It's not the lobbying that bothers me; it's the scale. I never thought I'd see the day when the Body of Christ needed campaign finance reform . . .
- The Rev. Jan Nunley, Rector, St. Peter and St. Andrew, Providence, RI
As you read these reports, you might want to review them from the perspective of the Lambeth conference in 1888:
When 145 bishops came to Lambeth Archbishop Benson reported to Queen Victoria. Her reply was "The queen thanks the Archbishop of Canterbury very much for his kind letter giving an account of the large meeting of bishops at Lambeth. It must have been most satisfactory to see how harmonious it was. The archbishop will have had the opportunity of making many interesting acquaintances."
- Dewi Morgan in The Bishops Come to Lambeth, 1958.
At the Lambeth Conference in 1998, by a vote of 526-70 bishops of the Anglican Communion rejected "homosexual practice." Although they resolved to "listen to the experience of homosexuals," the section charged with dealing with the issue, disinvited lesbigay Anglican witnesses and heard instead from those who claimed to have been delivered from homosexuality, many of them not Anglicans. Several bishops compared life-long committed lesbigay unions to bestiality.
The tenor of some of our discussions can only be described as 'frenzied'. The tone in which they were expressed was devoid of the love of God. We have had tyrants using the Bible as armour, and words spoken from this very spot that were aimed to wound and to win score debating points..... Let not the intolerance of a variety of contexts inexorably lead us to intolerance, which, if unchecked, will find us with a band of vigilantes and fundamentalists. One bishop physically assaulted an ordained lesbigay leader.' (Hear the recording of Bishop Emanuel Chukwama attempting to exorcise 'the demon' from English deacon Richard Kirker.) "The debate was marked at times by outright condemnations of homosexual persons, sometimes phrased in viciously prejudicial language" (Archbishop Michael Peers, Primate of Canada, in dissassociating himself from the actions of Lambeth). One of the conservative reporters at the conference suggested that the Rt. Rev. John S. Spong, ought to be blown up in a landmine with Africans sent as missionaries to his diocese. One may say, "What has this to do with me? That happened in England with bishops from far off. I have a nice welcoming congregation down the street." While we respect congregationalists, Episcopalians are not congregationalists. Episcopal derives from a Greek word for "overseer." The same Greek word is used for Bishop. We are a Church overseen by bishops, part of the Anglican Communion of churches overseen by bishops. Many, many bishops of the Episcopal Church voted with the majority, and our own Presiding Bishop stood in silence and abstained at the vote. Previously he has supported ordaining lesbigays and blessing our relationships. Moments before the vote, The Archbishop of Canterbury rallied the bishops by noting the he "wholeheartedly" supported the resolution. "I see no room in Holy Scripture or the entire Christian tradition for any sexual activity outside matrimony"; and he does not recognize lesbigay unions as either holy or matrimony. Except for a brief photo opportunity during the Conference, he has steadfastly refused to meet with lesbigay leaders, and has on occasion stood in our presence while we were abused and excoriated. If you need a church for solace only, don't go near an Episcopal church, lest you put yourself in spiritual danger. Pray for us fervently. But if you have already experienced God's immeasureable love and welcome, come and be a pilgrim among us. Join our church and in so doing, join the Anglican Communion. Let God use your face among us, sharing the much better news.
Come, labor on. God has not finished with any of us yet. Love well those who today seem to be our enemies, to make it much easier tomorrow when they become our friends. God loves them exactly as much as God loves us: O the joy they will experience when they hear the good news for themselves in that. Grace is amazing still. God loves absolutely everybody! I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate lesbigays from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Can Lambeth? Never! Have the courage to be joyous.
|
Homosexuality is not a decision; heterosexism is.
Caveat: While I link to the official
accounts which give an overview,
I restrict my web coverage primarily to issues of sexuality. Regarding
those, I try to cover all points of view. If I tried to cover the
whole conference at this site, I would bury myself in so many secretarial chores
that I would not have time to follow the many other issues myself.
I invite you to share the addresses of any links you spot that should be
here: lcrew@newark.rutgers.edu
-
Note: Links to commercial newspapers often expire in 24 hours. As I
catch those, I remove them. I apologize if you catch them before I
do.
- REVOLUTION BY STAGES, Asiaweek Magazine reports that things are gradually getting better for Asia's homosexuals.
