This past week, two parishes in the Diocese of Virginian voted to leave the Episcopal church because of the issue of homosexuality. Jim West (on his blog of a thousand names) reported this fact and applauded those congregations for being willing to “stand up for what is right against the wrong spirited political correctness of their own denominational authorities.” He goes on to ask:

How can there be “godly union and concord” when one segment of the denomination has abandoned scripture?

Because I agree with Steve Cook that this is indeed a sad day for Episcopalians, I wanted to take the chance to respond to Jim.

The reason that there can be godly union and concord between two sides that disagree is based on Anglican polity, which goes back to the Elizabethan Settlement. Queen Elizabeth inherited an Anglican church that was split between a number of factions, including those who wanted to return the country to the Roman Catholic church. No one agreed on theology. Her solution, simply put, was that the church’s unity was based on its worship, not on its agreement on doctrinal matters. This was the idea championed by Richard Hooker, who is certainly foundational to any understanding of what it means to be Anglican. We are a church that lives and dies by its worship, not by its theology. Our unity consists in the one Lord we serve, not in our ideas about that Lord.

To me, those who are leaving the church over the issue of homosexuality should heed the words of Christ:

“You tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!” (Matt 23:23-24)

As Steve has pointed out, there are things that are much more central to the Christian message than homosexuality.

This is not to say that doctrine is unimportant. Far from it! But the doctrines that are central are defined by the historic creeds of the church, not by the pet issue of the day. If the Episcopal church ever abandons the Nicene Creed, I will be at the front of the line to get out or lead the reformation. I have little doubt that Steve would be there as well (although I don’t want to presume to speak for him).

Part of the rhetoric that has made things so difficult in the current debate is that one side consistently accuses the other of abandoning the Scripture. It does not matter how many seminars I give in churches on homosexuality and the Bible. It does not matter how faithful I am to the doctrines of Scripture. It does not matter that I have devoted my life to the study of God’s word. The moment my stance on homosexuality is known, some people immediately say that I and others have abandoned Scripture.

The issue that is dividing the church right now is polity, not theology. Some cannot accept a polity where people who disagree on theology can still work and worship together. If that is the case, then they should join a church that holds to such a polity. There is nothing wrong with such a polity, but it is simply not Anglican.

How can there be godly union and concord between those who do not agree? Simple. The unity of the church is not something that is created by humans through their agreement on doctrine. The unity of the church is a gift of God. God has made us one. Our job is to live into that unity by living and worshiping together, seeking to reify the unity that is ours through the one Lord, Christ Jesus, whom we serve.

This does not mean that we paper over differences. There has been and will continue to be a lively debate within the Anglican Communion. But in true Anglican spirit, we should not cut the Gordian knot by ending debate and going off to be with those with whom we agree. We are a family, and families should not walk away just because they disagree. We need to find a way forward together.

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