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Archbishop of Canterbury speaks at Trinity seminary

Saturday, May 04, 2002

By Ann Rodgers-Melnick, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

The leader of 70 million Anglicans worldwide drew applause from hundreds of theologically conservative Episcopalians in Ambridge yesterday when he said the church must hold firm to Scripture, the creeds and traditional sexual morality, while finding creative ways to spread the Gospel.

	Rev. Dr. Mark Stevenson, left, and the Rev. Karen Stevenson, right, talk with the Most Rev. George L. Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury, at a celebration of 25 years at Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry in Ambridge, Beaver County, yesterday. (John Beale, Post-Gazette)

Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey spoke at the 25th anniversary of Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry. It was founded as a theologically conservative alternative to the 2.3 million-member denomination's other seminaries. Episcopalians are Anglicans who don't use that name because it was unpopular to be identified with the Church of England after the American Revolution.

Carey, who will retire later this year, spoke on the qualities of Christian leadership. The quality that drew the most applause was holiness. Although holiness is not limited to sexual morality, that is where the church feels the conflict now, he said.

The Bible teaches that "intimate sexual acts should be expressed in the committed relationship of husband and wife. All other forms of sexual behavior are deviations from that norm. I have made clear firmly, but I hope charitably, that this is my approach to homosexual relationships. I also see it as the right moral setting for considering heterosexual relationships, where there can be a profound impact on the essential stability of family life and the environment for children," he said.

But being clear about what is right and wrong does not mean slamming the door on those who are not ready to accept church teachings, Carey said.

"If I as an individual or the church as a body is compelled to say 'no' to some practices, we can still establish strong links of understanding, friendship and care for those whose lifestyles are different from ours," he said.

Carey made passing reference to the scandals of child sexual abuse that have ensnared the Catholic Church in the United States and bankrupted the Anglican Church in Canada.

"Such deeds are terrible and shame us all," he said. "No part of the world or of the church can ignore the suffering or fail to learn the lessons."

Carey warned against moral relativism. He drew laughter when he gave a post-modernist translation of Peter's biblical affirmation of Jesus as the son of God and the messiah:

When Jesus asked, "Who do you say that I am?" Carey said, "Peter replied: 'You are the existentialist flux of being shimmering in the signifying chains of inchoate reality. You are the pre-existent ground of our being.' And Jesus said to Peter: 'I am WHAT?' "

Those attending included some who have left the recognized ministry of the Episcopal Church because of concerns about theological liberalism. Former Trinity dean John Rodgers was consecrated a bishop by the Anglican archbishops of Singapore and Rwanda, and sent to lead conservative Episcopalians in liberal dioceses. His Anglican Mission In America has 40 churches with 10,000 members, but Rodgers is not recognized as a bishop by the Episcopal bishops of the United States or the primates of the Anglican Communion.

In an interview, Carey said he sympathized with the motives of Rodgers and others like him, but urged conservative Episcopalians not to consecrate any more irregular bishops.

"I want to say to the Anglican Mission In America and others that I value what they are doing. I know it comes out of a sincere desire for the love of God and sometimes out of deep depression because they think the mainstream church has left the truth of God behind," Carey said.

"I value them as fellow Christians and I just want to find ways in which we can bring them back into the mainstream of the church again. It isn't going to be easy."

Every time a small group splits off it weakens the church as a whole, he said. These groups can find ways to work within the regular structures of the Episcopal Church, he said.

"The minute you start consecrating new bishops you are creating, really, more than bishops. You are almost creating new churches. That makes it very difficult to heal division."