Diarmaid MacCulloch, Ph.D.: "Thomas Cranmer," Ch. 6: A “Reformed” Church...

179-184. After the Pilgrimage of Grace in Oct 1536, the church hierarchy was totally polarized and everyone knew where they stood. According to Prof. Mac, the “moderate Catholic humanism” of Dr. Cranmer morphed. For Cranmer, it was the ignorant papist priests, monks, ignorant northerners and with their history of inter-tribal conflicts, the bias of an ABC, Cambridge don and Midlands man. The German Peasants’ Rebellion of 1524-25 had proved that the Saxon Lutherans were a force of stability; so, likewise, with Henry’s success in routing the Pilgrimage—stability with Papists as the destablizersm not evangelical reformists. Bucer’s Wittemberg Concord of 1536 had bad odors for the Swiss-axis and Cranmer appears as some sort of moderator. ??. We're still having a hand time pinning down Dr. Cranmer's specific doctrinal beliefs in 1537-1538. In June 1537, Vadianus get a restrained but still hot letter from Cranmer with a lot of long-talking but a rebuttal of the Swissman’s view. It's the Cannibalism issue again, or, the Bone-muncher's idea. Cranmer is still a Luthero-Romanist (our words...they are the same but one with Aristotelian categories). Philip Newman Brooks argued a trannie—connie—and--later stage, as it were 3 stages. Prof. Mac will dispute Brooks' view (183). I don't think Prof. offers clarity here. A barrage of letters continue from the Swiss-axis. Dr. Cranmer gets a copy of Ratramnus's work on anti-Bone-Munchbers. Strassburg feels chills from England in summer 1537. The exchange students are in the mix, including the young Traheron. Hence, Prof. Mac's justifiable title with the question mark. A "Reformed Church?"