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Asking the bishops gathered at Lambeth Conference, “Where is Lambeth ’08 going to speak from?” the Archbishop of Canterbury answered his own question in his second presidential address delivered Tuesday, July 29 – advocating a discipline of mutual generosity and a call to speak “from the centre,” which he defined as “from the heart of our identity as Anglicans.”We are much encouraged by this address by the Archbishop. The Inclusive Church Network applauds the recognition that those described as “the not so traditional believers” hold a theological position faithful to both our shared Anglican identity and our Christian witness. Despite extraordinary pressure to expel or expunge our witness from the Anglican Communion, today’s acknowledgment by the Archbishop of the validity and faithfulness of that witness is a source of deep encouragement.
We recognize that there are also faithful Anglicans who hold positions in opposition to our understandings of how we live out our lives of witness to the saving grace of God in Christ Jesus made present in our lives, our vocations, and our relationships. Our witness here at Lambeth Conference has been grounded in our deep desire to build relationships with our Anglican brothers and sisters across the differences that challenge us as we come together for mission and ministry.
We remain convinced that those differences need not inevitably lead to divisions and that the bonds of mutual affection that have knit the global Anglican Communion together are strong enough to include all God’s beloved at the banquet table.
We continue to pray for our bishops as they journey through these final days of the Lambeth Conference, that their witness to the world might be one of inclusion and compassion as we proclaim together God’s justice and live God’s love. § -- The Inclusive Church Network
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4 comments:
You are generous. Generosity is good, I guess. Sometimes I wonder, 'tho.
Susan, one of the highest accolades one can bestow on someone is to ask that person to speak for her or him on an issue of great concern. Your words are a wonder, please never stop being an inspired wordsmith. What brought me back to the Episcopal Church was my conviction that it was the one organized institution that had the potential to be truly inclusive. The last time I looked, inclusive meant "all." Thank you, and peace.
Terry Hansen
Hi Susan, I'm afraid I feel your words are too generous this time around. It feels as though the Archbishop has bought the premise that those who are holding to a traditional line are orthodox Christians while those who seek full inclusion for all people are speaking not from their deep belief in the Gospel, but out of a cultural context.
I seek full inclusion for all of God's people out of a deep, orthodox faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, it seems that Archbishop Williams cannot find enough of the centre to use that language for the majority of Epicopalians and Anglicans in North America.
Jim Melnyk
What Jim said.
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