I’m rather surprised that this actually saw print (or electrons, or whatever). Good for Michael Burslem for submitting it for publication.
From the ANiC newsletter:
An article written by Michael Burslem and published in the September 2009 Niagara Anglican newspaper commends Charlie for his gracious treatment of those who oppose him. Burslem, who was a parishioner when Charlie was rector at St George’s (Lowville), elected to remain in the Anglican Church of Canada when the congregation voted overwhelmingly to realign and by his own admission was a thorn in Charlie’s side. He writes:
“Now that the Anglican Church of North America is a fact on the ground it may be an appropriate time to access what, or whom, we have lost, and what led to the schism between them and us. The one person whom I miss the most in our diocese is my former pastor and friend, Charlie Masters… I may fault Charlie for putting the Holy Bible on a higher pedestal than the Holy Spirit, but I can never say enough about his love for people, literally everybody, and his genuine humility. He’s a totally unpretentious guy, even though he is now a Venerable. He wears that title lightly. He’s still the same old Charlie.
“Sadly, such humility and unpretentiousness is a rare find in our church. Those who say that any who disagree with them have parked their minds outside the church door, reveal a hubris all too common… I believe that such a lack of humility before God, both in our leaders and in the pews, has led to this schism, which I find so pathetically sad, since I bear some responsibility for it.”
“I may fault Charlie for putting the Holy Bible on a higher pedestal than the Holy Spirit”
Some translation is required here. For “Holy Spirit”, read “my chosen brand of politics”.
This is really a testimony to the grace Charlie demonstrates in his dealings with everyone – both those who agree and those who disagree with him.
The Holy Spirit gave testimony that the documents that became the New Testament are the written Word of God. That’s how they became Scripture.
Anyone who thinks the Holy Spirit is now testifying against Scripture is kidding him or herself.
Funny thing here – I have heard Archdeacon Charlie give sermons and speeches and have talked with him on several occasions and have never ever heard make any such comment/s that would lead one to believe such a severe comment as is spoken by this gentleman. It is reassuring when I read his final lines.
I believe that such a lack of humility before God, both in our leaders and in the pews, has led to this schism, which I find so pathetically sad, since I bear some responsibility for it.
Re: Micheal Burslem:
“I may fault Charlie for putting the Holy Bible on a higher pedestal than the Holy Spirit, but I can never say enough about his love for people, literally everybody, and his genuine humility”.
In Dr. Burslem’s statement above can one not deduce that the qualities stated about Archdeacon Charlie Masters show the workings of the Holy Spirit? Are these qualities and numerous others not stated that Charlie is known for not Fruit of the Holy Spirit?
I put it to Dr. Burslem that IF Charlie Masters did put The Holy Bible ahead of the Holy Spirit then the qualities being shown by Charlie would be false qualities rather than Fruit of the Spirit.
It is obvious to me that Dr. Burslem, while well travelled, highly educated and a very good writer is somewhat confused about how he reasons things out. All one need to do is to read an article that he wrote in 2008 entitled Muslim or Christian? Is it possible to be both? in which he states that such is possible! This is somewhat the same as saying one can be Chinese and Caucasian at the same time or one can be an elephant and a mouse at the same time. It is not possible to be Muslim and Christian at the same time and well informed and knowledgeable Christians and Muslims alike would subscribe to this thinking as being fact.
Having said all of this, I think one can consider the good Doctor’s statement about ArchDeacon Masters placement of the Holy Bible ahead of the Holy Spirit to be an attempt at promoting confusion and nothing else.
Gerry, do you have a link to that article?
Kate,
It’s here
David: thanks, you were quicker than me…….
Re: #5 above, my last paragraph said:
“Having said all of this, I think one can consider the good Doctor’s statement about ArchDeacon Masters placement of the Holy Bible ahead of the Holy Spirit to be an attempt at promoting confusion and nothing else.”
I must add to this statement and suggest that Dr. Burslem is not only attempting to promote confusion but I believe I can say with certainty that I understand why this man was such a thorn in the side of Archdeacon Charlie Masters. This person is into apostasy as deeply as anyone in the Diocese of Niagara. Why would I say this, simply because He just “doesn’t get it”. He cannot understand Scripture and this is best shown in the following article. I will put in italics some portions which I feel support my statement.
At Christmastide whom do we worship: the beast or the lamb?
By Michael Burslem
Published: December 2008
Related Topics: Advent, Christmas, General Theology
Advent and Christmas are seasons of hope. Not only do we look back to the first Christmas, when we remember the birth of Jesus, our savior, but we also look forward to his second coming in glory. His second coming is more problematic than his first. Not being clairvoyant, we know very little about it. I have always found the Book of Revelation so difficult to understand until I read Barbara Rossing’s The Rapture Exposed, The Message of Hope in the Book of Revelation (Basic Books, New York, 2004). I read this after hearing her lecture online at http://www.trinitywallstreet.org/calendar/index.php?event_id=40241. This was part of the 37th Trinity Institute, a national theological online conference sponsored by Trinity Church, New York.
Contrary to what some Doomsday preachers tell us, Revelation is not a prediction of future events. Some would have us believe that the world is getting steadily worse, and will go on deteriorating, until God has had enough, and calls it quits by totally destroying it, if we’ve not done that already. But in addition, he’ll destroy everyone on it, except those who are ‘saved,’ whom he will ‘rapture’ off the earth, before he returns to rule the world for 1000 years. This is graphically illustrated in LaHaye and Jenkins Left Behind series of novels. Rossing, in her lecture, calls these ideas “just nuts.” Her main purport in speaking and in writing is to counteract these, because they have caught hold of so many in the church, and even in the U.S. State Department, so that many innocent people in the Middle East are dying because of them. Here I must confess that I have not read any one of these books, but the excerpts quoted by Rossing were enough to turn me off.
