A Response to "Communion Matters"

by The Very Rev. Frank F. Limehouse, III

July 12, 2007


From the Preface of "Communion Matters: A Study Document for the Episcopal Church":

"The Theology Committee of the House of Bishops has been asked to prepare this study document as a resource for the bishops, dioceses, and the people of the Episcopal Church in considering the communique of the Primates Meeting of the Anglican Communion.

"As most Episcopalians know, issues of human sexuality recently have threatened to impair our relations with other Anglicans. To seek godly wisdom and prevent further damage to our bonds of fellowship, we have been engaged in global conversation involving back-and-forth position papers and dialogue that are both prayerful theology and ecclesial diplomacy.

"This most recent statement in this ongoing process is the Communique of the Primates� Meeting of the Anglican Communion issued in February 2007 from Tanzania. The Communique addresses our 2006 General Convention response to the requests of the Windsor Report on Communion, and makes additional requests of our House of Bishops. It asks for a response by September 30, 2007�

"This study document� poses questions for our (Episcopal church) corporate reflection to assist the bishops as they prepare for the fall meeting of the House of Bishops."


+ + +


The clergy of the Diocese of Alabama have been encouraged to make "Communion Matters: A Study Document for the Episcopal Church" available to the people. It is meant to engage the people of the church and ask, "What do you think?" As Dean of the Cathedral Church of the Advent, and at the encouragement of the vestry, I am taking this opportunity to briefly respond with my own thoughts. On July 24 at 6:30 pm, the people in this part of the diocese will have the opportunity to meet with Bishop Parsley at All Saints' Church, 110 West Hawthorne Road, in Homewood.

The clergy of the diocese have already met (June 19) for the purpose of this discussion. Let me say first of all that I appreciate our bishop's kind tolerance and patience in allowing a guy like me to express my honest feelings toward the document. This is especially so considering the fact that he himself chairs the Theology Committee that put it together. Had he been a one-man committee, I suspect we would have a better document!

In the second paragraph of the preface of Communion Matters, it is written, "As most Episcopalians know, the issues of human sexuality recently have threatened to impair our relations with other Anglicans." While this is true, the fact of the matter is human sexuality is only the presenting issue. The underlying issue is the authority of our Scriptures. Be that as it may, I think this document is written from a revisionist-minded perspective. It indoctrinates, rather than seeks opinion. It feels like a kind of set-up. It seeks to dignify the direction of the Episcopal Church; it begs for self-justification for all of the recent actions of the Episcopal Church.

That's not to say it is not written with the best of intentions. I believe that it has been written with good intentions, but it certainly bears the imprint of mainstream Episcopalian liberalism.

For example, its treatment of via media as the long prized way of Anglicanism is, I believe, poorly handled and not true to Richard Hooker�s understanding of "the middle way." Hooker�s understanding of via media was never meant to guide Anglicanism to a middle way between God's revealed truth and any other kind of wisdom, leave alone the prevailing wisdom of the world; it was never meant to guide us to a middle way between those who look to Scripture and those who look to experience. For Hooker, even "reason" and "tradition" were absolutely subordinate to Scripture.

About those who would claim to hold to the authority of Scripture but question what it actually teaches about the human sexuality issue that divides our communion, I would say, to quote J.I. Packer, "I do not question their sincerity, but I do question their clear-mindedness."

In an effort to extol unity through diversity in moral theology within the communion, it says, "We affirm that unity does not mean rigid uniformity, but a communion that includes differences, analogous to the union of distinct persons within the triune God." In other words, the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit, had differences. If they can get along, why can't we? (As if there were theological differences within the triune godhead! No such idea is found in the New Testament.)

To its credit, the document speaks of the beauty of Anglican Communion. But if the Episcopal Church is sincere in her quest to "prevent further damage to our bonds of fellowship", I believe repentance and amendment of life is the real answer. Sadly the document does not guide us to even consider repentance as a possible response to the Primates.

I believe the Episcopal Church would be more honest to say to the Primates, in effect, "We have chosen our path and our direction. We want our autonomy and independence; we also want to stay in the Communion. But we aren�t going to change. Now, what are you going to do about it?"

May God have mercy on us all, "miserable offenders."