- Jabook 2.1, on Sex and Culture (esp Asian) Special Issue on Postcolonial Masculinities
- Kim Byham's reports.
Kim Byham is a past president of Integrity and was long-time director of
Integrity's communications. He is senior warden at the Church of the Good
Shepherd in Fort Lee and is a deputy to General Convention.
- A Little Distance -- A Very Little Distance 8/6
- A Sad Diary 8/5
- America, America. Kim's reflection posted on 8/4.
- Kim Byham Tells How Racism Made the Headlines of the [London] Times
- Kim Byham's Notes on The Trip to Buckingham Palace
- Kim Byham's Report on 'Ex-gay' Presentations
Text of the Lambeth Conference Resolution on Sexuality. ACNS. 8/5
- All Resolutions Passed at Every Lambeth Conference
-
How USA Bishops Voted on the Sexuality Resolution at Lambeth.
This is a copy of my letter to ECUSA bishops on 8/12/98, together with tallies of votes now known. If you see any newspaper reports of how a particular bishop voted, please send an electronic copy to lcrew@newark.rutgers.edu or hard copy to L.C., Box 30, Newark, NJ 07101. Thank you.
- Presiding Bishop's Letter to the NY Times, posted here on 8/27, sent 8/17
- Presiding Bishop's Letter to the Wall Street Journal, posted here on
8/27, sent 8/17
Most items from here down are in reverse chronology. - Diocese of California's response to the Lambeth Resolution. 10/99
- Synods of Thieves? Lambeth and the Latrocinium by Dr. Dan Beck. 3/16/99
- Lambeth Resolution passed by the Diocese of Massachusetts. 11/7
- Symposium: Homosexuality and the Church, by Kenneth Lau Contributed to Yawning Bread. Singapore. 10/25
- The Presiding Bishop's Statement Regarding the Death of Matthew Shepard. 10/23
- Symposium in Singapore on Homosexuality and the Church. 10/22
- Editor of the ANGLICAN JOURNAL speaks to issue of Fairness at Lambeth. 10/22
- Paul Barnett, Bishop of North Sydney on Lambeth. 10/22
- Bishop Jeff Terry on Lambeth. 10/20
- Dean Chane's Sermon on Matthew Wayne Shepard. 10/19
- Diocese of California Post-Lambeth Initiative . 10/19
- Reflections on the occasion of the beating murder of a gay man, Matthew Shepherd, by The Rev. Dr. Eleanor McLaughlin. 10/17
- Bishop Charleston on Matthew Shepard's Death
- The Obscenity of the Lambeth Resolution
,
by the Rev. Bill Bacon, who administered last rites to Matthew
Shepard. 10/17
- Resolution on Lambeth passed by Christ Church, Ridgewood, NJ 10/14
- Bishop Swing's response to Lambeth. 10/13
- Lambeth: A Kaleidoscopic Banquet , by the Rt. Rev. Edward Lee, Bishop of Western Michigan. 10/12
- An Invitation to Reflect, Listen, Pray, and Discuss Sexuality Issues by Rt. Rev. Mary Adelia McLeod, Bishop of Vermont. 10/12
- Sermon of John A. McKinney, Jr. on The Lambeth Conference, 10/11
- Very Rev. Alan Jones responds to Lambeth. 10/6.
- ENS: Bishops interpret meaning of Lambeth Conference for their dioceses, By James Solheim. 9/30
- May God Grant Us the Grace to Not Deify Our Own Opinions, by the Rt. Rev. Larry Maze, Bishop of Arkansas. 9/29
- ABC & Lambeth in the boonies. Reaction in the Philippines. 9/28
- The Theology of 'Gotcha!': Holy Trinity, Marlborough, MA Responds to Lambeth. 9/27
- Update on the Demonstrations in Singapore regarding Lambeth 9/25
- A RESPECTED church
historian has withdrawn his acceptance of an invitation to deliver
a lecture under the chairmanship of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
His grounds are Dr
Carey's "homophobic" stance on sexuality. The Church
Times. 9/25
- See a more comprehensive report and links to all major documents, collected by Anglicans Online.
