Countdown to Lambeth
When you log onto the Lambeth Conference website here there is a countdown to the conference, which as I write this it says 23 days, 2 hours and 9 minutes to go. The Lambeth Conference is the gathering in Canterbury every 10 years of all the Bishops in the Anglican Communion.
I wonder how Rowan Williams feels looking at this countdown. So much has been written about this, who is coming, who isn't . ..anglicanism in chaos...church in meltdown....rows..arguments.. etc etc. Meanwhile 200 or so Bishops mostly from what is called the Global South, are meeting in Jerusalem at a conference called GAFCON (Global Anglican Future Conference). The conference says it is not a rival to Lambeth, but it is hard to see it as anything else. Most of those going to GAFCON are not coming to Lambeth, and most are highly critical of Rowan Williams in his leadership as Archbishop of Canterbury.
I have always believed leadership is important and vital, and leaders are called to lead. If those at the top of an organisation are unable to talk to those with whom they disagree, when that attitude filters down to the bottom of an organisation you can have much more violent disagreements. Growing up in Northern Ireland you see how leaders not talking divides communities. Yet now when leaders do talk and work together, despite their differences, communities have more opportunity to come together. I believe passionately our bishops should ALL be at Lambeth working out how to move our Communion forward, to further the Gospel and show Christ to the world.
I know many bishops in England who do not agree with everything other bishops say, or do not agree with some of the things they have done, but are committed to being together, to pray together, and to seek to demonstrate Christian love to their flocks. I commend them for their leadership and Godly example. It is in marked contrast to some bishops at GAFCON who refused to condemn violence against gay people in their home countries. Quite honestly that is disgraceful, it sullies their cause, and is totally un-Christian. You cannot justify violence in God's name. Period. To the eternal credit of Archbishop Peter Jensen of Sydney, he condemned the violence when the african bishops refused. Those who perpetrate violence against gay people in Africa now can use this silence to justify their behaviour. Christians must speak up and say this is wrong.
The irish novelist Brian Moore once said there are 2 hidden kinds of lies in the world. The lies of silence, where good people do not speak up when wrong is done, and the lies of truth, where lies are told so often they pickle into truth. We need as Christians to speak up against these lies when we see them.
Whatever your views on Christianity and sexuality, violence against gay people is wrong, and homophobia is wrong. Jesus died for all people whether straight or gay, and he loves everyone equally.
Finally, please pray for Rowan Williams at this time. I get to spend time with him from time to time and he is a godly holy man, with an impossible job. Rowan is lovely, and has such a warm open gentle spirit. He is a gift to our Church. Pray for him in the middle of all this that God would use him to lead the Lambeth Conference in such a way that our church can emerge with more unity, and more committed to mission and evangelism, which is our real job!
I still believe in a God of miracles....pray for one for Lambeth!
17 comments:
Wow! Thank you for your refreshingly hard-hitting comments! 100% agreement from me.
This quest in Jerusalem for a return to the pure, historical church ... bit of a myth, really (in my opinion). What IS the pure, historical church? It has always been changing and adapting and shifting. Which pure, historical church are we talking about. Pre-Constantine? Post-Constantine? Pre-Reformation? Post-Reformation? The Oxford Movement in the 19th century? The relatively recent rise of evangelicalism?
I think most people know now that there is never an excuse for racism or sexism, so how about we finally catch up and also agree that there is never an excuse for prejudice against people's sexuality?
People will be scratching their heads about this in 100 years' time, laughing at how we could ever have been so primitive in our values and understanding.
Andrew Wooding
Well said Mark. There is no room for violence in the Kingdom of God, whether it is physical or verbal. Violent words betray a violence of spirit.
"I find it ironic that these are the very bishops shouting the loudest that Rowan Williams is un-Christian!"
When asked whether Rowan Williams was an apostate, ABp Akinola specifically denied it:
Unidentified reporter]: Is Rowan Williams guilty of apostasy?
Akinola: I would not say that. He is a brother but we cannot agree on certain ways of doing things.
NYT: Who are the apostates?
Akinola: All those who have given up the faith and doing what we as a church cannot do, who are doing what we as a family of churches cannot do. They are the ones.
I find it hard to believe that you are not aware of this exchange and you choose to help promulgate the lies that the liberals tell about Akinola.
Sad. Jaw, jaw, jaw only benefits those that truly are causing division in the AC.
Fair enough. I didn't see that exchange, but if you are correct then I withdraw that one sentence! I want my blog to tell the truth!
If the African bishops had been asked a simple question about violence against gays i would agree with your analysis. But they were in fact asked a series of complex three and four parter questions. Jensen, spotting that one issue had been missed, responded.
You are entitled to interpret the interchange, but it is your interpretation rather than a simple recounting.
Obadiah Slope
Thank you, Mark. A very powerful but graceful post.
I'm still struggling to see how one group of Anglican bishops can claim to be more Christian than another bunch of Anglican Bishops.
Isn't the truth that we're all far from the Way of Christ we claim to follow?
Mark
You are right in saying that all Christians should condemn violence against homosexuals - this goes without saying. I would feel safer with Gafcon if on its agenda there was time spent talking about the importance of showing love to gay people.
