Pluralist on MCU

Pluralist, in his thoughtful and informed way, has commented on the latest MCU press release (below).

In terms of the shifting balance of church party politics he has a point: it's very hard to judge how things will go. If GAFCON or women bishops result in the conservatives leaving the CofE (Anglo-Catholics or Evangelicals) the consequences will take a generation to become visible. For liberals there are two separable questions. The more important is, what will be the place of the Broad Church inheritance? And also, what will the future be for the MCU?

My guess is that the Broad Church has a healthy future. That is, to be exact, there will continue to be those who value the breadth and inclusivity of the Church of England. They may very well look different to their predecessors ('broad' is a relative term and as dependent on those it opposes as on its own self-definition) but they will claim Broad Church inheritance in any case: history is written backwards.

I'm not sure about 'suffering' from the dual role of the Broad Church. MCU has a valuable role as a home, permanent or respite, for those who find themselves located with (for the most part) evangelical congreagations but who are travelling away into a more liberal theological position. This is important but secondary, a consequence of its primary focus on promoting theological reflection and ecclesial action from liberal tenets.

But I agree whole heartedly about the difficulty of leading the organization - and not just for its President, Bishop Saxbee. Turbulent times cannot be kept outside. Each of the present associations of clergy will either have to redefine themselves and their relations to external change or they will shrivel like grapes to raisins. I also guess that those which survive will do so by sustaining a relatively high degree of flexibility, internal fluidity and thus risk-taking (in the small, risk averse world of ecclesiastical politics).

We shall see. But the MCU has more life in it yet.

Paul Bagshaw

The release was also picked up at Episcopal Café.