- Take Scripture Seriously, Not Literally, By The Rev. Terence C. Roper, Church of the Transfiguration, Dallas. 9/24
- Bishop Michael Ingham, New Westminster, Canada, on sexual issues at Lambeth. 9/22
- What Happened at Lambeth, by the Rt. Rev. Frank Allan, Bishop of Atlanta. 9/21
- Lambeth Reflections. Chilling comparisons between the Anglican experience and the Southern Baptist experience of fundamentalism. By The Rev. Jan Nunley Rector, St. Peter and St.Andrew, Providence, RI. 9/16
- Archbishop Carey's Letter to Louie Crew, 10 Sept. 98 , 9/15
- Dean Chane's series on Lambeth. This is the first of four, at the site of Saint Paul's Cathedral in San Diego. 9/14
- Bishop Frank Allan, Atlanta, on the Sexuality Resolution, 9/14
- Tobias Haller's First Lambeth Sermon, 9/13
- Scriptures and the Church's gay issue by the Right Reverend David Jenkins in The [London] Times, 9/12 (published there on 9/8)
- Hate Mail Inspired by the Anglican Communion, 9/12
- Editor Mourns About Lambeth, Christ Church Cathedral, Houston. 9/12
- Reflections on the Four Agenda Items at
Lambeth, by The Rev. Tom Scott, Rector of St. Mark's, Evanston, IL.
9/10
- Woeful Ignorance and Sometimes Willful Distortion of What Actually Happened, Bishop Jeffery Rowthorn replies to Father Scott. 9/13
- Peace Pilgrimage Tales By Verna M. Fausey, EPF. 9/10
- The
Archbishop of Canterbury's 'pastoral letter to the clergy and people of the
Anglican Communion', intended to be read in all churches on 9/28. Link
added here on 9/9
- Projections of Our Anxieties Onto Mother/Father Figures, By Fr David Monteith, Curate, St. Martin in the Fields, London. 9/8
- Bishop Peter Lee to the Clergy of the Diocese of Virginia. Written on 8/25. Posted here on 9/6
- Fresh-Baked Colorado Stone Bread, Bishop
Winterrowd's Pastoral Statement to Lesbians and Gays. 9/6
- Bishop Winterrowd washes his hands of it, by Jeff Harris, Jeff describes himself as 'an outraged graduate' of the church, a member of what Bp. Spong calls 'The Church Alumni Association.' 9/7
- Where Jesus Is in all This? by The Rev. Gale Davis Morris, rector of Church of the Good Shepherd in Acton, MA. 9/5
- Comments on Lambeth by Bishop Tom Shaw and Bishop Barbara Harris (Massachusetts), 9/5
- Have I misplaced my trust? A parishioner's anguished letter to her bishop. 9/5
- Desperate Ethics, Article on the website of The Order of Julian of Norwich, 9/5
- Back to Work Reflections on the aftermath of Lambeth 98, and why there can be no rest, By Mark Harris. 9/5
- "Lambeth was marvelous", The Church Times covers Carey's letter about Lambeth and the Integrity witness at Christ Church in Greenwich.
- Bishop Borsch's Letter to Gay and Lesbian Christians in LA, 9/4
- Bishop Gloster on the Voting at Lambeth 9/3
- Bishop Martin Townsend (Easton) on Lambeth 9/3
- Letter from Bishop Duncan, Pittsburgh 9/3
- Hong Kong Christian Institute on Lambeth, 9/2
- Canadian Responses in the Anglican Journal, 9/2
-
Part 1. David Harris's analysis
See also: Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19
- Reflections on Lambeth by the Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in San Diego, 9/2
- Pastoral Letter from the Bishop and the Bishop Coadjutor of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, 9/2
- Bishop Borsch on Lambelth, 9/2
- Special Report on the Lambeth Conference in Whosoever, a lesbigay Christian publication. 9/1
- Elizabeth Kaeton's Reflections on Lambeth, 9/1
- Christianity Caught in a Timewarp, by John S. Spong, 9/1
- The Lambeth Conference: Not Easy to Comprehend, by Kim Byham, 9/1
- Watching Sausages Being Made: How the British Press Operates, by Kim Byham, 9/1
- Demonstrating at the Cathedral Church of Singapore (Anglican), 8/31
- Sunday's Gospel Reading: The Archbishop Preaches in USA after Lambeth. A reflection by Louie Crew, 8/31
- Pastoral letter to the Diocese of Chicago , 8/31
- The Pride of Assuming that We Understand , by Sally B. Sedgwick, Church of Our Saviour, Cincinnati, 8/31
- Why was God repeating Godself?, by The
Rev. Dr. Jennifer Phillips, Trinity Episcopal Church,
St. Louis, Missouri, 8/31
-
Martin Smith SSJE on Lambeth, 8/29
- Fear of the Unknown, by Robert McCloskey, Coordinator of the Market Place, Lambeth Conference 1998. 8/29
- Forty-eight years Tending Christ's Flock in Penn Wynne, 1950-1998, by The Rev. Stephen B. Snider. 8/29
- Logistics: Archbishop Carey's August 30th visit to Greenwich, CT. 8/29
- Bishop Spong Challenges Bishop Rowan Williams to a debate, Church Times, 8/28.
