| Feature Article – May 2008 |
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On the internet, in the last issue of the Anglican Journal, in the newspapers, on the news and around the water cooler, there has been much talk of division and unity within the Anglican Church of Canada. A great deal of this talk has centred around issues of sexuality. Before going on, I would like to make clear my own standpoint. I believe that Christ always challenged the status quo and always fought for and befriended those who had been pushed away by society. I feel as Christians we are called to do the same. That said, I understand and respect other people’s positions on the issue of human sexuality and do not wish to debate that topic in this article. What I wish to discuss are my concerns about disunity, which I shall illustrate by giving a couple historical examples of division.
The Anglican Church, both in Canada and worldwide, is united by basic principles or doctrine. These principles are set out in credal statements (the Apostles’ Creed, Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed) along with 39 Articles of Religion. These statements are upheld in principle by all Anglican churches, but there is still room for local interpretation as well as local differences in non-credal or non-fundamental issues.
Moving more broadly: there are many groups of people called Christians who differ on many aspects of religion, but agree about certain things, namely the importance of Christ. This differentiation existed very early in the Church of Christ, as is shown in 1 Cor 11:18. The important thing, however, is that all Christians are united in Christ. Christians, however, should not seek division simply for the sake of dividing. Division can be a very dangerous thing, as it often causes groups to redirect their energy towards harming one another, instead of building together. Two good examples of this are seen in the partition of India and various Papal schisms in the Middle Ages.
Well before the end of WWII it was clear that change was needed in India and that Great Britain would have to withdraw. After a series of conferences throughout the first half of the 20th century it was decided that England would leave India and, in 1947, two independent states were formed: India and Pakistan. Pakistan was intended to represent the needs of the ca. 100m Muslims of colonial India while the new Union of India was to be a primarily Hindu state. Further division occurred later as other smaller nations emerged in the sub-continent. A series of wars followed partition. Thousands were killed and millions were left homeless. More recently, tensions between India and Pakistan have been seen in their nuclear arms race, which has proven to be both politically costly as well as a financial stain on two countries in which poverty is rampant. I would by no means say that partition was a poor decision and it must be remembered that the forces at play in the 1940s left England and India in a very difficult political position. The partition does show, however, that division can lead to resources being spent on disagreement instead of on bettering the people involved. Partition also left minority groups in the new formed nations (Hindus in Pakistan and Muslims in India) with even less say, a result I could easily see happening in Canada, leaving people on both sides of the debate in the minority and feeling alienated by their church.
Another example can be seen in papal schism of the 1300s. Starting in 1305 the papacy was centred in Avignon, France, ending in 1377 when Pope Gregory XI returned to Rome. His reign ended in 1378, when he died and was replaced by Urban VI. Urban’s election was challenged and Clement VII was elected in Avignon.
Christendom was now governed by two popes, with two colleges of cardinals and two sets of taxes. Each pope excommunicated the other and fought for political approval. To solve the problem of a duel papacy a third was established in Pisa. Finally, in 1414 King Sigismund of Germany called a council, all three popes were deposed and the papacy was re-established in Rome under Pope Martin V. The schism discredited papal supremacy, left churches in ruins, pitted royal families against one another and left believers questioning the church. It should be noted that this was neither the first nor last challenge to the papacy, as I am sure most Anglicans are intimately aware.
Both the events in India and of the papal schism were veiled in the guise of religion. It is clear, however, that religion took a back seat to politics in both these situations. Likewise I think that religion is a secondary issue in the more recent calls for schism in the Anglican Church of Canada. The simple fact is that you and I disagree. I am not sure about what we disagree, but I am sure that if we spoke long enough we could find something: views on sexuality, favourite flavour of ice cream, the ordination of women, which prayer book to use, whether to intinct or drink, etc. I am sure, however, that we could also find many things about which we do agree: the nature of Christ, the importance of good works, the importance of loving God and loving our neighbour. Are these issues not more fundamental to the church than issues of politics?
The Most Rev. Fred Hiltz made it clear in his address on Feb 28, 2008 that there are far more Anglicans who come together and love one another than those who choose to break with the Anglican Church of Canada. Although many of these people disagree, they are able to stand beside one another, share the Cup and share the Peace. We live in a world where millions are starving, where bombs shatter villages and where churches struggle week by week to fill the pews. Instead of fighting over issues like sexuality, a fight that will take a huge financial toll in the court room and a huge personal toll within parishes, we should work as Christians for what we truly believe. Although churches breaking away could set a troublesome precident, it should be understood that a division within a church is not a division of Christ, but rather a division of people. Let us all come together, as Christ would do, in love and forget about dividing from one another. Remember that “there is one body and one Spirit[...] one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all” (Eph 4:4-6, NRSV).
I welcome response to this article, either in the Mustard Seed or privately by email (which may be sent care of the Mustard Seed). I also welcome rejuvenation in love for one another and for one church in this Easter Season.