Exclusive Buzzle Interview: The Anglican Issue

By Anastacia Mott Austin

In reading articles about what is occurring within the Anglican Church, it’s difficult to get a read on what the issues actually are. As luck would have it, I was able to sit down with an Anglican bishop and get his insight into the story.

Win Mott (full disclosure: the bishop in question is my father), a Suffragan Bishop in the Diocese of the West, consented to an interview with Buzzle to explain in some depth the issues that are facing the Church.

AMA: So, what’s going on with the Anglicans?

WM: Well, for some time there has been disagreement in the Anglican Church about the authority of Scripture, and those you might call "liberals" feel that the Scripture does not have authoritative value for modern people, even as interpreted by great thinkers from the Church.

AMA: By Scripture, you mean the Bible?

WM: Yes.

AMA: What, exactly, is an Anglican?

WM: Unlike other Christian denominations like Roman Catholics, for example, the Anglican perspective is a point of view rather than a structure. Though there are 38 Anglican provinces throughout the world, they are all considered autonomous. They do, however, purportedly share a link, that they are part of the same "church," or theology. The Episcopal Church has been, up until now, the American province of the Anglican Orthodox Church.

AMA: So what is the problem, then?

WM: Anglicans who consider themselves orthodox have been unhappy in having to be connected with provinces that do not view the Scripture as the authoritative voice of the church. In a liberal province, they might vote to decide what they believe, or how to interpret the Scripture. But orthodoxy will always return to teachings that are grounded in and consistent with what we know to be true of the Scripture.

AMA: Why is the media focusing on the issue of the gay bishop?

WM: I don’t know. You’d have to ask the media that. Maybe because it’s more interesting to your average reporter than issues of theology. While the media sees this as a question of a gay bishop, orthodox Anglicans see this as a much deeper issue of where Christians find the authority by which to live their lives.

AMA: Can you be more specific?

WM: The crisis in Anglicanism has been about where the authority is for Christians in their lives. A great, succinct statement came out of the Jerusalem Conference (GafCon) which reads, "The doctrine of the Church is grounded in the Holy Scripture and in such teachings of the ancient fathers and councils of the Church as are agreeable to the same."

AMA: What is the Jerusalem Conference?

WM: The Jerusalem Conference (GafCon) was a gathering of all of the orthodox Anglican bishops from all over the world, the majority of the world’s Anglicans. These 300 bishops, the majority of whom are from Africa, gathered in Jerusalem to define a path for the future of Anglicanism, both stressing its commitment to Scripture and the end of the colonial era, when Anglicanism was seen simply as an extension of the British Empire. From now on, Anglicanism is defined by its commitment to Scripture, not by its commitment to the Queen (and her representative, the Archbishop of Canterbury).

AMA: I see that in the Jerusalem Declaration it reaffirms that marriage is between one man and one woman.

WM: Yes, this was just one point in the declaration, but the media want to focus on this. The early church was smart enough to stay away from the marriage business altogether. Marriages were civil ceremonies, sometimes blessed by the Church. When the Church did get involved in marriages, it was more of a dynastic affair. The standard definition was, and still is, that marriage is between one man and one woman. That is the tradition of our church, that is was the Scripture tells us.

AMA: I’ve also read about the Anglicans not wanting women to be bishops.

WM: Again, this is what the media has decided to focus on, and it is not the real issue. There was no statement made one way or another at the conference. Each province is autonomous.

AMA: What is the Lambeth Conference?

WM: The Lambeth Conference has been meeting every 10 years for the last 150 years or so, convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury. All of the bishops from the 38 provinces usually attend. The Lambeth conference is not a legislative body, so nothing of significance will be decided.

AMA: So has there been a definitive split within the Anglican Church?

WM: Well, it depends on who you’re asking. The orthodox Anglicans would say no, there has not been a split, but there has been a major difference of opinion. As orthodox Anglicans, there is only a statement of commitment to what has always been true, so there is no change from that. There are some orthodox bishops who feel that there is nothing in common with the liberal point of view, other than the name "Anglican."

AMA: So is this just the Episcopalians versus the orthodox Anglicans?

