Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Rowan Williams Delivers the Presidential Address to the Lambeth Conference

We've just been handed the text of the Archbishop of Canterbury's Presidential Address to the Lambeth Conference. Here's an excerpt:

"At Dar-es-Salaam, the primates tried to find a way of inviting different groups to take a step forward simultaneously towards each other. It didn’t happen, and each group was content to blame the other. But the last 18 months don’t suggest that this was a good outcome. Can this Conference now put the same kind of challenge? To the innovator, can we say, ‘Don’t isolate yourself; don’t create facts on the ground that make the invitation to debate ring a bit hollow’? Can we say to the traditionalist, ‘Don’t invest everything in a church of pure and likeminded souls; try to understand the pastoral and human and theological issues that are urgent for those you are opposing, even if you think them deeply wrong’?"

and

"At the moment, we seem often to be threatening death to each other, not offering life. What some see as confused or reckless innovation in some provinces is felt as a body-blow to the integrity of mission and a matter of literal physical risk to Christians. The reaction to this is in turn felt as an annihilating judgement on a whole local church, undermining its legitimacy and pouring scorn on its witness. We need to speak life to each other; and that means change. I’ve made no secret of what I think that change should be - a Covenant that recognizes the need to grow towards each other (and also recognizes that not all may choose that way). I find it hard at present to see another way forward that would avoid further disintegration. But whatever your views on this, at least ask the question : ‘Having heard the other person, the other group, as fully and fairly as I can, what generous initiative can I take to break through into a new and transformed relation of communion in Christ?’

Why does he think that the Episcopal Church is going to stand down? Hasn't he heard what they've said - consistently, now for years? They believe that the Spirit is doing a new thing, the Spirit is the author of these innovations imposed on the Episcopal Church what have torn the fabric of the Anglican Communion. But it is not their idea - they believe most sincerely that it's God idea. To hold back on those innovations is to hold back on God, to marginalize people for the sake of keeping together a colonial structure that is long gone with the wind.

More later - my ride up the hill is now departing ...

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nothing new under the sun. A minority of church members have a vision that they think is inspired by the Spirit, and it is in fact being whispered by the great deceiver. This inspired minority believe that they know more than anyone else, and haven't needed to justify their inspired new religion to Scripture or any other old "stuff". Christ is out, "Father" is out and social parallels being experimented with in North America are the new truth.

The AB/C doesn't have the fortitude to simply keep the Anglican Church Christian. Somehow, this person has become the leader of the Church with no leadership skills and the idea that compromise is what God demands.

In fact, God does not compromise. Death is sin, and he should tell the hippie church of North America to go back to their place of origin and don't let the gates of Lambeth bruise their backsides.

Come back to America and explain to all those members contributing to TEC just what is really going on.

A Musing Anglican said...

ANALYSIS of the archbishop's latest.

His second address sounds pretty. It also completely misses the point.

Alice C. Linsley said...

Poor +Rowan is trying to move things along at Lambeth, but the stalemate will only be broken when Gene Robinson resigns. Robinson wanted to be in the limelight; he has become the lightning rod.

http://college-ethics.blogspot.com/2008/07/lambeth-stalemate-over-gene-robinson.html

Anonymous said...

Alice: "...but the stalemate will only be broken when Gene Robinson resigns."

HAHAHA "It's not about Gene Robinson. It's not about homosexuality. It's not about same-sex blessings."

It is about Gene Robinson (q.v. Alice above). It is about homosexuality. It is about same-sex blessings.

My breath is taken away by the hubris of the so-called "conservatives."

Why not expend your energy feeding the hungry?

Padre Wayne

Anonymous said...

>Why not expend your energy feeding >the hungry?

Those of us starving for the bread of life reach out in prayer for substanance while the Queen of Hearts and TEC clique offer their flock to eat cake if they are hungry.

Why doesn't TEC expend their energy saving lives instead of supporting abortion and blessing abortion clinics? Why do they fear the bishops from the lands where starving Christians call out for aid, and instead Lambeth time is spent compromising with sinners and ignoring the needs of Christ's church?