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Kenotic Ecclesiology and the Disestablishment of the Church of England under the Reign of Charles III
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 July 2023
Abstract
Coronations in Great Britain previously offered an occasion for national civic and spiritual renewal. However, the recent crowning of Charles III threw a spotlight on some of the deepening dissonance, diversity and divisions within British society. This paper is an ‘in principle’ argument for change and development. As the clamour for constitutional reform in the United Kingdom continues, and the awkwardness of Church of England bishops sitting in the House of Lords becomes more apparent, the time is ripe to reconsider disestablishment. In particular, the power and privilege of one denomination over all others is interrogated in relation to a kenotic ecclesiology, and which may now require the intentional divesting of kingly power: not clinging to status any longer, but self-emptying and embracing equality.
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- © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Journal of Anglican Studies Trust
References
1 The biblical text recording the anointing of King Solomon has been read in the crowning of every English monarch – and later British – since the coronation of King Edgar in 973. George Frederic Handel composed his setting for the coronation of George II in 1727. The lyrics for Handel’s anthem remain the same, even if the monarch is female.
2 Martyn Percy, ‘The Coronation of Charles III—Subjects and Objects: In Choosing to Look Backwards Rather Than Forwards, the Grand Occasion Served Only to Shore Up Establishment Power, Prospect, 9 May 2023. Available at: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/monarchy/61334/coronation-king-charles-westminster-abbey
3 There was no court to arbitrate attendees for Charles III’s coronation, as it was handled by a Cabinet Office.
4 M. Percy, ‘Opportunity Knocks: Church, Nationhood and Establishment’, in M. Chapman, J. Maltby and W. Whyte (eds.), The Established Church: Past, Present and Future (Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 2011), pp. 26-38.
5 See M. Percy, With the Church of England dying, how much longer can we justify having bishops in the House of Lords? Prospect, pp. 34-40, 6 October/November 2022; and M. Percy, ‘Why Charles’s coronation could be a spiritual flop’. Prospect, 26 April 2023. ‘The coronation of Charles III—Subjects and object’ in May (on-line only): https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/monarchy/61334/coronation-king-charles-westminster-abbey.
6 There is the Tynwald (Parliament) on the Isle of Man where the Anglican Bishop sits as of right in that assembly, but we also note that the Isle of Man is not a country.
7 D. Nicholls, Deity and Domination: Images of God and the State in the 19th and 20th Centuries (London: Routledge, 1993).
8 Complaints relating to the fostering of an ecclesial bullying culture under Archbishop Welby’s tenure have been widely aired. See: https://www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk/isb-writes-formal-dispute-resolution-notice/
9 Church Times, 29 November 2022, p. 3.
10 Faith in the City: A Call for Action by Church and Nation (London: Church House Publishing, 1985) was authored by the Archbishop of Canterbury’s (Robert Runcie) Commission on Urban Priority Areas. One of the conclusions of the report was that much of the blame for growing spiritual and economic poverty and desolation in British inner cities was due to government policies. The report sought to ‘examine the strengths, insights, problems and needs of the Church’s life and mission in Urban Priority Areas and, as a result, to reflect on the challenge which God may be making to Church and Nation: and to make recommendations to appropriate bodies’ (p. ix).
11 Justine Allain Chapman, The Resilient Disciple: A Lenten Journey from Adversity to Maturity (London: SPCK, 2018), p. 111.
12 See Jim Collins, ‘Level 5 Leadership: The Triumph of Humility and Fierce Resolve’, Harvard Business Review (2001), pp. 66-76; cf., Rob Nielsen, Jennifer Marrone and Holly Slay, ‘A New Look at Humility: Exploring the Humility Concept and its Role in Socialized Charismatic Leadership’, Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 17.1 (2010), pp. 33-43; and J. Andrew Morris, Celeste M. Brotheridge and John C. Urbanski, ‘Bringing Humility to Leadership: Antecedents and Consequences of Leader Humility’, Human Relations 58 (2005), pp. 1323-50.
13 Daniel W. Hardy and David F. Ford, Jubilate: Theology in Praise (London: DLT, 1984).
14 Hardy and Ford, Jubilate, p. 141.
15 However, see also Margaret Whipp, The Grace of Waiting (Norwich: Canterbury Press, 2017). Whipp argues for the virtue of watchful patience as one of the primary disciplines to be cultivated in addressing suffering, as well as discussing the shortcomings of stoicism.
16 S. Hauerwas, Communities of Character: Towards a Constructive Christian Social Ethic (South Bend, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1991).
17 Donald MacKinnon, ‘Reflections on Donald Baillie’s Treatment of the Atonement’ in D. Fergusson (ed.), Christ, Church and Society: Essays on John Baillie and Donald Baillie (Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1993), pp. 115-21.
18 Donald MacKinnon, The Stripping of the Altars (London: Fontana, 1969), p. 34.
19 See John McDowell (ed.), Philosophy and the Burden of Theological Honesty: A Donald MacKinnon Reader (Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 2011), p. 264.
20 On this, see Jane Williams, The Merciful Humility of God (London: Bloomsbury, 2019).
21 For a discussion of this that pays attention to gender, see Helen Zorgdrager, ‘Risk-Takers in a World that Cries for Salvation: Behr-Sigel on Suffering and Kenosis’, in Sarah Hinlicky and Aikatermi Pekridou (eds.), A Communion of Love: Elisabeth Behr-Sigel’s Ecclesiology (Geneva: WCC, 2017), pp. 127-39.
22 See Jane Williams, Seeking the God Beyond: A Beginner’s Guide to Christian Apophatic Spirituality (London: SCM Press, 2018).
23 Chloe Lynch, Ecclesial Leadership as Friendship (London: Routledge, 2019).
24 H. Sherwood, C of E bishops’ compromise on same-sex marriage will not settle painful divisions. Guardian, 19 January 2023, p. 5.
25 See, for example, Stephen Pattison, The Faith of the Managers: When Management Becomes Religion (London: Cassell, 1997); Gordon Oliver, Ministry without Madness (London: SPCK, 2012).
26 For some fuller discussion, see John Webster, ‘The Self-Organizing Power of the Gospel of Christ: Episcopacy and Community Formation’, International Journal of Systematic Theology 3.1 (2001), pp. 69-82; and Richard Roberts, ‘Lord, Bondsman and Churchman: Identity, Integrity and Power in Anglicanism’, in C. Gunton and D. Hardy (eds.), On Being the Church (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1989), pp. 156-224.
27 John Robinson, The New Reformation (London: SCM Press, 1965), p. 27.