LAMbeth Conference:
The bishop's blog - week 2
Sunday, 3rd August - the final post
The last day of the Lambeth Conference and it has been raining. I got up early to do my washing and had it ironed. I fly from here to the United States for the General Chapter of the Oratory of the Good Shepherd so I need some clean clothes.
This morning, the Bible Study groups met for the last time and we looked at John 20:19-31 and we spoke about how in John’s gospel, Jesus is always offering people a bigger vision and the gift of life. We asked how as bishops we do this within our own context. We spoke of how the Church has a message of life – both in improving the material lives of the poor and in offering spiritual life to all. As it was our last time together and we have grown quite close to one another, we prayed for each other and thanked God for revealing himself to us as we had gathered to study his written Word.
We then moved to our last Indaba group and were told that all the reports from the various groups had been fed back and would appear in a written record of the 2008 Lambeth Conference. It is important to remember that the Lambeth Conference is not a legislative body and this time as there were no resolutions, the record has a different flavour.
We recognised that the report would carefully reflect the views of the vast majority of the bishops at Lambeth, but the extreme conservatives or liberals would inevitably be dissatisfied. The Indaba process had nevertheless, after a bumpy start, fulfilled its aim of allowing everyone to be heard and the report would reflect the majority voices of bishops from all over the world.
We talked about how we would communicate what had taken place at the Lambeth Conference with our own dioceses, aware that those who were not here may well choose to criticise what the majority of others had found to be a wonderful and even a holy experience. I hope that this diary will be one means of communicating my own impression and I am sure there will be other opportunities, like Diocesan Conferences, for Welsh bishops to speak to their dioceses.
There have been misleading reports – one that we have been pursued by pro and anti-gay groups. That is nonsense – there have been representatives of such groups but apart from one anti –gay group that protested in an unpleasant way as we walked to the opening service, they have been courteous, respectful and a welcome part of the conference. They have had designated areas and offered fringe events but they have not picketed the Conference as in 1980. It is likely that GAFCON (the conservative group who met in Jordon/Jerusalem prior to the Lambeth Conference will criticise the Lambeth Conference for not having gone along with their conservative views and they are likely to criticise Archbishop Rowan’s leadership even though he was given standing ovations at the Lambeth Conference. They may of course, still try to split the Anglican Communion although experience shows that those who defect, continue to split into smaller groups.
Having been at the Lambeth Conference in 1998, I said how much I had appreciated the Indaba process as opposed to the debating model with lots of motions, amendments, resolutions and papers. Debates tend to end up with ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ and although it is the method we use for our own church government, it may not be the best way of determining the will of God. The Indaba process takes time but it allows everyone to contribute and feel valued, and people are able to speak because there is a relationship among the members. Even those who started by being sceptical about the process, agreed that it had worked and we thanked Bishop Chilton for her excellent leadership in handling forty male bishops.
This afternoon we had a Plenary session at which Archbishop Rowan thanked everyone who had been involved in such a major undertaking as the Lambeth Conference and Jane thanked all those who had helped arrange the Spouses’ Conference. Archbishop Rowan delivered his third Presidential address (and all of his addresses are printed in full on the Lambeth Conference website).
At the Plenary Session we were given the text of the record of the Conference which is an honest statement of where we are. Some will be dissatisfied that we did not come down heavily in favour of a conservative or liberal position regarding homosexuality. The truth is that we recognise that we are on a pilgrimage and still wresting with the scriptures (hermeneutics) and modern scientific insights, but we have a general agreement that there will be a moratorium and we will not take any action for the time being that will be offensive to another province. The Church needs time to consider these matters and I cannot help but think of how Galileo was excommunicated for claiming that the sun was at the centre of the universe. The Church is sometimes wise not to make decisions for which it will later need to apologise.
This evening, we had the final Eucharist in Canterbury Cathedral which was celebrated by the Most Revd Sir Ellison Pogo, Archbishop of Melanesia and the most moving part was when Archbishop Rowan ‘canonised’ the seven brothers of the Melanesian Brotherhood who were martyred in 2003. The names of the seven martyrs were presented to Archbishop Rowan and the Brothers and Sisters (monks and nuns) from Melanesia chanted the Litany of the Melanesian Saints as they and their Archbishop, processed with the names of the seven martyrs to the Chapel of the Saints & Martyrs of Our Time where their names were recorded. Somehow it gave a totally new perspective to the Lambeth Conference. We are called to live lives of Christian discipleship and if required to die for our faith. The Melanesian Brothers who carried the names of their friends and brothers know what it is to live like that – it was humbling and moving and put some of the things that we had been discussing into a different perspective.
