During the twentieth century, the Church of England periodically established a doctrine commission to report on an important theological question. The first commission "was appointed in 1922 and reported in 1938".[1] In early years the commissions appear to have been appointed solely by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York. In recent years the doctrine commission was constituted as a sub-commission of the General Synod.[2] However, the members of the doctrine commission continued to be nominated by the Archbishops.[3] In the early 1980s the House of Bishops took a greater interest in the work of the doctrine commission and the report We Believe in God (1987) was published "under its authority".[4] This practice continued for the next three reports. After the completion of Being Human (2002) no further doctrine commission was nominated. In 2010 General Synod established a new permanent Faith and Order Commission of the General Synod which took over responsibility for producing theological reports for the House of Bishops.[5]
Doctrine Commission Reports
edit- Being Human (2002)
- The Mystery of Salvation (1995)
- We Believe in the Holy Spirit (1989)
- We Believe in God (1985)
- Christian Believing (1976)
- Prayer and the Departed (1971)
- Subscription and Assent to the Thirty-Nine Articles (1968)
- Doctrine in the Church of England (1938)
Chairpersons
edit- Stephen Sykes (1996–2002)
- Alec Graham (1987–1995)
- John A. Baker (1986–1987)
- John V. Taylor (1981–1985)
- Maurice Wiles (?–1976)
- William Temple (?–1938)
Doctrine Commission Publications
edit- Contemporary Doctrine Classics. Church House Publishing, 2005.
above reprints We Believe in God (1987), We Believe in the Holy Spirit (1991) and The Mystery of Salvation (1995)
- Being Human: A Christian understanding of personhood illustrated with reference to power, money, sex and time. Church House Publishing, 2003.
- The Mystery of Salvation. Church House Publishing, 1995.
- We Believe in the Holy Spirit. Church House Publishing, 1991.
- We Believe in God. Church House Publishing, 1987.
- Believing in the Church: The Corporate Nature of Faith. SPCK, 1981. [Essay collection]
- Christian believing: The nature of the Christian faith and its expression in Holy Scripture and creeds. SPCK, 1976. [Report and essays]
- Thinking about the Eucharist. SPCK, 1972. [Essay collection]
- Prayer and the Departed. SPCK, 1971.
- Subscription and Assent to the Thirty-Nine Articles. SPCK, 1968.
- Doctrine in the Church of England. SPCK, 1938. Reprinted by SPCK, 1982.
Doctrine in the Church today
editSince 2010 the Faith and Order Commission of the General Synod - which acts as a 'theological resource for the church as a whole' - has taken over the role played previously by the doctrine commission.[6] Following the resignation of Rowan Williams as Archbishop of Canterbury in 2012 the English theologian John Milbank called for the foundation of an international doctrine commission.[7] This body would be designed to serve the entire Anglican communion and would mirror the Catholic International Theological Commission which was founded in 1969.
See also
edit
- Faith and Order Commission (World Council of Churches)
- International Theological Commission (Roman Catholic
- Thirty-Nine Articles
- World Evangelical Alliance Theological Commission
References
edit- ^ Sykes, S. "Foreword" in Contemporary Doctrine Classics (Church House Publishing, 2005): xv.
- ^ Sykes, "Foreword", xv.
- ^ Sykes, "Foreword", xv.
- ^ Archbishop Runcie prefatory comment reprinted in Contemporary Doctrine Classics (Church House Publishing, 2005): 2.
- ^ General Synod Paper GS 1782 (Summer 2010)
- ^ The Faith and Order Commission website. Last accessed 28 Sep 2013
- ^ John Milbank, "After Rowan: The Coherence and Future of Anglicanism" ABC Religion and Ethics (4 Apr 2012). Last accessed 28 Sep 2013