wfn.org | The Ashe Lecture for 1997 (continued)

[Audrey Whitefield <a.whitefield@quest.org.uk>]

Oct. 21, 1997
ANGLICAN COMMUNION NEWS SERVICE
Canon Jim Rosenthal, Director of Communications
Anglican Communion Office
London, England

[97.10.3.7]

THE ASHE LECTURE FOR 1997 (cont'd)

I am glad that it is now so common for the churches to arrange for
spiritual gatherings, celebrations and prayer outside, as well as
within, church buildings. The flourishing condition of many retreat
houses, home groups, and church plants is suggestive. I think too of the
work of Taiz and the L'Arche Communities with their profound impact on
the lives of thousands of young people. Some parishes too are using
their church buildings to develop youth congregations, whilst elsewhere
many are making creative use of special services touching people at
points of joy, or sorrow, or concern - be they in the renewal of
marriage vows, the anniversaries of a bereavement, or in response to a
passion to care for our environment. We must continue to multiply the
opportunities we give for spiritual searching, discussion and ritual
beyond the more traditional setting of our regular church services.

But of course, what goes on in our regular services also needs careful
consideration. I treasure the liturgy of the Book of Common Prayer as a
bond between Anglicans across the world, but our liturgical framework
can also leave space for much spontaneity and variation; we have a lot
to learn in this respect from Anglican Provinces in the Third World,
where services are so often full of exuberance and joy.

As our General Synod, led by the Liturgical Commission, prepares to
offer our Church a new Alternative Prayer Book for the new Millennium, I
also want to urge the importance of simplicity, beauty - and brevity.
Many people estranged from organised religion do not take kindly to the
prolonged wordiness of many Anglican services. `A sermon that is
immortal doesn't need to be everlasting' was the plea to one preacher.
That equally applies to services as well.

If mission has consequences for worship then, equally, so it has for the
organisation of the Church. In recent years we have been working for the
reform of the central structures of the Church of England. In spite of
what some commentators say, this is not another form of bureaucratic
fiddling; it is to address with urgency a chronic structural incoherence
at the heart of the Church. What other organisation would have a
complete separation between finance and vision? What other organisation
would have four distinct bodies all working in the area of policy? And
yet, the Church of England currently does with the House of Bishops, the
General Synod, the Church Commissioners, and the Central Board of
Finance.  We can do better and the proposals which will be discussed by
this November's Synod will consider plans for an Archbishops' Council
which will bring together policy and finance and, together with the
Synod and the House of Bishops, will help us to focus more clearly our
Church's strategy and mission.

Organisation, of course, is important but only to the degree that it
assists the Church in its primary calling of bringing the grace and
truth of God to our generation. The two primary tasks of the Church are
worship and witness.  It ever lives both to extol the majesty and
greatness of God and to proclaim his love both in word and action. Let
me say four things about the latter and about the links between mission
and evangelism.

First, we must develop new ways of speaking about the Christian faith
both in the words we use, and the ways we say them. We must learn to
avoid the technical language of theology and the preciousness of
`God-speak'. Sometimes this is called a `new apologetic', but I am not
talking merely about finding ways in which to address the real questions
that thinking people see as obstacles to faith - science, the problem of
evil and the apparent irrelevance of an institutional faith. All those
are important of course, but I am speaking more broadly of finding ways
of conversing that will allow the Church to tell its story. I believe
that is beginning to happen. Let me offer two examples. A lady known to
me as Pat is currently doing an Open University Course on the
Humanities. She spoke of a recent unit in which her Summer School were
discussing `life and death' issues. To her surprise she found in the
candour and vigour of their discussion the majority `agnostic' position
had no answer to give to issues of life and death. Her voice sounded
fresh and hopeful in the void of unbelief. The intellectual context gave
her permission to tell her story.

I think also of a group of sixth formers who, as part of their studies,
invited a group of local churchgoers along to their school for a
discussion about the relevance of the Christian faith in this day and
age. Later the sixth formers expressed their amazement at the
intellectual honesty of ordinary Christians who from their life
experience had beliefs and hopes and were able to give reasons for their
faith. The encounter was an impressive illustration of Christian witness
but was completely uncontrived and free of jargon and obstructive
language.

