Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The 14th Lambeth Conference seems to have begun shifting its attention, as of the Archbishop’s Second Presidential Address last night. We are increasingly focused on the question of what this Conference will say to the churches of the Communion, to the wider ecumenical community, and to the world at large.
Perhaps that in itself is a problem! Perhaps the attempt to address all of these constituencies simultaneously is a mistake.
As of this point, we have seen two preliminary drafts of a Statement from the Conference. The first was in the form of “bullet points” derived from the Indaba group discussions. The second, distributed today, is already a thirteen page single-spaced document that reflects, almost like the minutes of a much-too- long-meeting, virtually everything we have discussed and done – even with four more days to go!
If that is what we end up issuing, of course, no one will read it! My plea to those on the “Reflections Committee” today was: give us a one page Statement that the whole world will read!
We have had what (I think) have been a couple of downright silly exercises! Today, for instance, in our Indaba groups we were each asked to prepare a sermon outline of any Biblical passage of our choosing, no longer than 300 words in length. Several people in our group were then asked to summarize orally (no longer than three minutes) what their sermon would be about, and how they would present it. So far so good.
Then we were asked to identify the “particularly Anglican” elements of approach, style and content!
As if there is any such thing!
In our Bible Study today, on John 11:1-44 (“I am the resurrection and the life”) we were asked almost the identical question: “Having heard each other’s interpretations of this text, what would we as a group say is Anglican about these interpretations?” (Our group unanimously agreed this was the “dumbest” question in the prepared materials, so far.)
Nevertheless, I think that for nearly everyone the best part of the Conference has been, precisely, the Bible Studies. The groups of eight have gotten to know each other, have learned from each other, have shared a bit about our families, ministries, very different social and cultural situations, prayed with and for each other. For instance, one of the Bishops in my group, from North India, is Vinod Malaviya, from the Diocese of Gujarat, where the series of bombings took place yesterday. Twenty-five people killed and 175 injured. It was incredibly poignant and moving to have him lead our noon-day prayers today.
This afternoon we had another meeting of the Communion Partners Bishops, and one of the concerns we plan to share in the closing days of the Conference is the absolute necessity of having ratification of the Anglican Covenant take place at the DIOCESAN level, and not (just) the Provincial level.
We plan to remind our fellow Bishops of what the Archbishop of Canterbury wrote to me last October:
“I would repeat what I’ve said several times before – that any diocese compliant with Windsor remains clearly in communion with Canterbury and the mainstream of the Communion, whatever may be the longer-term result for others in TEC. The organ of union with the wider Church is the bishop and the diocese rather than the Provincial structure as such….
“I should feel a great deal happier, I must say, if those who are most eloquent for a traditionalist view in the US showed a fuller understanding of the need to regard the bishop and the diocese as the primary locus of ecclesial identity rather than the abstract reality of the ‘national church.'”
Please pray for those who are charged with trying to pull together the strands of the Conference and make a coherent Statement regarding it. And pray that all of us will be sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit as we move into the final phase of our time together.
With warmest regards to all of you,
–(The Right Rev.) John W. Howe is Bishop of Central Florida
Au contraire! The whole world will read a multi-page document. A single paged abstract may omit key points, and serve only as a smokescreen. What we need now is clarity – even if it means many pages!
The whole world will read it providing it is very specific and not a bunch of gobboldygook…….let our yes be yes and our no be no…..then and only then will the world take notice……number of pages is not the issue….
Sorry – I also wanted to thank Bishop Howe….don’t always agree with him, but do respect him…..
Does anyone think “clarity” is going to make TEC change their position and their actions? Dream on!
Already –
That’s why the need for DIOCESAN signing on, and not (just) Provincial, as the bishop says.
EVEN THEN, a diocesan signing-on will only be good as long as that particular bishop is the bishop, even with a convention’s agreement, since the bishop is the ordinary and the chief liturgical officer and thus has discretionary powers.
Hmmm.. that reminds of a favorite saying of an LA bishop or yester-year, “There’s nothing so wrong in the Church that can’t be solved by a few timely funerals.”
I agree with the bishop about one page. (Didn’t he say one page document without saying “abstract”?)
Why would this be a good thing?
First, if they can agree on that much, it will be a miracle.
Second, if it’s not digestible by the people in the pews, it won’t mean much. On the other hand, if it’s easy to understand, then we shall be clearer about who we are.
Rob+
Do you truly believe that signing onto something Diocesan wide in support of your bishop will make any difference? This has happened with the Windsor Report and we went from a Report to the Windsor Process. As the Windsor Report was re-interpreted by the enlightened leadership of TEC, it became meaningless. The reality is that failure of leadership is just that, a failure. Taking a stand for the purpose of differentiation is a reasonable action. But let us address the question how many see what this differentiation means? Does it truly set us apart from the rest of TEC who are waling another path?
My answer is that those of us who remain are being painted with the same broad brush. We are understood as complicit in the support of this new Gospel.
Bishop Howe has left his diocese in confusion by leading the charge and then backing off. This has resulted in a number of Churches leaving TEC and the Diocese of Central Florida. I suspect that this will continue through out TEC in many more dioceses. People have waited for Gafcon and Lambeth to see what would come. The question has been answered. The fracturing will speed up. TEC and the ACoC have already given their answer to the AC. The leaders of the Global South are tired of waiting on ++Rowan.
MichaelSean,
1. You don’t know confusion.
2. I don’t “have” a bishop, yet.
3. Signing on is not necessarily a statement in support of your/anyone’s bishop.
4. I’m looking at the big picture, probably 15 to 20 years out, and no less than 10.
5. Any measure recognized beyond your and myself and our congregations is worth holding onto for the sake of fellowship, intercessory prayer, encouragment, and the mutual platform of proclaiming the unadulterated cornerstone Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Apostles and Prophets testimony being the foundation.
God bless you, brother. And hang in there.
RGEaton