"Anything other than [biblical truth] is opinion. And when we enter the realm of opinion, we give a subjective element to it rather than an objective element to it. In other words, is truth objective or is it subjective?" The Rt. Rev. Keith Ackerman, Diocese of Quincy, Illinois USA.
But "objectivity" is unknowable outside our subjectivity. What we call "objective truth" is in fact conventional truth arising from the collective testimony of our subjective experience and knowledge. Framing it as an either/or question is misguided.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
And Now...
My work here is done. On Sunday I will start my journey back: to London for a couple of days and then on to Toronto. Overall, it has been a worthwhile experience: mostly enjoyable, interesting at times, bumpy on the edges but in every way productive. It has been a great opportunity to network and reconnect with bishops I would not have been able to see otherwise. Granted, it was difficult to find them and - even when you did - to hold their attention. By now, most of them are suffering from information overload aggravated by sheer exhaustion. And for people accustomed to being in charge most of the time, the confines of the student residences and the unrelenting rigidity of a set program weeks-on-end cannot be easy. So, you sort of understand when they are not as wildly excited about your "new ideas" as you may be.
It is amazing, though, how quickly you develop the technique of going right to the point in the few seconds that you have their attention. That's what you do.
Now, here is a potentially newsworthy development coming out of the July 23rd fringe event that I had the privilege of planning. The Diocese of Central Tanganyika (with the possibility of endorsement by the Province of Tanzania) is offering to stand with the Anglican Church of Canada in our effort to discern God's will around the issues of human sexuality. Bishop Mhogolo says that he is going to engage his diocese in a process of intentional bible and theological reflection over some of the issues and questions around this problem as a gesture of being in partnership with us on this journey and they will be delighted to share their learning with us along the way. Bishop Mhogolo and I will work out details on exactly how such a process might look like. However, they will likely be looking more at the methodological issues rather than the subject of human sexuality itself. Bishop Mhogolo is also committed to securing the endorsement of the Province on this and possibly getting some other dioceses involved in doing something like this. Bishop Philip Baji of the Diocese of Tanga and John Semalenga of the Diocese of South West Tanganyika have already expressed an interest in participating.
This development (if it holds) is very significant because it enables us to begin turning the corner away from going our separate ways toward working together in prayer, bible study and theological reflection even if we end up at different points on this journey.
I want to thank you very much for your prayers and for checking in from time to time to see what I was up to here in the cradle of Anglicanism.
Blessings
It is amazing, though, how quickly you develop the technique of going right to the point in the few seconds that you have their attention. That's what you do.
Now, here is a potentially newsworthy development coming out of the July 23rd fringe event that I had the privilege of planning. The Diocese of Central Tanganyika (with the possibility of endorsement by the Province of Tanzania) is offering to stand with the Anglican Church of Canada in our effort to discern God's will around the issues of human sexuality. Bishop Mhogolo says that he is going to engage his diocese in a process of intentional bible and theological reflection over some of the issues and questions around this problem as a gesture of being in partnership with us on this journey and they will be delighted to share their learning with us along the way. Bishop Mhogolo and I will work out details on exactly how such a process might look like. However, they will likely be looking more at the methodological issues rather than the subject of human sexuality itself. Bishop Mhogolo is also committed to securing the endorsement of the Province on this and possibly getting some other dioceses involved in doing something like this. Bishop Philip Baji of the Diocese of Tanga and John Semalenga of the Diocese of South West Tanganyika have already expressed an interest in participating.
This development (if it holds) is very significant because it enables us to begin turning the corner away from going our separate ways toward working together in prayer, bible study and theological reflection even if we end up at different points on this journey.
I want to thank you very much for your prayers and for checking in from time to time to see what I was up to here in the cradle of Anglicanism.