That said, it is worth mentioning something about the hatred of and filthy foul mouthing about evangelicals that (according to good and trusted friend's reporting)often goes on at conferences that are set up in support of homosexual practice in the church. This is equally wrong!
Andrew
"so how about we finally catch up and also agree that there is never an excuse for prejudice against people's sexuality?"
Is there a suggestion here that those who have a conservative evangelical stance about homosexuality are by definition prejudice? If I state that I believe that God does not bless same sex unions and that God's word states that homosexual practice is wrong - does that necessarily make me prejudice or homophobic?
The answer as far as I am concerned is no!! A number of homosexual friends will testify to the fact that they know my evangelical views and yet would state that they also know my deep love for them!
Evangelicals who speak against homosexual practice, would be better heard if they could first testify to that same love!
In response to 'question of identity':
Neil, thank you for your comments. I think you know that I respect and have a lot of time for you - you practice what you preach - and it is quite clear from your comments that I was not talking about people like you.
I am still happy to call myself evangelical (although I am lots of other things as well). I believe in Christ and Scripture and agree that I get very tired of 'tolerant' Christians being intolerant of evangelicals. Mark Russell went to the Inclusive Church conference to address this very thing and I think was successful in breaking down some barriers - an outspoken evangelical being given a platform at a liberal conference is a fantastic thing.
There is an evangelical version of Inclusive Church called Accepting Evangelicals, where evangelicals are rethinking their stance on these issues. Worth checking out.
By prejudice, I probably meant hatred and I know you don't have that. I think we disagree on how far Scripture goes on this issue, and will probably always disagree, but I know you, Neil, and think we have more in common than we don't.
Keep up the good work!
Andrew Wooding
Mark, thank you for your honest and forthright opinions. Christian leaders need to speak out in grace and love to all, and not promote violence or schism.
Sadly the history of all churches seems to be full of violence and division. It would be refreshing for once to see Christian leaders actually come together, and thrash out their differences as adults face to face with grace, honesty and truthfulness, rather than sitting in their theological bunkers and lobbing missiles. And these disputes really do not reflect the work of God's kingdom that is going on at the local level in the Anglican (and other) churches around the world.
I will be joining you in praying for Rowan Williams and all the bishops (both those at Lambeth, and those at GAFCON).
Is this not a continuation of the witch hunt over these two Arch Bishops?
I spent a month at Henry Orombi's Cathedral and he is a humble and caring man. I have read the transcript and it was clear that there was miscommunication between the person clearly laying the trap for them to fall into and the Archbishops. This is not suprising given that they come from contries where English is the official language because it is the lowest common denominator between the various tribal languages. Mostly it is a second language. A quick translation of the transciption reads something like this:
"Do you condemn the violence against homosexuals in your county"
"What violence? Does this happen in my country?"
The ArchBish of Australia clearly understood the question and gave the correct response. He stated the position that we don't do violence in Gods name.
Can we have a bit of perspective and stop reading/creating the sensational and misleading headlines.
"arch bishops kill, rape and murder homosexuals shocker". This type of 'journalism' is why I don't read the Daily Mail!
Andrew
Thank you for this clarification.
God bless!
neil
Thank you, an excellent piece that said a number of things that desperately needed to be said.
Stuart Brocklehurst
Whatever your views on Christianity and sexuality, violence against gay people is wrong, and homophobia is wrong.
Well said, Mark.
Being a Wiccan Unitarian, I can't agree about the need to convert the entire world to Christianity, but I applaud anyone who wants to actually live the values of inclusiveness and tolerance taught by Jesus.
I stopped being a Christian in 1983 or so, in large part because of the homophobia and sexism which was endemic at the time (and also the attitude to other religions), so I'm glad to see that this issue is now being addressed.
Best wishes (and waves to El Fouche and Simon Barrow).
Well done, Mark. I think we are seeing at present a bit of what happened so much in Norn Irn - that we push each other to extremes - mirror images of one another. Neither extreme seems to me to speak as if with the authority of God. There is too much anger in there. Time to find another space of faithfulness and principle - as Bishop James Jones has been doing.
Let´s worry less about the way people love each other and make love to each other and more about ending the way people hate each other. That would put a smile on God´s face as he sees his Gospel come alive again.
A couple of years ago we had a discussion in our (S London) Deanery Synod on issues around human sexuality. I ended up in a small group with seven women, all of West African or African-Caribbean origin. They initiated a debate on how they'd feel if a child of theirs came out as gay, & all agreed that they'd be sad but still love their child as they always had.
One Nigerian commented on life in Africa, & I asked about her experience of the situation for gays. 'They exist, of course! They exist everywhere! But in Nigeria they stay hidden and get married otherwise they are killed!' The others agreed with her.
In the context of Archbishop A's comments (or lack of comments) about violence meted out to gays, we need to be aware of the extremes people suffer as a result of their sexual orientation - and that Archbishop A cannot pretend he knows otherwise.
Curiously, our majority Nigerian congregation seem quite unimpressed by him and his power game.
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