History was recently made – Cherry Vann, in a same-sex civil partnership, has been named the 15th Archbishop of Wales. This landmark appointment has established a new precedent for both women and LGBTQ individuals within the Anglican church.
However, the question must be asked, is social diversity acceptable within the wider Anglican communion? The answer to this question is not straightforward, as within a single denomination, the existence of different factions makes it impossible to pin down a unanimous set of principles.
This should not be a surprise as the Church of England has historically, from the time of Elizabeth 1, been a wide church encompassing views from bible believing Protestant evangelicals to high Anglo Catholic sacramental or extreme liberal world views. So in order to establish whether Anglicanism as a whole is in crisis, we must first understand what each of the factions think of the appointment of Cherry Vann.
The Church of England
Officially, the Church of England is tolerant of same-sex civil partnerships, and for the most part celebrates the ordination of women. However, it is obvious that the Church is not united in its view of same sex marriage. Cherry Vann, being a woman in a same-sex civil partnership, is accepted, even applauded by the liberal wing which is leading the push towards the blessing of same sex marriage and behind prayers of love and faith.
Nevertheless, this particular inclination towards inclusivity has earned the criticism of some on the grounds of a perceived erosion of tradition and ignorance of biblical texts. These conflicting responses rely on different views of the authority of the Bible and different interpretations of the relevant texts.
The Church in Wales
In 1920, the Welsh church became its own established institution; no longer existing in association with the Church of England. Any conversation regarding the appointment of the Archbishop of Wales must be thought of in reference to the particular principles of the Welsh Church as an institution in its own right.
Upon investigation, it becomes quite apparent that the appointment of Cherry Vann is entirely compatible with the Welsh Church’s ideology. The Church approves of the ordination of women, and equally approves of same-sex civil partnerships.
However, the Church, as with every mainstream denomination, could be accused of hypocrisy as the Nicene Creed is cited as a Formal Statement of Faith which some interpret as a reinforcement of the idea that men exist in a state of divine superiority.
It seems evident that there exists a paradox: how can the Welsh Church be externally forward facing, whilst being internally dismissive of women by the nature of their statements of faith? Many Christians say that the Creed must be understood in the context of the patriarchal societies of the time and that the New Testament celebrates the dignity and worth of both men and women.
The Church of Nigeria and the global South
The Church of Nigeria having already taken a significantly less progressive stance on the issue of the ordination of women, has now cut ties with the Church in Wales all together. Archbishop Ndukuba described the developments made in the form of his Welsh counterpart as “an abomination”.
This opposition is echoed by the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (GAFCON) which includes particularly strong representation from Anglicans in Africa, Asia and South America. But the Nigerian Church has not always been so extreme in its attitude to women priests promising, in a pastoral letter issued by the primate of the Church in 2007, that the appointment of female clergy may be “revisited in the future”.
Evidently, the attitude of the Church has been drastically swayed by Cherry Vann’s new position, as it appears that all factions have had to assume an extreme ideological stance in light of her appointment which these churches believe is in total contradiction to biblical teaching.
Personal take
The divisive appointment of Cherry Vann has caused different bodies within Anglicanism to convert to political institutions, rather than spiritual ones. The reason for this phenomenon can most likely be explained with the idea that all belief is participating in a “market-place of ideas”. In order to retain its stake in the “market” religious institutions have had to respond to modern day ideological shifts: this includes the swing towards a moderately progressive left amongst the youth, and equally an uptake of right wing politics amongst older generations (generally speaking).
This in turn has meant that religious appointments are more likely to become influenced by secular views to ensure that Anglicanism continues to be a competitive ideological product. However, in the process of moving in accordance with an ever-changing market the Anglican denomination generally seems to have lost its commitment to truth claims, and hence lost its spiritual integrity.
Simply put, a fractured Church can only be committed to a fractured idea of God. Anglicanism is in crisis, evidently, not only because of internal divides and potential schisms, but because of an ill-advised choice to sacrifice truth-claims in favour of becoming a marketable product of faith.
In conclusion, it seems as though Anglicanism is spiralling into becoming a disunited and broken denomination. Commitment to a larger spiritual identity has been sacrificed in the interests of presenting various factions of Christian faith as competitive products.
Even if we omit my personal hypothesis, it is still abundantly clear that a single denomination is being pulled in two significantly polarised directions.
This surely does not bode well for Anglicanism as a whole.
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