The Importance of Church Discipline: Episcopalians Under 3 Year Suspension

Last updated on: April 13, 2016 at 11:07 am by Jack Lee

The Importance of Church Discipline: Episcopalians Under 3 Year Suspension 2016-04-13T11:07:29-05:00 Jack Lee

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Earlier today it was announced that the primates of the Anglican Church have essentially placed their American branch, the Episcopal Church, on probation for 3 years for their support for homosexual marriage. they have also been suspended from full participation in the Anglican Communion.

This suspension calls for the Episcopalian church to lose its vote and voice in a number of areas. In short, for 3 years they are not able to take part if the decision making process on “issues of doctrine or polity”. This news coming from www.anglican.ink.

This happened after leaders across the Anglican communion met this week behind closed doors to discuss various social issues on which the global church is divided. Topics include homosexuality, same-sex marriage, and female bishops. For sometime now there have been reports and suspicions that these meets could cause a global split of the Anglican Communion. It’s exciting to see that this has not happened (at least not yet).

See below the statement from the Primates (the primates in the Anglican Communion are the chief or archbishop in each of the 38 churches/provinces. The U.S. Episcopalian church is one of these provinces.)

Click for a link to the original text

1. We gathered as Anglican Primates to pray and consider how we may preserve our unity in Christ given the ongoing deep differences that exist among us concerning our understanding of marriage.

2. Recent developments in The Episcopal Church with respect to a change in their Canon on marriage represent a fundamental departure from the faith and teaching held by the majority of our Provinces on the doctrine of marriage. Possible developments in other Provinces could further exacerbate this situation.

3. All of us acknowledge that these developments have caused further deep pain throughout our Communion.

4. The traditional doctrine of the church in view of the teaching of Scripture, upholds marriage as between a man and a woman in faithful, lifelong union. The majority of those gathered reaffirm this teaching.

5. In keeping with the consistent position of previous Primates’ meetings such unilateral actions on a matter of doctrine without Catholic unity is considered by many of us as a departure from the mutual accountability and interdependence implied through being in relationship with each other in the Anglican Communion.

6. Such actions further impair our communion and create a deeper mistrust between us. This results in significant distance between us and places huge strains on the functioning of the Instruments of Communion and the ways in which we express our historic and ongoing relationships.

7. It is our unanimous desire to walk together. However given the seriousness of these matters we formally acknowledge this distance by requiring that for a period of three years The Episcopal Church no longer represent us on ecumenical and interfaith bodies, should not be appointed or elected to an internal standing committee and that while participating in the internal bodies of the Anglican Communion, they will not take part in decision making on any issues pertaining to doctrine or polity.

8. We have asked the Archbishop of Canterbury to appoint a Task Group to maintain conversation among ourselves with the intention of restoration of relationship, the rebuilding of mutual trust, healing the legacy of hurt, recognising the extent of our commonality and exploring our deep differences, ensuring they are held between us in the love and grace of Christ.

As a protestant who admires the rich history and ties to the reformation of the Anglican Church, I consider this a great success. Protestants often get a bad rap from Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Churches on how split up our denominations are. A global split of the 3rd largest Christian communion in the world would have been awful. We shall see what happens over the next 3 years, but I am hopeful that Church Discipline will serve its purpose, unity will be maintained, and the gospel will unite.

Church Discipline is often a barometer on the overall health of a church.

I am reminded of the words of John Calvin in his Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book IV:

“Accordingly, as the saving doctrine of Christ is the soul of the church, so does discipline serve as its sinews, through which the members of the body hold together, each in its own place. Therefore, all who desire to remove discipline or to hinder its restoration — whether they do this deliberately or out of ignorance — are surely contributing to the ultimate dissolution of the church.

For what will happen if each is allowed to do what he pleases? Yet that would happen, if to the preaching of doctrine there were not added private admonitions, corrections, and other aids of the sort that sustain doctrine and do not let it remain idle. Therefore, discipline is like a bridle to restrain and tame those who rage against the doctrine of Christ; or like a spur to arouse those of little inclination; and also sometimes like a father’s rod to chastise mildly and with the gentleness of Christ’s Spirit those who have more seriously lapsed.

When, therefore, we discern frightful devastation beginning to threaten the church because there is no concern and no means of restraining the people, necessity itself cries out that a remedy is needed. Now, this is the sole remedy that Christ has enjoined and the one that has always been used among the godly.”

Let us pray all for the restoration of the Episcopalian church and that sounds doctrine would flow forth.

Banner Photo Attribution: “Acolyte Festival 2015” By Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida; CC 2.0

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