Anglican Perspectives

CEO Completes Degree in Canon Law

 

The American Anglican Council (AAC) congratulates the Rev. Canon Phil Ashey, President & CEO, on completing his LLM in Canon Law from Cardiff University Law School in Wales. The LLM in Canon Law provides an opportunity for critical appraisal of Ecclesiastical Law in the context of relevant national and international law. Canon Ashey’s dissertation is titled The Future of Conciliarism as a Model for Church Governance within Anglicanism and will be published later this year. (a summary is below)

 

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Canon Phil Ashey and Mrs. Julie Ashey

 

AAC board of trustees member and practicing attorney Rich Baker says this accomplishment will further the AAC’s ministry. “Combining this expertise in church law with Canon Ashey’s experience as an attorney and priest makes him and the American Anglican Council a more unique and qualified resource for Anglican leaders around the world.”

 

Dissertation Title:   The Future of Conciliarism as a Model for Church Governance within Anglicanism

 

Summary:

This dissertation proposes to examine the future of conciliar theory and practice as a viable organizing principle for the Communion of Anglican Churches.  Part I examines the evidence for the principles and practice of conciliar government in the Church of England, from before the Reformation to the present. Part II examines the evidence of such principles and practice within the Anglican Communion from four representative Churches (Australia, South East Asia, Nigeria and Ireland) and two of their dioceses each.  Part III examines the “devolution” of conciliar principles and practices at the global level of Anglican Communion governance in light of unilateral actions by some Churches in the last 50 years with respect to doctrine, discipline and order which have stretched the current “Instruments of Communion” beyond the breaking point.  We see the fruit of this in North America, where there are significant differences in the principles and practice of conciliarism between The Episcopal Church USA and the new Anglican Church in North America.  These differences reveal a difference in ecclesiologies that highlight the choices before the Communion with respect to conciliarism as a viable organizing principle at all levels of governance.  Finally, Part IV extrapolates the evidence for conciliarism from the laws of the Churches examined in Parts I-III, as well as the Principles of Canon Law Common to the Churches of the Anglican Communion, to propose a model for conciliarism at the global level of Communion governance.  This proposed model seeks to overcome the “deficit of authority” in the current Instruments through Fundamental Declarations, enhanced responsibility of Primates for doctrine, discipline and order, a Council of the Anglican Communion and an Executive Committee with strictly enumerated and delegated powers. The conciliar principles in this model seek to promote “communion” and mission that is both loyal to its Christological center and intelligible to other Biblically faithful Christians.

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