wfn.org | Bishop Frederick Borsch remarks at Section Three plenary

["Lambeth98" <storm@indigo.ie>]

ACNS LC109 - 8 August 1998

Bishop Frederick Borsch remarks at Section Three plenary

Bishop Frederick Borsch
Diocese of Los Angeles
Chair of Section Three

What holds the Anglican Communion together? In the work of
Section Three we found that it is much more than Wippells.
Through our prayer and song, our scriptural study and the sharing
of our stories of faith, and stories of pain and hope, in our
theological reflection together, we sought to discern once more
how, by speaking the truth in love, we may grow up in every way
into the one who is the head, in Christ from whom the whole body,
joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is
equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body's
growth in building itself up in love.

Though we are many, we all share in the same bread of life.

We heard stories of how faithful hearing of scripture in South
Africa gave courage and steadfastness and overcame powers and
false use of scripture upholding apartheid.

We heard stories of churches being burned by fundamentalists of
other religions and yet of an Anglican priest and his family
reaching out to help Christians of another denomination even
while their own church and home were burning.

We heard of a bishop whose daughter was killed in a car bombing.

We heard of a poor diocese in South America taking up collections
for disciples in Rwanda.

We heard many stories of Christians becoming richer by sharing
with one another.

Often we heard of churches in struggling areas giving to others,
of sharing in theological education and clergy training and
putting on generous meals for each other and others.

We groaned at hearing stories of churches too ingrown on
themselves, locked up in maintenance rather than mission.

We laughed as we admitted mistakes we had made, hard lessons
learned in bishoping and repented of shortsightedness and sin.

A bishop from the USA told of going to Ghana and being enchanted
when he saw the people-not sitting solemnly in their pews at the
time of the offering-but dancing forward, singing and bringing
their gifts, breaking the hold of money and anxiety's greed.  And
then telling of going back to the USA and trying that out on his
diocesan congregation.

We stressed the significance of the ministry of all the baptised,
how all are together called and authorised for ministries of
worship, evangelisation, forgiveness, reconciliation, service and
justice. 

We discussed new developments in mutual ministry-in local
ordained ministries, in team ministries of lay and clergy, in
non-stipendiary and stipendiary ministries-and the training and
support for them.

We upheld the development of the diaconate in a number of
dioceses of the Communion.

And we discussed our roles and ministries as bishops-in changing
circumstances, in different cultures.

We looked at each word of our theme Called to be a Faithful
Church in a Plural World.

We reflected on a world-God's world-of such great cultural and
human diversity, remembering that this has been true from the
beginning of our faith-and that much of Christian dynamism-deep
in the New Testament itself-has come from the challenge and
opportunity to offer the Gospel of Jesus-the Good News of the
liberating reign-the life, death and new life of Jesus-to many
peoples and cultures.

These are also our challenge and opportunity today-in a rapidly
changing world-which at other levels is being brought together by
forces good and bad-McWorlding, Disneyfication, McDonaldizing,
homogenised by music, media, entertainment, e-mail, video,
travel, advertising, consumerism, television, individualism
within mass cultures, urbanisation, changing and challenging
cultures in which our young people are growing up and where we
are called to offer them opportunities for prayer, worship,
community, belonging, ministry and service.  We are called by our
very tradition to share the Gospel fully within our many
contemporary cultures-within changing and sometimes hybrid
cultures-where many people are also immigrants and refugees.

In a diocese like Los Angeles where many more than 100 languages
are spoken and 17 million people live, we yet know that the
Christian faith has also been and is critical of many aspects of
culture, from caste systems and racism to prostitution, slavery,
unbridled capitalism, materialism, militarism, male privilege
over women and children, nationalism and over-zealous patriotism,
religious, ethnic and cultural intolerance-indeed, not respecting
the dignity, the value, the basic needs of very human being.
Culture has been and still can be-but ought not to be-an excuse
for not fully following our often counter cultural faith.

We had to look at cultures and a world-East and West, North and
South-where a corrosive relativism-a questioning of any and all
values-faithlessness and even cynicism, deconstruction and
rootlessness-are invasive and sometimes pervasive...in which we
are called to set forth, to proclaim, to share and to enact the
saving Gospel of Jesus Christ-the logos of God-"without whom not
one thing came into being" and who is "the way, the truth, and
the life."

Many of these concerns, hopes, and ideas we have tried to set
before you and our Communion in our Report and in our
resolutions-holding up also support for marriage and family
life-and reflecting on how through better dialogue and sharing-by
condemning persecution and violence from any religion and calling
for basic rights to freedom of worship and faith practice-we can,
with others, better live and serve in one modern world. These and
other matters discussed in our theological reflections and
recommendations were given to us by the regional meetings around
the  . . .  as matters of interest and urgency.

We trust that a number of our calls to ministry and service-which
 are on the agreed list of resolutions-will call forth as well an
echo and a response from you.

As a church in a plural world with diversity in one incarnate
life, we were called in our Section also to look at the work of
the Eames process and Commission-which we commended-while
advocating a continuing openness of process throughout our
Communion. 

Recognising the many ways that the Communion is linked and joined
in koinonia we also commended much of the Virginia Report. Knit
together by the primary role of Scripture and the Spirit-filled
use of reason to interpret it in our challenging ... world, we
understand that we are joined also by creeds, the sacraments of
baptism and Eucharist, by our valuing of the historic episcopate,
by patterns of worship, by hymns, and by prayer and the communion
of the saints, the witness of the heroes and heroines of our
history and the sharing of the stories of our faith. Our
interdependence is deepened through exchanges of friendship
between our dioceses and by service to others in the name of
Christ. 

In this koinonia we value the four instruments of Communion.
Recognising the principle of subsidiarity-that is, that most
issues in church life are dealt with at local and other levels,
the personal and convening role of the Archbishop of Canterbury,
the collegiality of the Primates, the consultants of the Lambeth
Conference and the Anglican Consultative Council all have valued
and significant subsidiary roles in our common life.

We resolved and recommended to you that-in today's world-these
roles could be properly enhanced by stressing the representative
role of the Primates and recognising their ability to meet more
often and to consult more flexibly and also to link them into the
ACC by asking them to be the episcopal members.

But we conclude where we began-in our prayer and worship and
service together-and in affirming that our true communion as a
church, seeking to be faithful in this plural world, is a gift of
the God who is our source and destiny, our Lord Jesus and the
Spirit of all life-one God-to whom we give our thanksgiving and
praise now and on into the age to come.

Though we are many we all share in the same bread of life.

And so we offer to you, then, with thanks to all section members
and consultants, the work of Section Three, our report, now
altered a bit in several places thanks to comments and
suggestions from some of you and without an addendum (also
revised, will now find its way into a con-Conference liturgical
report) and our resolutions.

For further information, contact:

   Lambeth Conference Communications
   Canterbury Business School
   University of Kent at Canterbury
   Telephone: 01227 827348/9
   Fax: 01227 828085
   Mobile: 0374 800212

   http://www.lambethconference.org