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Surprised by the Spirit:
Reasons for my hope regarding the future of the Anglican Communion in the wake of Lambeth Conference 2008
The Rt. Rev. Michael G. Smith
Bishop of North Dakota
August 12, 2008
Days before departing to England for the Lambeth Conference I was blessed by hearing a most inspirational sermon by Bishop Bill Frey, the retired bishop of Colorado, on the occasion of the ordination to the episcopate of the Bishop Suffragan of Dallas, Paul Lambert. Bishop Frey encouraged us to be prepared for surprises at the upcoming Lambeth Conference. I sensed the Holy Spirit speaking to me through his sermon to be not anxious, to participate fully with a positive attitude, to speak the truth in love, to be prayerful, and most importantly, to get out of the way in order to let God be God. It turns out for me that Bishop Frey's words were prophetic. I share some of my surprises below.
The Archbishop of Canterbury had been clear beforehand that no resolutions would be forthcoming and that no definitive statements would be made. My opinion was that at this time of crisis in the life of the Anglican Communion, such a stance seemed unwise if not irresponsible. I was also suspicious of the so called "Indaba" process as a means of simply stalling any meaningful response while the extreme Right and extreme Left of the Communion continued in their respective courses of action. (One of my continued frustrations in both The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion is that the "diverse center" of moderate liberals and moderate conservatives never seems to be able to find its voice.)
I was wrong. It turns out that "purposeful conversation" is a very good thing indeed. The concept of Indaba provided a structure in which the pressure of needing to defend one's position was lessened and in which every voice had an opportunity to be heard. This is in contrast to our usual experience in politically-charged parliamentary processes where the loudest, most aggressive and opinionated voices dominate. Not having to vote, allowed consensus or general agreement, even wisdom, to emerge more naturally.
In my opinion, the most important document to emerge from this Lambeth Conference was not the bishops' "Lambeth Indaba: Capturing Conversations and Reflections from the Lambeth Conference 2008,"[1] but rather the "Concluding Presidential Address to the Lambeth Conference 2008"[2] by the Archbishop of Canterbury. No one questions the theological or intellectual acumen of Archbishop Rowan D. Williams -- or for that matter the depth of his spirituality. (He was at his very best at this Conference, particularly as he led us in a 3-day retreat in Canterbury Cathedral.)
However, many on both sides have been frustrated by his seeming reluctance to take strong positions or actions as the current crises have arisen. Rowan Williams seems to be the quintessential Anglican as his writings often follow the well known formula "on the one hand X, on the other hand Y." Rowan Williams on the final day of the Conference, in contrast, was a surprisingly different kind of leader than the one to which we've become accustomed. It's my sense that he was freed and empowered to give some specific direction based on the confidence he received from the general agreement indicated on certain matters from the Indaba reflections:
"We have quite a strong degree of support for a Pastoral Forum to support minorities, a strong consensus on the need to examine how the Instruments of Communion will best work, and a recognition%u2026that a Covenant is needed%u2026 Before the ACC meeting next year%u2026I intend to convene a Primates' Meeting as early as possible in 2009. I shall look within the next two months for a clear and detailed specification for the task and composition of a Pastoral Forum, and I shall ensure that the perspectives of various groups looking at the Covenant and the Windsor process, as well as the Design Group for this Conference help to shape the implementation of the agenda outlined in the Reflections document, and are fed into the special meeting in November of the Joint Standing Committee of the Primates and the ACC. We may not have put an end to all our problems - but the pieces are on the board. And in the months ahead it will be important to invite those absent from Lambeth to be involved in these next stages. Much in the GAFCON documents is consonant with much of what we have sought to say and do, and we need to look for the best ways of building bridges here."[3]
This, in my opinion, is a leader moving forward in the confidence that the vast majority of his fellow bishops are clearly behind him. Other surprises:
- The Covenant Design Group held five self-select sessions. The Windsor Continuation Group held three hearings. Attendance and interest were extremely high. Three Indaba sessions, more than any other topic, were devoted to the Windsor Process and the Anglican Covenant. There can be no doubt that the Windsor Process and the Anglican Covenant are still very much in play. (Actually, this should have come as no surprise as acceptance of invitations to the Lambeth Conference "carried with it a willingness to work with the Windsor Report and the Covenant as tools by which the future of the Communion could be shaped."[4])
- The Windsor Continuation Group recommended, in the period leading up to the establishment of a Covenant, the honoring of the three moratoria requested by the Windsor Report: ordinations of persons living in a same gender union to the episcopate; the blessing of same-sex unions; and cross-border incursions by bishops. "There is widespread support for moratoria across the communion%u2026," the bishops discerned, adding, "If the Windsor process is to be honoured, all three moratoria must be applied consistently."[5]
- The Windsor Continuation Group also recommended, in the period leading up to the establishment of a Covenant, "the swift formation of a %u2018Pastoral Forum' at Communion level to engage theologically and practically with situations of controversy as they arise or divisive actions that may be taken around the Communion." After consideration, the Indaba groups indicated "clear majority support for a Pastoral Forum%u2026and a desire to see it in place speedily."[6] As a result, the Archbishop stated: "[I]t seems to be widely agreed in this Conference that internal pastoral and liturgical care, strengthened by arrangements like the suggested Communion Partners initiative in the USA and the proposed Pastoral Forum we have been discussing, are the way we should go if we want to avoid further ecclesial confusion."[7] (The Communion Partners initiative is one of which I am a part. It is a plan developed by some of the episcopal visitors appointed by the Presiding Bishop and with her knowledge. We are committed to work within the Constitution and Canons of TEC, while firmly committed to remaining in communion with the See of Canterbury. Our hope is to prevent the further bleeding of conserving congregations and dioceses from TEC while the Covenant process plays out.)