Blessings
Friday, July 25, 2008
In Communion With the Saints
I should have known better. I should have understood that a City with such a rich and extensive history as Canterbury cannot be "done" in one day. My original assumption was that I would spend perhaps twenty minutes in the Cathedral, take the thirty-minute train ride to Goodenstone Park Garden and then on to Augustine's Abbey. I might even tuck in a castle or two along the way, I thought. Can't be done. In the end, I spent two and a half hours "communing with the saints" in the Cathedral. Then, it was almost lunch time and it seemed wiser to abandon my rather ambitious plan of taking the entire county of Kent in a day and stay right here in Canterbury. A visit to the Norman Castle (dating back to the 11th century) and a couple of museums wrapped up the day.
The Cathedral visit was incredibly satisfying; a truly fulfilling and spiritual experience. I had a strong awareness that I was physically present and meditating in the exact physical location that thousands and thousands of people - going back to the sixth century A.D. - have been. I had a sense of being in communion with all those saints and recognizing once again the vastness of this holy family both in space and time. A truly awesome experience that language simply cannot fully express.
One of the most moving moments for me was the opportunity to stand in the exact spot believed to be where St. Thomas Becket was murdered. Unfortunately I arrived almost five hundred years too late to see his tomb, which - according to the guide - was destroyed in 1538 by King Henry VIII. A candle now shines in the spot where his shrine used to be.
In my country of origin, Uganda, a handful of buildings date back to perhaps one hundred years. In Canada you may find buildings dating back two hundred years. In Canterbury, an entire medieval town is preserved almost in its original state. It is like going back in time, walking on the same cobblestone streets and in the same neighbourhoods that people five hundred, six hundred years and beyond experienced. You walk down the narrow streets and realize St. Thomas Becket himself might have walked down the same street on a daily basis nine hundred years ago. You enter a pub and wonder whether the dramatist and poet Christopher Marlowe, a contemporary of Shakespeare, might have been here too. As I walk through the narrow corridors of the Inn which has been my home over the last few days I wonder who else has been here over the last few centuries.
Canterbury has many things going for it: its beauty, its history, the fact that you can walk to almost every part of the town. The one thing that has surprised me is the residents' attitude. For a city that must attract many tourists you'd expect the people to be a little more hospitable. On the contrary they appear to be weary of visitors. They are not inclined to be helpful. In fact on a number of occasions people were down right rude and nasty to me without provocation. In one incident, I was turned away from a restaurant for not being properly dressed (I was wearing shorts. But in this case, the naughty part of me prompted me to hang around for a while to see if anyone else wearing shorts would be turned away. Indeed, no more than five minutes later, a couple in their late thirties arrived and he was wearing shorts. They entered and ten minutes later when I decided to leave, they had not yet been kicked out. I suppose he had better negotiation skills!) If I was the mayor of Canterbury, I would seriously invest in encouraging the community to be more hospitable to guests. They have a lot going for them.
Blessings.
The Cathedral visit was incredibly satisfying; a truly fulfilling and spiritual experience. I had a strong awareness that I was physically present and meditating in the exact physical location that thousands and thousands of people - going back to the sixth century A.D. - have been. I had a sense of being in communion with all those saints and recognizing once again the vastness of this holy family both in space and time. A truly awesome experience that language simply cannot fully express.
One of the most moving moments for me was the opportunity to stand in the exact spot believed to be where St. Thomas Becket was murdered. Unfortunately I arrived almost five hundred years too late to see his tomb, which - according to the guide - was destroyed in 1538 by King Henry VIII. A candle now shines in the spot where his shrine used to be.
In my country of origin, Uganda, a handful of buildings date back to perhaps one hundred years. In Canada you may find buildings dating back two hundred years. In Canterbury, an entire medieval town is preserved almost in its original state. It is like going back in time, walking on the same cobblestone streets and in the same neighbourhoods that people five hundred, six hundred years and beyond experienced. You walk down the narrow streets and realize St. Thomas Becket himself might have walked down the same street on a daily basis nine hundred years ago. You enter a pub and wonder whether the dramatist and poet Christopher Marlowe, a contemporary of Shakespeare, might have been here too. As I walk through the narrow corridors of the Inn which has been my home over the last few days I wonder who else has been here over the last few centuries.