After the Eucharist there was a reception with food and a very loud band! Unfortunately, because of the rain it had to be held indoors. I made an early departure because I can’t cope with music that is so loud that you cannot hear what people are saying to you – perhaps I am just getting old!
My immediate reaction to the Lambeth Conference is that before I came I thought the best possible outcome would be that
- We would respect one another as disciples of Jesus and people of integrity who love God and his Church
- We would acknowledge that we share the same respect for the Bible even if we reach different understandings about its interpretation
- We want to stay together in communion and journey together as fellow pilgrims
I think we have achieved all that. Thanks be to God.
Saturday 2nd August
The 7.15 a.m. Eucharist was celebrated by the five Bishops of the Anglican Church of Kenya who have attended the Lambeth Conference in defiance of their Archbishop. The service was in English but with some African touches – such as references to ancestors and Satan in the liturgical text and pointing to the cross and to heaven during the dismissal.
In the Bible Study group we looked at John 18:1-18 ‘For whom are you looking … I am’ where Jesus is arrested on the Mount of Olives and the first wound of the passion is inflicted – with a kiss. We looked at how in John’s gospel Jesus is always proactive and in command of what takes place, even in his betrayal and arrest. The Bible Study was followed by a photo call by our overseas members who like to go back with a photographic record of their visit.
In the Indaba groups we continued to work on the proposed Covenant and the Windsor Process (concerning how to maintain unity in the Anglican Communion) following the actions of the Episcopal Church (USA) and the Anglican Church of Canada. There seemed to be a willingness to hold back on certain actions that cause division providing that there is a programme to explore such matters with theological rigour. I pointed out that quickly made decisions on controversial matters have been regretted in the past and the Lambeth Conference has had to reverse its decisions in the light of further prayer and study. I had in mind how Lambeth Conferences have condemned artificial means of contraception and the re-marriage of divorced people on biblical grounds, but then reversed their decision.
The weather has changed and there is cloud and drizzle, so no barbecue lunch today.
This afternoon I planned to attend a session on bread making, but then discovered that you had to be married to a bishop to attend, so I attended a session for bishops on the Science of Climate Change which was chaired by the Archbishop of Melbourne. The speaker was Professor Ian James of Reading University who I ordained to the priesthood. It was good to see him again in his role as a scientist and professor of Geophysical Fluid Dynamics (don’t ask!).
Ian gave a very clear presentation and presented the scientific facts concerning the dramatic increase in carbon dioxide levels and how these have been caused by human activity – burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas) and concluded by saying that we have been using God’s world as a dustbin for our waste and that we need to make dramatic changes before it runs out of control. He was asked about scientists who say that it is just natural changes in the earth’s cycle and responded by saying that very few scientists say that and those who do, never publish anything to support what they say. Ian said that churches need to audit their carbon emission and take action to reduce them.
During the day, people were handing out free copies of a book, ‘The Unique and Universal Christ’ by Bishop Michael Nazir Ali of Rochester, one of only three Church of England bishops not to attend. I appreciate his book but would have appreciated it more if he was here.
Tomorrow is Sunday, but it will not a day of Sabbath rest for us - or perhaps there is just no peace for the wicked!. We shall be meeting again in our Bible Study Groups and for our final Indaba session. The will be a Plenary session and the Conference will formally end with a Sung Eucharist at Canterbury Cathedral at which the names of the seven Melanesian Brothers who were murdered in 2003 will be added to the book of modern day martyrs.
Friday, 1st August
The 7.15 a.m. Eucharist was celebrated by the bishops of The Church of Pakistan. I don’t mind ‘high’ church or ‘low’ church, but I am not too keen on ‘long’ church and past experience told me that it would be ‘long’ church. My fears were justified when I was told that the first hymn lasted twelve minutes and the long sermon began, with that worrying introduction ‘Briefly’. There was an alternative quiet and reflective Eucharist so I went to that one instead and ate my breakfast whilst the others came in late!
