Peter Cameron (minister)
Encyclopedia
Dr. Peter Cameron is a Scottish
Presbyterian minister, theologian, lawyer, and although said to be the only churchman to be branded as a heretic
in the 20th century for challenging Christian beliefs, was only one of the more notable.
, read law at Edinburgh University, and studied theology at Edinburgh
and Cambridge
before being ordained as a minister in the Church of Scotland
.
, New South Wales
, Australia
at the beginning of 1991, when he was appointed Principal of St Andrew's College
at the University of Sydney
, and thus became a minister in the Presbyterian Church of Australia
.
, a previous professor at St Andrew's College, had been in the 1930s. Whereas Angus was finally acquitted, Cameron was convicted by the Presbyterian Church of Australia of heresy
for disagreeing with the first chapter of the Westminster Confession of Faith
, which as a minister of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, he was required "firmly and constantly to adhere thereto and to the utmost of [his] power to maintain and defend", by questioning the writings of Paul in the New Testament
.
The charge related to a sermon
that he preached on 2 March 1992 called The Place of Women in the Church to 300 members of a Dorcas Society Rally (a Presbyterian women's organisation) in the conservative Ashfield
Presbyterian Church. In the sermon Cameron supported the ordination
of women to the ministry, criticised the church's hard line on homosexuality
, and attacked fundamentalist Christianity in general. According to Bruce Christian, a member of the Sydney Presbytery in the Presbyterian Church, Cameron was prosecuted for his attitude to Scripture in the lecture, stating: "The point he actually made at the public rally was that there was little value in arguing the hermeneutics of 1 Timothy 2:11-15 on the ordination of women, the simple fact is that Paul got it wrong."
In Australia
, most congregations of the Presbyterian Church had left that body in 1977 to join the Uniting Church in Australia
. The thirty-six percent of congregations that stayed tended to be more conservative than the majority that left. This meant that the Presbyterian Church in Australia was a far more conservative body than its 'parent' the Church of Scotland
. Thus, Dr Cameron's opinions were far more remarkable in the context of the Australian church than they would have been in the Scottish context. Church spokesman Reverend Paul Cooper noted that:
The ordination of women was a particularly 'live' issue at the time. Seven months after Dr Cameron's arrival, the General Assembly of Australia had decided to reverse a seventeen-year-old policy of ordaining women. Cameron's thoughts towards women in the Church has been also attributed to him having a daughter, with him stating in his controversial sermon:
Dr Cameron's conviction did not have any legal standing, only standing within the church itself. Thus the worst consequences for him would have been deposition (exclusion from the ministry) or excommunication
(expulsion from the church). However he withdrew his last appeal and resigned from the ministry on 31 July 1994. In strict church law he might have succeeded in his appeal given the liberty of opinion clause in the Basis of Union 1901 of the Presbyterian Church
. On the other hand, his denial in his books of basic teachings of the historic Christian faith were plainly contrary to the vows he had taken. He returned to Scotland in January 1996, and left the Church of Scotland to be ordained in the Scottish Episcopal Church
(the Anglican Church in Scotland).
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Presbyterian minister, theologian, lawyer, and although said to be the only churchman to be branded as a heretic
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
in the 20th century for challenging Christian beliefs, was only one of the more notable.
Early life
Cameron was born in 1945 in ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, read law at Edinburgh University, and studied theology at Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
before being ordained as a minister in the Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
.
Career
Cameron and his family moved to SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
at the beginning of 1991, when he was appointed Principal of St Andrew's College
St Andrew's College, Sydney
St Andrew's College is a Protestant co-residential college within the University of Sydney, in the suburb of Camperdown.-History:St Andrew's College was incorporated by Act of Parliament and received Royal Assent from Queen Victoria on 12 December 1867. The St Andrew's College Act 1998 replaced the...
at the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
, and thus became a minister in the Presbyterian Church of Australia
Presbyterian Church of Australia
The Presbyterian Church of Australia is the largest Presbyterian denomination in Australia. .-Beginnings:...
.
Conviction
In 1993 Dr Cameron was charged with heresy for challenging Christian beliefs, as Samuel AngusSamuel Angus
Samuel Angus was professor of New Testament and Church History at St Andrew's College in the University of Sydney from 1915 to 1943. His outspoken views of Christian theology were criticized by the Presbyterian Church of Australia, leading to formal charges of heresy...
, a previous professor at St Andrew's College, had been in the 1930s. Whereas Angus was finally acquitted, Cameron was convicted by the Presbyterian Church of Australia of heresy
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
for disagreeing with the first chapter of the Westminster Confession of Faith
Westminster Confession of Faith
The Westminster Confession of Faith is a Reformed confession of faith, in the Calvinist theological tradition. Although drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly, largely of the Church of England, it became and remains the 'subordinate standard' of doctrine in the Church of Scotland, and has been...
