Statement from the Archbishop of Canterbury

Communion, Covenant and our Anglican Future
Posted at Anglican Communion News Service

1.

1. No-one could be in any doubt about the eagerness of the Bishops and Deputies of the Episcopal Church at the General Convention to affirm their concern about the wider Anglican Communion. Their generous welcome to guests from elsewhere, including myself, the manifest engagement with the crushing problems of the developing world and even the wording of one of the more controversial resolutions all make plain the fact that the Episcopal Church does not wish to cut its moorings from other parts of the Anglican family. There has been an insistence at the highest level that the two most strongly debated resolutions (DO25 and CO56) do not have the automatic effect of overturning the requested moratoria, if the wording is studied carefully. There is a clear commitment to seek counsel from elsewhere in the Communion about certain issues and an eloquent resolution in support of the 'Covenant for a Communion in Mission' as commended by ACC13. All of this merits grateful acknowledgement. The relationship between the Episcopal Church and the wider Communion is a reality which needs continued engagement and encouragement.

2. However, a realistic assessment of what Convention has resolved does not suggest that it will repair the broken bridges into the life of other Anglican provinces; very serious anxieties have already been expressed. The repeated request for moratoria on the election of partnered gay clergy as bishops and on liturgical recognition of same-sex partnerships has clearly not found universal favour, although a significant minority of bishops has just as clearly expressed its intention to remain with the consensus of the Communion. The statement that the Resolutions are essentially 'descriptive' is helpful, but unlikely to allay anxieties.

3. There are two points which I believe need to be reiterated and thought through further, and it seems to fall to the Archbishop of Canterbury to try and articulate them. To some extent they echo part of what I wrote after the last General Convention, as well as things said at the Lambeth Conference and the ACC, but they still have some pertinence.

2.

4. The first is to do with the arguments most often used against the moratoria relating to same-sex unions. Appeal is made to the fundamental human rights dimension of attitudes to LGBT people, and to the impossibility of betraying their proper expectations of a Christian body which has courageously supported them.

5. In response, it needs to be made absolutely clear that, on the basis of repeated statements at the highest levels of the Communion's life, no Anglican has any business reinforcing prejudice against LGBT people, questioning their human dignity and civil liberties or their place within the Body of Christ. Our overall record as a Communion has not been consistent in this respect and this needs to be acknowledged with penitence.

6. However, the issue is not simply about civil liberties or human dignity or even about pastoral sensitivity to the freedom of individual Christians to form their consciences on this matter. It is about whether the Church is free to recognise same-sex unions by means of public blessings that are seen as being, at the very least, analogous to Christian marriage.

7. In the light of the way in which the Church has consistently read the Bible for the last two thousand years, it is clear that a positive answer to this question would have to be based on the most painstaking biblical exegesis and on a wide acceptance of the results within the Communion, with due account taken of the teachings of ecumenical partners also. A major change naturally needs a strong level of consensus and solid theological grounding.

8. This is not our situation in the Communion. Thus a blessing for a same-sex union cannot have the authority of the Church Catholic, or even of the Communion as a whole. And if this is the case, a person living in such a union is in the same case as a heterosexual person living in a sexual relationship outside the marriage bond; whatever the human respect and pastoral sensitivity such persons must be given, their chosen lifestyle is not one that the Church's teaching sanctions, and thus it is hard to see how they can act in the necessarily representative role that the ordained ministry, especially the episcopate, requires.

9. In other words, the question is not a simple one of human rights or human dignity. It is that a certain choice of lifestyle has certain consequences. So long as the Church Catholic, or even the Communion as a whole does not bless same-sex unions, a person living in such a union cannot without serious incongruity have a representative function in a Church whose public teaching is at odds with their lifestyle. (There is also an unavoidable difficulty over whether someone belonging to a local church in which practice has been changed in respect of same-sex unions is able to represent the Communion's voice and perspective in, for example, international ecumenical encounters.)

10. This is not a matter that can be wholly determined by what society at large considers usual or acceptable or determines to be legal. Prejudice and violence against LGBT people are sinful and disgraceful when society at large is intolerant of such people; if the Church has echoed the harshness of the law and of popular bigotry – as it so often has done – and justified itself by pointing to what society took for granted, it has been wrong to do so. But on the same basis, if society changes its attitudes, that change does not of itself count as a reason for the Church to change its discipline.