-
Sermon by Most Rev. Khotso Makhulu during
Lambeth 98, preached on 8/7, uploaded here on 8/28
Au revoir,
3-legged stool
What we've got now
is "Majority rule!"
Just like we shouted
in primary school.
--John Leech - Bishop of Maine's messages from Lambeth, 8/28
- Three Lambeth Sermons by by The Rev. Jan Nunley, St. Peter and St.
Andrew, Providence, RI
- Words for Encouraging People Who Have Suffered Crushing Defeat and Disappointment, preached on August 16, 1998
- Beanball Christianity, preached on August 23, 1998
- Walking Into a Meal Like That, preached on August 30th.
- The Rev. Jane Dunning on Lambeth
- Gay and Lesbian Episcopalians to Honor Archbishop's Presence in Greenwich CT, 8/26 . See the update on 8/28. Click here for a map to Christ Church. See also Lutibelle's Advice to Pilgrims, 8/28
- Protest planned for Sunday, August 30th at St. Andrew's Cathedral in Singapore, 8/28
- From the Middle, by The Rev. Robert Warren Cromey. 8/28
- He That Hath Ears: Archbishop Carey's Form Letter Response to Critics Re. Lambeth. 8/27 and a response by The Rev. Jan Nunley, 8/28
- On Listening, by the Rev. Arthur G. Pedersen, 8/27
- from Rt.Rev. Michael Creighton's remarks on Lambeth, 8/27
- SERMON FOR PENTECOST XI, by The Rev. Michael Povey, 8/26
- A letter to a his Bishop from a Parish Priest, 8/25
- John Chase to Archbishop Carey, Presiding Bishop Griswold, and Bishop John S. Spong, posted 8/21.
- The Archbishop's Visit to Christ Church, Greenwich, CT, 8/30/93, post on 8/21 by Phil Nicholson, Vice-President of Integrity for the Northeast. See also the update on 8/26 and the update on 8/28.
- On the Remembrance of Jonathan Myrick Daniels, Martyr, a Sermon by The Rev. Barbara Clarke one week after Lambeth and posted here on 8/20
- Lambeth: A Modest Proposal. Ted Mellor finds a Calvinistic way to preserve traditions even as we modify them. Posted 8/20
- Just what part of the Anglican tradition? A reflection on Lambeth by Louie Crew. 8/20
- 40 Hours of Videotapes of Lambeth Conference Available, from Christ Church in Red Hook, NY. Posted 8/20
- A Message in the wake of the recent Lambeth Conference from The Rt. Rev. Catherine Roskam to The Clergy in Region II (and a few beyond) whom I know to be gay or lesbian. Posted here on 8/19.
- Actions of the Conservative Bishops at Lambeth by John S. Morgan. 8/19
- Bishop Shelves Labour Career to Fight for Gays, Times, 8/19
- Rodgers Wood's Sermon Post Lambeth, 8/17
- Message from the Pastor page The Joseph R Parrish Jr. August 16th reflections on Lambeth. Posted 8/17
- A Matter of Faith, a sermon By The Reverend Canon Sue Singer
- Rector comes out in gay protest vote. London Times, 8/15
- Lighten our darkness, Lambeth? Father Tobias Haller shares resolutions passed at Lambeth 1908. Posted 8/14.
