Canon Law in the Anglican Communion
Canon Law in the Anglican Communion

Author: Norman Doe

Publisher:

Published: 1998

Total Pages: 448

ISBN-13:

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There is no recognised corpus of binding law globally applicable to all churches in the Anglican Communion. This book makes available a comparative study of the constitutions, canons, and other forms of law of Anglican churches worldwide.

Legal Flexibility and the Mission of the Church
Legal Flexibility and the Mission of the Church

Author: Will Adam

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-04-22

Total Pages: 264

ISBN-13: 131710627X

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Legal scholars and authorities generally agree that the law should be obeyed and should apply equally to all those subject to it, without favour or discrimination. Yet it is possible to see that in any legal system there will be situations when strict application of the law will produce undesirable results, such as injustice or other consequences not intended by the law as framed. In such circumstances the law may be changed but there may be broad policy reasons not to do so. The allied concepts of dispensation and economy grew up in the western and eastern traditions of the Christian church as mechanisms whereby an individual or a class of people could, by authority, be excused from obligations under a particular law in particular circumstances without that law being changed. This book uncovers and explores this neglected area of church life and law. Will Adam argues that dispensing power and authority exist in various guises in the systems of different churches. Codified and understood in Roman Catholic and Orthodox canon law, this arouses suspicion in the Church of England and in English law in general. The book demonstrates that legal flexibility can be found in English law and is integral to the law of the Church, to enable the Church today better to fulfil its mission in the world.

Ecclesiastical Law, Clergy and Laity
Ecclesiastical Law, Clergy and Laity

Author: Neil Patterson

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-09-13

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 135113860X

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Discipline in an ecclesiastical context can be defined as the power of a church to maintain order among its members on issues of morals or doctrine. This book presents a scholarly engagement with the way in which legal discipline has evolved within the Church of England since 1688. It explores how the Church of England, unusually among Christian churches, has come to be without means of effective legal discipline in matters of controversy, whether liturgical, doctrinal, or moral. The author excludes matters of blatant scandal to focus on issues where discipline has been attempted in controversial matters, focussing on particular cases. The book makes connections between law, the state of the Church, and the underlying theology of justice and freedom. At a time when doctrinal controversy is widespread across all Christian traditions, it is argued that the Church of England has an inheritance here in need of cherishing and sharing with the universal Church. The book will be a valuable resource for academics and researchers in the areas of law and religion, and ecclesiastical history. .