Anglican Disaffections

Since the Anglican Synod formally approved the ordination of women in November, 1992, a number of adherents, particularly those of High Church persuasion, have sought communion with the Roman Catholic Church.

Among those who left the Anglican fold was a well known government cabinet minister, who had also been an influential member of the Synod's House of Laity, and an articulate opponent of women priests. Commenting on his change of church association he said: "I don't think there is anything incompatible in saying I was perfectly happy to be an Anglican until the decision [about women priests] was made, and that it was perfectly impossible to remain one after it".

The basic reason for this was his concept of "the wider Catholic Church", a term used to embrace churches which claim a historical and continuous tradition of faith from apostolic times. These are viewed in contrast to "Protestant" churches whose principles and practices mainly derive from the sixteenth century Reformation period. The "wider Catholic Church" would therefore have included the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Anglican and "Old Catholic" communions. "0ld Catholics" are mainly European groups

which threw off Papal control but otherwise retained the traditional beliefs.

By going ahead with the ordination of women without the agreement of "the wider Catholic Church" to a matter of such fundamental principle, the Anglicans had (in this view) disqualified themselves from continued recognition as part of that wider Church. In a letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury the point was made that "the General Synod's unilateral assumption of power to change the Church's order had put the authority of the Archbishop on all fours with that of the President of the Methodist Conference or the Moderator of the United Reformed Church".

The word "Catholic", of course, means general or universal. Since the Reformation the Roman Catholic Church has used this title to distinguish itself from Protestant groups, and to denote the faith and practices of those who are in communion with the Pope. It is significant that the cabinet minister referred to above should say:

"I have become a Catholic because I have come to believe that there is no guarantee of Christian orthodoxy except in communion with the See of Peter". Many others are doubtless being drawn into the Roman Catholic fold because they are impressed by its solidarity and authoritative doctrinal views. They see it as a fortress of traditional stability in a world of bewildering spiritual and ethical confusion. The sad fact is that this vast organization has achieved its authoritative status on unsound spiritual premises. The powers claimed by its priests are even more unscriptural than the ordination of women by the Anglicans; and in so many other respects the Roman Catholic Church has made void the word of God by its traditions (Mat. 15:3-9). Antiquity of religious tradition cannot validate teachings and practices which contradict the principles of Holy Scripture.

There are also disaffected Anglicans who "have an emotional, historic aversion to Roman Catholicism, and yet no longer have a Church of England in which they can find rest". We would remind them that all who have come to Christ and found rest in His salvation are invited to take His yoke upon them and learn of Him, that they might find rest for their souls (Mat. 11:28,29) - rest in His service. Nor has He left us without guidance about our church association in His service. God's word assures us that each true believer in Christ is a member of the "Church which is His Body" (Eph. 1:22,23; 5:30). He is the Head of the Church, and as members of His Body believers can never be separated from Him. The first-century Christians were taught that the glorious fact of being fellow-members of the Body of Christ should find expression' through their being gathered according to His word in churches of God. Within those churches relationships with each other should reflect the harmony of working between different members of the physical body. Each local church of God was established on the same principles. The truths of the faith were binding upon them all. The resulting unity of the Spirit was maintained by the leadership of an elderhood which embraced the elders of all the churches (1 Cor. 7:17; 11:16; Eph. 4:13).

This unity is still expressed among churches of God today, fruit of the Holy Spirit's guidance in recovery of scriptural truth. Christian believers everywhere are earnestly invited to seek out "the way of the truth" (2 Pet. 2:2) until they find it.

unknown | Sept 1994
Focus