Archbishop Ndungane's Speech

I am struggling to write a post on Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane's speech to the Bishop's Forum in Capetown, South Africa, on May 15, 2007, which is one of the best I have seen. It is both eloquent and clear. Upon reading the speech, one is not left wondering, "Now what did he mean by that statement?" Archbishop Ndungane speaks plainly.

In addition to being an excellent example of pastoral leadership, it provides a capsule history of Anglicanism.

I'm trying to work out how to highlight the best of the speech, but it's difficult because the whole of the speech is so good. I encourage you to read it in its entirety. I printed it from the link at the top of my post, because I don't like to read long pieces online.

What I'll do is give you quotes of some of his words, without much in the way of context, in hopes that this will entice you to read the whole speech.

Communion and the Anglican Communion

The word Anglicanism first emerged in the 1830s, and the phrase 'Anglican Communion' was first used in 1851, and by 1860 was recognised as referring to our fellowship of legally independent Churches, worshipping in the tradition of the Anglican Prayer Book, with a ministry of bishops, priests and deacons, and in communion with the See of Canterbury.

In this sense, the 'Anglican Communion' was never established, as was the case of, for example, the Lutheran World Federation. It just emerged, out of the various historic developments that acknowledge some historic link to the See of Canterbury. Provinces themselves also evolved in an ad hoc manner, with no consistency even between founding documents (for example, some refer to the 39 Articles, though we do not, references to the Church of England vary considerably).

The Birth of the Lambeth Conference:

So the meeting went ahead, not as a Synod, or a Council, but as a Conference. Bishops were not 'summoned to decide', but 'invited to confer'. It was also made entirely clear that none of the resolutions would have any binding force.

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As you know, that process is still with us. It is a salutary lesson that division may provide an immediate solution to seemingly implacable differences, but in the long term is no solution whatsoever to our call to communion within the Body of Christ.

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But we should take heart, because Communion is God's gift - and it is from our Communion with him that all else springs. Our Church has life, not because of who we are, but because of who God is, and his gift of His Spirit, which sustains us, and leads us into all truth.

The Instruments of Unity

These include the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lambeth Conference, the Primates Meetings, and the Anglican Consultative Council. Of the ACC, he says:

One touchstone of Anglicanism has been the involvement of laity in the governing of the Church. We are not ruled from above by a Pope and a Curia of Bishops. Rather, we believe that God's Spirit is at work in all God's people to build up the whole Body of Christ. Paul tells the Corinthian church 'to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good' (1 Cor12:7), For this reason, we describe ourselves as 'both episcopally led and synodically governed'. In our synods, all God's people are represented - Bishops, clergy and laity.

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It alone of the Instruments of Unity has a formal constitution, which includes among its objectives 'to advise on inter-Anglican, provincial and diocesan relationships...'

So both by reason of its constitution, and by reason of the theological and ecclesial understandings of what it means to be church which underpin the constitution, my conviction is that this is the Instrument of Unity which should primarily be the place for handling the current difficulties and the inter-Anglican, provincial and relationships that are affected by them.

The Primates Meeting

Yet it seems that centre stage s increasingly being given to the Primates - and I very much regret this.

The Windsor Process

Whatever the merits of the various positions on human sexuality, my greatest sadness is that we have allowed ourselves, within the Primates' meeting in particular, to lose sight of what it means to live in Communion.

The Draft Covenant

I will be honest and say that beyond my continuing question of whether a Covenant is really the best way ahead, my serious concern with the current draft is that the ACC is being sidelined, and far too much power is being given to the Primates' Meeting.

I fear we are in danger of setting up something akin to the Roman Curia - and I am especially worried that the Primates, gifted and blessed and called as they are in so many ways, are nonetheless so unrepresentative of the totality of the Body of Christ. Even the representative breadth of the Lambeth Conference is questionable.

My theology continues to tell me that it is in and through our widest councils that we will most fully discern both what we should do, and how we should go about it.

Conclusion

So whether it was the preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles, or the precise understanding of the Eucharist, or the various models of salvation, or slavery, or usury, or contraception, or women's ordination - or even questions over vestments, and whether, and how high, to raise up the bread and wine with the words of consecration - well, God is bigger! And the unity that he grants us is a gift of grace that can overcome all manner of human disagreement.

In March, we hosted the International Anglican Communion's TEAM conference - Towards Effective Anglican Mission. I continue to hear stories about how the experience of participants was that our common life of mission and ministry in Christ bridges our disagreements. It was also evident that human sexuality is not the prime concern for most Christians in their life of faith.

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I suspect that future generations will see this as something of a storm in a teacup, and certainly not as central to the Christian life.

For the centre of Christian life is Jesus Christ. As I said at the TEAM conference, God's eternal Word did not come as a philosophical concept, nor as a political programme. Nor was the Word made text. But the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.

It is not where we stand on this or that particular issue which is definitive for our salvation - nor even our understanding of this or that passage of Scripture. What matters is our relationship with Jesus Christ, who gave his life for us on the cross, and who was raised to new life, so that we too might find new life in him.

Alleluia! Christ is Risen!