Thanks for this analysis Tim. But can I make a plea about terminology? The Alliance and CEEC are not 'conservative'; they are Anglican. As you comment: 'None of this smacks of the hierarchy having a clear idea of what it wants, why it wants it, and how it can legally implement it.' To object to something incoherent, probably illegal, and certain not Anglican and indeed out of line with the teaching of the church catholic is not to be 'conservative'. It would better be described as 'sane'.
I hear your plea Ian and know it's one you make often. But my job is to explain the facts in clear simple terms and not allow my terminology to become sucked into the culture war (e.g. over calling oneself 'orthodox' etc etc). Conservatives wish to conserve the church's teaching on this, liberals wish to liberalise. These are well-known, comprehensible everyday descriptors a non-specialist reader can immediately understand. Neither camp probably likes the labels and of course they are a little reductionist to the complexity of the story, but I'm afraid they are the best one-word terms we have. And again, while I understand the argument you make about it being simply 'Anglican', I'm afraid we are at risk of lapsing into the no true Scotsman fallacy here, so no, I'm not about to start calling only one side of an internal C of E fight just 'Anglicans'. Sorry!
Yes, I understand that. The difference here is that every single clergperson in the C of E is charged to 'conserve', to 'pass on entire the inheritance of faith'. So that language is different from another organisation where some want change and others want preservation. The tricky thing here is what those who change want is a change of doctrine—which has not happened in the C of E since 1662. It is not trivial!
What here is evangelical rather than merely 'Anglican'? All clergy have to attest that they 'believe the doctrine of Christ as the Church of England has received it'. The C of E is a deeply conservative institution; to be 'conservative' in this sense is actually to be Anglican.
Great stuff, thanks Tim. Enjoy the weekend!
Thanks! Likewise
Thanks for this analysis Tim. But can I make a plea about terminology? The Alliance and CEEC are not 'conservative'; they are Anglican. As you comment: 'None of this smacks of the hierarchy having a clear idea of what it wants, why it wants it, and how it can legally implement it.' To object to something incoherent, probably illegal, and certain not Anglican and indeed out of line with the teaching of the church catholic is not to be 'conservative'. It would better be described as 'sane'.
That's an evangelical comment if I've ever seen one ;)
I hear your plea Ian and know it's one you make often. But my job is to explain the facts in clear simple terms and not allow my terminology to become sucked into the culture war (e.g. over calling oneself 'orthodox' etc etc). Conservatives wish to conserve the church's teaching on this, liberals wish to liberalise. These are well-known, comprehensible everyday descriptors a non-specialist reader can immediately understand. Neither camp probably likes the labels and of course they are a little reductionist to the complexity of the story, but I'm afraid they are the best one-word terms we have. And again, while I understand the argument you make about it being simply 'Anglican', I'm afraid we are at risk of lapsing into the no true Scotsman fallacy here, so no, I'm not about to start calling only one side of an internal C of E fight just 'Anglicans'. Sorry!
Yes, I understand that. The difference here is that every single clergperson in the C of E is charged to 'conserve', to 'pass on entire the inheritance of faith'. So that language is different from another organisation where some want change and others want preservation. The tricky thing here is what those who change want is a change of doctrine—which has not happened in the C of E since 1662. It is not trivial!
What here is evangelical rather than merely 'Anglican'? All clergy have to attest that they 'believe the doctrine of Christ as the Church of England has received it'. The C of E is a deeply conservative institution; to be 'conservative' in this sense is actually to be Anglican.