In the Bible Study group we looked at John 15:1-17 ‘I am the true vine’. Jesus did not say, ‘I am the stem; you are the branches’ but ‘I am the vine – you are part of me’. Jesus then goes on to talk of the need to cut out the branches that are not fruitful and the need to prune the others to produce more fruit, and we are told that we ‘abide in Christ’. One Indian bishop told us of a natural (not hybrid) vine that produces two types of grapes and people can choose which they prefer, and we wondered if that is a picture of the future Anglican Communion – with different branches providing for different needs, but all part of the same vine.
The main business of the day was to discuss the proposed Covenant, a document which each Province will be asked to sign as an agreed way of living together. We were asked what the word Covenant means to us. I said that is was a solemn agreement made with God and a means of grace (as the Old Testament covenant with Israel of ‘You shall be my people and I shall be your God’). A covenant is also made with sacrifice - in the Old Testament with the shedding of animal blood and in the New Testament with the shedding of Jesus’ blood on the cross. A covenant is also a bond that should be mutually beneficial to both parties (as in marriage). In my Indaba group there was a general agreement that a Covenant was desirable and we had two sessions (this morning and this afternoon) to look critically at the draft and make suggestions.
I was happy with much of the draft but questioned the Preamble which began with us rather than with God, neglected to recognise that we are already people of the Covenant through the Cross and did not covenant with God and with one another but only with one another. I shall be interested to see if they take my criticisms on board! We return to looking at the draft Covenant again tomorrow.
I saw the extraordinary article in The Times today by Henry Orombi, the Archbishop of Uganda in which he attacks Archbishop Rowan and says that when bishops have such disagreements among themselves they cannot meet together for Holy Communion, study the scriptures or have fellowship together. Well, if he had turned up (and allowed his bishops to turn up), he could have experienced how it is done for himself. There are 670 of us who have been praying, studying the scriptures and meeting together for the past two weeks and actually enjoying it and being blessed by God.
This evening, I took Bishop David (of The Highveld) and his wife Carol, to a fish restaurant in Whitstable called, ‘The Crab and Winkle’ to mark their Silver Wedding which they celebrated earlier this week. It was an enjoyable and relaxing evening with friends and good to be away from the Lambeth Conference for a few hours. Tomorrow looks like being another long day.
Thursday, 31st July
The 7.15 a.m. Eucharist this morning was celebrated by the Archbishop and bishops of the Anglican Church of Burundi. Sadly, it was not very African (most of it in English or French) and lacked the colour and liturgical action of typical African worship.
The Bible Study groups looked at John 13:31-14:14 ‘I am the way the truth and the life’. Some of the bishops spoke of how the verse, ‘No one comes to the Father except through me’ is interpreted in their own culture. For some it means that only by being a Christian of a particular tradition is it possible to have salvation; others took a broader view of a cosmic Christ active both within Christianity (where Christ is most fully revealed) as well as in other faiths. We spoke about Jesus showing us the way to the Father and reminded ourselves that we are pilgrims and members of a pilgrim Church journeying closer to God to discover his will for ourselves and for his Church.
After the Bible Study I had to go to the Press office to be interviewed for Premium Christian Radio who wanted me to talk about the Christian attitude towards animals as well as asking how the Conference is going.
The theme for today is the ‘hot’ issue: Human Sexuality. Someone pointed out that we don’t really have a developed theology of sexuality so perhaps we ought to begin with the theology of marriage rather than homosexuality.
The Indaba group was told that some members did not feel they could speak easily in a large group, so for their sakes, we decided to split into two groups. The speakers in my group were largely Africans and West Indians who blamed our present ‘crisis’ on the Episcopal ordination of Bishop Gene Robinson. The American bishops explained how a democratic Church works and how in Episcopal elections over the past five years, clergy in same-sex relationships have not got beyond the first round. The Africans were unconvinced and come from countries where homosexual practice is punishable by imprisonment and on that issue they share the views of their Muslim neighbours. One West Indian bishop who had spent time in the USA explained the huge gap in cultural differences and assumptions which poses the question as to whether there can be different standards and practices for different Provinces. Then of course, we were back to biblical interpretation! As we had discussed homosexuality yesterday, we were in danger of going over old ground, and perhaps because some of the African bishops had met earlier for a briefing, today’s discussion lacked the breadth and graciousness of yesterday’s Indaba session.
