Study on doctrinal diversity contents:
- Study overview
- Terms of reference
- Background material
- Resolution passed by SoF in 2003
- Results of the Study
- The “Bishop of Birmingham’s Group” on Clergy Discipline (Doctrine)
- Bibliography
Definitions and history
Heresy – from the Catholic Encyclopedia
Blasphemy – from the Catholic Encyclopedia
Excommunication – from the Catholic Encyclopedia
A brief survey of the major Christian heresies
Article on Heresy in Wikipedia
Heresy in the 20th century – Wikipedia article
See also the definition of heresy in Halsbury’s Laws of England, Vol. 14, Para. 1354.
Canon law and other statements of doctrine
It is increasingly recognized that many of the more scholarly precise statements of doctrine insisted upon in the past… were both unnecessary and disastrous. In words borrowed from Vatican II, they were due to a failure to recognize the difference between ‘the truths of faith’ and ‘the manner in which they are formulated’ (Gaudium et spes, 62)—Article on ‘Orthodoxy’, by Adrian Hastings, in The Oxford Companion to Christian Thought
Thirty-nine Articles — The Church Society provides a good page on the The Thirty-nine Articles of Religion
Joint statement on the Doctrine of God — The Anglican Primates, “in the light of current challenges to historic Christian doctrine from various quarters, and of the growing influence of different kinds of “post-modern” theory which question the very idea of universal and abiding truth,” made a joint statement on the Doctrine of God in July 2002.
Canons of US Episcopal Church — The Canons of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. The complete text of the 1991 ECUSA national Canons (PDF file).
Westminster Confession — The Westminster Confession of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church
CofE Canons — Church of England canons on ministers: their ordination, functions and charge
Ecclesiastical Law Society — Website of the Ecclesiastical Law Society. Their articles are not on line; see issue #4, “Faith, Doctrine and Roman Catholic Canon Law”, and issue #18, “Report of the Working Party on Clergy Discipline”.
Leeder, L. Ecclesiastical Law Handbook, pp. 267-270 and 401-02.
Hill, M. Ecclesiastical Law, 2nd ed., pp. 154-164.
Doe, Norman; The Legal Framework for the Church of England; Oxford 1996. See esp ch 9, “Faith & Doctrine”
Essays
Whether a man accepts the historicity of Jesus or not will not, so far as I can see, affect his behavior if he views the narrative in the Gospels as an expression of the best values we know, and the image of human nature at its best. — Ray Billington, Response to the Committee of Doctrinal Appeal, June 1971
It would be easy to cry ‘heresy!’ but not so easy to answer the question [Billington] poses – ‘Who is the heretic – the man who says there is no God, or the believer who devalues his neighbour by his life-style, his churchmanship and his lack of feeling for other in their need? — Review of The Christian Outsider, David Blatherwick, The Methodist Recorder, 1971
The Discipline of Canonical Enforcement – An essay by Rev Pierre Whalon, Bishop in Charge of the Convocation of American Churches in Europe.
Authority in the Anglican Communion – By Edward Norman; Ecclesiastical Law Society Lecture given during Lambeth Conference, 1998
Three chapters of Hilaire Belloc’s (idiosyncratic) book on heresy: Introduction, Overview, and “Modernism”
The New Heresy – An article from L’Osservatore Romano, identifying “religionless Christianity” or “atheistic Christianity” as the “the great heresy of the 20th century”.
Sister Churches and Sisters in the Church – Anthony Freeman’s essay, originally published in Modern Believing, does not directly address the question of doctrinal diversity; however it does illustrate ways in which ideas in modern psychology could be used to challenge the way we think about inclusion and exclusion.
The state of doctrinal belief among practicing clergy
What sometimes passes as ministerial concern to protect our lay folk from exposure to dangerous ideas is, in reality, unconscious contempt for their intelligence. It implies that they have neither the wit nor maturity to distinguish between truth and error, sense and nonsense — Colin Morris, The Methodist Recorder, 11 November 1971
Several surveys have been carried on whether clergy actually do believe the traditional miracle stories in the New Testament.
Quarter of clergy do not believe in Virgin Birth — by Chris Hastings & Fiona Govan, Telegraph Dec 2002
In 2002, Cost of Conscience and Christian Research conducted a wide-ranging survey, The Mind of Anglicans, amongst Church of England clergy, inviting them to state their beliefs: moral and theological. A 16-page booklet entitled Believe it or Not! was produced summarizing some of the survey’s findings—including an analysis of who doubted what. Over 1,700 clergy (46% of those approached) responded.
The employment status of clergy
The DTI has undertaken a consultation on the employment status of clergy. Some relevant background papers are:
Comments from Thinking Anglicans
See Gillian Evans, Discipline and Justice in the C of E, pp 16-42 for an extended discussion
Case studies
It is appropriate that the wider church should assess and express its mind on any new and divergent teaching that may grow up within it, but such judgments need to be, and to be seen to be, provisional and not absolute in character. There are too many cases from the past of teaching condemned in one generation that has become the orthodoxy of the next — Article on ‘Heresy’, by Maurice Wiles, in The Oxford Companion to Christian Thought
This section has grown into three separate pages. We would be grateful to be notified of any other instances not recorded here.
Catholics in the last 10 years
Other (English, Irish, Australian and New Zealand, non-Roman Catholic)