The Lambeth Conference
It was widely expected that the Lambeth Conference of the bishops of the world-wide Anglican Communion would be a disaster and mark the final splitting up of this brotherhood of Churches. The fact that over 200 of the bishops invited declined to attend because of their doctrinal disagreements with other Churches was a sad blow to the hoped for unity often achieved by these conferences. But the split didn’t happen and the vast majority of those who did attend clearly felt it was a success.
Of course the differences of belief still remain, but heed was paid to our Archbishop’s appeal for restraint and patience. It’s noteworthy that at the final press conference he was warmly applauded by the gathered reporters, many of whom had previously seemed to scorn him. Rowan Williams is clearly a star and a good leader as well as a wise and saintly man.
What then are the bones of contention? On one side are the liberal thinkers, chiefly those of the United States and Canada but with much support from the U.K. and some from many other parts of the world. On the other are the conservatives, notably from South America, African countries that were once our colonies and the Diocese of Sydney in Australia. A sizable minority in our own Church of England must also be included.
The conservatives on the whole base their position on a fundamentalist reading of the Bible. Their particular hates just now are homosexual practice and the ordination of women as priests and – worse still – as bishops. Many of them believe they are justified in interfering in other Churches of the Communion and in other Dioceses where “false” teaching is being given.
The liberals are generally in favour of an inclusive Church, in which homosexual partnerships are honoured and the place of women in ministry is guaranteed. The Church of England on the whole probably stands behind the Archbishop of Canterbury in being liberal in its thinking but cautious about changing the customs we have inherited from earlier and less enlightened times. When Archbishop Rowan asks for restraint and patience he is seeking a moratorium on the consecration of gay bishops and the blessing of same-sex partnerships. It takes time for new ideas to be fully grasped and our forward thinkers simply have to be patient while the slower ones catch up, as no doubt they will in time. I myself believe that we can survive and love each other in spite of the fact that we shall remain of different opinions for a long time to come.
-Peter Graham
e-mail peter.graham[at]bucklandnewton[dot]com