Reports from the various Indaba groups are fed back to those who are trying to put together a report of the Conference and they are giving it a huge amount of time. We have been invited to suggest how we can move forward together, and what we would be prepared to sacrifice to make it work. There is pressure to produce an answer to take back to our dioceses. If we do, well and good, but I think there is value in just meeting my Anglican brother and sister bishops and representatives of other churches from across the world, and to find time to pray, study scripture, listen, talk and have fellowship together. I don’t feel that we need to solve the problem concerning hermeneutics and biblical interpretation about which Christians have disagreed for hundreds of years.
After two week, many of the bishops and their spouses are looking tired. The weather is hot and sultry and the days are long with events beginning at 6.30 a.m. and not ending until 10 p.m. or later for those who go for a ‘nightcap’.
This evening,along with the other Welsh bishops, I went to hear Peterson Toscano, an American who spoke movingly and with great humour of his experience as a gay Christian of Italian parentage who had an evangelical conversion experience. He underwent two years at a Christian rehabilitation centre run by one of the ‘ex-gay’ movements that claims to heal gays and lesbians of their sexual orientation. It didn’t work for him and he has accepted that he is a gay man who loves Jesus and is loved by God even if other Christians have not always been able to accept him. Now he has a ministry of presenting such issues in an entertaining and powerful way as well as providing advice and support for gay people and their parents and families. This evening made me reflect on how Jesus reached out to those rejected by religious people and contemporary society and how the Church has often failed to reflect God’s unconditional love.
Wednesday, 30th July
The 7.15 a.m. Eucharist was concelebrated by the Archbishop and bishops of Hong Kong. I can tell you some of it was in Chinese (we are provided with English translations) but I am not sure if it was Cantonese or Mandarin.
The Bible Study group met out of doors under a tree and we looked at the story of the raising of Lazarus where Jesus says, ‘I am the resurrection and the life’ (John 11). We had been asked to prepare an outline of how we would preach this gospel account and it was interesting to see how we would each adapt the text to fit the local context.
The theme today in the Indaba groups was, ‘The bishop and the Bible in mission’. We looked at drafts of the work that has been done so far in the various Indaba groups and which will form part of the long report from the Lambeth Conference, but instead of handling the material that we had been given, we decided to exercise our privilege of ignoring the material and moving on to discuss human sexuality (or more accurately homosexuality). For some bishops this is an issue directly related to mission either because they are in a culture where any acceptance of homosexuality would expose them to ridicule or even physical danger, or because they live in a culture where it is not a problem for young people who therefore see the Church as judgemental, uncompassionate and irrelevant. Our Indian bishops however, said that they did not view it as an important issue at all because for them combating poverty and caste discrimination is what matters. As a result they took little part in the discussion.
Nevertheless, it turned out to be an excellent Indaba session in which people spoke with moderation and respect for one another and we listened to one another intently. We agreed to stay together as a whole group – 40 of us – rather then split into smaller groups. We also agreed not to throw texts at one another but to be aware of the wider biblical tradition and to acknowledge that as with other moral issues, hermeneutics played an important role. Our very skilled leader, Bishop Chilton (of Maine, USA) said that she might ask us to rephrase what we said if it did not respect the integrity of others, but she had no need to do that.
The majority within the group did not identify with either the extreme conservatives or extreme liberals and some said that for them homosexuality is an open issue and they want to listen to God and one another. People shared with one another their different cultural contexts – a South African bishop identified the attitude towards homosexuals with apartheid, whilst some American dioceses operate in States where same-sex marriages are legalised. Some spoke from personal experience of same-sex Christian couples living in faithful, loving relationships and showing the gifts of the spirit, a world (which they said) St Paul could not have known. Some people felt that it is possible for different parts of the Anglican Communion to respond in different ways as is culturally appropriate and nobody appeared to disagree with the need to be pastoral in our approach. Some struggled with what the scriptures say and their own inner feelings and how they feel obliged to return to their dioceses with an answer to the problem.
The real problem in trying to move forward is how to do it. It would be possible to say that dioceses must not permit same-sex blessings and that Provinces must not intervene (as African Provinces have done in the US and Canada) in the affairs of another Province, but they would ask ‘why?’ and ‘for how long?’ One suggestion is that we need to have something like the South African Truth & Reconciliation process involving a structured time-limited commission. Suggestions as how to handle the issue have been invited – is there a Solomon among us?
The conversation will continue tomorrow but it got off to a good start and demonstrated the value of the Indaba process.
