C of E to Try Clergy for Heresy
Somedays, it is impossible to write about the news without getting a feeling that one has entered the “Twilight Zone.” Such is the case with the latest from the General Synod of the Church of England. The Times (not of New York) reported yesterday, “Clergy who deny the Virgin Birth or the bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ will be tried as heretics under a new measure voted on yesterday at the General Synod of the Church of England.” Mercifully, civilization has moved along a bit, and those found guilty will not be burned to death.
The C of E, as it is known fondly or otherwise, has suffered from a small split in its ranks between the “Modernists” and the “Traditionalists.” While the difference is difficult for outsiders to fully comprehend, an episode of the sitcom “Yes, Prime Minister” some 20 years ago did explain it rather well. In that installment called “The Bishop’s Gambit,” a “traditionalist,” as distinct from a “modernist” was defined as member of the clergy who actually believes in God. That is an over-simplification and a bit unfair, but it goes to the very heart of the problem.
Ever since Henry VIII told the Pope to step off, thereby creating the Church of England, deciding just what the church stood for was problematic. The waters were muddied even further by the Reformation led by Luther and Zwingli and the Geneva crowd. Throw in Charles Darwin, Fabianism, Bolshevism, and the influence of the Enlightenment, and one gets a clergy that may not actually believe in a triune God.
Well, the traditionalists have got the votes in the House of Laity and the support of the House of the Clergy (think Commons and Lords in a spiritual setting, and the rest is detail). As The Times explained,
Clergy suspected of error would be reported by parishioners to their bishops, who would investigate them and, if action was deemed necessary, would bring them to trial before a tribunal of bishops, theologians and laity, chaired by a legally qualified person. Ultimately, a heretic clergyman or woman could be removed from office — in effect defrocked. But a bishop could also dismiss a complaint as malicious or frivolous.
Margaret Brown, a lay member of the Synod who brought the proposal forward, told The Times, “What is faith if we do not preach Christ crucified, Christ risen, Christ glorified? We will not get far in winning souls for Christ which is what we should be doing all the time.” She continued: “We must have clergy who believe the Gospel.”
It is easy to smirk at the idea of heresy trials in the 21st century, but Ms. Brown has asked a question that deserves an answer. If religious institutions cease to operate on religious grounds, it may be a more comfortable society for those who don’t share the faith, but a much more unpleasant one for true believers. Luther and Zwingli were such and were prepared to perish for their faith. One might encourage the modernists in the C of E merely to consider another line of work.
© Copyright 2005 by
The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without
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