I spent yesterday attending the morning Eucharist at the Canterbury Cathedral followed by tea at Doddington Place (home of Sir Richard Oldfield, High Chief Sheriff of Kent). Another party at St. Augustine’s Abby with Councilor Carolyn Parry, the Lord Mayor of Canterbury, followed it. I also heard Rev. Canon Lucy Winkett preach at the Inclusive Church Eucharist on Saturday night (she preached at St. John's Cathedral last November (?) and she's pretty well known around Britain for her preaching).
This morning I spent time doing a bunch of odd jobs and attending a hearing in the Sports Arena. There are three hearings during the conference and it provides time for the bishops to say pretty much whatever they want. For about an hour and a half, there is an open microphone where bishops can speak for a maximum of 3 minutes each. I attended the second hearing of three today. Of course, the main topic of discussion was over the blessing of same sex marriages as well as the ordination of gay bishops and cross border interventions and inter-provincial claims of jurisdiction. Of course, this topic is rather frustrating for all of the Anglican Communion because it brings questions about the interpretation of Scripture into light as well as the tension between respecting human rights and wanting to preserve the Anglican Communion.
I believe the debate about these issues as one that also includes the ordination of women as bishops and the full inclusion of women in the decisions made by the Lambeth Conference. Perhaps I was a little optimistic about the inclusion of women in the Anglican Church.... at least until I came here. In 1998, there were 11 women bishops attending out of 11 from the WWAC. This year, there are 18 out of 24, a small improvement in 10 years.
I think what makes me frustrated the most is that we affirm women as bishops, but for the Lambeth Conference no woman has been scheduled to celebrate the daily morning Eucharist for fear that some of the bishops won't attend. It's a weird contradiction and a little different from my world in Los Angeles (specifically St. John's, not my seminary as the students still struggle with being inclusive).
It makes me wonder whether the Anglican Church is ready to tackle the present issue with consecrating openly gay people as bishops, or whether the church was thrown into it and as a consequence, has the make quick resolutions to keep the church intact...when women are still struggling to find in place in the office of the bishop. Do we need to find complete resolution with one issue before moving onto another? Or can the church exist via media, working on one but also aware that the older issue is still present and still needs attention? To what degree is the issue about gays in the church also an issue about the inclusion of women? What can we learn from Scripture in ways that Jesus preserved community while working on the fringes, acknowledging that the rejected are not partial, but whole human beings? I can think of a number of examples, starting with the healing of a rejected woman from her 12-year hemorrhage problem while Jesus was on the way to deal with Jairus, one of leaders of the synagogue and one who was not rejected. Jesus existed in both worlds.
It's riveting, but also quite confusing. I do have a profound respect for +Robinson as well as the 18 women bishops that are attending the Lambeth Conference.
So the tales of a seminarian in Lambeth continues...
More pictures below:
A Eucharist led by the stewards in Canterbury Cathedral:
We're singing along!
The stewards of Lambeth Conference 2008:
The women bishops of Lambeth Conference 2008:
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