Per Christum Catholic Blog

The Anglican Communion is currently in the middle of its worldwide gathering of bishops, the Lambeth Conference. Last gathering, in 1998, bishops from all over the world attended, but for this gathering, some conservative Anglicans have decided to stay home, and many attended a competing conference in Jerusalem recently, called GAFCON.

If you ask me, the current Lambeth Conference is pointless. Of course, nobody asked me! Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams wants to avoid mention of any of the recent controversies, and instead focus on getting along. The problem is that serious, major, issues are currently dividing Anglicanism, and a few 2-hour discussions here and there, coupled with pretending the problem doesn’t exist, aren’t likely to accomplish much. What diocese in its right mind would send its bishop all the way to England simply to exchange pleasantries, while ignoring the elephant in the room? Maybe it is just my style, but I think the Lambeth Conference is a perfect time to address some of these issues, rather than skirt them (it shows that the leadership of the Anglican Communion really doesn’t want to address them). Somebody will address the issues, whether it is Peter Akinola, or the Pope or Ecumenical Patriarch, because traditional Anglicans are looking for answers and a refuge from the current mess. Ignoring it is only going to keep the blissfully ignorant happy, not activists on either side.

So why are so many bishops excusing themselves now, and not in 1998? Certainly liberalism in the Episcopal church isn’t new, is it? What changed from 1998 to 2008? Besides many progressives in the Anglican church further pushing the envelope, I think the internet is to “blame.” It has developed into a powerful means of communication. I don’t recall knowing about blogs in 1998; Now I read many, and write for two. The internet allows for very open communication. A favorite tactic of church progressives is to use traditional language, traditional symbols, and even give lip service to traditional theology, yet mean something entirely different. I think it is not only dishonest, but requires a lot of intelletual acrobatics. In the past, progressives could count on essentially keeping your average Episcopalian in the dark about happenings in the national church, and about the beliefs of the Episcopal church. The internet has changed all of this. Damage control is impossible. A bishop can refer to Jesus’ resurrection in a homily, and church members can go online and find out what the bishop means by this, whether he intends a bodily resurrection or an abiding memory in the minds of his followers. The internet has allowed opponents a voice. They may be silenced in seminaries, and in diocesan conventions, but blogs (which may at times go too far) cannot be silenced easily. Lambeth 2008 may be the last Lambeth conference ever, who knows, or it could be the last one that had bishops from all over the world.

Note: I am moving into a new house, so I haven’t had time to provide links to info in this post. Stand Firm and Titus One Nine seem to be following Lambeth rather closely.