[Magdalen] TECnical question

[Roger Stokes]

On 04/05/2015 16:14, Lynn Ronkainen wrote:
>
> The back and forth between the US  Church and the 'mother church' on 
> issues of the prayer book are much more well deserved, IMO, than the 
> leap that the US Church muddies the waters by using the word 
> 'episcopal'.  In the bigger picture the word Episcopal is much more 
> 'informative' of a church body than is the word Anglican (if used in 
> isolation), after all....

I don't think anybody could sensibly object to the word "Episcopal" 
appearing in the Church's name.  The problem is the inclusion of the 
definite article.  There is the same objection to the Latin Rite part of 
the Church which is in communion with the Bishop of Rome describing 
itself as "The Catholic Church".

We are all part of the "one holy catholic and apostolic Church" as 
described in the Creed. The assumption of the definite article to 
describe only one part of that unicersal Church suggests that other 
parts of it are in some way lesser entities.  While I accept that is not 
an implication that is intended it is there, especially when the 
Constitution refers to The Episcopal Church with a capitalised initial 
letter to the definite article.

Incidentally I note that the Constitution and Canons say that they have 
been editerd by "The Archives of the Episcopal Church", without the 
initial capital for the definite article.  Of course how archives can 
edit anything is another matter unless you regard people as part of the 
archives - the real fossils of the Church :-)

Roger