On Unity

Schism is in the air. It sounds spectacular as the news flies around the world: Christians fighting over gayness. Should there not be peace and love among these Christians, especially given the prayers of Jesus for unity? Everywhere there is wringing of hands. 

Is this appropriate?  We should take a cool look and not just go with the media flow. 

First, from the Corinthians onwards there have been divisions. In Anglicanism they have been over women priests, birth control, the 1928 Prayer Book, the significance of baptism and whether there is eternal punishment; try John William Colenso on Google – if communications had been as good in the 1860’s as they are now, the storm would have been just as great. What is going on is that the church is searching for the truth; the truth is crystal clear to a few on both sides, and they are the ones who are almost certainly wrong. 

Secondly, it is in the nature of Anglicanism to be inclusive. That is the way that we were founded and long may we remain that way. A consequence is that we not only do our own washing but also other people’s and that very publicly. As the argument goes on, some will leave because they cannot take the give (and take) of inclusiveness. As at the time of the Elizabethan settlement (when they were very worried about bishops), every unity, however broad, has its limits. 

Thirdly, the talk of schism is inappropriate. Anglicanism is not a church. It is a family of churches and as in other extended families, the resemblance may be strong but can also be quite weak. Even in a close family there are arguments and occasionally a missile may fly across the kitchen; what is more, when you meet at weddings there may be some cousins with whom you agree to differ. 

Fourthly, I wonder whether the gay issue is all that important. Both sides seem to have become single issue fanatics about something over which most people lose little sleep and which is hardly in the bible or the tradition. 

We have become too cosy and introverted in our churches, loving and supporting each other; I do not think that is the unity for which Jesus prayed. We should indeed love each other and help each other, but not at the expense of addressing the crucial matters of our time. They are to do with faith in God, love of the poor, world peace and the environment.

Christopher Lewis is the Dean of Christ Church, Oxford