Again, it was so sunny that I joined the barbeque lunch on the lawns and then I spent part of the afternoon trying to catch up with some administration – emails, collecting mail, ‘phone calls and another IT problem (some emails not getting through), preparing a talk for the evening session and attending evening prayer.
After supper, I spoke at a meeting of the Anglican Society for the Welfare of Animals (ASWA) of which I am now the President. The other speakers were Joyce D’Silva of Compassion in World Farming (CWF) and the actress Jenny Seagrove (who appeared in Judge John Deed) – and yes, we had the bishops and the actress comment! The meeting was quite well attended for a ‘fringe’ event and CWF showed some slides of intensive farming conditions and animal transportation. I spoke about the doctrine of creation and our role as stewards of creation, how the fulfilment of the creation was not the creation of humankind but the Sabbath when God saw that all creation was very good and lived in harmony. I said that animal welfare cannot be separated from human welfare and the care of the environment because they are all inter-related. People were interested to learn that an Anglican priest (The Revd Arthur Broome) was a founder of the RSPCA and the RSPCA through the Revd Benjamin Waugh helped to found the NSPCC. We had interesting questions about farming methods, political campaigning, diocesan rural life advisers and vivisection and experiments on animals. The Welsh bishops all attended and afterwards we discussed how we can put animal welfare on the Church’s agenda – including them in our Sunday intercessions would be a good starting point.
Tuesday, 29th July
The 7.15 a.m. Eucharist this morning was celebrated by a Canadian Archbishop assisted by the other Canadian bishops.
The theme today is ‘Equal in God’s sight: when power is abused’ and the pattern of the day is slightly different. The Bible Study groups were transferred to the afternoon and the morning was spent in a Plenary session with the Spouses’ Conference (the parallel conference for bishops’ wives and husbands) taking part. The men and the women were separated in the Big Top so when we had a discussion in small groups they were same-sex groups. One Western bishop’s wife asked what was the rationale of separating the men from the women and she was told that some of the women (presumably mainly African and Asian) would not feel ‘safe’ discussing abuse in a group with men.
We spent a lot of time studying 2 Samuel 13 1-22 which is the story of the rape of Tamar by her brother Amnon. It is a story that I have never heard read in church. It involves deceit, manipulation, collusion and an abuse of power and we went on to talk about the exploitation of women and children. Apart from warfare, women and children are the overwhelming victims of abuse – sexual, physical, psychological and spiritual. One speaker spoke of sex trafficking and the sexual exploitation of young children and vulnerable women.
We were encouraged to recognise the role of the Church in supporting the abused and also to recognise the misuse of power. The Church always needs to put its own house in order before (or as well as) condemning others for their shortcomings. The morning session ended with a song and prayers.
Lunch was a sandwich and a soft drink before I went to the Marketplace to see if I could find a cheap purple cassock (having not brought one with me!). Either I am a funny shape or other clergy are strange shapes but I couldn’t find one that fitted, so I’ll make do with my black one. On my way to the Marketplace a group of African gay and lesbian people played music and danced. They held a banner saying, ‘We are here’ as a way of reminding the African participants that they exist. One of their number has just been given asylum because he had been imprisoned and tortured in Nigeria for being gay.
This afternoon, we had Bible Study groups and looked at John 10:14-21 ‘I am the good shepherd’ and avoided too closely comparing our people with sheep! We talked more about the good shepherd laying down his life for the sheep and the sacrificial nature of being a bishop and the need to lead from the front rather than chase up from the back like a sheep dog.
Evening Prayer was led by the Church of Myanmar (Burma) and they showed a five minute clip of life in Burma and how the Anglican Church had responded to the hurricane that caused such devastation and claimed so many lives. It was very moving and humbling.
After the service, Archbishop Rowan gave an address (read it) in which he analysed the conservative and liberal views regarding homosexuality. It was a clear, fair and insightful analysis and when we chatted later I said that I thought the best we can hope from the Lambeth Conference is that people will recognise each other as people of integrity who are searchers of truth, that we shall recognise that we acknowledge and respect the same scriptures although we might not agree about interpretation and that we shall want to stay together because love comes before everything else.
