Ecclesiology of the Anglican Communion: Rediscovering the Radical and Transnational Nature of the Anglican Communion
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
A (New) Ecclesiology of the Anglican Communion: Rediscovering the Radical and Transnational Nature of the Anglican Communion Guillermo René Cavieses Araya Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Leeds Faculty of Arts School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science February 2019 1 The candidate confirms that the work submitted is his own and that appropriate credit has been given where reference has been made to the work of others. This copy has been supplied on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from this thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. © 2019 The University of Leeds and Guillermo René Cavieses Araya The right of Guillermo René Cavieses Araya to be identified as Author of this work has been asserted by Guillermo René Cavieses Araya in accordance with the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988. 2 Acknowledgements No man is an island, and neither is his work. This thesis would not have been possible without the contribution of a lot of people, going a long way back. So, let’s start at the beginning. Mum, thank you for teaching me that it was OK for me to dream of working for a circus when I was little, so long as I first went to University to get a degree on it. Dad, thanks for teaching me the value of books and a solid right hook. To my other Dad, thank you for teaching me the virtue of patience (yes, I know, I am still working on that one). To Helena, I owe you a debts of gratitude for all the long hours spent talking over the concepts of this thesis and teaching me the fine art of word-processing, without you, I doubt I would have made it. To my daughter, for teaching me that the only true defeat is giving up. I would also like to acknowledge the invaluable tutelage I have received from my supervisor’s Dr Alistair McFadyen and Dr Kevin Ward. You have been great help and source of inspiration. Furthermore, I would like to thank Professor S. Lukas, Dr Casserstedt and Dr Purkys. Together we have ventured beyond the veil of possibilities and explored unknown skies, all in honour of the queen of sciences. I would also like to express my gratitude to Professor Sacha King and his research assistant Joshua Taylor Esq, for all the long hours spent exchanging ideas and rolling in the deep. Where there is no way, we make one. Finally, to all those who have supported me throughout this lengthy process: Not bad for a high school dropout, huh? 3 Abstract In the wake of the conflict about same-sex relationships, the Anglican Communion is under great pressure to reflect upon its own purpose and nature. Most of the proposed solutions to the current impasse seem to go in one of two directions: Legislating a way to unity within the Communion, or through a federalist approach where the solution seems to be to create enough distance between its members, so that their different practices and beliefs will not affect each other's integrity. Unfortunately, both these tendencies could cause severe damage to Anglian legacy in that they abandon the original Anglican claim that it is possible to be part of the universal Church, without having to submit to a centralised magisterium or to embrace confessionalism. Consequently, there is a compelling need to venture beyond the familiar path, and set out on a journey of rediscovery of the radical and transnational origins of the Anglican Communion. The aim of which is to formulate an ecclesiology, which is rooted in the life of the Anglican churches around the world, and establishes the Anglican Communion as a particular and contemporary embodiment of the vision and comprehension of the Church (and the potential Communion of Churches) which the Apostles and the fathers of the Church envisioned; before either the ecclesiastical monarchism of Rome or the confessionalism of the Reformation had sprung into the centre stage of western Christianity. One of the main arguments behind this thesis is that a solution to the current impasse requires a reembracing of the radical theology that once laid the foundation of the Anglican Communion. Hence, the thesis endeavours beyond the classic view of the Anglican Communion as mainly a product of British Imperialism, and explores another side of The Anglican Communion, namely that of non-Anglo-Saxon Anglican Churches, and their unique perspectives on what it means to be a Church member of the Anglican Communion. For it is only through listening to these experiences that an ecclesiology of the Anglican Communion, which aspires to transcend the current threat of schism, may be able to incorporate both the pluralism of global Anglicanism and bring cohesion to a church which is facing its greatest challenge in centuries. 4 Contents Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................... 2 Abstract ......................................................................................................................... 3 Contents ........................................................................................................................ 4 Abbreviations ................................................................................................................ 9 Chapter I: ....................................................................................................................... 10 A (New) Ecclesiology of The Anglican Communion? ................................................. 10 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 10 (New), Radical and Transnational ............................................................................... 12 (New): ..................................................................................................................... 12 Radical: ................................................................................................................... 13 Transnational: .......................................................................................................... 13 The Question at Issue .................................................................................................. 14 Main Hypothesis and Research Plan ........................................................................... 15 Thesis Outline ............................................................................................................. 18 Choice of Material....................................................................................................... 21 On the Methodology of the Thesis .............................................................................. 21 The Three Case Studies of Chile, Japan and Malawi .................................................. 23 Key Theoretical Concepts and Notions Within the Thesis ......................................... 26 The Local and Universal Church in Anglican Terms .............................................. 26 A Definition of Nation states................................................................................... 29 The Anglican Church and the Notion of Nation states ........................................... 30 The Tip of The Iceberg: The Anglican Communion and the Debate on Human Sexuality ............................... 38 The Origins of the Current Crisis ............................................................................ 40 Chapter II: ..................................................................................................................... 48 5 Ecclesiology (ies) Of the Anglican Minority ............................................................... 48 Purpose of this Chapter ............................................................................................... 50 Outline ......................................................................................................................... 52 Contextualisation, Indigenisation and Mission ........................................................... 53 Contextualisation .................................................................................................... 54 Indigenisation .......................................................................................................... 55 Mission .................................................................................................................... 57 The English Reformation as Contextualisation of the Church ................................... 59 Church of England: Never Only an English Church ................................................... 65 The Other Side of the Coin: Anglicanism of the Fringes ............................................ 66 Japan: Anglican Ecclesiology Beyond the British Empire ......................................... 68 Mission to The Ainu: A non-national(-ist) Anglican contextualisation .................. 69 Malawi: Anglican Ecclesiological Ambivalence Towards the State ........................... 76 Reflection on the early Ecclesiology of the Anglican Church in Japan and Malawi ................................................................................................................................. 82 Chapter III: ................................................................................................................... 84 Anglican Models of the Church - ................................................................................. 84 A Latin American Perspective ....................................................................................