Fr Duncan preaches on Amazing Grace and the future of the Anglican Church.

Not everyone who does great things with their lives starts out on the right path.  One man who really strikes me in just such a way is a character called John Newton.    Nowadays, John Newton is remembered as the author of the well known hymn Amazing Grace.  The story of how he got to the point of writing it, is one worthy of our consideration.

Newton was born in London in 1725.   He was the son of a sea captain, and followed in his father’s footsteps by going to sea.  As was often the case back then, boys went to sea young, he went at 11, and came back a man.  The problem was, during his time away, he had experienced much of the slave trade, and his formative years were shaped by the belief that slavery was perfectly normal.

When he returned home, he was promptly press-ganged into the Royal Navy and forced to serve under very harsh conditions.  He was no doubt, a bitter and angry man.  He ended up serving on a slave ship, plying the evil trade that routed humans between Africa, the West Indies and America.  He hated this time, and was miserable.  He tells of the fact that he considered murdering his captain, and committing suicide. 

In 1748, during his return voyage to England Newton had a Christian conversion. He awoke to find his ship caught in a severe storm off the coast of Ireland and about to sink. In response, Newton began praying for God's mercy, after which the storm began to die down.

This changed him, and he began to read scripture deeply.  He became an evangelical lay leader of the day, and campaigned actively for the Abolition of Slavery.   He went forward for the Anglican priesthood, but his background, and lack of formal academic qualifications meant he was refused.  He persisted for 7 years, and, having taught himself Greek and Hebrew was eventually accepted to be ordained as a deacon.

During his curacy, he worked to establish commonality between the non-conformists and the Anglicans he knew.  This was controversial in a time when the dominance of Anglicanism was constantly under threat.

But he believed our common faith should transcend our tribal differences, particularly when faced with the challenge of live issues such as slavery.

Newton first came to my attention as a young man.  In Hull, where I grew up, there is a museum all about the slave trade.  This is because William Wilberforce, who ultimately brought down the slave trade, was the local MP.  Wilberforce met Newton at a time when Wilberforce was disillusioned with politics and was considering leaving parliament.  Newton obviously sensed something remarkable in the young MP and convinced him to stay, and serve God through the vehicle of politics. 

And that is exactly what Wilberforce did; he stayed and became the MP who headed the abolitionist movement in the UK.  He took up the baton from Newton and managed to move parliament to end the trade that had been so repulsive and evil, and had shaped much of Newton’s early life.

Right now, our church seems to be in disarray.  We are being told that the Anglican communion is in schism.  GAFCON, the evangelical wing of the Anglican communion, has formally declared that it’s member churches should leave the communion because Canterbury will shortly be filled by a woman.

If churches leave, or here in Australia, dioceses, which whilst complicated is not impossible, it will radically change the meaning of being part of the Anglican Communion and the church universal.

This week Archbishop Jeremy released an Ad Clerum to clergy explaining his take on the situation.  It focusses on the issues as we face them here in Australia, and is clearly directed as a response to the question, “will the diocese of Sydney leave, and will others follow?”

It is a well-considered response, carefully drafted and structurally correct.  It points out that it is exceptionally unlikely this will happen because of the way the Anglican Church of Australia is set up, and the direct relationship we share with the See of Canterbury.

The thing is, when we look to our own Anglican history, we see numerous examples of men and women who have simply determined that they should sail through some of the murkiness of Anglicanism and find the Holy Spirit at work.  Newton and Wilberforce are examples of this; Newton, in particular, is one who managed to effect change across ecumenical lines and made a difference to the world which shaped and defined it.

It is a long time since I have “rejoiced” in the appointment of an Archbishop of Canterbury, as our Archbishop mentions he does.  I think the job, if you can call it that, is an unmanageable nightmare.  And I think it has little impact on the day-to-day running of this parish or this diocese.  I say Mass on behalf of the ordinary under whom I serve, and that is the Archbishop of Brisbane, not of Canterbury.

One thing I definitely do agree with our Archbishop on is  a statement he makes in his Ad Clerum:

“I know that the ongoing debates within the Anglican Communion can feel wearying, even disheartening. Yet our unity does not depend on uniformity of thought, but on our shared commitment to Christ and the Gospel.”

Amidst the continuing turbulence that is the Anglican Church, I would urge you to take this statement and see that it is exactly what I believe about the church, and that is why I remain convinced that Anglicanism can work.

When Newton wrote Amazing Grace, he spoke of the transformative nature of God as we receive it.  It can save us, it can help us see beyond our reality, it can empower us to be the church we are called to be.  And it can help us to have, as Archbishop Jeremy puts it,  wisdom, courage, and gentleness in all that lies ahead.

Amen