How does contemporary Anglicanism relate to the core beliefs of the Essay

How does contemporary Anglicanism relate to the core beliefs of the Church of England in the 16th and 17th centuries - Essay Example Anglican modernism is identified with the "Modern Churchmen's Union" founded in 1898 to stimulate and defend liberal thought within the Church of England. It has much in common with Liberal Protestantism in Germany, characterized by such thinkers as Friedrich Scheliermacher, the 'Father of Modern Theology'. Adolf Von Harnack, whose book What is Christianity, characterizes the point of view of many English Modernists. "Others, on the contrary, assure him that Christianity is an optimistic religion, and that it must be thought of simply and solely as a higher phase of Judaism, and these people also suppose that in saying this they have said something very profound." Von Harnack, A.1987, What is Christianity P.2 Anglican Modernism also developed out of the 'Broad Church Movement' of the nineteenth century. For them, this began with the acceptance of Biblical criticism and the theory of evolution and their insistence that Christianity must be adapted to accept these. The starting point for them was their acceptance of Biblical criticism and the theory of evolution and their insistence that Christianity must be adapted to accept these. The starting point for them was their acceptance of Biblical criticism and the theory of evolution and their insistence that Christianity must be adapted to accept these. While they rejected nature miracles like the virgin birth and his bodily resurrection, they emphasized the teachings of the historical Christ. Jesus' death on the cross was not to placate the wrath of God, but to show the way in which God is present in human suffering. This is at variance with traditional Christian doctrine and the beliefs of 16th and 17th century Anglicans as shown in Article one of the thirty-nine articles. Doctrine in the Church of England, (1938), accepts that the modernist interpretations of Christianity doctrine were legitimate positions to hold within the Church. Essentially Modernism takes a middle path between radical skepticism and the revival of fundamentalism. Surveys of what Christians believe propose that Modernist way of thinking have become typical of liberal Christianity. We need to look at the sensibleness of key Christian beliefs. In the minds of many outsiders Christianity is outmoded and reactionary. Kant who argued that there was no reason to postulate a first cause because infinite regress was equally as plausible refuted the claim that God created the Universe out of nothing. This no longer applies because there is now a consensus among scientists that the Universe had a beginning. This does not prove that God created it but it is very compatible with it. Many scientists are happy to speak in terms of a mind behind the Universe, yet they are reluctant to identify themselves with Christianity. According to John Leslie, "Our Universe does lookvery much as if created by God" but "not by a God who interferes with nature's operation." The idea of a God who created a Universe in which he does not intervene is the classic modernistic position. Paul Badham identifies this religious interest with the