I have to thank Jay Currie for his excellent response on how "The Conservative Habit of Mind is about is very much a Protestant version of political philosophy", in his Old Time Religion post.
The present Conservative Party, mimicing much of the Anglican Church, is engaged in a long running struggle to refine the liturgy without asking why the form of service is as it is. (And yes Anglican readers I know that is a gross oversimplification.)
I had an Anglican co-worker describle Anglicanism to me as all the rules (of Catholicism) with half the guilt.
But to be serious, Jay makes a good point. I read an article around the time of the Conservative Party Leadership Convention (can't remember exeactly when or where but I think it was the Globe and Mail) where the commentator suggested that if the Conservatives are to win they need to convince Canadians that they are a credible spare tire. The assumption being that they need to be the functional equivalent of the Liberal party to be successful.
To combine Jay's metaphor with the spare tire, Luther nailed his Ninety-Five (figuratively, if not literally) to a broken church. What good is a new tire on a broken car? (I have thoughts of new wine in old wine skins, but I don't want to get too religious...)
Anyways, thanks again Jay.