3.

11. The second issue is the broader one of how a local church makes up its mind on a sensitive and controversial matter. It is of the greatest importance to remember this aspect of the matter, so as not to be completely trapped in the particularly bitter and unpleasant atmosphere of the debate over sexuality, in which unexamined prejudice is still so much in evidence and accusations of bad faith and bigotry are so readily thrown around.

12. When a local church seeks to respond to a new question, to the challenge of possible change in its practice or discipline in the light of new facts, new pressures, or new contexts, as local churches have repeatedly sought to do, it needs some way of including in its discernment the judgement of the wider Church. Without this, it risks becoming unrecognisable to other local churches, pressing ahead with changes that render it strange to Christian sisters and brothers across the globe.

13. This is not some piece of modern bureaucratic absolutism, but the conviction of the Church from its very early days. The doctrine that 'what affects the communion of all should be decided by all' is a venerable principle. On some issues, there emerges a recognition that a particular new development is not of such significance that a high level of global agreement is desirable; in the language used by the Doctrinal Commission of the Communion, there is a recognition that in 'intensity, substance and extent' it is not of fundamental importance. But such a recognition cannot be wished into being by one local church alone. It takes time and a willingness to believe that what we determine together is more likely, in a New Testament framework, to be in tune with the Holy Spirit than what any one community decides locally.

14. Sometimes in Christian history, of course, that wider discernment has been very fallible, as with the history of the Chinese missions in the seventeenth century. But this should not lead us to ignore or minimise the opposite danger of so responding to local pressure or change that a local church simply becomes isolated and imprisoned in its own cultural environment.

15. There have never been universal and straightforward rules about this, and no-one is seeking a risk-free, simple organ of doctrinal decision for our Communion. In an age of vastly improved communication, we must make the best use we can of the means available for consultation and try to build into our decision-making processes ways of checking whether a new local development would have the effect of isolating a local church or making it less recognisable to others. This again has an ecumenical dimension when a global Christian body is involved in partnerships and discussions with other churches who will quite reasonably want to know who now speaks for the body they are relating to when a controversial local change occurs. The results of our ecumenical discussions are themselves important elements in shaping the theological vision within which we seek to resolve our own difficulties.

16. In recent years, local pastoral needs have been cited as the grounds for changes in the sacramental practice of particular local churches within the Communion, and theological rationales have been locally developed to defend and promote such changes. Lay presidency at the Holy Communion is one well-known instance. Another is the regular admission of the unbaptised to Holy Communion as a matter of public policy. Neither of these practices has been given straightforward official sanction as yet by any Anglican authorities at diocesan or provincial level, but the innovative practices concerned have a high degree of public support in some localities.

17. Clearly there are significant arguments to be had about such matters on the shared and agreed basis of Scripture, Tradition and reason. But it should be clear that an acceptance of these sorts of innovation in sacramental practice would represent a manifest change in both the teaching and the discipline of the Anglican tradition, such that it would be a fair question as to whether the new practice was in any way continuous with the old. Hence the question of 'recognisability' once again arises.

18. To accept without challenge the priority of local and pastoral factors in the case either of sexuality or of sacramental practice would be to abandon the possibility of a global consensus among the Anglican churches such as would continue to make sense of the shape and content of most of our ecumenical activity. It would be to re-conceive the Anglican Communion as essentially a loose federation of local bodies with a cultural history in common, rather than a theologically coherent 'community of Christian communities'.

4.

19. As Anglicans, our membership of the Communion is an important part of our identity. However, some see this as best expressed in a more federalist and pluralist way. They would see this as the only appropriate language for a modern or indeed postmodern global fellowship of believers in which levels of diversity are bound to be high and the risks of centralisation and authoritarianism are the most worrying. There is nothing foolish or incoherent about this approach. But it is not the approach that has generally shaped the self-understanding of our Communion – less than ever in the last half-century, with new organs and instruments for the Communion's communication and governance and new enterprises in ecumenical co-operation.

