Anglican Unity

The Rev. Canon Dr. Brian Ruttan
Priest in Charge – St. Hilda’s, Oakville

A basic axiom for Anglicans is: we agree to disagree. (Articles of Religion 34, Book of Common Prayer Canada  page 711)  We are not, like most Christian churches, a confessional church.  What is meant by “confessional” is that members are  required to subscribe to a specific statement of belief beyond the fundamental propositions of the historic creeds (the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed and the Athanasian Creed).  The Anglican Network accuses the Anglican Church of Canada of departing from orthodox Christianity (stated by Paul Charbonneau on CBC Radio 1 on Monday afternoon).  Beyond the historic creeds, the general guide of the  Articles of Religion, and our bishops, however, we have no formal magisterium like the Roman Catholic Church to act as official arbiter of right Christian belief.  All we have are our traditions including the creeds, scholarship of scripture, study, debate and synodical decision making moderated by our Bishops.  Therefore, it is fundamental to Anglicanism that those who hold to the Protestant principle, the church should be governed by Holy Scripture alone, and those who hold to a more ancient tradition of Holy Scripture, Reason and Tradition have a role to play in our witness to the world, continue to work together in mutual respect despite inevitable disagreements.

Anglicans have developed an affection for diverse viewpoints because we have learned through the long history of the Church that any demand for uniformity of belief results in schism, the breaking away of sects from the body of the church.  This has been the case particularly with confessional churches which, historically, have become more and more fragmented.  In the light of Jesus’s own prayer that we all be one in him (John 17), becoming more and more fragmented is deeply regrettable.

Anglican unity is fragile.  Our communion is amazingly diverse ranging from Anglo-Catholic to Evangelical congregations, from an emphasis on liturgical ritual to spontaneous spiritual expression, from plain song to praise choruses.  What holds  it all together is not theological agreement but a set of traditions of practice including:  our worship is  related  to the common liturgical tradition of The Book of Common Prayer,  recognizing that there are many different ways to grow in the Christian faith, that different people are drawn to different styles of faith nurture, that Christian faith is legitimately expressed in different commitments:  to evangelism, to social justice, to pastoral care in its many forms, and  to a willingness to struggle together with difficult issues and to learn from one another in the process.

Given this ethos, a feature of Anglicanism is a willingness not to force dissenters to adopt a new teaching or policy.  For instance, provisions were made in the Canadian church for those who objected in principle to the ordination of women.  In the decisions taken by the Diocese of Niagara on blessing of committed same gender domestic relationships, there was clarity about the so called “local option”: no priest and no congregation would be forced to perform or host such blessings.    

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