Fathoming a new Anglican identity will not be easy, because the conference in Canterbury is rigorously designed not to point in any direction or leave any discernible fingerprints.
Business meetings with parliamentary procedure and resolutions that live to haunt another day were scrapped in favor of small group discussions and intense get-acquainted sessions. The presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, describes them as conversations that go to the root of the words, “to spend time with.”
Each day, eight groups of five will merge into gatherings of 40 for Indaba, a Zulu word for purposeful conversation among leaders, a suggestion from one of the African designers of the conference.
Getting to know you, getting to know all about you.
The salient word here is “purposeful.” My handy online dictionary defines this as:
1. having a purpose.
2. determined; resolute.
3. full of meaning; significant.
Of course, the indaba format was chosen to thwart precisely that. I believe ++Akinola’s “jamboree” is a much closer description of this pointless convocation.
although getting to know someone is the only way to understand “purpose” or “meaning.” Otherwise its just steamrolling over other people. Fellowship is its own point.
As the eucharist demonstrates.
Like ordaining a practicing homosexual against the expressed teaching of the Lambeth 1998 resolution or the expressed wishes of the entire Primates gathering in emergency session, John Wilkins? Like getting to know that people mean what they say when they say “no, it’ll fracture the Anglican Communion” or “rip the fabric of the Communion”?
Indaba will be as useful to ECUSA/TEC/GCC/E)-PAC as a signed agreement executed by Frank Griswold as PB or Kate Schori as PB – and as reliable. The world, especially the Anglican Communion, already understands the “purpose’ and “meaning” of the ECUSA/TEC.
They make it abundantly clear.
Too bad the ABC capitulated to this worthless use of time and resources for gabfest. Jamboree is perhaps too structured for what this meeting is become. But, look at the waste of resources…. Surely a violation of the MDGs or Global Green obseiance due.
Whose paying Al Gore for the carbon offsets this little gabfest will produce in terms of travel and emitted CO2, plus that of certaim uninvited gay bishop expatiating ad nauseum on the evil system that keeps him from being the simple country bishop of wherever he’s bishop? Either bill alone would be the GNP of several countries.
It’s all up for grabba
When playing indaba
William Farmer Yeats.