20. The Covenant proposals of recent years have been a serious attempt to do justice to that aspect of Anglican history that has resisted mere federation. They seek structures that will express the need for mutual recognisability, mutual consultation and some shared processes of decision-making. They are emphatically not about centralisation but about mutual responsibility. They look to the possibility of a freely chosen commitment to sharing discernment (and also to a mutual respect for the integrity of each province, which is the point of the current appeal for a moratorium on cross-provincial pastoral interventions). They remain the only proposals we are likely to see that address some of the risks and confusions already detailed, encouraging us to act and decide in ways that are not simply local.

21. They have been criticised as 'exclusive' in intent. But their aim is not to shut anyone out – rather, in words used last year at the Lambeth Conference, to intensify existing relationships.

22. It is possible that some will not choose this way of intensifying relationships, though I pray that it will be persuasive. It would be a mistake to act or speak now as if those decisions had already been made – and of course approval of the final Covenant text is still awaited. For those whose vision is not shaped by the desire to intensify relationships in this particular way, or whose vision of the Communion is different, there is no threat of being cast into outer darkness – existing relationships will not be destroyed that easily. But it means that there is at least the possibility of a twofold ecclesial reality in view in the middle distance: that is, a 'covenanted' Anglican global body, fully sharing certain aspects of a vision of how the Church should be and behave, able to take part as a body in ecumenical and interfaith dialogue; and, related to this body, but in less formal ways with fewer formal expectations, there may be associated local churches in various kinds of mutual partnership and solidarity with one another and with 'covenanted' provinces.

23. This has been called a 'two-tier' model, or, more disparagingly, a first- and second-class structure. But perhaps we are faced with the possibility rather of a 'two-track' model, two ways of witnessing to the Anglican heritage, one of which had decided that local autonomy had to be the prevailing value and so had in good faith declined a covenantal structure. If those who elect this model do not take official roles in the ecumenical interchanges and processes in which the 'covenanted' body participates, this is simply because within these processes there has to be clarity about who has the authority to speak for whom.

24. It helps to be clear about these possible futures, however much we think them less than ideal, and to speak about them not in apocalyptic terms of schism and excommunication but plainly as what they are – two styles of being Anglican, whose mutual relation will certainly need working out but which would not exclude co-operation in mission and service of the kind now shared in the Communion. It should not need to be said that a competitive hostility between the two would be one of the worst possible outcomes, and needs to be clearly repudiated. The ideal is that both 'tracks' should be able to pursue what they believe God is calling them to be as Church, with greater integrity and consistency. It is right to hope for and work for the best kinds of shared networks and institutions of common interest that could be maintained as between different visions of the Anglican heritage. And if the prospect of greater structural distance is unwelcome, we must look seriously at what might yet make it less likely.

25. It is my strong hope that all the provinces will respond favourably to the invitation to Covenant. But in the current context, the question is becoming more sharply defined of whether, if a province declines such an invitation, any elements within it will be free (granted the explicit provision that the Covenant does not purport to alter the Constitution or internal polity of any province) to adopt the Covenant as a sign of their wish to act in a certain level of mutuality with other parts of the Communion. It is important that there should be a clear answer to this question.

5.

26. All of this is to do with becoming the Church God wants us to be, for the better proclamation of the liberating gospel of Jesus Christ. It would be a great mistake to see the present situation as no more than an unhappy set of tensions within a global family struggling to find a coherence that not all its members actually want. Rather, it is an opportunity for clarity, renewal and deeper relation with one another – and so also with Our Lord and his Father, in the power of the Spirit. To recognise different futures for different groups must involve mutual respect for deeply held theological convictions. Thus far in Anglican history we have (remarkably) contained diverse convictions more or less within a unified structure. If the present structures that have safeguarded our unity turn out to need serious rethinking in the near future, this is not the end of the Anglican way and it may bring its own opportunities. Of course it is problematic; and no-one would say that new kinds of structural differentiation are desirable in their own right. But the different needs and priorities identified by different parts of our family, and in the long run the different emphases in what we want to say theologically about the Church itself, are bound to have consequences. We must hope that, in spite of the difficulties, this may yet be the beginning of a new era of mission and spiritual growth for all who value the Anglican name and heritage.

