InclusiveChurch statement on Lambeth invitations
22 May 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
InclusiveChurch welcomes the news that the Archbishop of Canterbury has issued the first invitations to over 800 bishops in the Anglican Communion to attend the Lambeth Conference 2008. We believe the Anglican Communion will benefit from engagement among this diverse group of bishops. It is regrettable that a small number of bishops are not to be invited, but recognizing the painful fractures within the Communion we understand the need for generous sacrifice on all sides. We hope that in the spirit of such sacrifice the bishops who are not receiving invitations to the conference, including Gene Robinson, the Bishop of New Hampshire, might be welcome as observers.
'We clearly have a mountain to climb, but this is a real sign of the underlying unity of the Anglican Communion' said the Rev'd Giles Goddard, Chair of InclusiveChurch. 'I am pleased that the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada will be able to share our experience of the ministry of lesbian and gay Christians', said the Rev'd Scott Gunn, an American member of InclusiveChurch.
InclusiveChurch is a network of groups and individuals, aiming to celebrate and maintain the traditional breadth and diversity of the Anglican Communion.
http://inclusivechurch.blogspot.com/2007/05/inclusivechurch-statement-on-lambeth.html
Though some commentators consider the AB of C's decision on invitations hypocritical, contradictory, and tantamount to pandering to the Anglican far-right, I found it to be a model of theological clarity. Now I know that I became a visitor or an observer at baptism, not a member of Christ's church forever. No amount of worship and service can change this situation, apparently. The next step will be to revise TEC baptismal rites and construct parallel tracks for visitors/observers and members. Perhaps lgbt Anglicans will receive blessings at the altar inplace of communion, though the blessings could not be offered to same sex couples living together openly. We owe the ABC greatly for making our status clear!
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