Anglicanism and Liberalism

Anglicanism (also known as Episcopalianism outside of the United Kingdom) is a term used to describe the Christian tradition started by the Church of England. Anglicans, represented by the Anglican Communion, are currently the third largest Christian division behind Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. Like most mainline protestant movements, Anglicanism has seen a decline[1] since the 20th century as a result of secularization, low birth rates among members, and (especially in the United States) the general shift of protestantism toward evangelical forms of worship. This decline coincides with an marked embrace by many Anglican denominations and parishes of liberalism in terms of social politics, church structure, and theology, sometimes to the point of outright heresy.

## Contents

* 1 Early History
* 2 Atheistic Clergy
* 3 Abortion
* 4 Feminism
* 5 Homosexual Agenda
* 6 Conservative Anglican Response
* 7 References

## Early History[edit]

Along with other mainline protestants, Anglicans took part in the social gospel movement of the 20th century, which stressed social reform and occasionally expressed socialist leanings.

## Atheistic Clergy[edit]

The Anglican Communion has been known to employ some clergy who openly lack a belief in God, or are otherwise highly doubtful and critical of scriptural doctrine. In most cases, this occurs as a result of older clergy losing their faith over time but remaining with the church, which in the case of the Church of England is allowed by technicality due to the church’s governing body rejecting the idea of “heresy trials” (the removal of clergy who fail to adhere to church teachings or practices). [2]

The history of Anglican clergy outright rejecting scriptural teachings can be traced at least to the 1980s, when Bishop of Durham David Jenkins caused controversy by publicly casting doubt on the virgin birth and resurrection of Jesus[3]. The issue has only grown since this case, with a 2014 survey suggesting that as many as 16% of Anglican priests in England are agnostic, with 2% being atheists. [4]

While best documented within the Church of England itself, this phenomenon is not limited to the UK and can also be observed within the US Episcopal Church, in which the atheist John Shelby Spong served as Bishop of Newark, New Jersey for 21 years, during which he released numerous books attacking established Christian theology, finally ending his tenure with the publication of his book “A New Christianity for a New World”, a work which attacks theism in favor of a symbolic view of God and promotes the opinion of a small minority of Biblical scholars that Judas Iscariot did not exist and was an anti-semitic creation, among other claims. [5]

## Abortion[edit]

While nominally disapproving of abortion, the Episcopal Church considers abortion to be “a woman’s right” and opposes any pro-life legislation which would restrict the availability of abortion. [6]

## Feminism[edit]

Most denominations within the Anglican Communion support the ordination of women into the priesthood to some degree, while some traditions vary on whether or not women are allowed to become bishops or have to remain priests or deacons.

In 2015, a group of female bishops within the Church of England lead a heretical campaign to remove God’s masculine pronouns from formal Church liturgy, declaring them “deficient” and “outdated” as well as effectively arguing for God to be referred to as genderless or even female[7], in contrast to what has been taught by the Bible and thousands of years of Judeo-Christian belief. While this change to the liturgy was ultimately not approved by the church’s governing body, it can be seen as a sign of the times in regard to the extent of feminism within theology.

## Homosexual Agenda[edit]

The various denominations of the Anglican Communion have differing views on homosexuality, with the Episcopal Church being the most lenient, overwhelmingly supporting same-sex marriage since 2015 and allowing the ordination of gay, bisexual, and transgender clergy. The Episcopal Church participates in gay pride events, often decorating church facilities in rainbow flag motifs. [8]

In 2005, Gene Robinson, an openly gay priest in the Episcopal Church, preached a sermon in which he made the heretical claim that Jesus may have been gay. His statements were criticized by others within the church. [9]

## Conservative Anglican Response[edit]

Liberalizing trends in Anglican theology and practice have not remained unchallenged, as groups within the Church of England and Episcopal Churches alike have voiced opposition to these trends, which they see as compromising and “capitulating to secular values”[10]. In 2017, 22 conservative Anglican clergymen (including Gavin Ashenden, former chaplain to Queen Elizabeth II) signed a letter to the Church of England stating that the Church “has a duty to be counter-cultural in the face of social disintegration” and threatening a schism if traditional views continue to be marginalized within the Church.

In 2009, the Anglican Church in North America[11] broke away from the Episcopal Church in protest of liberal reforms, quickly establishing itself as a conservative force within Anglicanism. It currently serves over 100,000 members. [12]

## References[edit]

1. ↑ https://premierchristian.news/en/news/article/church-of-england-sees-dramatic-decline
2. ↑ https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/survey-finds-2-of-anglican-priests-are-not-believers-9821899.html
3. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/06/david-jenkins-bishop-durham-biblical-facts-fire-york-minster
4. ↑ https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/survey-finds-2-of-anglican-priests-are-not-believers-9821899.html
5. ↑ https://www.christiancentury.org/reviews/2011-04/new-christianity-new-world-john-shelby-spong
6. ↑ https://episcopalchurch.org/posts/ogr/summary-general-convention-resolutions-abortion-and-womens-reproductive-health
7. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/01/church-of-england-womens-group-bishops
8. ↑ https://episcopalchurch.org/lgbtq-church
9. ↑ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1487002/Jesus-might-have-been-homosexual-says-the-first-openly-gay-bishop.html
10. ↑ https://www.christianpost.com/news/conservative-anglicans-open-revolt-against-church-englands-capitulation-secular-lgbt-values.html
11. ↑ https://www.britannica.com/topic/Anglican-Church-in-North-America
12. ↑ https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2008/december/149-43.0.html