We need to remember that language is tricky stuff and that human beings
use language in different ways at different times. We need to be wary
too of talking to each other within our churches in a sort of
ecclesiastical code and to be mindful of the effect that has on
newcomers or others who are unfamiliar with it. We also need to remember
that at times other registers of language have a special capacity to
convey meaning. I think, for instance, of the great cadences of the Book
of Common Prayer or the tradition of religious poetry that have a power
all their own. I would urge us all to remember that modern or simple
ways of talking about our faith need not be banal or ugly; they too can
and should be beautiful. Let us bring to our aid novelists, poets,
musicians and artists who from their explorations touch the world of the
spirit and move tangentially in the arena of spirituality. It was of
this exploration that the late Bishop John Tinsley, quoting the poet
Emily Dickinson, urged the Church to `tell it slant'; in other words,
there are ways of expressing the Christian message, elliptically and
cautiously, that may resonate better and more deeply than bald
statements and may draw people on to explore questions of faith. We
have wonderful opportunities to convey the faith - in words, but also in
music and the visual arts - all of which need to be put creatively to
the service of the gospel.

Secondly, we must continue to do all we can to translate the Christian
message into social action. In addressing fellow Anglicans gathered in
Kanuga, at a conference called to assess where we had reached as a
Communion half way through the Decade of Evangelism, I reminded them
that "Mission which does not have evangelism as a focus is not Christian
mission; and evangelism which keeps itself aloof from matters of justice
and human welfare does not reflect adequately the Biblical revelation."

In our efforts to be His apostles and disciples, we can be proud of the
great charities and mission agencies which have close connections with
our Church. We can be proud of organisations like the Children's
Society, the Church Army and the Mother's Union who are responsible for
such important work amongst those in the most deprived sections of our
society.  Likewise overseas mission agencies such as CMS, USPG, and SAMS
have a fine tradition of providing hospital care, education, and
agricultural assistance, often for the poorest of the poor.  But
alongside the work of these bodies there are countless projects which
are part of the mainstream life of parish churches up and down the
country, not to mention the specialist ministries to prisons, hospitals,
the armed forces, schools and industry. While not minimising the current
work going on, let me urge all our churches to see social action and
outreach as a natural extension of mission. It is these that give the
Church its authenticity in many people's eyes. One of the great binding
convictions among the multitudes mourning the Princess of Wales was
their admiration for her compassion and commitment to people in
need, especially the marginalised, the lonely and the stigmatised.
Likewise compassion and commitment lie close to the heart of the
Christian faith.

Of course, I must warn against the subtle temptation of busyness because
it is self evident that no church can possibly respond to every need we
see in our communities. We have neither the people nor the financial
resources to do so. But I am sure we can do more, often in partnership
with others. What about those facing the challenge of bringing up
children, whether as single parents or as a couple? What about young
people? What about the needs of the elderly? What are we doing for the
unemployed? And for those in employment as they seek to balance the many
demands on their lives? What about ex-offenders as they leave prison?
And those seeking to avoid slipping into a life of crime as they
struggle to make ends meet? A caring Church is an observant church,
listening and reacting to need; but also being pro-active in seeing what
might enrich the community in which it is situated. Christian action is
right and good in itself; it is also a route through which those who
value deeds more highly than religious words can open their lives and
hearts to God's service and come to love Him.

Thirdly, we must continue to take evangelism more thoroughly into our
systems. This, by the Grace of God, I believe we are beginning to do.
The Decade of Evangelism has been embraced both by central Church bodies
and byall our dioceses with great seriousness. I think of the work being
done by theologians and teachers such as Philip King, at the Board of
Mission; John Finney in his research on how people become Christians;
and Robert Warren with his exploration of missionary congregations; the
outreach work by the Springboard team led by Martin Cavender; and the
visionary work of Bob and Mary Hopkins, and George Lings, of the
Anglican Church Planting initiative. Or again I think of the Alpha,
Credo and Emmaus Courses and the great variety of enquirers groups
springing up all over the country now involving tens of thousands of
people annually. All these and much more besides are giving a confidence
in evangelism which has been lacking for many generations. Skills and
good practice are being developed more systematically as attitudes
change.

Of course, more can and must be done by us all. We must use our
imaginations more in showing that the Christian faith makes all the
difference. We must use them too in finding ways of integrating these
people into the worshipping life and structures of the Church so that
they feel they belong and have a contribution to make. To take one
example, let us be ready to learn from the rapid growth of
Pentecostalism in South America and South East Asia. Or again are there
insights from the growing evangelical / charismatic tradition in this
country that we should heed? For instance, how may we include
contemporary forms of music alongside the traditional so that people are
drawn to a deeper knowledge of God? My recent visit to Christchurch in
New Zealand took me to the cathedral there. I was told that every month
it has a jazz evensong in which a good jazz band leads the worship. It
is fully an act of worship with a liturgy, readings and a lively address
- but in the context of jazz music. It may not surprise you that it is
by far their most popular service. It might surprise you, however, to
discover that many of the regulars at that service are now fully
integrated into the life of its congregation as practising Christians.