This evening, I attended the dinner of The Nikaean Club (named after the Council of Nicaea) which is a club based at Lambeth Palace of people who are interested in ecumenical relations. I have been a member of the Club for 30 years. The dinner was to honour the ecumenical guests at the Lambeth Conference and the after dinner speech (on behalf of the guests) was by Cardinal Walter Casper, a German who is in charge of ecumenical relations at the Vatican. He reminded us that the first Council of Nicaea called by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in A.D. 325 was a stormy event but that stormy churches are churches that show signs of life. (The First Council of Nicaea argued over the nature of Christ and whether he was of the same or similar substance as the Father)
This evening, we have some homework to do in preparing for our Bible Study and Indaba groups in the morning, and tomorrow (Wednesday) is the Silver Wedding Anniversary of Bishop David and Carol Beetge.
Monday 28th July
The 7.15 a.m. Eucharist was concelebrated by the Archbishops and Bishops of the Indian Ocean, mostly in English but with some French, Malagasy and Creole.
In the Bible Study groups we looked at John 10:1-10 ‘I am the gate for the sheep’. We discussed how the gate can be closed to give us protection but that it also needs to be opened so that we can go out into the world. The shepherd leads the sheep out from the safety and security of the enclosure to explore new pastures. We noted that the voice is important and the shepherd calls them by name and we discussed the various voices that are needed for leading God’s people to day. There is the pastoral voice that gives advice, comfort and encouragement, the prophetic voice that warns of danger, and the proclamation voice that proclaims the message of salvation.
The Indian bishops in my study group always relate the biblical text to their own context (which is the whole point of the Bible study) and their ministry among the Dilats who as ‘untouchables’ have the lowest place in society but now enjoy government benefits and subsidies which they lose if they become Christians! They talked about a photograph of a church with pews that looked out into a marketplace and they explained that Indian Christians normally sit on the floor in church, but that the Victorian missionaries built churches with pews which gave a message to low caste Indians that they were worthy of sitting on a seat.
The Indaba session looked at the ‘The Bishop, Christian Witness and other Faiths’ and again the discussion involved people describing their own contexts. Some live in developing countries as a small minority among people of other religions, some live in Western cities with people of other faiths (and I pointed out that Newport has at least five mosques and I recently played a small part in helping a mosque that is interested in inter-faith dialogue to buy a redundant United Reformed Church). We talked about engaging with Hinduism, which in the villages is idol worship but among scholars has a noble philosophy. We talked even more about engaging with Islam and the need to create a better understanding among us and to remove suspicion and misconceptions. In all this we recognised the uniqueness of God’s revelation in Jesus and the tension between being inclusive and exclusive. There is also a danger among Christians living as a minority among Muslims in trying to treat the Bible as if it is the Koran (Christianity is not the religion of a book but a religion with a book, because Jesus is the Word. We also recognised the need to speak out against religious persecution of one religion by another, and such issues as the treatment of women, homophobia, Islamaphobia, and the lack of freedom of worship and the right of conversion.
We also recognised the opportunities of Christian witness in living our lives, in running schools, hospitals, clinics, community projects. Christian hospitals and relief agencies care for people on a basis of need and regardless of religion.
The weather here is glorious and sunny so I joined the outdoor barbecue for a spot of lunch before going to a book launch. Bishop Winston Halapua from Tonga has written a book called Waves of God’s Embrace based on his experience of ministry in the South Pacific. I have known Winston since he was a theological student and I remember being with him when he was the Dean of the Cathedral in Suva (Fiji) and we discovered that his wife and I were born in the same hospital within a day or two of one another.
This afternoon, I attended a session organised by the Ecclesiastical Law Society (to which I belong). They have produced a publication especially for the Lambeth Conference. The contributors are from a wide range of canon lawyers looking at legal issues that concern the Church and the Anglican Communion. Most of the session was spent looking at the theology of a covenant and how many churches have a covenant or something similar as an agreed way of working together. Of course, everything depends on what sanctions (and who imposes them) the covenant contains for those who do not abide by it, and that for Anglicans shifts the locus of authority. At present each province is autonomous but a covenant would need to have a body (individual or committee) to impose such sanctions. The debate is whether that should be the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Primates, the Anglican Consultative Council or some other body set up for the purpose. Some of course, would prefer to stay as we are and not have a covenant at all.
This evening the Chief Rabbi, Sir Jonathan Sacks is speaking about the theology of covenant from the Hebrew Scriptures. The Old Testament covenant was between God and his people and was expressed as, ‘You shall be my people and I shall be your God’. I hope his lecture will be available afterwards because I can’t be there to hear it. I shall be meeting with the Archbishops’ Adviser on Healing to talk about her ministry.