+ Rowan Cantuar:
From Lambeth Palace, Monday 27 July 2009

Interesting post by Diana-Butler Bass

Author of Christianity for the Rest of Us, Diana Butler-Bass posted the following on Belief Net

The Real Decline of Churches
By: Diana Butler Bass
Monday July 20, 2009

Three news stories in recent days point to significant change in the landscape of North American religion. For decades now, the conventional wisdom about church growth has been that only conservative churches--those that take the Bible literally and embrace conservative politics--could grow. But it appears that conventional wisdom is being seriously questioned.

Take a look at these stories:

1. The Southern Baptist Convention--the largest and most conservative Protestant denomination in the USA--records a continued decline in baptisms and an increasingly aging membership. The oft-reported number of 18 million members has declined in the last decade to just over 16 million. And, according to journalist Christine Wicker (see her book, The Fall of Evangelical Nation), the internal number of active members may well be around 5 million people.

2. The Anglican Church of North America, the umbrella group for conservative Episcopalians who have left their denomination over women's ordination and full inclusion of gay and lesbian persons, has long claimed over 100,000 members. Recently, they admitted that only 69,000 persons in 650 churches in the USA and Canada have joined their association. There are 2.2 million Episcopalians in the United States and approximately 1 million in Canada. Thus, the conservative group--the one that has garnered so much media attention in recent years is a very small percentage of the entire North American Anglican membership--some 2% of the total. And with their rigid opposition to women's ordination, it is hard to imagine that this group will find much appeal with young North Americans.

3. President Jimmy Carter last week publicly explained why he renounced his life-long affiliation with the Southern Baptists in an opinion piece appearing in The Age. He denounced the Convention's leaders statement that women are inferior to men (created "second") and responsible for original sin as inherently discriminatory and that Southern Baptist views on gender were contrary to both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the teachings of Jesus.

Taken singly, the stories might seem anecdotal. But there are many other examples as well--the decline of Roman Catholicism among all demographic groups except new immigrant communities, the acceptance of LGBT inclusion among young evangelicals--and added together they are snapshots of what quantitative surveys have been pointing out for a couple of years--that membership decline isn't only the struggle of liberal churches. As Jon Meacham wrote earlier this year in a Newsweek cover story, many conservative Christian groups aren't really doing very well, either. The old accusation--and theological threat used by conservatives against mainline denominations--that the denominations have failed because they are too liberal--is now being proved false by both qualitative journalists and quantitative researchers. Almost all Christian institutions are experiencing slowing growth and/or membership declines. The only growing Christian churches in North America are "non-denominational," and those congregations are difficult to classify theologically because they are so diverse.

What is causing the erosion of Christianity in North America? Most North Americans look at Christianity--especially as embodied in religious institutions--and find it wanting. I suspect that Christianity is in decline because it appears both hypocritical and boring. Although young North Americans express deep longings for a loving, just, and peaceful world, they don't find an equal passion for transforming society in meaningful ways in most congregations. And, sadly, many churches simply lack the imagination and passion that many spiritual people are searching for. Folks aren't looking for answers nearly as much as they are trying to clarify their questions and are hungry for accepting communities in which to ask them.
If you think about it, mainline liberal churches embody a theological vision of God's reign that resonates with contemporary hopes for social transformation. But they often lack passion, acting on God's dream for the world in business-as-usual ways. Conservative churches are chock-full of passion. But they are often passionate about all the wrong stuff--like excluding people and supporting the military-and-economic status quo that is destroying the planet.

Perhaps North American Christians are smarter than anyone suspects--that we are looking for congregations, communities and denominations that put the pieces together--passionate, imaginative, open, justice-seeking, inclusive, and loving gatherings of faith that actually live, as Jimmy Carter put it, "the teachings of Jesus Christ." If progressive faith communities can be both--transformative and passionate--we may be better poised to reach a new generation than the "decline" bellyaching of recent decades suggests. With the waning of conservative churches, it may well be the historical moment for the rest of us to step up the the spiritual plate.

Nothing Could be Finer

First, one of my favorite pieces of music is the Peer Gynt Suite by Edvard Grieg.

Add that to carefully edited (for sensationalist purposes) video of weird undersea life -- plus a script that is the most yellow of journalism -- and a narrator with a British accent. Mmmmmmm, now we have perfection. Nothing could be finer.

