Disagreeing over disagreement: A response to the Faith and Order Commission report ‘Communion and Disagreement’
by Martin Davie, Reflections of an Anglican Theologian.
As the Bishop of Coventry explains in his Preface, the report Communion and Disagreement (GS MIsc 1139 ) has been written to support the shared conversations of human sexuality that are currently taking place in the Church of England by providing ‘some reflections on theologically responsible ways of holding difference, diversity and serious disagreement within the common life of the church’ (p.1)…
…In summary, what the report says is:
- Disagreement is an inevitable result of the Church’s engagement in mission and the fact that Christian theology is based on the interpretation of Scripture;
- The goal when discussing areas of disagreement is for the Church to grow together in its knowledge of the truth of the gospel and for the best interpretation of the biblical material to emerge.
- Disagreement can be problematic when it leads people away from the way and truth of Christ and causes conflict leading to sinful behaviour;
- Disagreement that leads people away from the truth and way of Christ requires repentance and when necessary ecclesiastical discipline;
- There need to be structures for handling disagreement that involve the consultation of all members of the Church, deliberation by some on behalf of all and consultation between churches….
- …In order to sustain conversation in the face of disagreement there needs to be patience, a willingness to talk face to face, a variety of different types of conversation (addressing the issue itself, what type of disagreement it is and how to respond to it ), and the exercise of the virtues of empathy, humility, meekness and forbearance…
[But]
…A better way forward than that adopted by Communion and Disagreement for looking at the significance of different kinds of agreement would be to use the framework provided by the Scriptures, the Patristic writings and historic formularies of the Church of England to determine what things are necessary for salvation and what puts salvation in jeopardy, what the necessary characteristics of the visible church are and where moral issues fit into the picture.
This would then make clear what those things are on which agreement is absolutely necessary within the Church and those thing on which disagreement, while never desirable, might be tolerable for the time being while the Church seeks agreement in truth…
…If what has been said in this response is correct it is not enough for the Church of England to establish structures to discuss the current disagreement over human sexuality and for those engaged in these discussions to behave in a virtuous manner towards each other.
Instead, the Church of England needs to aim at resolving the current disagreement over sexuality by achieving agreement on issues of theology and practice in accordance with the truth… the proper way forward is for the Church of England to renew its collective commitment to the Church’s traditional view of sexual ethics, to develop a programme to explain and defend its teaching both within the church and in the public square, to develop effective forms of pastoral care to support those with same-sex attraction and to be willing exercise pastoral discipline when required.
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