- On the day we discussed human sexuality, the Archbishop of Canterbury explained that the reason we were not revisiting the 1998 Lambeth Conference Resolution I.10[8] was that it remained the commonly held teaching of the vast majority of the Anglican Communion.
Some will argue that there is nothing new here, that these are the same Windsor recommendations that have been ignored and failed to mend the "tear in the fabric" of the Anglican Communion. I disagree. What has changed is that the vast majority of the world's Anglican bishops have indicated their willingness, with the Archbishop of Canterbury, to stand behind them. The way of healing and reconciliation is clear now. The blame and burden for making permanent the divisions we are now experiencing is squarely on the shoulders of those who choose to ignore the requested moratoria. The Archbishop admits "there will be those for whom %u2018covenanted restraint' is conscientiously hard, even impossible."[9] One hears echoes here of his distinction between "constituent" and "associate" membership in the Anglican Communion in the 2006 essay "The Challenge and Hope of Being Anglican Today."[10]
Admittedly, there are unanswered questions here. Will the Covenant have "teeth"? What will be the basic level of adoption of the Covenant, the province or the diocese? Will there be time for General Convention 2009 to act on it or will it need to wait for General Convention 2012? What of covenant congregations in non-covenant dioceses or covenant dioceses in non-covenant provinces or vice versa? Will those bishops crossing diocesan boundaries be willing to delegate oversight to a Pastoral Forum? Will General Convention be able to show restraint by not rescinding Resolution B033[11] or authorizing rites of blessing for same-sex unions? Obviously no one knows with certainty, but as these questions are answered it's my sense that a renewed Anglicanism in communion with the See of Canterbury will emerge for mission in the twenty-first century. I do know that where there is a gracious will, there can be found a way forward that respects the consciences of all. I trust the Holy Spirit to surprise us once again with answers to these questions.
In conclusion, let me share some powerful memories from the Lambeth Conference. I will never forget the retreat in Canterbury Cathedral, our common mother church, where 600+ bishops spread throughout the cathedral seeking the mind of Christ in the many shrines, chapels and tombs of the Canterbury saints and martyrs, as spiritual descendents of St. Augustine and his band of twelve Benedictine monks. I will never forget the seven brothers from Papua New Guinea, Madagascar, England, Kenya and Australia with whom I shared faith in the context of daily bible study. I will never forget the powerful worship with brothers and sisters from every race, tribe and tongue. I will never forget the religious brotherhood and sisterhood of Melanesia who carried the names of their seven martyred brothers to the Chapel of Modern Saints and Martyrs while singing the Litany of Saints. I will never forget marching in the streets of London in support of the Millennium Development Goals. I have moved from an intellectual "head" knowledge and appreciation for the Anglican Communion to a "heart" knowledge and love for the Anglican Communion. I will never be the same. I think many, many of my brother and sister bishops, regardless of theological perspective, would say the same thing.
It just might be the case that God has surprised us once again by using our current divisions to strengthen us and form us into a body of Christians and a Church we might not have been otherwise. Maybe, contrary to our self-understanding, we actually have only been a federation of independent churches after all, but that God is molding and forming us into a real communion of interdependent churches to his honor and glory. Gratefully, I think we are beginning to understand that this enterprise is not about us. It has always only been about the broken, hurting world which the Father loves and desires to save, heal and restore through the Lord Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. I give thanks to God for calling us to share in his mission as part of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church we know as the Anglican Communion. May the One who has begun this good work among us bring it to completion![12]
[1] http://www.lambethconference.org/vault/Reflections_Document_(final).pdf
[2] http://www.lambethconference.org/vault/Presidential_Address_III.pdf
[3] Concluding Presidential Address, p. 5
[4] Indaba Reflections, p. 3
[5] Indaba Reflections, p. 38
[6] Indaba Reflections, p. 38
[7] Concluding Presidential Address, p. 3
[8] This [1998] Conference:%u2026 2. in view of the teaching of Scripture, upholds faithfulness in marriage between a man
and a woman in lifelong union, and believes that abstinence is right for those who are not called to marriage;
3. recognises that there are among us persons who experience themselves as having a homosexual orientation.
Many of these are members of the Church and are seeking the pastoral care, moral direction of the Church, and
God's transforming power for the living of their lives and the ordering of relationships. We commit ourselves to
listen to the experience of homosexual persons and we wish to assure them that they are loved by God and that all
baptised, believing and faithful persons, regardless of sexual orientation, are full members of the Body of Christ;
4. while rejecting homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture, calls on all our people to minister pastorally
and sensitively to all irrespective of sexual orientation and to condemn irrational fear of homosexuals, violence
within marriage and any trivialisation and commercialisation of sex; 5. cannot advise the legitimising or blessing
of same sex unions nor ordaining those involved in same gender unions;%u2026
[9] Concluding Presidential Address, p. 3
[10] http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/640?q=churches
[11] Resolved, That the 75th General Convention receive and embrace The Windsor Report's invitation to engage in a
process of healing and reconciliation; and be it further Resolved, That this Convention therefore call upon
Standing Committees and bishops with jurisdiction to exercise restraint by not consenting to the consecration of
any candidate to the episcopate whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to
further strains on communion.
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