Who cares if the Church of England tears itself apart this weekend? Its million active members in Britain are barely ahead of the Roman Catholics, from whose church it separated five centuries ago, and the 930,000 practising Muslims. Only 15% of babies are now baptised into the Church of England and few of them are likely to graduate to church membership.

Schism is the occupational disease of religion. If, through the defection of ecclesiastical conservatives, West Indians and Africans, there are soon to be two Anglican churches in place of one, most Britons will just not notice. But their established church remains a substantial national institution, custodian of British values even to the many who do not patronise it. When it suffers an attack of episcopal knife crime, a message goes out that “the centre cannot hold”.

The cause of the conflict, the gender and sexual orientation of bishops, is as arcane as the Pelagian heresy. It is sadly ironic that the church should be headed at this time by an archbishop, Rowan Williams, whose personality seems more ideally cast for martyrdom than leadership. His saintly pain at the refusal of the contending parties to hear his lofty platitudes has become a national agony.

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I am very pleased with the design of the Lambeth Conference. Rather than talking about communion and community, the AbC has set about crafting an experience of community for the assembled bishops.

This actual experience may end up doing more to help the American bishops understand this challenge than any sermon or theological lecture ever could. Time will tell.

Please note: your feedback and thoughts always appreciated, and they will not be published with your name without your permission–KSH.

We are beginning to see the thrust of the controlling theology here at Lambeth.

First, all views should be represented. There is a continual knawing at the bone that over a quarter of the bishops invited are not here. This has been raised by the Archbishop of Canterbury in his welcome address, and Bishop de Chickera in the opening sermon. Archbishop Philip Aspinall commented on this at length in answer to a question at the opening press conference. His answer is illuminating.

He said in answer to a question: “I am greatly saddened by Archbishop Jensen’s decision not to come. Sydney comes from the evangelical tradition ”“ a vital part ”“ and that perspective will be weaker because they are not here. We will have to find other ways to engage that perspective. It will delay us. Other bishops have important things to say that they (the Sydney bishops) need to hear. There is sadness among us all.”

In other words, the liberal vision is to have all views expressed at a meeting. However, this will always be in the controlling framework of being on a journey and never being able to settle on an answer.

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We want to hear your views on the future of the Anglican Church as the Lambeth Conference continues.

We are inviting two Have Your Say contributors from the Anglican Communion to the BBC to join the debate and respond to your views and questions….

How should the Church resolve its current difficulties? What are your views on the ordination of women and gay priests? Should the Anglican Communion split? What questions do you have for our guest contributors?

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A liberal bishop from Sri Lanka suggested to his colleagues at the Lambeth Conference today that they should take the afternoon off to settle their theological differences over a game of cricket.

The sporting invitation from the Right Rev Duleep de Chickera, Bishop of Colombo, came in an otherwise hard-hitting sermon in which he reminded all 650 bishops attending that the Anglican Church was an “inclusive” community where everyone was equal, regardless of sexual orientation.

The sermon marked the official start of the conference in Canterbury and confirmed the Church’s liberal direction. But Bishop de Chickera – who was preaching at the personal invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams – freely admitted the “reality” of the current divisions over gay consecrations and same-sex blessings.

“The reality is that we are a wounded Anglican Communion,” he said. “Some of us are not here and that is an indication that all is not well.”

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The meeting was designed without any votes or legislation, and no one expects the Anglicans to resolve their problems by the assembly’s end. Organizers instead hope their discussions will help clarify what direction they should take to stay together.

The Anglican spiritual leader, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, prefaced the gathering with a three-day private prayer retreat for the bishops that ended Saturday. In one session at the cathedral, he asked bishops to pray with someone they were afraid to meet.

“A Lambeth Conference is not a political meeting about organization or structure alone, but it is a spiritual meeting,” said Archbishop Phillip Aspinall, head of the Anglican Church of Australia. “We must go into this confident that a way has been found to the Father … . We must be confident that that way is there.”

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The programme starts 23 minutes and 45 seconds in and includes interviews with Vincent Strudwick, Graham Kings, Norman Doe, Lucy Winkett, Judith Maltby, Paul Handley and Stephen Bates.

Please take the time to listen to it all.

He also challenged the church to be a “prophetic voice ”¦ regardless of where we serve in the world,” speaking for “those who for cultural, economic, military reasons cannot speak for themselves, or at tremendous cost.” He mentioned crises in Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Afghanistan and Iraq, and said the church must “call into accountability those who abuse power.”

