tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614598828379683929.post5858252946239001914..comments2022-03-25T17:08:21.822-06:00Comments on Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus: Fr. Brian Harrison on Implicit Faith in Christ, Part IILudovicushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16477445913114324303noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614598828379683929.post-41312192905518435182009-06-29T11:37:16.210-06:002009-06-29T11:37:16.210-06:00PS Just to give another example of how theology t...PS Just to give another example of how theology tries to operate in ignorance of history which bears on it, the letter to China of Pope Benedict of about a year ago whether written by Benedict or by someone deputed to write it for him spoke of how the Church does not wish to overthrow governments but to have a place in rational discussion. All of which sounds nice...but...we have George Weigel's "Witness to Hope" stating that the revolution in the Phillipines was partly John Paul's revolution (it was really Cardinal Sin's who took to the radio and urged Catholics to protect Enrile who was revolting against Marcos) and we had Weigel giving detail of the cooperation of the US intelligence with John Paul as to Poland which many of our writers hail as the overthrow of communism there by John Paul.<br /> In light of all of which, Benedict's letter looks like it is fibbing like many other formal letters in international affairs when it notes that the Church does not want to overthrow governments.bill bannonhttp://www.bannonoceanart.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614598828379683929.post-25067288964205759082009-06-29T11:21:42.239-06:002009-06-29T11:21:42.239-06:00You are doing an important work here and I hope yo...You are doing an important work here and I hope you get many readers. The witness of Paul during his missionary work was different too in this sense: Christianity was a clean slate at the time and now we have centuries of sinful Church behaviour that acts like baggage working against the very gospel we are preaching. Take China. France was our representative there in the 19th century and was also helping the Vatican mid century in Europe preserve its land at least in the city of Rome for awhile before losing that also along with the papal states in general. France simultaneously was helping the Church open up China but by force of arms also and was helping England secure its opium trade simultaneously in the same military action in the treaty of 1862 which opened every province of China to missionaries and secured the opium trade into China by England via India in the same treaty. <br /> St. Paul did not have to preach to people who had been abused by an imperialism that was not denounced by the Church which Church was gaining by the Second Opium War as to her missionaries being granted access and the right to buy property while her representative, France, was also aiding the drug trade into China by England who was using it to stem the loss of silver to China in paying for its exports which England loved.<br /> In short Paul like Christ was preaching the gospel sans bad baggage. No such luck for the modern Church. That is why our theologians seem woefully ignorant of and isolated from history as having a bearing on this issue in general. Christ had said to the Jews that they would have no sin had He not said AND DID things which they had never seen: words plus His acts of Love within His miracles. Words were not enough for His generation to be held liable...they also had His actions.<br /> China has our words but our history of bad actions against her country in the person of France and in the privileges secured by France for converts in law disputes which turned people like the Boxers against Chinese Catholics.bill bannonhttp://www.bannonoceanart.comnoreply@blogger.com