The Problem of Authority

One of the more difficult problems in the Anglican Communion (and in mainline Protestantism in general) is one of authority. The primary question in the debate to address this problem is "Who or what has the last word in doctrinal disputes?" The answer to this question for Protestants is typically "Scripture is the sole source of authority."

The difficulty with this answer lies in the fact that the meaning of Scripture is not always clear. Scripture has many layers of meaning and opinions often differ on whether a passage of Scripture is meant to be taken literally or metaphorically. The particular faith background of the Christian reading Scripture has a large degree of influence on the results of their interpretation. How can we as a faith community reconcile these different points of view into a coherent whole? Is it even possible?

Some groups have chosen to take the literalist stance where every passage is meant to be taken exactly as it is written except where it is not theologically expedient. This intellectually weak method of exegesis creates more problems than it solves and discredits Christianity in the eyes of the secular world.

At the other end of the spectrum some groups interpret most passages metaphorically, and this has the tendency to water down Christianity to a set of moral platitudes and make relativism the order of the day.

It is obvious that neither of these extremes will work for a long-term solution to the problem of biblical authority. The difficulty is in achieving a balance between this two viewpoints, and I believe that Tradition and communal decision are key to creating this equilibrium.

Scripture was never meant to be interpreted in a vacuum. No matter how a person tackles the problem of Scriptural interpretation extra-biblical sources will have to be consulted. The interpreter crosses over into the realm of Tradition at that point. There must be a process to establish which elements of Tradition are truly timeless and which ones are purely a product of the historical framework in which they were generated.

This process should be undertaken as a community, but the obvious question now is, "Who in the community can participate in these kinds of decisions?" As the community grows larger there is greater potential for splinter groups to form. How can we as Christians avoid further fragmentation?

The overarching question is: How can we evolve as a community while still preserving the authority of Scripture?