in the offing. That takes some discernment, in the form of thought, reasoned discussion, and prayer. It also takes an honest assessment of the evidence drawn from experience.

The way to gather that evidence, it seems to me, may be to add rather than replace. Instead of changing what has been, could we not add what we envision, and see which works better for us? Those traditions that have lost their significance to us have a way of passing on their own.

“In essentials, conformity; in non-essentials, variety; in all things, charity.”