The church, he said, “is one institution that does not live for itself” and he called upon the bishops to “hold onto these words” as the “crux of Anglican identity and spirituality.”
De Chickera concluded his sermon with a low, rhythmic Buddhist chant as the cathedral bells tolled.

After the service, Bishop Neil Alexander of Atlanta said he was “particularly moved” by de Chickera’s sermon since it “lifted your soul,” however, Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh said the inclusion of the chant was “very, very troubling” since it was an “invocation of something other than the God we know.”

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(ACNS)

There are two realities that encompass us as we meet as a world family of the Anglican Communion. And I would like to draw your attention to both these realities, without which our conference and our forward journey will become meaningless.

The first is that our world is a torn and divided world. Bishops are expected to bring their dioceses with them to the Lambeth Conference, and Bishops whose dioceses strive to be faithful by the challenges that come to us from God’s world will inevitably bring along with their diocese the pain and the struggles, the injustice, the evil, the hostility that men and women encounter in today’s world. It is indeed a true saying that God gives the Church an agenda out of the crises of the world. And so my dear sisters and brothers in Christ, the Anglican Communion must always give the highest priority to our invitation from Christ to participate with Christ in transforming God’s world. To bring healing, peace, justice, reconciliation, abundant life, where there is oppression, where there is hostility, where there is strife, and division. This concept of the world in pain must, through this conference and after the conference, receive the energy and spirituality of our Church. No other priority can contend for that place. God has called us and placed us in God’s world so that we might participate with him in bringing this transformation.

The second reality is the reality that we are a wounded community. Some of us are not here, and that is an indication that all is not well. Certainly the crisis is complex. It is not a crisis that can be resolved instantly.

The journey ahead is a long arduous one – a journey that will demand our prayers, our faithfulness, our mutual trust in each other, and of course our trust in God who makes reconciliation possible.

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But the organisation hasn’t been too terrible. There has been an enormous amount of good will, and I’ve really enjoyed working with such a wide range of people. I’ve travelled round the world talking to bishops and some spouses, and encountered a lot of good will there, too; so there’s that side of things, as well as delivering the Conference.

The sheer volume of minutiae has been overwhelming in recent weeks: tying up people’s travel arrangements and enquiries. Three-quarters of the people coming will never have been to a Lambeth Conference before. Still, we’ve had a great deal of fun along the way.

We didn’t know from the start what was happening about numbers and politics, but once Archbishop Rowan’s invitations had been sent out, and the replies started to come in, and we saw we had enough beds filled to make the Conference viable, we just tried to make the best Conference we could for the Archbishop. We could see from early on there was a huge take-up.

There is an irony, because I’m actually from the diocese of Sydney. The fact that my own bishops aren’t coming is a disappointment.

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…at this crucial time, many of those strong evangelical Anglicans from Africa, Asia and South America have removed themselves. The American bishops, led by Dr. Jefferts Schori, seem strengthened in their resolve to force the approval of aberrant behavior and experimental theology on the Communion. They’ve signaled a willingness to go their own way no matter what Lambeth does.

I talked with a number of bishops here. They are worried. Uncertain about the outcome of the Conference. I’m convinced that the majority of those here gathered are orthodox in their faith, determined to conform themselves to Scripture in a holy life. They must find within themselves, in the midst of this pilgrimage, the resolve to stand for the Faith and say “no” to innovations that have yet to be tested by time and have often proven so able to bring spiritual, emotional and physical suffering.

If they do not, a great cry of anguish will resonate in that great cloud of witnesses nurtured faithfully over the centuries and drawn from the battlefields of faith stretching from Canterbury to Mombassa. The anguish of betrayal. A weeping over souls now placed in peril by a Lambeth that could not find courage and lead.

An old and tired Anglicanism cannot be preserved here. But a renewed and reformed Anglicanism fit for twenty-first century mission could be reborn. Pray for the Church.

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(ACNS)

This is my second Lambeth Conference and of course as the rest of my companion Bishops I arrive with a lot of expectations to take back to my diocese everything that we could share on these days during the conference and also to clarify all the misunderstanding that the people thinks is about the conference.

Yesterday when we left out and went into the city, a lot of people were asking me, with some malice, How is everything going in the Conference? How are you dealing with the sexual affairs? Because the people have not a clear idea of what is the Conference for.

The addresses and meditations from the Archbishop of Canterbury have been wonderful and the three days retreat was a wonderful idea because we have had reflection on what is our lead as bishops and I felt very touched because they are very profound

The retreat has been about our life as bishops: how we lead as bishops is a model for the entire church.

The archbishop’s address was profound and presented in a very accessible way. It was a sacramental encounter as Christ is revealed in our gathering. The archbishop’s material has been strategic, consistent and relevant to our development as bishops, and as new bishops, we are appreciative of his leadership.

