Scripture, Faith and Order.
In 2005 Anglican Mainstream published the following statement on Scripture, Faith and Order, In the light of the current discussions, it is republished here for the record's sake.
At the moment two major issues threaten to divide the Church of England. The first is the issue of homosexuality and the second is the issue of whether it is right for women to become bishops.
Both of these issues raise questions of biblical authority. In both cases the proposal to revise of the Church of England's current position has seemed to call into question not only the tradition of the Church but also the clear teaching of the Bible in passages such as Rom 1:26-27 and 1 Tim 2:11-15. Furthermore, many arguments used by those advocating a change in the Church of England's current position are the same in both cases. Thus arguments relating to experience, inclusivity, natural justice and the need for the Church to remain relevant to contemporary society are used by both the supporters of the ordination of practising homosexuals and the supporters of the consecration of women bishops.
However, although there are these similarities between the two issues, from an Evangelical perspective there is also a real and important difference between them.The basis for this difference is the distinction between what are known as first and second order issues.
First order issues are those that are central to the Christian faith, about which disagreement is therefore impermissible. Examples would be the deity and humanity of Christ, Christ's death on the cross for our salvation and Christ's return in glory to judge the living and the dead. If someone denies any or all of these then from an Evangelical perspective he or she has put themselves outside the limits of orthodox Christianity altogether. Second order issues are less central to the Christian faith and disagreement about them is permissible. From an Evangelical perspective such issues would include whether people should be baptised as infants or adults, what is the best pattern of ministry and who should be permitted to preside at Holy Communion. These are issues on which Evangelicals might think that others are mistaken without also thinking that they had ceased to be orthodox Christians.
This distinction between first and second order issues can be traced back to the New Testament itself where St. Paul, for example, is clear that there is no room for equivocation of the issue of justification by faith (Gal 3:1-5:12), but he is also clear that room should be allowed for a difference of opinion over whether it is right to eat particular kinds of food or to observe particular days as more holy than others (Rom 14:1-23). At the heart of this distinction is the question of salvation. If someone turns away from the basic tenets of the orthodox Christian faith then they are not only mistaken, but also in danger of cutting themselves off from God in the same way that St. Paul feared the Galatians were in danger of doing. On other matters, however, it is possible to be mistaken without endangering one's relationship with God and therefore disagreement does not matter in the same way.
If an issue is judged to fall into the latter category this does not mean that it is not serious. For example, the issue of whether we should bring our children to baptism or allow them to decide for themselves when they are older whether they wish to be baptised is certainly serious. Nor does it mean that it is one on which we can ignore the conscientious convictions of our fellow Christians. As St. Paul teaches, we have a duty as Christians to respect the consciences of our brothers and sisters in Christ with respect to secondary issues even when we think that their convictions are not theologically justified (Rom 14:1-23, 1 Cor 8:1-13, 10:23-33).
What it does mean is that it is an issue on which equally convinced Bible believing Christians can rightly agree to differ while still remaining in communion and fellowship together.
The question which Evangelicals have to face in connection with the current debates about homosexuality and women bishops is which category these two issues come under.
From a biblical perspective it seems clear that homosexuality is a first order issue. The Bible is clear that sexual intimacy is something that belongs solely within marriage and that all forms of sexual relationship outside marriage are sinful. As part of this overall teaching about the God given norms for human sexuality both the Old and New Testaments explicitly reject homosexual activity. In the Old Testament homosexual practice is described as an 'abomination' before God (Lev 18:22, 20:13) and in the New Testament it is a prime manifestation of human fallenness (Rom 1:26-27), a breach of God's law (1 Tim 1:10) and something which excludes a person from God's kingdom (1 Cor 6:9-10).
Because homosexuality is a first order issue it is also a communion breaking issue. It would not be legitimate to remain in communion with a group that was prepared to accept conduct that puts people's eternal destiny in jeopardy. A group that accepts such conduct has, as the German theologian Wolfhart Pannenberg has argued, ceased to be part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
The same is not the case, however, with regard to disagreements about the ministry of women. Whatever interpretation is given to passages such as 1 Cor 11:2-16, 14:34-40, and 1 Tim 2:11-15, it seems clear that St. Paul does not think that those who take a different position from his own are thereby sinful and need to repent in order to avoid jeopardizing their salvation. They are in error and he wants them to think and act differently, but he does not say that they have put themselves outside the kingdom of God.
This being the case, it would follow that the question of the ordination of women is a second order issue. It is therefore one on which Evangelicals can legitimately agree to disagree, providing that, in accordance with St. Paul's teaching about respecting the consciences of other Christians, provision is made for those who cannot accept the ordination of women to continue to have a secure and respected place within the life of the Church, so that both integrities may continue to flourish. It would also follow that it would not be inconsistent for those who disagree over the ordination of women to remain in fellowship with each other and to take a united stand over more vital issues such as the defence of the orthodox Christian position on homosexuality.
Signed
+ Lewes, The Rt Revd Wallace Benn)
The Rev Alyson Davie, Priest in Charge of Mundens with Sacombe, St Albans
+David Pytches (for the New Wine Network).
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