Christian Unity (the book) - The Maranatha Community

far greater part for the laity in the Church of England, even to their beingallowed to give Communion and sit on clerical synods.He became Regius Professor of Modern History at Oxford in 1841 and he isregarded as one of the leaders of the Broad Church, but this term is not to beequated with theologically ‘liberal’ today: the terms ‘Broad’ and ‘Liberal’ hadnot yet come to take on extreme theological radicalism. This was to come.Broad Church men wanted a Church which was wider than the establishedChurch, open to modern scholarship and, usually, politically liberal ideals, butthey were firmly committed to the basics of the Christian faith and adherenceto the classical creeds.Dean A P Stanley (1815-1881) 118 was a formidable Broad Church scholar whotried to develop contacts with Nonconformists and had a wide sympathy for allbrands of believers. He spoke of a ‘movement immeasurable, irresistible’ thathe felt was abroad in his day, drawing Christians closer together.Educated at Rugby under Thomas Arnold, he became Fellow of UniversityCollege, Oxford, in 1838; later Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Oxford,from 1856 to 1864; and then Dean of Westminster from DATE till his death.As a Broad Church man he wanted toleration for all Christians (includingUnitarians), and opposed disciplinary action against Bishop Colenso, who hadwritten a critical work on the Pentateuch. He was a notable scholar of theEastern Church and of the history of the Jews. His ‘liberalism’ can be seen in hiswanting to remove the anathemas from the Athanasian Creed. He invited theTractarian leaders, Keble, Liddon and Pusey to preach in Westminster Abbey,but they refused.118Dean Arthur Penryhn Stanley. Ruth Rouse writes: ‘In estimating Stanley’s contribution toChristian unity, it should be realized that his irenic approaches went far beyond England. Hetravelled widely and made contacts with the leaders of the Churches: in Russia, Greece,Mount Athos, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and Constantinople with the ancient EasternChurches; in Sweden and Denmark with Lutherans; in Herrnhut with Moravians; inHungary and France with Reformed; in the United States with many Churches. He was thefriend of Dollinger, of Pere Hyacinthe, and of Baron Bunsen. He attended the Old CatholicCongresses in 1871 and 1872. He was in Rome just before the Vatican Council and deeplyregretted that he could not remain, as Archbishop Tait had recalled him for the RitualCommission.’ Rouse, Ruth and Neill, Stephen C, A History of the Ecumenical Movement,1517-1948, SPCK, London, 1954, p 336.Page 142