Essays on Anglican discord lively and intelligent
I received my copy of In Spirit and in Truth on the same weekend as I received news that The Episcopal Church (the Anglican Church in the United States) will consecrate to the episcopate yet another openly practising homosexual, this time in Los Angeles, even as it continues to threaten to depose and/or sue Episcopalian priests and bishops who disagree with its current course of action. So much for the "gracious restraint" to which all Anglicans have recently been called.
I'm afraid that this context invariably colours my review of this very fine collection of essays by traditionally-minded Canadian Anglican scholars on the topic that has torn the fabric of communion of the Church I love and to which I am called: the blessing of same-sex unions.
The question set before the contributors—all from within the orbit of Wycliffe College—by recent events in the Anglican Church of Canada is this: is the blessing of same-sex unions a legitimate, Spirit-led development in the Anglican Church of Canada? In four sections, the authors frame sophisticated and powerful arguments that, while insisting upon pastorally generous responses to homosexual Christians, the answer is no. Whether the question is considered from the perspective of the history of doctrine (Part I), pneumatology (Part II), cultural development (Part III), or human relationality (Part IV), the contributors agree that the tradition and trajectory of Christian thought on this matter is clear. The blessing of same-sex relationships represents not a development, but rather a departure from historic Christian faith.
Space does not permit a full and fair evaluation of the individual essays; some general observations ought nonetheless to be made. First, and perhaps most important, this collection effectively demolishes the canard that Christians who follow the tradition in matters of human sexuality are socially illiterate, culturally backward homophobes. This argumentum ad hominem, sadly, needs to be regularly parried in these discussions and it is again, here.
Further, the essays are lively, powerful and accessibly written in the hope that the collection will secure a wide lay audience beyond academic and ecclesiastical leadership circles. Finally, its optimism is commendable. The editors have presented their church with a collection of essays in the hope that they will, together, persuade others of the vitality and veracity of what remains the accepted Christian tradition across East and West.
And it is on this last point that two further comments need to be made. The first is this: though this is a book written by Canadian Anglicans and intended for Canadian Anglicans, it deserves a wide reading. For the struggles faced by the Anglican Church of Canada, as indeed global Anglicans, will soon be, if they are not yet, the struggles faced by even the most evangelical of congregations and denominations.
The second has to do with the optimistic tone. I confess that I find it difficult to share, not least because, as I survey global, national and local developments, it looks like the course is charted and, in the words of Margaret Thatcher, "The Lady is not for changing!" But the fault here is mine. For the contributors find their optimism not in current events, but in the God who calls, redeems and sanctifies His Church; the God who raised our Lord Jesus from the dead.
Canadian Anglicans, whether they find themselves in the Anglican Network in Canada, or the Anglican Church of Canada (and I have dear friends and respected colleagues in both), are called by this volume not to be distracted by the "ruins of the church." Its essays rather exhort readers to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, despising its shame.
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