Australian Anglican Unity

At the recent Melbourne Anglican Synod, I put forward this motion.

That this Synod:

a) celebrates that while each Australian Anglican Diocese has a unique culture and ministry style, we together enjoy unity in our beliefs as clearly expressed in the Fundamental Declarations and Ruling Principles of the Constitution of the Anglican Church of Australia.

b) gives thanks for the proclamation of the historic and orthodox Christian faith in Australian Anglican Dioceses which, under God, has led to growth in both their leadership and membership.

Here's the basic text of my speech. I didn't quite get through it all and there were some variations on the day too.

Mr President, members of synod:

I’m pleased to stand now under the crest of the Anglican Church of Australia as I bring this motion to you as a happy and committed Anglican. I came to know the Lord Jesus Christ at the age of nineteen through the faithful ministry of the Anglican Church. Since that time, I have been grown and discipled through the faithful ministry of the Anglican Church. Through my masters and doctoral studies I’ve been growing a deeper and deeper appreciation for the history and doctrine of the Anglican Church. While all denominations have their quirks and faults, I believe that the Anglican Church is theologically sound, well constituted, properly ordered and I’m excited to see the very important role it continues to play for men, women, children, local communities and even Australian societies at large.

Not only am I a happy Anglican, but as I stand under the crest of the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne, I’m also a happy Melbourne Anglican. This is despite the fact that it was actually in Sydney that the Lord used the Anglican Church to bring me to faith and where I first belonged to the fellowship of God’s people. And I certainly learned and experienced a great deal in my Sydney Anglican Church that established my faith and for which I will always be thankful. I made my first Christian friends there too - many of whom I remain close with today.

However, despite the all the great blessings that I received from that diocese ‘up north’, I’m so thankful that the Lord directed me to Melbourne some thirteen years ago and into the Melbourne Anglican Church and into studying theology here at Ridley Melbourne. I’m thankful for this because - apart from the fact that Melbourne is a truly great city - I have profited enormously from my time being a Melbourne Anglican. The different theological insights that I have been exposed to in Melbourne; the nuances, subtleties and balance that I never thought through in my time in Sydney have been great gifts to me and truly deepened my faith. Indeed, I would even go so far as to say that in Melbourne I have been able to receive helpful and necessary correctives to my former theological beliefs and ministry leanings. I feel blessed and very privileged to be part of the Melbourne Anglican Church.

But having said that, I still continue to look back on my Sydney time with great affection and thanks. Becoming a through-and-through Melbourne Anglican, doesn’t for one moment mean that I’ve turned against other Australian Anglican Dioceses.

Because of this, I find myself hugely disappointed, discouraged and distressed that in recent times, some people from our own diocese seem to have made something of a sport of attacking the faithful ministry of the Diocese of Sydney. You may have read the articles published in The Melbourne Anglican. You might have heard combative lectures or read them on the internet. You may have seen the extraordinarily divisive books attacking our interstate brothers and sisters. These are a stain on the Melbourne Anglican Church and on us as Melbourne Anglicans.

We are a diocese that has always been clear about upholding the biblical teaching regarding unity in primary matters and freedom in things secondary. We have long celebrated Anglican diversity within the fold of a common faith. We love the fact that while we’re all followers of Jesus Christ, we don’t all need to be exactly the same as each other in order be in good fellowship with each other.

Members of the Diocese of Sydney have not faced these shameful attacks for failing in any primary matters of faith. Even though I admit to being in disagreement with them on some secondary points, it is clear that we have unity in Christ because together we are unambiguous about centrality of his lordship, his atoning death for sinful human beings, the need for all to repent and of the importance of the new life and hope his people share through his resurrection and the Holy Spirit.

The vast majority of us here in the Diocese of Melbourne are positive people of love, peace, joy and unity. This unfortunate spate of vitriol against our fellow Anglicans is not at all representative of who we as a church are. We are people who want to put our hearts and energy into caring for the people of our parishes and for those who are served by our agencies. We want to focus our efforts on growing positive communities of love and truth. We want to bless those beyond our own boundaries. The last thing we want to be known for is cutting down our Anglican neighbours who sit under the same constitution, believe the same doctrine and share the same commitment to the same gospel of the same Lord Jesus Christ.

Once, again, my heart doesn’t belong in Sydney anymore, it’s here in Melbourne. But the Melbourne Anglican Church that I’m part of is one that gives great thanks for our orthodox and faithful brothers and sisters in Sydney – as well as for our faithful and orthodox brothers and sisters in Brisbane, and in Adelaide, and Perth, the Northern Territory, Canberra-Gouburn, in Australia’s regional and rural dioceses and even our good friends down in extra-provincial Tasmania.

Members of Melbourne Synod, I am sorry that we need this motion, but if you share my heart, I’m sure you’ll find it easy to vote with me for this motion that sends a simple and positive message about our national Anglican fellowship and our commitment to orthodox Anglicans like us in other Australian dioceses. I commend the motion standing in my name.

The motion was debated briefly but then the synod decided not to vote on it. The principle that the motion looked to affirm was that of unity between all orthodox Anglicans around Australia. The reason for focussing my speech on Melbourne's unity with Sydney in particular was because it is against that diocese that a very small minority of Melbourne Anglicans have offended.