, which as a minister of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, he was required "firmly and constantly to adhere thereto and to the utmost of [his] power to maintain and defend", by questioning the writings of Paul in the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
.
The charge related to a sermon
Sermon
A sermon is an oration by a prophet or member of the clergy. Sermons address a Biblical, theological, religious, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law or behavior within both past and present contexts...
that he preached on 2 March 1992 called The Place of Women in the Church to 300 members of a Dorcas Society Rally (a Presbyterian women's organisation) in the conservative Ashfield
Ashfield, New South Wales
Ashfield is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Ashfield is about 9 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the Municipality of Ashfield.The official name for the...
Presbyterian Church. In the sermon Cameron supported the ordination
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
of women to the ministry, criticised the church's hard line on homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
, and attacked fundamentalist Christianity in general. According to Bruce Christian, a member of the Sydney Presbytery in the Presbyterian Church, Cameron was prosecuted for his attitude to Scripture in the lecture, stating: "The point he actually made at the public rally was that there was little value in arguing the hermeneutics of 1 Timothy 2:11-15 on the ordination of women, the simple fact is that Paul got it wrong."
In Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, most congregations of the Presbyterian Church had left that body in 1977 to join the Uniting Church in Australia
Uniting Church in Australia
The Uniting Church in Australia was formed on 22 June 1977 when many congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, the Presbyterian Church of Australia and the Congregational Union of Australia came together under the Basis of Union....
. The thirty-six percent of congregations that stayed tended to be more conservative than the majority that left. This meant that the Presbyterian Church in Australia was a far more conservative body than its 'parent' the Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
. Thus, Dr Cameron's opinions were far more remarkable in the context of the Australian church than they would have been in the Scottish context. Church spokesman Reverend Paul Cooper noted that:
"though the views that Dr Cameron is spouting would be acceptable in Scotland, they are not acceptable in Australia. We are a different church...an independent Church. Colonialism is dead. Dr Cameron wants the Presbyterian Church to be like the Church of Scotland...but we make our own decisions and our decision is that we don’t want to be that sort of church. We stand under the authority of the Bible."
The ordination of women was a particularly 'live' issue at the time. Seven months after Dr Cameron's arrival, the General Assembly of Australia had decided to reverse a seventeen-year-old policy of ordaining women. Cameron's thoughts towards women in the Church has been also attributed to him having a daughter, with him stating in his controversial sermon:
"it was only recently that the full significance came home to me when I suddenly realised that the effect of the decision to ban the ordination of women is that my daughter cannot become a minister of the Presbyterian Church of Australia. I don't mean that she was intending to. I mean that up to that point it was only the absurdity of the position that had struck me...after that I began to get angry. My daughter...goes to the PLC CroydonPresbyterian Ladies' College, SydneyThe Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney is an independent, Presbyterian, day and boarding school for girls in Croydon, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, Australia...
. It occurs to me that these initials now stand for Presbyterian Ladies Can't."
Dr Cameron's conviction did not have any legal standing, only standing within the church itself. Thus the worst consequences for him would have been deposition (exclusion from the ministry) or excommunication
Excommunication
Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive, suspend or limit membership in a religious community. The word means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group...
(expulsion from the church). However he withdrew his last appeal and resigned from the ministry on 31 July 1994. In strict church law he might have succeeded in his appeal given the liberty of opinion clause in the Basis of Union 1901 of the Presbyterian Church
Basis of Union (Presbyterian Church of Australia)
The Basis of Union of the Presbyterian Church of Australia is the document under which the constituent state churches agreed to unite at its first General Assembly on 24 July 1901, and is still a foundational text for the Uniting Church....
. On the other hand, his denial in his books of basic teachings of the historic Christian faith were plainly contrary to the vows he had taken. He returned to Scotland in January 1996, and left the Church of Scotland to be ordained in the Scottish Episcopal Church
Scottish Episcopal Church
The Scottish Episcopal Church is a Christian church in Scotland, consisting of seven dioceses. Since the 17th century, it has had an identity distinct from the presbyterian Church of Scotland....
(the Anglican Church in Scotland).
Published works
Dr Cameron is the author several books, the most well-known of which, Heretic, ISBN 0-86824-544-5, gives his account of the trial.See also
- Heresy in the 20th centuryHeresy in the 20th centuryAlthough less common than in the medieval period, formal charges of heresy within Christian churches still occur. Key issues in the Protestant churches have included modern biblical criticism, the nature of God, and the acceptability of gay clergy...
- List of Australian Presbyterians