Delays at Lambeth: An Analysis

From The Living Church:

Posted on: August 2, 2008


Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams made an eloquent case in his opening presidential address to the Lambeth Conference for embracing a new way of addressing the difficult issues that divide Anglicans, so it is disheartening to see with just two days left that this new procedure appears to be moving toward adopting more of the same failed policies from the past.

In Part Three of its preliminary observations, the Windsor Continuation Group recommended moratoria on same-sex blessings, the consecration of more partnered homosexual bishops and the cessation of cross-border interventions. It also proposed “the swift formation” 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.”

It is difficult to imagine either those seeking to normalize homosexuality within the church or those seeking to minister to congregations and dioceses that feel marginalized by such innovations taking the pastoral forum any more seriously than they did the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Panel of Reference or the primates’ pastoral scheme. In addition, the Windsor Continuation Group recommends deferring a decision to the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), which does not meet until next May. Undoubtedly a round of provincial consultations will follow.

The decision to defer a decision to the ACC is all the more curious because in Part Two of its preliminary observations, the Windsor Continuation Group identified significant concerns with the ACC. Among them: “There are questions about whether a body meeting every three years, with a rapidly changing membership not necessarily located within the central structures of their own provinces can fulfill adequately the tasks presently given to it.” ACC-13 in Nottingham was unsatisfactory to just about everyone who participated, and its recommendation to remove representatives from The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada from two elected bodies was primarily symbolic. Episcopalians and Anglicans from Canada have had great influence over planning for this conference. If the matter is one of urgency, why more delay?

Archbishop Williams has pinned his hopes on an Anglican Covenant, but in a media briefing on Aug. 1, the Rev. Canon Gregory Cameron, deputy secretary general and director of ecumenical affairs, conceded that a covenant is probably at least 10 years away from approval. If the three crisis items identified by the Windsor Continuation Group are allowed to continue unabated for another 10 years, will it be possible to reassemble the fractured Anglican churches in Canada, the U.S. and elsewhere?

When asked that question at an Episcopal News Service media briefing on Aug. 1, Bishop Duncan Gray III of Mississippi conceded he did not know.

“That’s an institutional challenge,” he said. “The fear is that we will run away from our brokenness and try to heal it too quickly. Pain is a way to deeper spirituality.”

If nothing else is accomplished, this conference has made significant progress toward lowering the level of vitriol and uncharitable personal attacks while at the same time making significant progress toward establishing better interpersonal relationships among the bishops. These shouldn’t be discounted. In fact they are an excellent starting point, but it is a lot easier to prevent the bone china from smashing to pieces than it is to glue it back together again. Ten years is a long time.


Steve Waring