There are
several issues that are threatening to divide the
Anglican Communion. Among these are the question of
authority of synods, bishops and Bible, women bishops,
conscience provisions for those unable to accept the
sacramental ministry of women, ordination of homosexual
priests, same sex partnerships. In the past there has
been a strong element of provincial autonomy – that
is letting each national church - English, Scottish,
American, South African, Australian, Kenyan and so on to
make their own decisions. This has been done within a
framework of close attention to the opinions of the
Archbishop of Canterbury and the assembled Bishops at the
Lambeth Conference all under girded by Common Prayer
largely using the 1662 Book of Common Prayer with a few
provincial deviations.
We are now living in a different world. Authority,
especially of a voluntary sort, is given less weight.
Provincial Churches are more likely to do what they wish
without considering what others think. The almost
universal use of the Book of Common Prayer has broken
down as Provinces revise their Liturgies and within that
revision allow many variations.
A variety of attempts are being made to promote what are
being called instruments of unity. There is a feeling
that the degree of diversity within the Anglican
Communion is stretching its unity to breaking point. Some
say this doesn't matter. Others, and I am one, say that
there are sufficient broken relationships in the world
without the Anglican Communion becoming another one and
there is great richness in the world wide character of
the Anglican Communion.
Some seek to strengthen the authority of one or more of
the following instruments of unity: the Archbishop of
Canterbury, the Lambeth Conference, the Anglican
Consultative Council, the Primates meeting, Canon Law,
common doctrine, common ways of interpreting the
Bible. When the Church of England severed communion
with the Bishop of Rome in 1532, no one guiding principle
served as the sole focus of authority. Matters legally
needed the agreement of Parliament and the Convocations
(that is Houses of Bishops and Clergy of the provinces of
Canterbury and York). These different bodies had to
discuss and negotiate with each other. What under girded
their discussions was the spirituality of all members of
the Church of England set out by Archbishop Cranmer.
Members of the Church of England were to hear the whole
Bible read each year in the Liturgy of the Church day by
day. This formed the temper and spirit by which
conversations and negotiations took place.
What was lost to the Anglican Communion in the 20th
century was this reading the whole Bible in the Liturgy
each day, each year. It is only as this is restored many
argue that the Churches of the Anglican Communion will
come to a common mind. I suspect that it is the same
within each parish, deanery and diocese of the Church of
England as well as in the Church of England as a whole.
Such a restoration will be very hard and will probably
come best by a number of more manageable steps. We need
better schemes for reading through the whole Bible in the
context of the daily liturgy. This needs to be manageable
by busy people. I am sure that as we address this issue
we will form a common wisdom and a common spirit which
will assist in a better balance between unity and
diversity than we are managing at the moment. May God
guide us all in this endeavour.
Christopher Morgan-Jones
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