Turn up your sound and play THIS -- the following video! (The video has good quality, so click on the "Full Screen" symbol -- the symbol on the far right on the bottom of the video box.)



The Lord be with you!

Pilgrim's Journal, Day 4

This is been such a great trip! As has been our practice - we begin each morning in silence until we come together to pray. As we pray the psalms together we effectively break our “reflective mode” and return to voice our praise to God and reconnect with each other. After prayer we came together for breakfast and conversation.

Well, after a hard day of work on Thursday we headed out to take in some of the natural beauty common to Belize - the islands and ocean that surround this tropical paradise. As a team we loaded up on a large boat and retreated to a secluded island called Goff Key. This was our day to work together as we snorkeled the reefs that create a natural break for the country’s coast. The cool thing about today - even with to “non-swimmers” each person snorkled with the help of our buddie and guides. |it was so cool to see folks over coming fears, working together as a team and encouraging one another. It was fun to see the kids playing together in the shallow pools that surround this beautiful island. It was wonderful to see students serving students lunch - as they worked together to make sure everyone was fed and full. At the end of the day - even in the midst of fun - is was awesome to watch this team work together, serve one another and set a good example for all to see.

After we returned to base, ate and got cleaned up - our team met to discuss, “where we saw God.” It was fun to see the students communicate all the unique ways they experienced / saw God. In each other, in the ocean, swimming with the fish, in the sun and in the midst of having fun with each other. They SAW GOD, experienced his presence and embraced his changing power.

All in a days pilgrimage…

Pilgrimage entries:
Day 4
Day 3
Day 2
Day 1
Departure

Pilgrim's Journal, Day 3

Today took a different twist as we stayed on the campus of YWAM Belize to participate in serveral work projects as they prepare for a large youth conference. The team from St. Marks diligently gave six hours to work hard on behalf of our hosts for this pilgrimage week. We broke into teams to accomplish the many tasks at hand. Some worked to clean up around the river bed and swimming hole. Another group of students painted the inside of the “Community Center” while others cut wood, deep cleaned bathrooms and cabins. All of this was a sacrifical investment in the lives of hundreds who will come to learn about Christ right here at YWAM Belize.

After a hot and hard days work many took a break while others played soccer with local kids and teens. Finally - just about everyone will take a dip in the local swimming hole before dinner. After our dinner we will round out the evening with discussion of St. Matthew chapter 25 - and ask the question…what does it mean to serve the “least of these?” Most will end the evening with journaling and writing notes to Lucy before heading to bed.

Later...

Today was a great day for reflection as we floated down a river nestled in the middle of the rain forest. Our guides helped the students and leaders navigate through a series of mile longs caves where they got to experience the marvels of nature including an underground waterfall and bat cave. At the end of the “cave portion” of our journey we stopped for a time of reflection to talk about the challenges of life and what may be holding us back from expeiencing the fullness of life. As a memory of our time together each student selected a rock that “best described them” - which will be used later in the week during our Eucharist Encounter. Before we left the river most students and adults took a well deserved jump from the rope swing into a crystal blue swimming hole. After a hearty dinner we enjoyed some free time and ended our day with discussion, journaling and prayer.

Pilgrimage entries:
Day 4
Day 3
Day 2
Day 1
Departure

Pilgrim's Journal, Day 2

Day two began with a breaking of the silence and prayer. We realized after a hot sticky night’s sleep and some lingering exhaustion that some of our team may be dragging. We made a group decision to work as a team to complete a hike needed to arrive at ancient Mayan Ruins. Knowing that we would be faced with the idea of sacrificing for one another, we ventured out into an unpredictable day of prayer, facing fears, challenges and sacrifice as we began to further explore our faith in the jungle of Belize.

After a long bumpy bus ride, we embarked on a mile hike up many hills in the heat of the Belizean sun. Sacrifices were made as those with more energy assisted more tired members of our team. When one of us was dragging many helped to carry a backpack allowing a pilgrim in need to make it to the top of the ruins as we all encouraged each other along. Later when we were all hungry and thirsty, water and food rations were shared. How wonderful to see our faith in action as we watched the teens help one another, knowing we would make it, but also knowing that some of the pilgrims were being challenged to do more than they thought they could. Our reward was a magical experience at the ancient ruins in their magnificent splendor. Climbing to the top of the ancient structures and looking out for miles in all directions was a powerful experience for all.

