FH20: Ethics and Marriage in the Age of Liberalism

Marriage has become a flashpoint of contention in the heart of the Church. Despite the timeless doctrine of marriage taught by our Lord and the Apostles, and protected by the Church for 2,000 years, recent times have seen clever arguments in favor of divorce. And rather than coming from the fringes we see the destruction of marriage being advocated from the highest positions of responsibility and authority.

Our guest in working through this discussion is Dr. Gerald McDermott, chair of Anglican studies at Beeson Divinity School. Dr. McDermott took to the premier online journal, First Things, to ask: Is Pope Francis a Liberal Protestant?

We discuss the destruction of ethical norms in the Roman Catholic Church under Pope Francis, and the parallel devastation in the Episcopal Church, that started in the 1960s with the “situation ethics” of one Rev. Joseph Fletcher. We end on a hopeful note, by discussing the heroic and almost superhuman stand of the Church of England in the defense of marriage in the 20th century, as the charter for the Anglican Communion in the 21st century.

Dr. McDermott and the Beeson Divinity School are hosting the prestigious Anglican Theology Conference, with many notable Anglican leaders in attendance, this September 25-26:
https://www.beesondivinity.com/events/Anglican-Theology-Conference

Guest description:
Dr. Gerald McDermott, Anglican Chair of Divinity

Location:
The Institute of Anglican Studies, at the Beeson Divinity School

 

Participants:

  • Dr. Gerald McDermott
  • Fr. Bart Gingerich
  • James Syrow