Matthew Henry John Bartlett

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Wednesday 27 October, 02004

by Matthew Bartlett @ 11:24 am

Music on the gold-plated LP onboard the Voyager
A Protestant conversion to Roman Catholicism

21 responses to “”

  1. John says:

    For the same kind of thing but closer to home. Here is something I found by accident from a formerly Reformed guy from Pukekohe on his reconversion to catholicism.

    http://staff.business.auckland.ac.nz/staffpages/j.jensen/Newman_article.htm

  2. Matthew says:

    Crickey, he is one lucid writer. Very interesting to read about the J B Jordan (who I am fond of) and Mark Shea (who I respect) connections. Haven’t finished it yet, but was struck by this paragraph:

    And [the people at the Saturday-evening Mass] were so diverse! Our Reformed church was basically a middle-class, literate, mostly Dutch or Dutch-descended society. Islanders, mentally deficient persons, poor people, rich people, none would easily have fitted with us. In my experience some had tried, and failed. Here was every sort of person and economic class. I saw Mercedes cheek-by-jowl with clapped-out ’vans. The full range of skin pigmentation was represented.

  3. John says:

    I wasn’t meaning to encourage you to become a catholic sympathiser (which is always the problem with testimonial type writings). Rather I would encourage thought as to how to minister to such people and rerereform them.

  4. Matthew says:

    Yeah that’s what I thought. I wouldn’t describe myself as a ‘symphathiser’. There’s lots of stuff about Catholicism that seems pretty unhelpful. But the Catholics I have come across personally have been very helpful, particularly Fr Neil Vaney. But it has been good to read these to — for one thing — get a glimmer of an idea of why my Nana is a Catholic.

  5. aaron says:

    John, despite your intentions otherwise, people will be confused by your posting of that link and you will be responsible for any move to catholicism from anyone who has ever read Matt’s blog.

    that’s what I heard, anyway.

  6. John says:

    Uncle Jonathan’s corn-cob pipe! Surely my antecedent clarification post and my well-known support of the “old” wording of our confessions which was very anti-catholic should be sufficient to displace any presumption of leading a little one astray?

  7. aaron says:

    No, I am afraid not. Any evidence you may present reveals not a basic position seeking nuance, but rather an unstable mind. One that vaccilates like a reed, in fact.

    And I might as well warn you now: further denials, particularly with words, will lead you to be accounted a “wrangler with words”, so watch it. VERY carefully.

  8. aaron says:

    and by the way, I say this for your own good.

  9. aaron says:

    [later] joking aside. I have read John Jensen’s piece. I’m somewhat surprised that the 5 points he lists as critical to him (baptism, weekly Lord’s Supper, etc) are also ones I’m committed to. Perhaps I’m on my way to Rome. A-har-har-har.

    I like the idea of a reunitied church, even under a Pope.

  10. John says:

    I can be your pope Aaron.

  11. Tim says:

    Put that in your pope and smoke it

  12. richface says:

    nothing like a bit of ‘popery’ to freshen the air/spice things up…

  13. richface says:

    this post has shown it self to be far from unPOPEular…

  14. John says:

    Richie, don’t be rePOPEulous

  15. wendy says:

    i like your polar bear. is that you with a beard?

  16. Matthew says:

    Hi Wendy – it is from The Iceberg Hermit – a marvelous ‘young adults’ book lent to me by my friend Richie S. It’s me being aloof and alone contemplating all I see. Or something.

    You know I think I met a Wendy up in Auckland three-quarters of the way through last year, in a class at Law School with Richie F. If you’re her, hullo! If not, hullo anyway!

  17. wendy says:

    hullo!
    ps. yes same wendy
    richie is procrastinating from land law study, and he is a korean housewife

  18. richief says:

    procrastinating, yeah, coz i’m the one going on blogs of people i hardly know and leaving tangental comments.

  19. Matthew says:

    Ha rad, you’re both cool (I have proof).

  20. richief says:

    cooler than you, fagnuts

  21. richief says:

    Classic. ‘Humour’

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