From last Sunday’s Honduran coup until today we have repeatedly seem how our plans may be different from God’s. Today we planned to swim at a local pool and ended up at a local swimming hole that far exceeded what a pool experience may have been. Here, we all, regardless of swimming ability waded into the refreshing water.

Our pilgrims are becoming wonderful story tellers and will have many more to share. At the end of the day we were all amazed at our journey. The fears we faced, the sacrifices made and the faith that brought us safely back to evening prayers.

Pilgrimage entries:
Day 4
Day 3
Day 2
Day 1
Departure

Pilgrim's Journal - Day 1

We had a wonderful first day on the ground in this tropical paradise. The heat and humidity greeted us warmly and we new from that point forward - water was going to be our best friend.

An unexpected surprise - WV and St. Marks made it on the same plane from Miami so there was an immediate connection. We planned and prayed on the airplane - developing an instant friendship.

After the long day of travel we ate at Bird Isle which overlooks the ocean. After lunch we began our week long pilgrimage at historic St. Johns Cathedral. Built with bricks from Europe in 1812 it was a fascinating building with an interesting history. Its early Bishops were in charge of the entire Central American district. We had a team encounter time there, prayed together for our week, and headed to YWAM Belize - where we are staying.

As soon as we arrived we were asked to walk across a suspension bridge built by the British Military in order to get to our compound. Once across we found our cabins and headed to the dining hall .

After orientation and dinner we showered up, discussed the days events, looked forward to the rest of the week and participated in Compline - where we specifically thought about and prayed for Lucy!

After 19 hours we were ready for bed. Tomorrow - our focus will be on the topic of Sacrifice and what is means...

Pilgrimage entries:
Day 4
Day 3
Day 2
Day 1
Departure

St Marks Teens on Pilgrimage

St Marks currently enjoys 3 teen groups in its youth ministry: "Rite 13," "Journey to Adulthood" (aka J2A), and "Young Adults in Church" (aka YAC). At 4 am, Monday, July 6, the middle group, J2A, gathered at BWI airport for the launch of its pilgrimage.

A "pilgrimage" is not like a mission trip nor is it like a vacation trip. Pilgrimage is one of the ancient, classic spiritual disciplines found not only in Christianity, but in most religions. Pilgrimages serve as a powerful metaphor: one hopes to foster a spiritual journey within oneself by making a physical journey through time and space. The purpose is to spark a spiritual awakening, deepening, or renewal. Although we celebrate the life of Christ here at home, we hope by changing our literal perspective in space to see Christ in a new way at another place.

As Psalm 84 puts it:

4 Happy are the people whose strength is in you! *
whose hearts are set on the pilgrims' way.

5 Those who go through the desolate valley will find it a place of springs, *
for the early rains have covered it with pools of water.

6 They will climb from height to height, *
and the God of gods will reveal himself in Zion.

Our J2A group has been working toward this pilgrimage for

two years, learning, preparing, planning, studying and fund-raising.

Finally -- at last!! -- they gathered at 4 am, Monday, July 6, at BWI to fly to Belize.

In a brief service of prayer, they were given a cross (a replica of the St Marks altar cross) and a journal for their daily reflections. After we blessed, commissioned and charged them, goodbye kisses were exchanged, parents headed home, and our band of pilgrims headed for the departure gate.

Among their aspirations, they hope to keep us updated with "daily blog entries," which will be posted here on this site. Keep checking back!

Read their journal entries over the course of their pilgrimage through the links below:

Pilgrimage entries:
Day 4
Day 3
Day 2
Day 1
Departure

The Lord be with them and with you!

Mission Trip to Panama

A group of 24 adults and teens from St Marks, Trinity, Temple and us spend the last 2 weeks of June in Panama, building a home for a family in the Kuna Nega community.

Several us us agreed that of all the mission trips over the years that we've been part of, this one was without doubt the most arduous, but also the most personally satisfying.

To view slideshows from several of our missioners, go to http://picasaweb.google.com/DreamBuildersMission2009/

The Lord be with you!