Allen Brent of the was
responsible for laying the theological foundations for the creation
of bishops in Australia whose superintending ministry was focused on
cultures rather than territories. Thus . His argument is set out in
his book on Cultural
Episcopacy.
Following the historic resolution
of the Synod of the Diocese of North Queensland (1985), the
Rt Revd. Arthur Malcom was consecrated as first bishop of the
Aboriginal People of Australia. His successor today is Rt
Revd James Leftwich.
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Brent developed a theme that linked the sacramental
character of the threefold Order (Bishop, Priests, and Deacon) to the
concept of ministerial figures as iconic representatives of the saving
acts in a community in process of redemption.The Church as the extension
of the incarnation implies that a redeemed community will exhibit that
fact in terms of incarnation in culture. The events leading to the decision
to consecrate a bishop in terms of such a theology were attended by
some phenomena remiscent of medieval miracles.
Some
children were playing in school at Yarraba painting leaves that they
pressed together and pulled apart. When they did so, they saw the face
of Christ in the leaf. Thus was proclaimed 'the day that king Jesus
came to Yarraba.' There was of course in our European, Elightenment
perspective considerable criticism of this development, reminiscent
of medieval cults and 'superstition.' In Brent's opinion, expressed
in a speech to the Syndon of the Anglican Church of North Queensland,
such criticism missed the point. The figure of Christ bears identifiable
Aboriginal features, and portrays a Christ that comes wearing the flesh
and blood of Aboriginal humanity. "The Word was made flesh"
in human cultures and therefore ministerial order that represents an
iconography of the divine will inevitably be partially expressed in
a cultural form.