Will the Real Anglican Difficulty Please Stand Up?

It has come to my attention that there is confusion as to what the "real" dilemna is in Anglicanism. Some of my brother priests in Fort Worth believe that it is primarily a problem of the ordination of women, and in constructing a "slippery-slope timeline" will point to July 29th, 1974 as the date of implosion. In a recent publication from the American Anglican Council, that date is noticeably missing. Evangelicals will look to the General Convention in August of 2003 or to November 2003 (the consecration of V. Gene Robinson) as the "big day." Others are a bit more particular, looking to the Righter Trial, or to the Bishop Pike controversy, etc. Still others will look to the Lambeth Conference of 1930, which was the first authoritative Christian body to approve of the use of contraceptives.

The problem with all of this is a desire to make the struggle more simple than it, in fact, is. When a software engineer looks at a bunch of code, he works under the assumption that there is something deficient about one line of code. When a mechanic troubleshoots a car, he narrows down the array of possibilities to one issue, he replaces the part, reassembles, and cleans up the mess. The issue is that troubleshooting does not suffice in matters of theology and human nature. The Freudian idea that I can be fixed by a simple realization of self is a pipedream. The problem is far more complex than that. It is the same as the difference between a bad alternator and a car that is simply a lemon.

The Anglican Communion is not a car. It cannot be fixed by replacement of parts or even by a trade-in. In essence, ecclesial controversies are not troubles to be "fixed" because we are dealing with real human beings - and human beings cannot be simply "fixed." No, the Gospel calls for much more than that. The Gospel calls for restoration and conversion. It's a bit like when This Old House takes the ramshackle bungalow and makes it into something remarkable. It has plumbing problems, and a small kitchen, and inadequate layout. So restoration alone is insufficient - the house must be converted as well. The boiler has be removed and replaced with central heat. The old tub has to be replaced with a whirlpool. The electrical system cannot return to the way it was in 1920 - no, it must be updated for the sake of safety.

In the process of diagnosis that is taking place in the Church, it is important to take an approach that is comprehensive (in the Anglican sense) and wholistic. What must be recognized is that we face an epidemic - not an isolated case. The society has been infected with a strange foreign virus, and we have caught it. What is it?

Some have said in recent days that we have, in our thinking, gone from theology to politics to economics to biology. And it suffices to say that theology and biology are not the same discipline. While I may observe, for instance, that biologically the only difference between male and female is one of equipment - I cannot say the same theologically. (Note that the PB-elect is a marine biologist by trade.) Thus, we attempt to force a biological worldview into the realm of theology, and consequentially, onto the Faith. Although sexuality is just one point of confusion, it is the most prominent. In addition, human sexuality is a complex web of understandings and paradigms. In order for those understandings to be restored, the repair of one aspect will not do the job - all must be inspected and if deficient - restored and converted.

Case in point, the one who says that women's ordination is the sole problem has failed to see that it is a specific understanding of gender which has brought those with whom he disagrees to their conclusions. Likewise, the one who grumbles about the homosexual agenda must realize that the possibility of homosexual practice and temptation are only one component of the human person and that even he may have fallen into a worldview that is primarily biological. The one who looks to legality and jurisdiction must inspect the understandings in which those in authority came to that authority. The greatest point is this: our troubles are not caused by missteps on one point, they are rather the effect of a far more general confusion and haziness.

The good news is that the Holy Spirit acts to confect conversion in wholistic manner. The Christian is brought nearer and nearer to perfection through a series of skirmishes and battles for not only his deeds, but also his will, his heart, and his body. If he only had one problem, the work of sanctification would be a cinch. Yet, he must be restored and converted, not fixed and repaired. Thus, our diagnosis must be subjugated to the technique and strategy of the One who will heal this mess. If we are to be of any assistance, however humble, let us submit our understanding to His most gracious will.