WM: In essence. There has been a splitting there. The Episcopal Church is seeing people leaving to join the worldwide Anglican orthodoxy.

AMA: Where are they going?

WM: Well, if the orthodox members of an Episcopalian church are in the minority, they are simply leaving their congregations. In some areas, the majority are orthodox, and there have been some battles between the Episcopal Church, which wants to retain the church buildings, and the majority of the congregation, which wants to switch its affiliation to the worldwide Anglican Church. In some places entire diocese are changing affiliations.

AMA: So now what?

WM: American Anglicans have been greatly helped by the Jerusalem Conference and the 14-point statement of belief that was issued*. They will be forming a new Anglican province in the United States. There is an organization called the Common Cause Partners, which is made up of American orthodox Anglicans, working together to organize this new province. The Jerusalem Conference was a recognition of this new province, and the implication is that the Episcopal Church is no longer recognized as a province of the worldwide Anglican Church.

* THE JERUSALEM DECLARATION

In the name of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit:
We, the participants in the Global Anglican Future Conference, have met in the land of Jesus’ birth. We express our loyalty as disciples to the King of kings, the Lord Jesus. We joyfully embrace his command to proclaim the reality of his kingdom which he first announced in this land. The gospel of the kingdom is the good news of salvation, liberation and transformation for all. In light of the above, we agree to chart a way forward together that promotes and protects the biblical gospel and mission to the world, solemnly declaring the following tenets of orthodoxy which underpin our Anglican identity.

1. We rejoice in the gospel of God through which we have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Because God first loved us, we love him and as believers bring forth fruits of love, ongoing repentance, lively hope and thanksgiving to God in all things.

2. We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God written and to contain all things necessary for salvation. The Bible is to be translated, read, preached, taught and obeyed in its plain and canonical sense, respectful of the church’s historic and consensual reading.

3. We uphold the four Ecumenical Councils and the three historic Creeds as expressing the rule of faith of the one holy catholic and apostolic Church.

4. We uphold the Thirty-nine Articles as containing the true doctrine of the Church agreeing with God’s Word and as authoritative for Anglicans today.

5. We gladly proclaim and submit to the unique and universal Lordship of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, humanity’s only Saviour from sin, judgement and hell, who lived the life we could not live and died the death that we deserve. By his atoning death and glorious resurrection, he secured the redemption of all who come to him in repentance and faith.

6. We rejoice in our Anglican sacramental and liturgical heritage as an expression of the gospel, and we uphold the 1662 Book of Common Prayer as a true and authoritative standard of worship and prayer, to be translated and locally adapted for each culture.

7. We recognise that God has called and gifted bishops, priests and deacons in historic succession to equip all the people of God for their ministry in the world. We uphold the classic Anglican Ordinal as an authoritative standard of clerical orders.

8. We acknowledge God’s creation of humankind as male and female and the unchangeable standard of Christian marriage between one man and one woman as the proper place for sexual intimacy and the basis of the family. We repent of our failures to maintain this standard and call for a renewed commitment to lifelong fidelity in marriage and abstinence for those who are not married.

9. We gladly accept the Great Commission of the risen Lord to make disciples of all nations, to seek those who do not know Christ and to baptise, teach and bring new believers to maturity.

10. We are mindful of our responsibility to be good stewards of God’s creation, to uphold and advocate justice in society, and to seek relief and empowerment of the poor and needy.

11. We are committed to the unity of all those who know and love Christ and to building authentic ecumenical relationships. We recognise the orders and jurisdiction of those Anglicans who uphold orthodox faith and practice, and we encourage them to join us in this declaration.

12. We celebrate the God-given diversity among us which enriches our global fellowship, and we acknowledge freedom in secondary matters. We pledge to work together to seek the mind of Christ on issues that divide us.

13. We reject the authority of those churches and leaders who have denied the orthodox faith in word or deed. We pray for them and call on them to repent and return to the Lord.

14. We rejoice at the prospect of Jesus’ coming again in glory, and while we await this final event of history, we praise him for the way he builds up his church through his Spirit by miraculously changing lives.