Press Releases04 Jul 08

Archbishop of Armagh calls for a return to the heart of Anglicanism

The Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, the Most Revd Alan Harper OBE, calls for a proper application of traditional Anglican method as forged by Richard Hooker to the issues facing the Anglican communion today.

He points to Richard Hooker as a pivotal figure in Anglicanism whose establishment of the three-fold cord of Scripture, Tradition and Reason in the 16th Century provided the underpinning components and wellspring of Anglicanism’s distinctive theological method. Archbishop Harper argues that Hooker’s distinction between the Word of the Lord and the Law of God and his analysis of the role of reason in approaching Holy Scripture have not been given the consideration they deserve in present controversies. The Archbishop says that, ‘in particular, the crucial distinctions that Hooker makes between the whole body of scripture and what may be identified as the Law of God needs swiftly to be recovered’.

The Archbishop goes on to state that it is inappropriate to exclude the application of reason to the writings of St Paul. For demonstrative purposes, he applies Hooker’s methods to the key text of Romans Chapter 1, describing it as a ‘by-speech in the context of an historical narrative and, as such, not a declaration of God’s Law. Furthermore, Paul, in his treatment of the issues, employs reason based upon the knowledge and presuppositions accessible to him in his day.’

Archbishop Harper’s address also alludes to the importance that Anglicans attach to science and human knowledge and how these are additional tools in understanding and appreciating the work of the Creator and stresses the significance of this particularly when encountering terms such as ‘natural’ and ‘unnatural’ in scripture.

The Archbishop stated that ‘scant heed’ had been paid to the key Anglican principles established by Hooker, the recovery of which would do much to inform a mature discussion and analysis of the current situation clearly needed among Anglicans at this time.