Anglican Communion

The Lambeth Conference, 2008, has concluded … and perhaps Canterbury can return to normal now. As I consider my recent and blessed experiences, strains within the Anglican Communion take on something of a different quality. I had realized some aspects of those strains previously, but now they seem more personal and more real to me.

As we attempt to gain some understanding of what has happened to us as Anglicans in recent years, we should consider certain factors and questions concerning the diversities among us. For instance, in any country, how long has it been since Christianity was introduced there? And were the missionaries more evangelical or catholic in their approaches to teaching the faith? There is no right or wrong answer to these questions. However, such early factors in the life of the church in any country continue to have much influence on contemporary faith perspectives there.

A very significant factor is the dominant political and religious power structure. That reality may have a great deal of influence and control over a Christian minority. Some of our brother and sister Anglicans live within very different power structures than we experience in the United States.

Another factor has a profound influence as we consider Anglican strains around the world - a much greater influence than I had realized previously. The distinct polity (church governance) of the Episcopal Church is included; however, this is a larger and more significant matter than polity alone. As Americans, our country was born in revolution, and our individual rights are matters that hold almost a holy quality for us. Our constitutional Bill of Rights is nearly sacred writ in our self-understanding.

Yet the Anglican world values communion and community life as still higher aspirations and greater goods. Individual self restraint and forbearance for the sake of the common good are entirely consistent with Anglican values and priorities in most of the world. Matters involving individual rights and personal justice do not take as high a priority in many other countries as they do in our own. In many places, focus of attention is directed to the whole, rather than to the parts. Please understand that neither is excluded, but the emphasis is often different.

To express this matter as I heard it put repeatedly at Lambeth - when all the Instruments of Communion agreed on a direction for all churches of the Communion, it astounded our fellow Anglicans that we in the Episcopal Church did not follow that course. I need to add that colleagues in Great Britain and elsewhere considered the actions of General Convention 2003 to be much more confrontational to the entire Communion than I did at the time. Having spent these weeks at Lambeth, I do understand better their perception of apparent American disregard of Communion concerns. In the view of many Anglican colleagues, the Archbishop of Canterbury, along with the Lambeth Conference, the Anglican Consultative Council, and the Primates, all indicated disagreement with consecration of an openly gay man in a partnered relationship and yet the Episcopal Church did precisely that. Therefore, our appeals to Provincial polity have a very individualistic and hollow ring in the ears of many fellow Anglicans.

A primary goal that I had set for myself at Lambeth was to listen - to hear the perspectives and experiences of fellow Anglicans and, especially, to hear what they wanted and needed to say to an American bishop. I also intended to try to explain situations and circumstances in the United States, as I understand them - not defensively but simply, factually. In such interchanges, an interesting reaction that I repeatedly received was that of surprise - surprise that Americans care about other Anglicans at all and surprise that we have indeed worked hard to be responsive to the concerns of our global Anglican and ecumenical partners.

Let me be quite clear at this point. I certainly intend to uphold the polity of the Episcopal Church Indeed, I have signed such a declaration at each of my ordinations - as deacon, priest, and bishop - and I do not intend to break those promises. On the other hand, I want our involvement in the Anglican Communion - and our commitment to it - to be strong, for the sake of our unity in Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my previously-expressed sense of gratitude for experiences at Lambeth surely continues to dominate my reflections on the past weeks. However, I also realize that much work lies ahead for us - work that will involve more listening and more explaining. And this work, I hope and pray, will enable our continued full participation as Episcopal Christians in the life, work, and witness of the Anglican Communion.

Unique experience

As the Lambeth Conference concludes, I am aware of a profound gratitude that I feel quite sincerely. This has been a unique and wonderful experience, and I am very thankful for it. My sense of appreciation begins with the people, churches, and Diocese of East Tennessee. Annie and I both are very, very grateful for the opportunity of being at Lambeth at this very significant time in the life of the Anglican Communion.

The University of Kent, where the Conference has been held, sits on top of a hillside overlooking the town of Canterbury. On a walk across campus early in the Conference, Annie and I observed the view, including the majestic Canterbury Cathedral. I commented that I supposed that view would become an expected one in the two and a half weeks we would be here. But I also hoped and intended that I would not become so accustomed to it that I took it for granted.

I have managed to maintain such an awareness. Indeed, this symbol of the home of world-wide Anglicanism continues to stir me at deep levels of appreciation and gratitude. In fact, because of experiences of the past several weeks, I appreciate that view and what it represents even more now than when we arrived.

In addition, I am grateful to my fellow bishops and their spouses, for their presence as well as for their ministries. As I have mentioned previously in these reflections, some of them came here at considerable personal cost. To have had the opportunity of hearing their stories and of learning about their ministries has been a great privilege. I have a much greater appreciation for the gift of our Anglican Communion, and for that, I am grateful.

