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Prolegomena to an Anglican Discussion of Authority: the Role Of Prolegomena To An Anglican Discussion of Authority: The Role of History on The Current Crisis By Bryan Neufeld A Thesis Submitted to Faculty of Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts degree. The United Centre for Theological Studies Master of Arts The University of Winnipeg Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada July 2016 Copyright © 2016 Bryan Neufeld Table of Contents Acknowledgments........................................................................................................ iv Introduction ................................................................................................................... 2 The Problem .............................................................................................................. 2 Methodology ............................................................................................................. 3 Review of Literature ................................................................................................. 7 Outline..................................................................................................................... 14 Chapter 1 – The Historical Situation of Authority in the Anglican Communion ....... 15 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 15 Formation of the Anglican Church ......................................................................... 16 Living Within Elizabeth's Framework .................................................................... 23 From Church to Communion .................................................................................. 28 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 36 Chapter 2 – Exercising Authority ............................................................................... 37 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 37 What is a Bishop? ................................................................................................... 37 A Contentious Beginning .................................................................................... 37 Types of Bishops ................................................................................................. 39 Apostolic Succession .......................................................................................... 41 The Changing Role of the Bishop ........................................................................... 43 Synodality and Conciliar Method ........................................................................... 47 Bishop and Synod ............................................................................................... 48 Bishops with other Bishops ................................................................................ 51 Synods, Conferences, Bishops, and Reception ................................................... 55 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 59 Chapter 3 – Authority in Practice................................................................................ 61 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 61 New Westminster .................................................................................................... 61 The 2016 Primates Meeting .................................................................................... 70 Authority Within the Church .................................................................................. 73 Authority and Scripture....................................................................................... 74 Authority is Personal........................................................................................... 77 Authority and the Spirit ...................................................................................... 79 Overstepping Authority ....................................................................................... 81 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 84 Chapter 4 – The ARCIC Perspective on Authority ..................................................... 86 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 86 Synodality ............................................................................................................... 87 Bishops .................................................................................................................... 91 Primacy and the Exercise of Authority ................................................................... 94 The ARCIC Proposal in Practice ............................................................................ 98 Reinvesting Power in Bishops ............................................................................ 99 A Universal Primate in Practice ........................................................................ 101 Reactions to a Proposed Universal Primate .......................................................... 106 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 109 Chapter 5 –Thoughts For a Way Forward .................................................................. 111 ii Introduction ............................................................................................................ 111 Authority and the Good ......................................................................................... 111 Authority and the Truth .......................................................................................... 114 Retracing the Argument ......................................................................................... 116 Opportunities for Further Investigation and Application ....................................... 119 Return to the Elizabethan Settlement ................................................................ 120 Revaluation of Apostolic Succession ................................................................ 122 An Articulation of Spirit-Led Discernment ...................................................... 123 Our Ecumenical Future ..................................................................................... 125 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 127 Bibliography ............................................................................................................. 129 Articles .................................................................................................................. 129 Books .................................................................................................................... 129 Conferences, Commissions, and Agreements ....................................................... 132 News, Statements, and Magazine Articles ............................................................ 134 iii Acknowledgments Many people assisted in the creation of this thesis that I would like to acknowledge. First my thesis advisor, the Reverend Doctor Jim Christie, who provided support, several bottles of wine, and was able to bring together a thesis committee that had the expertise needed for my thesis to be a success. Thanks to each member of my thesis committee. Doctor Chris Trott for providing insight into Anglican polity and a voice from a different tradition within Anglicanism than my own. The Reverend Doctor Luis M. Melo, S.M. for continuing to straighten out my misunderstandings of Roman Catholicism and giving his first hand insight into the Anglican-Roman Catholic ecumenical relations. And Belle Jarniewski, a fellow student who was able to look at my thesis with an outsider perspective and let me know when I needed to offer better explanations for those without the background in this area. A special thanks to the Reverend Jamie Howison, Doctor Karl Persson, and Andrew Coleman for reading over drafts and providing feedback. Lastly, but most importantly, to my wife Kyla Neufeld, who not only put up with my pursuit of a master degree, but edited this thesis. iv Introduction The Problem Authority is problematic. It is problematic in theory, and it is problematic in practice. According to the Lutheran theologian Günther Gassmann, "The issue of authority has been a perennial problem in the framework of Christian thinking, Christian life, and the church." 1 This general problem of Christian authority has at the present moment taken on unique features within the Anglican Communion, where today it threatens it with schism. Through this thesis I will investigate the history of the Anglican church around the question of authority and how this has lead the Communion to its current crisis on the subject. The overreaching argument of this thesis will be two-fold. First, that Anglicanism has historically never had an uncontested practice, or doctrine, of authority up to the present day. Second, that, because of this, the history of Anglicanism needs to play a much larger role in the current discussions around the crisis of authority as there is much to learn from it. There is no simple solution to the challenges
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