-
The Presiding Bishop's Letter on the Lambeth Conference's Sexuality Resolution, 8/14
- My Thoughts on Lambeth, by The Rev. Tobias StanislasHaller, BSG, 8/13
- Ruth Gledhill reports on a reassurance for opponents of women priests, the London Times, 8/12
- Bishop Winterowd of Colorado says that his vote against lesbigays was purely pragramatic. 8/12
- Letter from Lambeth, by Rt. Rev. Jack Iker, Bishop of Ft. Worth. Be sure to compare Bishop Iker's fascination with power here to his earlier account when he met George Cantaur in a hot tub
- Sermon Preached First Sunday After Lambeth. By The Rev. Tom Scott, St. Mark's, Evanson, IL. Posted 8/11.
- A Pilgrim's Search for the Gospel of Love. In an open letter to Anglican bishops, Alfred L. King, Jr. tells why he is leaving the Anglican Communion. 8/11
- What part of the phrase "full inclusion" don't we understand? . A Reflection by the Rev. Mark Harris 8/11
- A Sermon by the Rev. Canon Douglas E. Williams in Trinity Cathedral, San Jose, on Sunday, August 9, 1998
- Preaching the First Sunday After Lambeth 1998. By the Rev. Stephen B. Snider. 8/10.
- Reflection by a cyberguest
- Lambeth Conference Sexuality Resolution Has No Credibility. A Reflection by The Rev. Michael Hopkins, President-Elect of Integrity. 8/9
- Bishops plot against 'pathetic' Carey in gay vote backlash. The [London] Times, 8/9
- Rightwing Alliance Seen Behind Gay Defeat. Madeleine Bunting in The Guardian, 8/6
- Committing Evangelical Suicide. A Reflection by Dr. Daniel Beck. 8/8
- Dignity and the Lambeth Conference. A reflection by Paul Halsall. 8/8.
- Statement from Bp. Jelinek on Lambeth. 8/8. Bishop Jelinek is Bishop of Minnesota.
- Speaking the Truth in Love: Louie Crew to ECUSA Bishops Online, 8/8
- How Fear of Islam Forced the Church to Attack Gays. Andrew Brown in The Daily Express, 8/7
- Hardline on gay sex 'strengthens ecumenical bond'. By Madeleine Bunting in The Guardian , 8/8
- Straight and Narrow. Homosexuals should seek a church which offers more generous love, according to Simon Jenkins in The [London] Times, 8/8
- All 11 women bishops at Lambeth were foreign. Ruth Gledhill in The [London [London] Times, 8/8
- Pain, hope, shame and joy: life amongst the bishops, by Michael Peers, Primate of Canada
- Greetings from Bishop Edmond Browning and Dr. Pam Chinnis
- Liberals reject anti-gay vote, by Victoria Combe in The [London] Times, 8/7
- Head of Church in Scotland Accuses Carey of failing to give adequate leadership. by Ruth Gledhill in The [London] Times, 8/7
- Scriptures and the Church's Gay Issue. By the Rt. Rev.
David Jenkins in The [London] Times, 8/7
- A Pastoral Statement to Lesbian and Gay
Anglicans
from Some Member Bishops of the Lambeth Conference
- Integrity's Statement on the Sexuality Resolutions of the Lambeth Conference. 8/6
- A Personal Statement from the Rt. Rev. John Shelby Spong. 8/5
- Intervention by the Archbishop of Canterbury in motion 1.10. 8/5
- A letter to all of the gay and
lesbian Christians
of El Camino Real
. Rt. Rev. Richard Shimpfky. 8/5
The diocesan bishops who have signed the pastoral oversee 938,007 (59.95%); those who have not signed over see 626,553 (40.05%), excluding Chicago, with 28,093, which is momentarily without a diocesan bishop. - Independent Television News coverage of the vote against lesbigay Christians.
- BBC's account of the 526-70 votes against lesbigay Christians. 8/5.
- Unholy and Unreal. By Madeleine Bunting in The Guardian, 8/5
- Bishops draw battle lines in homosexuality debate . Ruth Glenhill in The Times [London], 8/5
- Why is it that most African and Asian Bishops have the biblical understanding of Southern Baptists, Pat Robertson et al. . A response by The Rev. Harry Coverston. 8/5
- Scapegoats, For Christ's Sake!. Lutibelle/Louie's Reflection on the African and Asian Bishops at Lambeth. 8/5.
Two major reports on Asia and Africa appear at the beginning, followed by Kim Byham's reports, followed by links to the major actions taken. Thereafter, more recent items appear first.
