'A Word to the Church' is More Important than a Marriage Canon Change

Like many people, I went through a great deal of shock, anger, and disappointment when the Order of Bishops failed to pass the proposed changes to the Marriage Canon at General Synod this summer. I’ve continued to think about what happened (and didn’t happen) at General Synod, both in relation to the national church, and to our own Synod to be held later this month in the Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador.

I’m still disappointed that the proposed changes failed. Changing the Canon would have sent a very clear message to the world around us that the Anglican Church has an understanding of the sacrament of marriage that can be faithful to the Scriptures, and also accessible to all couples who are legally able to marry. At the same time, it would not have forced anyone to go against their conscience if they could not embrace such an accessible understanding. All the time, I kept saying that it was important for marriage equality to come about as the result of a specific decision, rather than through loopholes or technicalities.

In endorsing the affirmations of ‘A Word to the Church,’ General Synod has committed the Anglican Church to a number of principles that affect how we continue to live faithful lives in a Church that is divided and disagreeing.

However, the more I’ve thought about it, the more I’ve come to realize that the really important work was carried out by General Synod without any of the fanfare or media attention that the failure of the marriage resolution got. Had they changed the Marriage Canon, it would have been a significant milestone that would have changed things for vast numbers of faithful LGBTQ2S+ Anglicans, their families, and allies. But it would have been a single decision, affecting how we interpret a specific piece of church law relating to marriage. What they did accomplish was something far more significant.

In endorsing the affirmations of ‘A Word to the Church,’ General Synod has committed the Anglican Church to a number of principles that affect how we continue to live faithful lives in a Church that is divided and disagreeing.

Part of me suspects that when it was first drafted by the Council of General Synod in March 2019, ‘A Word to the Church’ had been intended to soften the blow that a ‘Yes’ vote might have dealt to those who weren’t prepared to vote for marriage equality. It would have been a reassurance that there was still a valued place for them within a church that was changing in ways they couldn’t support. But if we’re prepared to take the document seriously (and I believe we should) it does a lot to make room for those who are ready for change, but are frustrated by the institution’s failure to respond as quickly as they’d like. The affirmations are at the heart of the ‘local option’ that has already been exercised and continues to be exercised by bishops and dioceses who are already prepared to marry same-sex couples. But it also charts a course for how we as Anglicans can disagree with integrity, without pulling the Church apart in the process.

‘A Word to the Church’ and General Synod both affirmed five things about the question of marriage equality:

• The right of self-determination for Indigenous communities to discern and decide their response at their own pace and at their own time

• The diversity of understandings about the existing Marriage Canon, and what it allows and prohibits

• The diversity of understandings about marriage itself, and the prayerful integrity with which those understandings are held

• A commitment to presume good faith on the part of those with whom we disagree

• A commitment to walk together and not break communion within the Anglican Communion, both close to home and on the global scene

It is not enough simply to take advantage of the local option offered by the second affirmation without taking seriously the commitment to stand together with those who disagree. That path can only lead to notions of ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ as the Church collapses into deeper division and neglects its greater mission. The challenge of the Word to the Church is for me to recognize that while I might think someone is wrong, it is possible to think of them as being ‘wrong with integrity’, just as I recognize that my own earlier position against marriage equality was wrong, but I hope it was still held with integrity.

There’s a lot more that could be said about any of these affirmations, and I hope to share more thoughts as the special Diocesan Synod gets closer. I also hope to be able to share similar notes from a number of other voices in the church, each contributing to a broader conversation that simply ‘should we be marrying same-sex couples.’

The Word to the Church goes further than just affirmations, too. It also acknowledges and laments a great deal of disdain and lack of charity towards people on all sides of these debates. If we are going to be serious about the work ahead of us, we also need to be prepared to acknowledge the ways in which we have failed to move forward together, and try to take steps to do better in the future. That has to be part of our conversation as well, and I hope the conversation can also include some of those themes.