As we look ahead once again to the cosy annual prospect of our Carol Services, cribs, decorated trees and Midnight Eucharists, everything seems like just a normal Christmas, with even the winter snow making one of its rare appearances. But indeed, there is nothing normal about Christmas this year. Many elderly folk and single-parent families are shivering in cold houses and damp flats and this year there may well be no room at the inn – it has been commandeered by the Government to house the endless flow of asylum seekers. Foodbanks are overwhelmed by the demand and they are fast running out of basics to give to the strugglers. The economic situation is far worse than politicians will admit and widespread business failures, mass unemployment and homelessness are not far down the road.
Within orthodox Anglicanism things also look superficially encouraging. New bishops have been appointed to Beverley and Oswestry to cater for Catholics and there will also be a new Bishop of Ebbsfleet to serve the needs of Complementarian Evangelicals. So far so good. But the evil genie waiting in the wings is what the bishops decide to do in the wake of the Living and Loving consultation. The pressures upon them to cow-tow to the wishes of a vociferous media-backed minority will prove impossible to resist, which will leave the orthodox reduced to begging for whatever special provisions might or might not be graciously offered to them, as the institution itself moves inexorably towards solemnising same-sex marriage and any other unScriptural innovations that might catch the current zeitgeist.
We need to ask ourselves how precisely we can talk to people about sin, repentance, salvation, judgement, heaven, hell and our Saviour Jesus Christ if Head Office pours out a steady stream of contrary messaging, giving its blessing to those who blatantly disobey God’s laws, which He made for our own health and happiness. Sooner or later it must dawn upon us that we are trying to play cricket on the hallowed Lords’ lawn, while the rest are churning up the grass playing an entirely different game with a totally different ball.
In the meantime, three bishops have been consecrated to serve the churches of the Anglican Network in Europe. A fourth will be consecrated for Wales in the Spring. These new worshipping communities are steadily growing in number, using rented venues which are a lot less expensive than having to maintain and service their own buildings – and they offer spatial flexibility rarely offered in conventional church structures. They are free to together proclaim the whole counsel of God, which alone can create new Christians and bring them to spiritual maturity. Their future looks a lot more exciting and Gospel-sharp than being condemned to being a mere orthodox rump, spending much of our energy running to stand still – trying desperately to make our message heard in an increasingly Babel-like confusion of voices.
The only thing holding back the establishment of more such new Anglican centres is the shortage of priests to lead them. By and large, neither orthodox Catholics nor Evangelicals have been very enthusiastic about encouraging self-supporting ministry, largely because they know the training offered centrally by the Church is not only doctinally inadequate, but often misleading. However, Self Supporting Ministry becomes absolutely essential if we are to start work from scratch in pioneer situations where there is no income at the outset. Many clergy have highly marketable degrees which they could put to good use in earning a living to tide them through the early days. Unfortunately we cannot expect orthodox clergy with families to give up the income, free house and pension offered by the Church of England at such a tricky economic time as this. It would require the courage of Elijah at Mount Carmel for them to put their faith where their mouth is.
