Dear COA Family,
In our recent Provincial response to the appointment of Dame Sarah Mullally as the next Archbishop of Canterbury, Bishop of Singapore Most Revd Dr Titus Chung expressed “our unease and reservation” at her appointment.
He went on to explain that her stance of affirming same-sex marriage as “[a] moment of hope” represents a departure from traditional biblical teaching and Anglican orthodoxy. This is a “missed opportunity” for the global Anglican Communion to unite in the face of a challenging world. (You can read more about it at https://anglican.org.sg/).
Perhaps some of you may be wondering what the fuss is all about.
After all, as Bishop Titus rightly pointed out, the Province of South East Asia, of which the Diocese of Singapore is a part, is an autonomous province. In other words, it is self-governing in the sense that it has its own constitution, canons and governing bodies, and makes its own decisions on matters of doctrine, worship, discipline and ministry.
Yet at its heart, this issue is a matter of the source of authority, which matters a great deal.
Bishop Titus referred to Article 20 of the 39 Articles of Religion which states that “it is not lawful for the Church to ordain anything that is contrary to God’s Word written”.
He used this to refute the stance of the incoming Archbishop of Canterbury in her views on matters of faith and doctrine. In other words, the source of authority for the church should be nothing less than God’s word found in Holy Scriptures.
Jesus Himself affirms the authority of Scriptures to His disciples: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (Matthew 5:17-18).
The apostles continue to affirm the same truth. Paul writes: “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Timothy 2:2).
Passing God’s Word to the next generation is not merely teaching – it is entrusting a sacred treasure that we have received. We are not at liberty to jettison God’s teachings nor invent new ones. Doing so will irrevocably alter the nature and essence of the church down the ages. It will even bring to us the question of whether we are truly “Christians” if we do not hold on to God’s word.
This is why the appointment of the next Archbishop of Canterbury matters a great deal. It charts the way forward for the Anglican Communion for good or for ill. Let us continue to pray for God’s wisdom and guidance and the courage to act according to His will in the days ahead.
God bless,
Revd Ian