wfn.org | Australian Primate tackles the problem of authority

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2000-156

Australian Primate tackles the problem of authority in 
Anglicanism

by Debra Wagner

     (ENS) The Most Rev. Peter Carnley, primate of the Anglican 
Church of Australia, is no stranger to the problem of authority 
in Anglicanism. 

     So when Archbishop Carnley spoke at the General Theological 
Seminary in New York on October 2 about his forthcoming book, 
"Progressive Orthodoxy," he went straight to the heart of 
controversies in today's Communion.

     "Frankly, the problem for Anglicans at the universal level 
is the integration of leadership to achieve coherent thought," 
Carnley said to a crowded room of nearly 100 professors and 
students. He was referring to the 1998 Lambeth resolution that 
called for restructuring the four instruments of unity for the 
Communion into a more integrated system. 

     Overwhelmingly passed at Lambeth, it called for the Anglican 
Consultative Council (ACC) to become a more representative 
Anglican Communion Council that would include a House of 
Primates. The Archbishop of Canterbury would remain the 
"spiritual leader" and the meeting of all Anglican bishops at 
Lambeth every 10 years would be "more connected to the life of 
the Communion." 

     "We are not just a federation of independent churches. We 
call ourselves a 'Communion.' That means we have to struggle to 
reach unity of heart and mind," said Carnley.

A matter of discipline

     The integration of the instruments of communion is not the 
only problem. The recent consecration of two American bishops in 
Singapore to provide oversight for conservative parishes in the 
Episcopal Church without the permission of Presiding Bishop Frank 
T. Griswold provoked some strong reaction among bishops 
throughout the Communion. 

     "These so-called renegade bishops have nothing to do with 
canonical structures. It is a matter of discipline and those who 
consecrated them should be rapped on the knuckles," said Carnley.

     So where can Anglicans find a theology of authority? He 
pointed to the long history of Anglican theology that has a 
"cautious reticence in the area of doctrine." Anglicans are 
"almost stereotypically unable to commit to definitions of 
theological points. Instead we are committed to an ultra-orthodox 
awareness of God as an infinite mystery and the limits of our 
human understanding," explained Carnley. 

     This dovetails with the fact that the Anglican Church did 
not begin with a confessional statement of faith like the 
Protestant denominations. There are no uniquely Anglican points 
to defend. "The 39 Articles in the Prayer Book were designed to 
include rather than exclude theological expression," he said.

Living with ambiguity

     Therefore, Carnley said, Anglicans are hesitant to 
"pontificate. We are content to live with ambiguity as we might 
experience God's transcendence in awe and wonder."

     To the archbishop, Anglicans are not big on dogma but excel 
in worship. "Our respect for the mystery of God is expressed in 
worship rather than definitions or moral directives," he said. 
Anchoring theology in the mystery of God means that religious 
truth is sufficient for the practical purposes of life but does 
not tell us everything."

     The restructuring of the Anglican Consultative Council was 
not acted upon at the recent ACC meeting. At the Primates Meeting 
this year in Portugal, the primates did not even receive minutes 
from the meeting. "The two bodies are quite independent but some 
of us are still committed to change," he said. 

     According to this archbishop, that change could help solve 
the problem of authority in Anglicanism at the worldwide level.

Hobart lecture

     Carnley also addressed the issue of pastoral care at the 
inaugural Hobart Lecture, named for the third bishop of New York. 
The annual lectures will help priests learn more about caring for 
their congregations, said Bishop Richard Grein in his 
introduction to the series.

     Nearly a hundred clergy heard Carnley talk about the 
"tarnished" image of the pastor in modern society, a society that 
creates a hostile environment for clergy. The role of clergy has 
been "usurped" by secular professionals, such as counselors, 
psychiatrists and even radio talk show hosts. 

     "I urge you to keep in mind the biblical image of being a 
shepherd to the flock," Carnley said. "Move people from where 
they happen to be to where they might become. We need to gather 
the people of God together and show them their mutual 
interdependence to one another."

     Carnley admitted that, while the image of a shepherd 
gathering and protecting the flock has numerous biblical 
references, it does not always "fit well with modern thought." 
One popular trend, he noted, calls for the pastor to "move the 
flock from maintenance to mission."

     He added, "Building and protecting a community is crucial. 
It is evangelical. Morally leading the people of God means taking 
them all on a spiritual journey to a better place."

--Debra Wagner is editor of the Episcopal New Yorker.