William Temple

By way of comment on Bishop Rickel's blog post 'A "Pissing" Section in the Pool' 5/1/20 http://www.bishoprickel.com/blog/a-pissing-section-in-the-pool:

The church is the only institution that exists primarily for the benefit of those that are not its members (William Temple). We are more the church when we not about just ourselves than when we are just "Him" and me... Just now I was reading some letters William Temple wrote in response to his 'current situation' - the second World War - in response to suggestions he pray for Victory and after the war to focus on rebuilding the church at home and not worry about those people over there on the continent... to the second that he did support the aid to rebuilding churches as "I am quite sure that it is a case like that of the missionary claim and we shall tend to gain more for the Church at home by shewing that we care for the Church in Europe and throughout the world than if we concentrate on home needs only" and to the first that (despite his strong support for the war effort) "it seems to me that the primary concern in prayer - and I mean 'primary' quite seriously - must be the approach to the Father of all men, with recognition that all His other children have the same right of approach, and that if we pray as our Lord taught us, we are never praying against each other, because we are always praying not that what we want shall be done, but that what God wants shall be done, and that we may be used for doing it" -- F. A. Iremonger, William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury, His Life and Letters. Oxford, 1948. (555-556, 561)