Finally, I give thanks for our Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. Archbishop Williams has led this Conference of unlikely, unusual, and - sometimes - unwilling participants, with grace. His unwavering commitment to the Communion is clear. His desire to provide space for mutual respect, attention, and sharing has born good fruit indeed. The hospitality that he and his staff have shown has been exemplary. We are fortunate to be able to count on the leadership of this gifted servant of Christ at this particular time in our history.

Therefore, as this Lambeth Conference concludes, I take away a very great sense of gratitude for the experience. At the same time, I look forward to returning to East Tennessee with great anticipation!

Speaking in tongues

Our Eucharistic liturgies at Lambeth have had an interesting feature. The congregation is encouraged to pray the Lord's Prayer in our own languages.

Actually, this practice seems to be followed in some urban congregations in this country as well, and I have seen it followed occasionally in the United States. In this context, though, it has become our usual practice. And the result has been this wonderful sense of praying to God in various words, all of which our Father understands.

The positive side of this practice, it seems to me, is that our diversity becomes quite clear. There is clear affirmation of the various cultural contexts from which we come. There is support for our fellow Anglican Christians from around the world. In no way is there a suggestion that there are "right and wrong" words to use in that setting - but rather that all languages are acceptable to God.

On the other hand, the combined voices are unintelligible. The practice becomes, quite literally, an exercise in speaking in other tongues.

Individually, we know what we are saying and what we mean ... but most of us have no clue about what the person next to us is saying and meaning (except, of course, that we know the words to the prayer).

I have wondered a bit about this practice as a symbol of the Lambeth Conference. That is, each one of us knows clearly what we are saying. We understand the cultural context and setting from which we speak. We recognize that we have vast differences. But at many levels we do not understand one another.

Indeed, from the perspective of speaking in tongues, we need an interpreter. And the good news is that we have been engaged, ourselves, in the process of interpretation. The words may not be clear, but the rhythm and cadences are. The interactions and the relationships that have been forming help us immensely in understanding one another.

As we approach the conclusion of this Lambeth Conference, we are engaged in the difficult conversations that we knew we needed to have. And we have been prepared for those encounters through the hard work of careful listening and relationship-building. We have developed a level of trust that has resulted in the possibility that we will listen carefully to each other, rather than only talking at each other. These conversations have come about, out of the time we have spent together, the trust we have built, and the care we have taken.

Therefore, I am hopeful that these last few days will be productive and constructive. Using the Lord's Prayer analogy, we may not always understand exactly what others are saying, but we have reached the point - in many cases - of knowing what they mean. Thus, for those here and elsewhere who want definite pronouncements to come out of Lambeth, I suspect they will not be satisfied. But for those who wish to remain in dialogue with our world-wide brothers and sisters and within the Anglican Communion, as we go forward together, I am hopeful indeed.

Challenging discussions

The format of this Lambeth Conference has provided significant opportunity to develop relationships among bishops. By design, those opportunities have preceded the planned, direct conversations on difficult subjects within the Anglican Communion - subjects about which we need to have significant discussions.

I have appreciated these contacts and interchanges with bishops from around the world. As I have mentioned previously, such encounters have been wonderfully enriching, as well as humbling at times and, often, educational and quite informative.

This final week of Lambeth, though, involves us in more direct conversations and more difficult encounters. The world is not all like the United States or East Tennessee, and we are not like the rest of the world either, in so many ways. Those differences - when focused and highlighted - can provide occasions not only for questions and searches for information, but also for suspicion, distrust and disappointment.

Neither the Windsor Continuation Group nor the Covenant Design Group will be making decisions at Lambeth about a final document. Nor, if the archbishop's agenda holds, will the conference be passing resolutions.

However, information and material from our discussions will provide direction and input for each of these groups in the months ahead.

Therefore, while Lambeth's efforts in these situations will not lead to conclusions, they will provide direction along the way.

The challenging discussions we have begun this week - and which follow earlier encounters that have hinted at what is to come - by design will be had within the context of relationships that have been developing thus far during our time together. Therefore, I pray that our work thus far will inform our future efforts, for the sake of this conference, our Communion, and ultimately, Christ himself.

In a slightly different vein - but on a related subject - I will be publishing potential "links" that parishes may wish to make with overseas dioceses. Bishops here are interested in having such links, not only with dioceses but also with parishes and in a newsletter next month, I will be making suggestions about what some of those might be. Indeed, I have a number of bishops who would like to respond. The point, though, is that such linkages are important for us in the Anglican Communion. I can say that with much conviction in the midst of the experience of this Lambeth Conference.