The traditional church, awaiting the second coming of Christ, has taught that we’re in the millennium now, not literally a thousand years, nor sometime in the future. Rossing states that Revelation makes the contrast between the two cities, Rome/Babylon, an earthly city, which stands for the world we live in, and the New Jerusalem, which comes down to earth from heaven, not taken up to heaven; but it’s none the less a heavenly city. One we see with our natural eyes, the other only through the eyes of faith. The one is addicted to war, conquest and victory over all nations; the other brings peace and healing to the nations. In one there is a river of blood; in the other a river with trees on either side, the leaves of which are for the healing of the nations. One is governed by the Beast; the other by the Lion of the tribe of Judah, which is no lion, but (surprise…surprise) a Lamb, and a slain one at that. She speaks of two contrasting, and conflicting, ‘powers’ by which we may live; the Beast’s love of power and Lamb’s power of love. The reader is left to choose in which city we are living, and to which power we are subject.
In contrast to the pessimism of LaHaye and Jennings, Rossing is extremely optimistic. God is doing great things. For those who have the eyes to see it, he’s building the New Jerusalem on earth, here and now, not in a never-never land. This is the hope of God with Us, the message of Christmas. This is the ‘good news of great joy that will be for all the people,’ as the angels proclaimed to the shepherds. Christianity isn’t about doom and gloom, but about hope and joy and peace; we don’t need to die to see its fulfillment in heaven; we see it right now on earth.
After mulling over the book, though, I did become concerned, lest, we have chosen to lie in bed with the Beast, rather than with the Lamb. That’s why the Book of Revelation is so difficult for us today. We’re not where we’re supposed to be. The popularity of the Left Behind novels is that they make it all to appear so easy, which everyone can follow as a guide book into the future. To use the Bible in this way is the Beast’s ploy, as it supplants the Holy Spirit, who is the Christian’s true guide into an unknown and uncertain future; but he is right there with us, all the way. We’re tempted to use physical weapons rather than spiritual ones. Paul says: “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” (2 Corinthians 10:4) He and his contemporaries may not have used worldly weapons, but I fear that we do today. This is why we don’t see the peace that we all so desperately crave for. We pray for peace, but continue to serve the Beast, who only gives us strife, schism and war.
We’re in a terrible bind. I believe we truly wish to worship the Lamb, especially at Christmas time, but end in worshipping the Beast. This was the bind Paul found himself in when he wrote to the Romans; “So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 7: 21-8:1) If Paul had this problem, is it any wonder that we have too? Thanks be to Jesus, indeed, who, enables us all to live with him here and now in his New Jerusalem.
This Christmas, we need to ask ourselves, do we really believe in the love of power, or the power of love?
Dr. Burslem at the best just doesn’t have any understanding of the Scriptures (which is understandable since his eyes are not open) and is, by his writings, promoting confusion and apostasy within the diocese which is at the forefront today in leading the ACoC into the abyss.
Technically, Scripture and the Holy Spirit are so interconnected as to be inseparable. It is my opinion that if one is without the Holy Spirit, Than the Holy Bible becomes just another book.
Stuck:
And that is precisely why the Good Doctor doesn’t understand the Book of Revelation and other Books of the Holy Bible.
g’day Bro.
I read a few of the Left Behind novels, just to see what all the fuss was about. I think the writing is dreadful – reading them was sort of like watching a train wreck…
Kate (#12), I bet your boys would like the video game, though.
Kate #12 – However, God can and does use anything to bring folk to Himself – and that is the case with these books, I know some people – not that I particularly like them either – but who would have thought it was Chuck Colson’s book Born Again that got me moving in His direction! Along with Mere Christianity that Colson had read.
“We pray for peace, but continue to serve the Beast, who only gives us . . . schism”
Hmm . . . wonder who that was aimed at?
I know Margo, but I really have to wonder why so much “Christian Fiction” seems to be so poorly written.
I started one of the Left Behind series and the writing was so bad, I couldn’t stomach it; it was like scraping my fingernails on a blackboard.
#13 They have better taste than that. I hope.
Someone once wrote “Good science Fiction is based on facts that haven’t happened yet”. I suggest that good Christian fiction is based on facts perhaps yet to be understood.
“Rossing is extremely optimistic. God is doing great things. For those who have the eyes to see it, he’s building the New Jerusalem on earth, here and now,” I wonder what Burslem would say faced with Matt 24, 2 Tim 3 – I could go on but I think my entries are far to long for some people to stay with them.
Someone once wrote “Good science Fiction is based on facts that haven’t happened yet”. I suggest that good Christian fiction is based on facts perhaps yet to be understood.
“Rossing is extremely optimistic. God is doing great things. For those who have the eyes to see it, he’s building the New Jerusalem on earth, here and now,” I wonder what Burslem would say faced with Matt 24, 2 Tim 3. – I could go on but I think my entries are far to long for some people to stay with them.
Ellie #15 The man speaks for himself no doubt a freudian slip.
Kate (#18), you’re probably right – but maybe not for the reasons you’re thinking of. In its review, Gamespot website says:
Mind you, in its review Focus on the Family said:
FOTF HQ is just down the road and several of their employees attend my church, so I probably shouldn’t say any more.
My kids’ latest computer game interest is Spore. It looks like a lot of fun.