The ‘Last” Lambeth Conference?

  The first Lambeth Conference was convened in 1867 by the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Charles Thomas Longley over an “internal problem” in the fledgling Anglican Church of South Africa.  The Bishop of Cape Town had deposed Bishop John William Colenso for his writings that allegedly “contravened and subverted the Catholic Faith.”  Colenso appealed to the English courts, and was reinstated.  There were then two Bishops claiming jurisdiction in the same diocese, and Archbishop Longley became convinced the matter had grave implications for the entire Communion.  A significant number of the Bishops refused to attend that first Lambeth Conference, believing its authority was limited at best and questionable at worst.

It was called “the Lambeth Conference” because it met at Lambeth Palace, the London home of the Archbishop of Canterbury, on the bank of the Thames River, directly across from the Houses of Parliament.

Approximately every ten years since then another Lambeth Conference has convened, although the last four of them have been held at the University of Kent, overlooking Canterbury Cathedral, since the number of Anglican Bishops worldwide has long since outgrown the Palace.

The fourteenth such Conference took place this past month, with a surprising number of “echoes” from a century and a half ago.  Once again African Bishops were among the newsmakers.  Once again there were charges and counter charges regarding heretical and false teaching.  Once again, there were competing jurisdictions in many places.  Once again, nearly one in four of the Bishops chose not to attend.

Though it was not my original intention to do so, I ended up sending back nearly daily reports of the Conference as it unfolded (at least as I experienced it), and they remain posted on our Diocesan web site: http://www.cfdiocese.org.  But now that the Conference has ended, I would like to venture a final impression.  In doing so I find myself in sharp disagreement with many who are saying that this Conference “accomplished nothing,” that the Communion itself is disintegrating, and that what has just concluded will turn out to have been the “last” of the Lambeth Conferences.

It is true that the Conference passed no Resolutions, offered no Teaching Statements, and took no votes – on anything.  But, on the final afternoon, in his Third Presidential Address, Archbishop Rowan Williams (in the words of one of the senior English Bishops) “decisively tipped the balance for the first time in the Conference.” 

Another of the Bishops put it this way, “The Bible Studies and the Indaba groups provided the backdrop for the Archbishop to speak on behalf of the whole Conference.  And he did so with remarkable clarity and forcefulness.”  Unequivocally, he:

• Affirmed the uniqueness of Christ as “the Way, the Truth and the Life” (not “my way,” or “a way”!);

• Reaffirmed Resolution 1:10 (from the 1998 Conference)1  as the teaching of the Anglican Communion regarding sexual behavior;

• Reiterated the Primates’ call in the 2007 Communique from Dar es Salam for moratoria on the blessing of same-sex relationships, the consecration of priests in same-sex relationships, and the crossing of diocesan borders by Bishops of other jurisdictions; 2

• Endorsed once again the development of an Anglican Covenant as “the way forward”;

• Endorsed the Communion Partners initiative (of which I am a part): a plan to work within the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church while remaining firmly in communion with the See of Canterbury and the vast majority of the rest of the Anglican Communion;

• Endorsed the concept of a Pastoral Forum to “engage theologically and practically with situations of controversy as they arise or divisive actions that may be taken around the Communion,” 3 and he said he will appoint the members of it within the next two months; and

• Promised to convene a meeting of the Primates “as early as possible in 2009” to “implement our vision” for the future of the Communion.

And once again, he promised to extend the hand of welcome and cooperation to “those absent from Lambeth to be involved in these next stages.”

A course has been charted.  A leader has spoken.  And it would appear that the vast majority of the world’s Anglican Bishops are prepared to follow that course with him.  I believe there is more hope for our future than there has been in a very long time.

With love to all of you in our Lord,

+ John

Notes:

1 – “This [1998] Conference…in view of the teaching of Scripture, upholds faithfulness in marriage between a man and a woman in lifelong union, and believes that abstinence is right for those who are not called to marriage; [and] recognizes that there are among us persons who experience themselves as having a homosexual orientation.  Many of these are members of the Church and are seeking the pastoral care, moral direction of the Church, and God’s transforming power for the living of their lives and the ordering of relationships.  We commit ourselves to listen to the experience of homosexual persons and we wish to assure them that they are loved by God and that all baptized, believing and faithful persons, regardless of sexual orientation, are full members of the Body of Christ.  While rejecting homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture [this Conference] calls on all our people to minister pastorally and sensitively to all irrespective of sexual orientation and to condemn irrational fear of homosexuals, violence within marriage and any trivialization and commercialization of sex; [and we] cannot advise the legitimizing or blessing of same sex unions or ordaining those involved in same gender unions….”

2 – “There is widespread support for moratoria across the Communion…, if the Windsor process is to be honored, all three moratoria must be applied consistently.”  (Indaba Reflections, p. 38)

3 – Recommendation of the Windsor Continuation Group.