The archbishop has paved the way for the Lambeth Conference, which was his intent. He prepared us for our work ahead. All the Bible studies will continue to keep us grounded in a worshipful place and in communion with one another.

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Indeed, one of the most moving aspects of coordinating the worship for me has been receiving these images: the inspiring work of post-earthquake reconstruction in Pakistan, the relief effort following the cyclone in Burma, feeding stations for the poor in Burundi, the primate dancing the gospel in Brazil, an interfaith conference in Mauritius or a lunch club for the elderly in Hong Kong. Just to put a crude economic value – which would amount to billions – on this work is to realise that without such Christian witness societies all across the globe would simply grind to a halt. This is before we consider its psychological, social and spiritual significance, to name but three of the dimensions of human flourishing it encourages and enhances.

Of course the structural questions will persist. If you belong to an institution like a church with representative responsibilities and accountabilities you can’t – and mustn’t – avoid them. But let’s never forget their context is one in which foot-washing, literally life-giving service – the stuff of which real communion and communities is made – still transforms the world.

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Things don’t look good. Fewer than a million people go to CofE services on a Sunday now. Broke and short of priests, it can barely provide pastoral care in every parish ”“ its main reason for claiming to be the national church. Other faiths are upset that so many bishops automatically get seats in the House of Lords, and that will change. The Queen’s successor will not be crowned Defender of the Faith; Charles will swear to defend faiths of all kinds. Up to 1,300 clergy might leave if women are allowed to become bishops; a similar number could walk if the CofE accepts openly gay, non-celibate priests. Attendances will go on falling. That won’t mean the end of Christianity here: there are many other kinds of church, some of which are huge and growing fast. And some have very strong views indeed. That’s one reason for even unbelievers to care. For a long time, our state church was known for prizing moderation, unity, compromise and sensible behaviour. Take that away ”“ either by one group taking over the CofE or it dying off completely ”“ and some fear the empty space will be filled by extremism. The character of England will change (if it hasn’t already). But there is another very big question to ask: who will look after the churches?

The church in England and the world could yet be reborn. Or the future could look like this. It’s 2018, and the next Lambeth Conference is held in the student union bar, attended by a dozen bishops and a cleaner. The CofE is a busted flush: a property empire worth £5.7bn in 2008 has been decimated by recession. Dissident congregations fight over who owns their churches. Is it the Crown? Is it the local parish? The legal answers are horrendously complicated, but neither can afford to pay for the upkeep of 16,200 buildings. Roofs are falling in. The Church of England is too small and too poor to go on caring for these crumbling treasures, as its members have done so patiently and sacrificially for years. You may not care about the collapse of the CofE. You may rejoice in England throwing off its state religion. But in this vision of 2018, the loss of ancient churches that are jewels of our architecture and heritage will feel like a catastrophe. And looking back, the beginning of the end will have been the summer of 2008, when that bunch of bolshy bishops spilled out of the church disco to start up their own, singing: “I am what I am…”

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(ACNS)

We call ourselves “communion” that means we are deeply engaged with each other through the sense of solidarity and community. I am being deeply impressed by sharing our learning and experiences through the Bible study and the retreat. I hope that then we are seeking the common mission and discuss of our way of collaboration in this common mission. I expect to share my church’s missional vision on reconciliation and peace in the Korean context with other bishops from the world. We all have our own difficulties in mission, but we can help each other, and I believe that I will have a lot of help from my brother and sister churches. That is my expectation of the Lambeth Conference!

One of the highest ranking officials in the Vatican has warned that problems plaguing the Anglican Communion pose a ‘further and grave challenge for full and visible’ unity with Rome.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, secretary of state and second in command at the Holy See, made the comments in a previously unpublished letter that was issued yesterday to delegates attending the Lambeth conference, a once-a-decade summit of the world’s Anglican bishops.

In the letter, which was largely supportive of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Bertone said: ‘New issues that have arisen in our relationship pose a further and grave challenge for full and visible unity.’

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The Anglican Communion is like a “slow moving train wreck”, according to a senior Church of England bishop who has given an extraordinary insight into the crisis that is engulfing the Church.

The Rt Rev Tom Wright, the Bishop of Durham, has revealed that there is deep unease over the future of the communion and an atmosphere of mutual suspicion among bishops.

His comments come as about 650 bishops meet at the once-a-decade Lambeth conference in Canterbury, with continuing division over the issue of homosexuality.

