Anglican Mainstream

During his fifth Chavasse Lecture at Wycliffe Hall on Monday October 8^th, on Lord of all, Christ, Culture and Context, the Bishop of Rochester responded to a number of questions about a number of matters, including the interview published in the Daily Telegraph.

“Boycott is not a word that I used. The problem is that the Lambeth conference has been for 150 years where Bishops gather together to teach. That is the main reason for it - to exercise their office as teachers of the faith for the worldwide communion.

We have been told this time that this is not what it will do. So the question arises what is it for and will it be worthwhile since it is a hugely costly exercise. I am very happy to talk with people at any time that is mutually convenient. The Lambeth Conference is not just such an occasion. It is a meeting of bishops for particular purposes. There are churches and bishops who were requested, there were pleas to them by everyone from every quarter, not to do what the whole communion had said was contrary to God’s purpose. They went ahead and did it. Now the intention is to have those bishops at the Lambeth Conference and the person consecrated also. Under such circumstances, and as matters stand, I could not go. I do not want to single out Gene Robinson. 

I ordain people. If I ordain someone who should not be ordained I am more responsible than the person ordained for what has been done. I was present at General Convention 2003 where approval was given for Gene Robinson’s consecration. The next day, I had been worshipping with people, I felt I could not go to the convention eucharist. I made my way to the Forward in Faith eucharist in a Methodist Church, and when I got there I discovered 100s of people had made the same decision, women, men evangelicals, catholics - to such an extent people were standing three deep outside on the pavement. That was a consensus fidelium that such a decision was wrong.

We live in a fallen world and I do not expect perfection in the church. We help people where they are in the way that’s the best possible for them. That is very different from systematically teaching something different. Persistent behaviour without repentance is the issue we are facing. I do not want to be promiscuous in talking about these things, we have to state at a particular time what is the gospel’s judgement in a particular situation. I have done this before and the consequences were terrible. I have experienced them and my family has experienced them. This time I can do no other.

AM website notes that Bishop Michael Nazir Ali was the Director of Studies of Lambeth 1988 and co-editor of the Conference Report, and the Plenary Speaker on engagement with other faiths at the 1998 Lambeth Conference.

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