Throwback Thursday: Insisting on Adiaphora (or Not)
Note: In this 2011 offering, Fr. Stuckwisch provides his usual excellence in reflecting upon the topic of adiaphora, and in so doing, refutes a common false accusation against Gottesdienst and those in the Gottesdienst Crowd (that’s all of you) who read our journal, read our blog, listen to our podcast, or watch our videos - not to mention those who are sympathetic with our desire for reverence in the Divine Service. ~ Ed.
Insisting on Adiaphora (or Not)
We do not insist on adiaphora. That is to say, we do not insist upon what God has not required; nor do we forbid what God has not prohibited. We are, after all, called "Gottesdienst Online," not "Adiaphora Online." We are concerned with God's Service, not with any human pretense or presumption. And, besides all that, as editors of a blog, we are not anyone's bishop; leastwise not here. That's not who we are, nor what we do.
To be sure, we do advocate and urge some adiaphora over other alternatives, because, among the many things that God has left free, some practices are better and stronger than others. We have our preferences, no doubt, and we also have our reasons for preferring some practices over others. It is also the case that we editors of Gottesdienst do not agree among ourselves on every point; in part because different contexts and different circumstances suggest different approaches, and in part because we are different people with different gifts. Sometimes, too, it happens that one or the other of us will change his mind. For all of these reasons and more, we cherish the freedom for which Christ has set us free, because it is the freedom to repent, the freedom to learn and grow, and the freedom to serve and care for the Church on earth.