Australian Primate Tackles the Problem of Authority in Anglicanism
Episcopal News Service. October 3, 2000 [2000-156]
Debra Wagner, Editor of the Episcopal New Yorker
(ENS) The Most Rev. Peter Camley, primate of the Anglican Church of Australia, is no stranger to the problem of authority in Anglicanism.
So when Archbishop Camley 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 Camley.
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.
Therefore, Camley 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
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 sees.
Nearly a hundred clergy heard Camley talk about the "tarnished" image of the pastor in modem 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," Camley 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."
Camley admitted that, while the image of a shepherd gathering and protecting the flock has numerous biblical references, it does not always "fit well with modem 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."
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