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The Anglican Communion is Pregnant
The Dangers of Institutionalism
by the Rev. Harald Haugan
One thing is certain. There is a bulge in the belly of the Anglican Communion. Its fertility has been in question for some 200 years in the West but in the last few decades the signs have emerged. The Holy Spirit has impregnated the Anglican institution with the swimming cells of renewal, evangelism and mission, the same cells that have moved so predominantly in Africa and Asia. The baby has formed.
By modern medical standards it is said that pregnancy in older women can lead to serious complications. An older couple might find adjustment difficult or easy depending on their attitudes. You might hear a husband saying to his wife of 25 years and mother of grown children, "You're what? How did that happen? We're too old for this!" Or maybe the husband might greet the news with "Wow. What wonderful news. To think we would have this happen to us. What a blessing. When can we expect the baby to be born? Are you feeling OK? What does the doctor suggest and what can I do to help you through this?"
Liturgical churches many times are like older couples. They get set in their ways, delight in family, home and settling in with old friends in the comfort zones of familiarity. Mission, evangelism and discipling? We've been there, done that and got the shirt. Anyway that's why we hired a clergyman. As long as I have my Sunday service and a good Christmas and Easter experience I'm satisfied. What I believe is personal. I don't want to impose that on others. Of course we could go on but the meaning is clear. People in liturgical churches can become anesthetized by the very structure that gave them such a deep experience of the living Lord.
But back to the pregnancy. A new baby is on the way and presently it seems that the husband (institutional authorities) don't want the baby and have pushed for an abortion. Abortion doctors (aka the Episcopal Church's House of Bishops) have been employed by radical elements to cut off the blood supply. That blood supply is personal faith in Jesus, relying on the truth of Scripture, evangelism, mission, the gifts of the Spirit and discipling. These bishops see the pregnancy as a threat rather than a blessing. Preserve the institution at all costs. Get rid of the baby. Instead of welcoming the pregnancy they substitute canon law for Scripture, resort to legalism instead of accommodating the needs of the mother, the Body of Christ. What modern bishops have done is to retreat into the comfort zone of institutionalism, which is a human concept and construct, instead of allowing the living Body of Christ to reproduce, which is what it was started for in the first place.
The sellout to institutionalism exposes the abortionist's mentality. But it is far more subtle than the analogy presented here. It is a spiritual battle for the souls of those who know that the liturgy, the institution and authority are the servants of the living Lord. They are not the substance of God. They are vehicles He uses to reach, teach, transform and missionize the hearts of His people to make disciples.
That spiritual battle is one where the spirits that war against God find a familiar and comfortable attitude to reside in. The spirits are real, invasive and appealing. There are institutional spirits, legalistic spirits, aristocratic spirits which, by the way, have been very much a part of the Episcopal Church since its beginning in the United States. These spirits coupled with and generated by the spirits of fear, pride and arrogance have taken up residence in the authoritarian spirit of power so dominant in structures both secular and religious. They have been pervasive and must be recognized and exorcized.
The good news is Jesus Christ has again sent the Holy Spirit to impregnate the Body with renewal, reformation and mission in each heart. When He is allowed to work exorcism is possible. He will keep us alert to their presence and empower us to keep our eyes on the Lord and His Word.
It is no longer membership in a denomination but citizenship in the Kingdom of God, no longer being Episcopalian or Anglican but a child of God, a brother and sister in the Body of Christ, not a name on the statistical roll of some local church but a name written in the Book of Life In Heaven. The institution is again being seen as a personal instrument for the Lord's use. It is not what is being preserved and protected but what is being given away that counts.
It is time to be thankful for what God is doing and let the pregnancy come to full term. If it is a new Anglican church, a new diocese or a new province, so be it. As Gamaliel said, "Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God (Acts 5:38-39)."
---The Rev. Harald "Whitey" Haugan is retired rector of All Souls Church in Jacksonville, Florida. Ordained in 1959 he has been a conference speaker and and Spiritual Gift workshop teacher while serving churches in New England, Florida and a brief tour in Norway. He is the author of three books, /Marriage God's Way, The Sermon on the Mount/ and the latest, /The Last Teachings of Christ/, all published by Authorhouse.
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