DAVID FITZPATRICK,
Sir, - I recently read the Bishop of Meath's book And Is It True? I concluded that:
1. Dr Clarke repeatedly recognises the need for thought about matters of belief and I gathered that he is of the view that debate about the entrenched positions of the Church is desirable.
2. His book is based on numerous quotations from and discussion of the thoughts of those whom he has found helpful over the years in formulating his own beliefs. We are, however, left very unclear as to what conclusions he himself has reached about many controversial issues.
I have also tried to assess the websites which one would expect to contain Dean Furlong's thoughts. Those under the control of the Church of Ireland seem to have been expunged. The message is: "This website has been temporarily withdrawn". However, I have been able to read his writings at www.tcpc.org/resources. His career is outlined and a number of his articles are published.
These articles are a personal testament of his beliefs and describe how he struggled to try to correlate these with the traditional teachings of the Church.
He would seem to conclude that to live in a Christian manner in the contemporary world is more important than to accept fully some of the more difficult doctrines of the Church - which by its entrenched position on these may well impede the practice of the Gospel it espouses in the world of today.
I am disappointed that the establishment reaction to Dean Furlong's exposition has been to appear to silence him rather than to encourage sincere debate about his thoughts. I may be mistaken, but would think that many clerical and lay members of the Church of Ireland would agree, as do I, with many if not all of the Dean's views if they considered them in depth. If so, perhaps they should make this known.
I used to think the Church of Ireland was one that encouraged a broad spectrum of thought. It is regrettable that in this instance free expression of ideas should appear to be denied as the establishment withdraws behind the barricades. - Yours, etc.,
DAVID FITZPATRICK, Casimir Road, Dublin 6W.
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Sir, - Very Rev Andrew Furlong claims in effect that the Christian doctrine of the Incarnation has provided a basis for anti-Semitism (December 29th). The truth is the reverse: the belief that God became man - a Jewish man - renders anti-Semitism not merely abhorrent but tantamount to blasphemy. - Yours etc.,
COLM ARMSTRONG, Newton Park, Belfast.