The Mothers Union (MU) is one of the great success stories of the Anglican Communion.
Beginning in 1876 with Mary Sumner’s vision for Christian marriage and family life, the movement now numbers some 4 million members worldwide, with the largest concentration being in Africa.
Away from the faith
The Mothers Union is similar to the Anglican Communion. It is made up of many independent branches throughout the world and all are affiliated to the MU in England, based at Mary Sumner House in London, which likes to be described as the ‘umbrella’ organisation. But there is a problem.
An umbrella should provide a sense of protection and belonging, but Mary Sumner’s umbrella is looking decidedly leaky as parts of the Anglican Communion continue on their path away from apostolic faith and the biblical doctrine of marriage.
Marriage
According to the MU website1, it has five objectives, the first of which is ‘to promote and support married life’, but according to its Royal Charter it is actually: ‘To uphold Christ’s teaching on the nature of marriage and to promote its wider understanding.’2
Similarly, the second objective is ‘to encourage parents in their role to develop the faith of their children’, while according to the Charter it is: ‘To encourage parents to bring up their children in the faith and life of the Church.’ The other three objectives given on the website are identical in wording to those in the Charter.
Change
The change in the first objective is particularly significant. Until 2009, the MU used the full wording of the Charter in its members’ diaries, but then substituted the commitment to ‘married life’ for ‘Christ’s teaching on the nature of marriage’. In a context where same sex ‘marriage’ is now legally sanctioned and culturally acceptable, this invites confusion.
The impression of an organisation which is losing its Christian focus is reinforced by its online ‘Promoting Marriage’ statement which affirms a continuing belief in marriage as being between a man and a woman, but makes it provisional by adding: ‘Nevertheless, we are mindful that our membership is made of four million individuals with a diversity of views and therefore we will remain committed to a process of ongoing listening and consultation, and open to God’s leading.’3
In practice, it is probable that only a tiny minority of members would advocate a departure from biblical marriage.
Uganda and London
For example, the Ugandan Mothers Union, with over 200,000 members, revised its constitution in 2016 and, in contrast to the central MU, the wording of the first objective is actually strengthened and becomes: ‘To uphold Christ’s teaching on the nature and sanctity of marriage and to promote its wider understanding (Mark 10.5-9, Titus 2.3-5).’ We are left in no doubt that Christ’s teaching means the teaching of the Bible.
The Church of Uganda’s refreshing clarity is very much needed because systematic efforts are being made to blunt discernment. In March this year, the London-based Anglican Communion Office organised a delegation of women from around the Communion to attend the 61st session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW61). Women’s rights are clearly a pressing issue in many parts of the world and Christians need to engage, but there was also a less obvious agenda.
The event was clearly designed to reinforce the idea that Anglicans can still be one, even if they can’t agree on what it means to be holy and apostolic. Delegates were hosted in New York by the Episcopal Church of the United States which is a leading voice for promoting homosexual lifestyles as a human right and changed its marriage canon accordingly in 2015. They attended services which included a sermon by Bishop Mary Glasspool, who in 2010 became the first openly lesbian bishop of the Anglican Communion.
The delegation subsequently issued a statement which took as its main theme the topic of ‘empowerment’, as if social justice was the heart of Jesus’ mission, with no mention of the positive benefits of marriage or motherhood. Neither is there any hint of dissent from the UN’s policy that abortion is a human right. And so the richly textured biblical vision of men and women living for the glory of God degrades into a thin secular ideology of rights.
Mary Sumner’s leaky umbrella is of little use in a Communion where the orthodox majority is far too often expected to conform to an agenda set by a well-funded liberal minority. Perhaps it is time for the Mothers Unions of Africa and the Global South to offer Mary Sumner an umbrella of their own.
1. www.themothersunion.org/about-us/how-we-work/our-vision-mission-values
3. www.mothersunion.org/our-focus/marriage/promoting-marriage
