Authority and discernment in The Church of England Parish Communion St.Andrew s Corbridge 10ii13 Rev David Hewlett Vicar of Corbridge We d better start with Henry VIII and his marriages we should be under no illusion the Reformation would have come here from the continent anyway but Henry s specific requirements did influence the shape of the CofE at its inception and as we experience it today. In the early Tudor period and before churches were confessional. ie there was an acknowledged authority. In the Roman church it was the Pope who had supreme authority over doctrine, liturgy, ethics and church practise. You did it wrong and you either repented or were excommunicated. You believed it wrong and you could lose your head especially under Henry s daughter Mary bloody Mary. But puritanism could be described as confessional too. What we would call today a fundamentalist approach to the bible biblical fundamentalism is in fact a relatively new phenomena coming from USA from just before WW1- but for the puritans right belief was central; allied with simple worship and a simple life style. Both these egs of confessional models of church are still very much with us today:- The RC is not as tough as it was in Tudor times, especially after the ground-breaking work of Vatican 2, but of late it is becoming more conservative under Pope Benedict. And theologians who have not kept to the Vatican line on doctrine or ethics still find themselves relieved of teaching posts eg Hans Kung. We have also seen the religious right in the USA, and in England too extending their influence. They tend to be about right belief, if you can t sign up to their list of beliefs you can t belong and membership is a central concept one which is not part of the CofE s make up. So back to the Tudors How was the new CofE to be? What would be its methods of discernment? Where would its authority come from?
It had no Pope and no confessional puritan outlook either. Enter Richard Hooker 1554-1600 university fellow, until he married and became a parish priest. His work is foundational to our understanding of the CofE even today. The continental theologies : Justification Luther; sovereignty of God- Calvin; sovereignty of the Church Rome were to him inadequate for the CofE. CofE had little or no historical background to rest on so:- His starting point was a theology of participation. In participating in the divine venture people become whole and truly human. He saw authority and discernment resting on three pillars: scripture; reason and tradition. The classic definition still used today in definitions of Anglicanism the world over. Scripture was for Hooker to be wrestled with it was new, of course, to have bible widely available in English. Scripture gave insights into how to live in both concrete and spiritual ways, but to release its treasures one needed to apply reason. He did not view scripture in what we might today call fundamentalist terms. Reason for Hooker was a God-given gift. A tool to be used to unlock the truths of scripture and the natural world; and to give inspiration. Reason was not, he said, to give people absolute, infallible answers, but to provide the seeds of diversity rather than narrow uniformity +Alaistair Redfern 3rdly Tradition -the least important to Hooker- meant taking note of the accumulation of the human experience of the grace of God as seen down the history of the church. It was to be a resource for the now and for the future, NOT a straight jacket as to how things should always be done. A definition we need to note for our own time! Scripture/reason/tradition what were the results of Hooker s work:- the CofE will always be a mixed bunch. Some will veer towards the confessional end : this tends to offer safety but also rigidity. Some will be exploring churches which tend to be less safe even scary at times but which
offer space for exploration and give more freedom. Today we can see these exemplified in our own diocese of Newcastle large conservative evangelical churches; large liberal churches; Traditional Anglo-Catholic churches still anti-women s ministry; Rural churches with people from many differing backgrounds bound together by geography and affinity; Liberal Catholic community based churches like this one; liturgical churches eg The Cathedrals, and Abbeys. And such differences are to be found within individual church congregations as well as between churches of differing traditions more about that next time BUT and it s a big BUT.. all The CofE all gathered round the Bishop all members of the same faith family family is a good metaphor family members can t avoid being related, and do in the main look out for one another even if they don t always agree with one another! George Herbert end of 16th C He was a parish priest for just 3 years, but his contribution to the understanding of CofE on the ground was immense and profound. He emphasised parochial identity church was church of the community, prayed and served all, not just those who took part. The rural rule of life had been that the forces of nature plus the work of men and women s hands produced harvest.. to this formula he added God s role which he described according to +AR as a sustaining power, a governing power and a spiritual power. 4thly the parish priest was the pastor to all the people of the place still the CofE position. my responsibility under the bishop is to everyone in this parish not just to the congregation. This very different from how my free church and Roman Catholic colleagues see their ministries.
AB William Laud 1573-1648 benefitted from the Elizabeth I s BCP which established the CofE internationally and especially as set over against Rome. However he had to stand against the rise of the puritan anti royalists. He lost his head in the process when abandoned by Charles I to his enemies. His influence is however still to be seen and in this church. He introduced a modicum of order and formality to church life and practice, all underpinned by a deep spirituality and theological awareness, we can t unpack that now.. but practically he moved altars to the east end, ending their role as coat hangers; railed them off; robed choirs and cruciform church architecture was greatly encouraged and the development continued and continues. the evangelical revival with the Wesley brothers.. the oxford movement and the church moving into the slums of the industrial revolution cities for the first time.. and working there with those in poverty and great need. The Christian Social union founded in 1889 by Charles Gore Monasticism in CofE eg Mirfield Founded in 1892, where Paul Adamson trained for the ministry. The Cof E throughout its history has always opened itself to new thinking. Theologians agree and disagree without fear of any retribution from ecclesiastical authority. The search is for truth wherever it is to be found. It always seeks to work for unity, but not for uniformity; It has gradually become more and more the national church and, especially with Michael Ramsey s encouragement and the greater use of air travel there has been the growth of the Anglican worldwide Communion. Today Scripture /reason and tradition.. but new insights seem to be around the need for security in a troubled world is influencing some churches towards a more conservative position. We want certainty and answers, rather than questioning and journeying, is often heard...
I personally think that s sad and can be restricting of our possible experience of God. 2ndly our lives of prayer and discipleship have always been understood as part of the Anglican tripos, but perhaps they need to be there much more overtly when we talk about discernment and authority in the CofE Finally I think we need to re discover the confidence that being able to agree to differ brings. I know that for some of you, worshipping here has revealed to you that there is not just your way of being Christian, but that your way is one of many ways in which God calls us out as his followers. So the CofE will always be multi-faceted.. thank God for that,i say! Varieties of expression of liturgy; of doctrine; of ethics; of spirituality may we all use that variety to widen our experience of him who calls us to work for him in this world