Bishop Wright, a senior figure in the Church hierarchy, expressed concern that the summit was lacking direction and admitted that the Anglican Church was in a mess. “All sorts of forces have built up over the years in the communion through misunderstanding and people doing things differently without really consulting,” he said.

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Diocese of Rhode Island Bishop Geralyn Wolf said July 17 that “for those who like to be taken into a vision and work into that vision,” the retreat’s first day was “thrilling.”

“For those who like absolute answers and wish him to address the issues in the Communion, it was probably a disappointment,” she added.

Many of the bishops interviewed recalled the experience of singing and praying with 650 bishops in the historic space of Canterbury Cathedral, which has been the site for Christian worship and pilgrimage for about 1,400 years. Archbishop Phillip Aspinall of Brisbane, the primate of Australia, said the singing was “gentle and wonderful.”

“That’s an image to take forward into the conference,” he said during an interview July 19. “The harmonies we’ve experienced in worship”¦could well emerge in other ways.”

Aspinall added that he sensed “a strong desire to hang in together and remain in relationship as we try to discern the truth together.”

Williams challenged the bishops July 18 to seek out another bishop who made them fearful or anxious and ask that bishop to pray for them. Bishop Assistant Sergio Carranza of Los Angeles said he sought out African bishops.

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From yours truly from here:

How then will any move forward toward reconciliation be possible? By taking the specific requests and language of the Windsor Report seriously and responding clearly and honestly, by saying as a province yes we will sacrifice and do these things or no we will not.

Very simply, we need to say that what we did was wrong in the sense the Windsor Report intends. The Anglican Communion has a mind on this issue. There is such a thing as Anglican teaching and practice in the area of human sexuality, namely the language of Lambeth 1998 Resolution 1.10. We went against this mind and did something which the large majority of the Anglican Communion believes is a departure from apostolic teaching and practice. We did it, despite the fact that we were repeatedly warned not to do so. As a result, we have torn the Anglican Communion at its deepest level.

We therefore need to say more than that we are sorry others are hurt by what we have done, we need to say that a life of interdependence in the communion matters to us and we are sorry that we went against the mind of the whole church in an area which we believe the whole church should decide on. It is what we have done and the consequences of what we have done which are it issue.

Next, we need to undertake the two specific requests to us with utmost seriousness. First, a moratorium needs to be placed on the election or consecration to the episcopate of any person living in a non-celibate same-gender relationship until and unless a new consensus emerges. Second, we need to place a moratorium on the blessing of non-celibate same-sex relationships in the same time frame.
All three of these requests””the statement of regret and the two moratoria–can be found in the language of the Windsor report.

This raises numerous questions such as, since the Episcopal Church didn’t do these things why are her bishops present at Lambeth? In particular, why are the many diocesan bishops who are in dioceses allowing for same sex blessings present since they are at present contradicting the mind and practice of the Communion? How can the Archbishop of Canterbury call bishops to mutual accountability when he has not modeled it himself in who is actually present at this Lambeth Conference?–KSH

(Please note that this article provides important background information for the posted article below–KSH).

Retired United Methodist clergy in northern California and Nevada could face disciplinary charges if they perform same-gender marriage ceremonies in the wake of a California court ruling that allows gay couples to marry, their bishop says.

While the church’s California-Nevada legislative assembly approved a resolution in June commending retired clergy who have offered to perform such ceremonies, Bishop Beverly J. Shamana has issued a ruling declaring the statement “void and of no effect.”

“While the resolution is a commendable gesture to the congregations of the conference in offering the pastoral counsel of a number of retired clergy to persons contemplating same-gender marriage under the laws of California, it steps over a disciplinary line when it commends these clergy to the congregations for the purpose of ”˜performing same gender marriages or holy unions,’” Shamana wrote in her ruling of law.

Meanwhile, an organizer of the retired clergy said the bishop’s ruling would not deter the pastors from performing the ceremonies.

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Lambeth Conference originally included an Anglican Congress that would have drawn lay and ordained Anglicans [not just bishops] from across the world to meet and learn together. Those plans were changed but Lambeth still draws many people””some coming as volunteers, others as visitors. Integrity USA is delighted that Thinking Anglicans and Inclusive Church have joined forces to offer a program “Alongside Lambeth” for those who are not participating in the bishop’s conference.

Each morning at 11am there will be a brief devotional time near the Marketplace Café, followed by Bible studies in small groups. Many of the Bible studies will come from “Signs on the Way”””which focuses on St John’s Gospel and complements the Bible studies in which the bishops and their spouses will take part during the Lambeth Conference. This has been prepared by the Lambeth Planning Team as a way for Anglicans to be present in spirit with the bishops.

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