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A Leaky Ship?
The Anglican Church at the Turn of the Century
By Dwight Longenecker
Just ten years ago the Church of England took her historic decision to ordain women as priests. The argument had been brewing for years, but those who took the wider view of church matters held back the tide. Pope John Paul II and the Patriarch of Constantinople had written an open letter to all the members of the General Synod of the Church of England pleading with them not to take this decision since it would so endanger the cause of Christian unity. But the three houses of the Anglican General Synod took the decision anyway.
I was an Anglican priest at the time, and those of us who were opposed to the decision were not necessarily opposed to women priests. Instead we did not feel that the Church of England, if she claimed to be a part of the ancient, apostolic Church, could take such a historic decision on her own. We felt that she was cutting her links with the Catholic Church still further, and if she severed herself from the sources of authority then, with enough votes, she could choose to do almost anything.
The week after the historic vote there was a very prophetic letter published in a Church of England weekly paper. It was from one of the leaders of the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement. In effect it said, ‘Dear Sir, Please observe that all the arguments used to sanction the ordination of women to the priesthood can also be used to ordain practising homosexuals.’ The writer of this short letter understood the underlying issues perfectly. The decision to ordain women was not so much a decision in favor of women priests as it was a statement about what sort of church the Church of England really is. The historic decision ten years ago was really a statement saying that, with enough votes and a long enough campaign, both Scripture and tradition can be over-ruled and the Church of England can do what it likes.
Now, ten years later, this is proving to be the case. Archbishop George Carey was not only in favor of women’s ordination, he was also in favor of changing the Church of England’s long established rules against the re-marriage of divorced people in church. Last month, after a long campaign, the rules have been changed and divorced people are allowed to marry in the Church of England after all.
George Carey held out against the ordination of practising homosexuals, but he has just retired and Rowan Williams, the new Archbishop of Canterbury, has taken office. Before his appointment was finalised Williams admitted to ordaining a practising homosexual, but said he would not seek to push his own particular views. Now, just a week after taking office, he has called for this whole area of the church’s teaching to be reviewed. In a recent statement he has expressed the mainstream homosexualist understanding of the New Testament. This is that the Biblical prohibitions of homosexual behaviour only apply to heterosexual men who go with other men simply to have a bit of fun. If Williams follows the homosexualist agenda, then he believes that people who are genuinely homosexual should not be excluded from ordained ministry, and because the Church of England does not have a celibate priesthood, he wouldn’t see why it is wrong for them to have a ‘faithful same sex partner.’
In the face of these recent crises, the Church of England’s numbers are dropping drastically. A recent report shows that over the last ten years the number of Anglican baptisms has fallen by 24%, confirmations by 43% and church marriages by 46%. If current trends continue, for every 100 children in churches in 1930 there will be just four in 2030. There was a 17% drop in children attending church in the 1980s, but this accelerated between the years of 1990-2000 by a further loss of 28%. According to the author of the report, Sunday Schools have declined “to the point of almost complete failure.” In the face of this crisis of numbers, the Church of England has to maintain the entire medieval parish structure. They have far too many churches, and many of those churches, while beautiful, are also ancient, costly, cold and empty.
In addition, the changes in the church over the last ten years have caused terrible division. In the wake of women’s ordination between 800 and 1000 Anglican priests resigned to join the Catholic Church. To stem the tide the Church of England put in place ‘flying bishops’ to minister to Anglo Catholics who were opposed to women’s ordination. In the meantime the Anglo-Catholics formed a movement called Forward in Faith. Rather than collapsing after ten years, Forward in Faith seems to be growing stronger. Rev Robbie Low, a member of the Forward in Faith council, says they are uniting across international borders to present a feisty traditionalist front. The International Forward in Faith movement wants to formalise the situation with a ‘third province’ which would be an independent church within the Anglican Communion.
Now the conservative Evangelicals, unhappy with the Anglican Church’s permissive stance on human sexuality, are demanding their own bishops. Two years ago the Rev Charles Raven, a vicar in the Worcester Diocese began looking for a new bishop because his bishop approves of homosexuality. David Banting, National Chairman of the conservative Anglican pressure group, Reform, predicted similar opt out actions breaking out like brush fires all across the Anglican Communion.
Evangelical Anglicans in America have already taken united action. Two years ago a rebel group—unhappy with the sexually permissive attitudes of the Episcopalian mainstream had two priests consecrated as bishops by conservative bishops from Asia and Africa. Like the Anglo-Catholics, this new ‘Anglican Mission in North America’ does not want to break away from the Episcopal Church. Instead they want to remain inside as a thorn in the side of the Anglican Church. Furthermore, these Evangelicals are not small cells of kooky activists. They have significant numbers, are well organised and very well funded.
Is this an Anglican free for all or the Anglicans in free fall? Time will tell. Those of us who entered the Catholic Church ten years ago are fully aware of similar tensions within Catholicism. Our ship is also sailing through stormy seas, but while we may be hanging on to the handrails, and fighting for the lifejackets, at least we are agreed that the ship has a destination and there is a captain on the bridge.
1082 words
Dwight Longenecker is the editor of The Path to Rome—Modern Journeys to the Catholic Church he is also the author of four other books. His latest being More Christianity—published by Our Sunday Visitor.
Sidebar
Glossary of Anglican Terms
General Synod: the elected body that rules the Church of England. It consists of the houses of 1) bishops 2) clergy 3) laity. The General Synod is elected in the dioceses with members running for office as in any other political scheme. Because the Church of England is established as the state church her major legislation also needs to be passed by parliament.
Forward in Faith the traditionalist Anglo-Catholic activist movement which has now spread world wide to influence the rest of the Anglican Communion. They are working for a ‘third province’ to protect their material and spiritual interests.
Third Province The Church of England is made up of two provinces—Canterbury to the South and York to the North. A ‘third province’ would be a non-geographical grouping of traditionalist priests and parishes. In effect it would be a church within a church.
Anglican Mission to North America A conservative Evangelical group in the USA who have invited Third World bishops to consecrate two Anglican priests to serve as bishops for dissenting conservative Anglicans in America
Flying Bishops the slang term for Alternative Episcopal Oversight. If a priest or parish do not wish to have women priests they don’t have to. If they reject the ministry of their own bishop because he ordains women they can elect to have the ministry of a special traditionalist bishop who comes from outside the diocese.
Reform conservative Anglican Evangelical pressure group active in England. Members of Reform are in touch with other conservative groups within the Anglican communion worldwide.
Affirming Catholics a small liberal Anglican pressure group who worship in a Catholic manner, but ‘affirm’ homosexuality and women priests. The joke is that ‘Affirming Catholics affirm everything but Catholicism.’
Act of Synod any act by the General Synod that does not need parliamentary approval. These acts can be rescinded easily. The act providing for flying bishops is an ‘act of synod’.
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