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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 January 2009
The Anglican Church is now a worldwide communion and international Anglicanism is marked by a high degree of variety and significant tensions both at local and international levels. Dealing with diversity and conflict across the communion may be the most pressing issue facing Anglicanism in the twenty-first century. Certainly the needs of mission require a strong focus on local and regional concerns and the history of Anglicanism bears testimony to a strong emphasis on a contextual and incarnational approach to discipleship, worship and social engagement. For this reason the Anglican Church has always wrestled with the tension between its inherited identity and the demand for relevance in an expanding communion. Many of the tensions and unresolved conflicts that beset modern Anglicanism arise because of the astonishing capacity of the Church to develop new responses in new situations that result in practices that do not fit easily with the received tradition. These point to a fundamental fact of Christianity; its inherent creativity and capacity for innovation. But not all innovations are wise for the Church; many innovations generate further conflict and the people of God are often confused or puzzled about what innovations to adopt or reject, and how to facilitate either of these scenarios. Some examples in the history of Christianity include controversies over the date of Easter, the development of church order (for example, episcopacy), doctrinal developments (for example, homoousion of the Nicene Creed), and issues to do with slavery, marriage, divorce and, more recently, ordination of women. None of these ‘innovations’ were greeted with immediate consensus at the point of local adoption nor as the innovation became more widely known and assimilated into the life of the Church.
From an ecclesial point of view the fact of innovation represents both a challenge to, and opportunity for an enhanced koinonia in the gospel. Minimally this involves commitment to ongoing patient dialogue and face-to-face encounter as innovations are wrestled with, differences explored and conflicts faced. This article considers further the concepts of innovation and undecidability as critical issues underlying much of our current difficulties. The article then inquires as to their relevance and importance for the koinonia of the Anglican Communion.
1. The dialectical relation between identity and relevance is discussed by Moltmann, Jurgen, The Crucified God (London: SCM Press, 1974), pp. 7–30.Google Scholar
2. Note that even here the process of guarding/preserving is not simple. It requires the assistance of the indwelling Holy Spirit, the teacher of truth. Guarding is an inherently dynamic interpretive activity that resists attempts at political and theological short cuts.
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16. The question of slavery is a relatively modern example and even more recently the issue of racism.
17. In Anglicanism, at least, the truth we can carry together is the truth that binds us. We have never had the luxury of splitting questions of truth from the social/ecclesiological context—which is always more than mere context but rather the essential condition for the emergence of truth.
18. For a useful overview and discussion of Derrida's scattered references to undecidability in relation to moral decisions see Llewelyn, John, ‘Responsibility with Indecidability’ in Wood, David (ed.), Derrida: A Critical Reader (Oxford: Blackwell, 1992), ch. 4Google Scholar. I am grateful to Dr Winifred Lamb, for references and discussion on this issue and a copy of an unpublished paper by Reynolds, Jack, Australian National University, ‘Habituality and Undecidability: A Comparison of Merleau-Ponty and Derrida on Decision’.Google Scholar
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29. Article 20 of the Thirty-Nine Articles.
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32. In this regard it is worth noting the nature of the questions posed for the Primate's meeting in October 2003 by the Inter-Anglican Theological and Doctrinal Commission. The first question asked the Primates to make a theological judgment concerning the significance of the blessing of same-sex unions, the ordination of nonabstinent homosexual persons to the diaconate and priesthood and the appointment of such a person to the office of Bishop. This theological question was followed up with two further questions of an ecclesial and pastoral kind. While consensus might not have been possible on the first question nonetheless the Commission was signalling the importance of responsible theological engagement as a primary task of church leaders precisely at a time when emotional, political and ideological tensions were most powerful. The full text of the Commission's paper is available on the web page of the Anglican Communion.
33. Hardy, Daniel's unpublished paper, ‘Anglicanism in the Twenty-First Century: Scriptural, Local, Global’, delivered at the American Academy of Religion, Atlanta, 2003Google Scholar, critiqued these two approaches to decision making in relation to the idea of Anglicanism.
34. Comments from an observer at the Convention.
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41. Though this is not a reason for ignoring possibilities to establish ways and means for the communion (at all levels of its life) to seek those things most needful; time, space and peace.
42. For a discussion see Giddens, Anthony, The Consequences of Modernity (Cambridge: Polity Press, 1990), especially ch. 3.Google Scholar