And that is only one illustration among many. But we must learn not to
equate the proclamation of the Good News with what happens in church.
The conversations we have with our families and friends, being the
people we are in all we do in our daily lives, are part of being
evangelists for Christ. We have to be prepared to get out there and be
with people, for people, on their territory as well as ours. One of the
congregations in my diocese has opened a Church in a disused pub and has
created an ambience of worship which is very attractive to young people.
Let me stress again that I am not advocating the wholesale rejection of
the traditional and well-loved from the past, but I do plead for a
vigorous diversification as we try to make the glories of the faith
accessible to people where they are, now, and not where we might prefer
them to be.

Fourthly, and following on from that, we must learn to be a more
generous Church. We are not here for ourselves but for the world. Of
course, people will sometimes let us down and abuse the trust we put in
them; but that is no excuse for erecting barriers which will simply
confirm the suspicion that many people have about the Church that we are
not there for them. William Golding, in one of his books, describes a
Religious Education lesson in which the teacher seeks to instil the Good
News into one of her more reluctant pupils by slapping him three times
around the head while, as the same time, shouting `God is love'. We can
sometimes slip into less extreme versions of self-righteous, coercive or
exclusive behaviour. Let us remember that our God is a Servant King, and
that we are here to serve. The Church of England in particular is here
to serve all parishioners, the whole country. We are a Church for
England as well as a Church of England. If modern people are out of tune
with the life of the Church our task is to make connections with the
inchoate hopes and feelings they bring at moments of celebration or
sadness. It is said of the Servant in Isaiah 42 that `a bruised reed he
will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out'. If that
is an accurate description of our Lord it is surely the `mission
statement' of the Church. The Early Church took note that `kindness'
(Chrestos) was but a hairs-breadth from `Christos' (Christ).

If we wish to continue to be a national Church which serves the whole
nation, not just the regular church-going flock, we must continue to
maintain our parochial system and this I am fiercely committed to doing.
What is more, we can do it - but only if we develop flexible modes of
ministry. Stipendiary clergy will continue to be important for
leadership and we must encourage younger people to respond to the
challenge of entering the ordained ministry. The latter will of course
never attract people for financial reward or crude career opportunities.
But have you noticed that whenever the surveys on job satisfaction are
produced this ministry comes out consistently high? No more rewarding
job can be found than that of serving God in the full time ordained
ministry. But alongside that form of service we need non-stipendiary and
local non- stipendiary deacons and priests. I thank God for the many men
and women who have already responded, and are now responding to that
call. And they, in turn, come from the great body of lay men and women
who are the backbone - indeed, the life blood of the Church. How very
tardy we have been in the past to recognise the ministry of the laity!
But we are beginning to get there now. I am not thinking primarily about
our churchwardens, choir members, flower arrangers, servers, organists
and licensed readers, vital as they are to our own worshipping
communities. I am thinking of the talents, experience and resources of
all the people of God as they contribute to building up the life of the
Church and to living out the Gospel in their daily lives.

The Confidence of the Church in an Age of Change; the Mission of the
Church in an Age of Challenge; and thirdly, and finally, The Unity of
the Church in an Age of Fragmentation.

Let me return to those powerful images of the funeral of Diana, Princess
of Wales: the hundreds gathered for that great service in the Abbey; the
crowd of hundreds of thousands thronging the streets; the hundreds of
millions watching it around the globe on television or listening to it
on the radio. We have much to learn from these images. They challenge
the prevailing view that we live in a world solely characterised by
increasing fragmentation and disunity; these images suggest that all may
not be quite as simple as it seems. We may have to be rather more
careful when it comes to describing the times in which we live.

All of those who shared in that funeral, in whatever way, were bound
together. It was, to my mind, a powerful vision of unity. We were bound
together in so many ways: a common admiration for this young woman, a
common grief and anxiety, a common sense of waste and futility, a common
awareness of our own mortality. And so many diverse people; church
people, members of other faith communities, people of no overt religious
faith together with fellow travellers and searchers; all shared in
something very significant indeed. It was a great expression of common
humanity, rich and diverse, with the centrality of its purpose
transcending, encompassing, and affirming that diversity. (cont'd next
note)