Peripatetikos
An 1865 synod of the Anglican Church in Canada, concerned over a troublesome issue which they believed affected the entire Communion, asked for a worldwide Council to define doctrine. That possibility drew such strenuous opposition among Anglicans that it never materialized, but issued, instead, in the so-called Lambeth Conferences which, not having the authority to prescribe, tend rather to suggest.
Exhibiting, then, the inevitable docility of consensus, "Lambeth" has met under the presidency of the Archbishop of Canterbury (aka ABC) every ten years or so since 1867. It often attracts most of the bishops in the Anglican Communion, an association of provincial churches, each autocephalous in its polity. Only a few of these use the word "Anglican" in their official names.
The Conferences frequently talk about achieving unity with other Christians. They have also been concerned over the years with the marriage discipline, rules of churchmanship, peace, family planning (approving, with reservations), faith, the Bible, and, of course, God.
ABC Rowan Williams has said, "The main focus I long to see at this 2008 Conference is the better equipping of bishops to fulfill their task as agents and enablers of mission, as coworkers with God's mission in Jesus Christ."
Lambeth meets at Kent College, Canterbury, England, 16 July -- 3 August, 2008.
Crude Awakening is a documentary about how fast we are guzzling the diminishing supply of fossil fuel. Some say the planet has only twenty years of supply left; others say it's only ten, as more and more are demanding a share. Almost every Chinese person expects to own a car within ten years.
The few remaining big sources of fossil fuel are in some of the most unstable places in the world. The average annual income in Saudi Arabia twenty years ago was about $20,000, but now it is closer to $800 -- except for the oil billionaires, whom the US military protects to assure our access to oil. Saudi Arabia's most ominous export has become Islamic fundamentalism, fueling conflict throughout all oil rich countries. The genocide in the Sudan is a deliberate attempt to lay claim to the oil. Chinese soldiers guard the pipelines, much as the US guards the Saudi billionaires.
Most people are in denial about the risk of society's collapse as the oil runs out. What public voice does the Episcopal Church have in these regards? Or do we risk terminal earwax?
The earth sustained human life for thousands of years with no trouble. Oil was unimportant to our way of life until less than 200 years ago. The oil glut of the last 100 years has completely changed the way we live.
Please watch this film. It's available through Netflix. Other films recommended by Episcopalians can be found at http://tinyurl.com/oac8d.
Will we be able to live more simply again, or will we destroy the planet in competing for the last barrels of crude? Almost all of our other ethical concerns pale if we cannot find a way to live within the means of the good earth that God has provided us. (Ed note: Louie Crew, TEC major domo, got our attention with this.)
[The Covenant Journal, Number 28, May 2008]