Canterbury has many things going for it: its beauty, its history, the fact that you can walk to almost every part of the town. The one thing that has surprised me is the residents' attitude. For a city that must attract many tourists you'd expect the people to be a little more hospitable. On the contrary they appear to be weary of visitors. They are not inclined to be helpful. In fact on a number of occasions people were down right rude and nasty to me without provocation. In one incident, I was turned away from a restaurant for not being properly dressed (I was wearing shorts. But in this case, the naughty part of me prompted me to hang around for a while to see if anyone else wearing shorts would be turned away. Indeed, no more than five minutes later, a couple in their late thirties arrived and he was wearing shorts. They entered and ten minutes later when I decided to leave, they had not yet been kicked out. I suppose he had better negotiation skills!) If I was the mayor of Canterbury, I would seriously invest in encouraging the community to be more hospitable to guests. They have a lot going for them.
Blessings.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Carrying One Another's Burdens
Thanks to your prayers, the event last night was successful. There were approximately 40 guests. About half were from African dioceses: South Africa, Botswana, Malawi, Tanzania and Kenya. Archbishop Thabo Makgoba, Metropolitan of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa and his wife Lungi were also present. There were several Canadian Bishops as well including the Primate Fred Hiltz and The National Lutheran Bishop Susan Johnson.
Participants located their home dioceses on a world map as part of the community building exercise, then three presentations on partnership were delivered from the perspectives of Botswana, Tanzania and Canada. Unfortunately there was not enough time to discuss the issues in depth. However there was general agreement that the conversation needs to continue.
The potential storm following calls by the Sudanese Primate for Bishop Gene Robinson to resign appears to have passed - for now at least. But listen to how a reporter from The Times spins the incident:
"...This represents the hard-line conservative-traditionalist stance at the Lambeth Conference and it is widespread. I wish I wasn't writing this but things here are really not looking good. The Anglican Communion seems to be falling apart in front of our eyes and it is not a pretty sight."
Goes to show how much the press is thirsting for a blood-bath.
Today I am going to take a tour of some of Canterbury's historic sights: The Cathedral (St. Thomas a' Becket's tomb), Goodnestone Park Gardens (which I understand the famous author Jane Austen visited frequently), St. Augustine's Abbey and the Roman Museum are on my list. Tomorrow I will share my overall impression of Canterbury.
Blessings
Participants located their home dioceses on a world map as part of the community building exercise, then three presentations on partnership were delivered from the perspectives of Botswana, Tanzania and Canada. Unfortunately there was not enough time to discuss the issues in depth. However there was general agreement that the conversation needs to continue.
The potential storm following calls by the Sudanese Primate for Bishop Gene Robinson to resign appears to have passed - for now at least. But listen to how a reporter from The Times spins the incident:
"...This represents the hard-line conservative-traditionalist stance at the Lambeth Conference and it is widespread. I wish I wasn't writing this but things here are really not looking good. The Anglican Communion seems to be falling apart in front of our eyes and it is not a pretty sight."
Goes to show how much the press is thirsting for a blood-bath.
Today I am going to take a tour of some of Canterbury's historic sights: The Cathedral (St. Thomas a' Becket's tomb), Goodnestone Park Gardens (which I understand the famous author Jane Austen visited frequently), St. Augustine's Abbey and the Roman Museum are on my list. Tomorrow I will share my overall impression of Canterbury.
Blessings
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Bubbling Below the Surface
I have just returned from the Campus. The Bishops have finished their morning bible study. It is clear that the statement by the Sudanese Primate took centre stage in most of the groups and things are beginning to heat up. I have talked to four African and two North American Bishops. All the four Africans endorse the primate's statement and the two North Americans expressed disappointment. The danger now is for conversations to become increasingly polarized and more people going to the press to purge their frustrations. A great deal of maturity is going to be needed in those Indaba groups
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Creeping Restlessness
The Sudanese have fired the first Cannon across the deck. But you could see it coming. None of us on the fringes - of course - know exactly what is going on behind the closed doors. Yet all day yesterday, as the bishops and spouses spilled out of the dark corridors into the bright warm sun across the campus, you could sense that something is brewing. The polite epithets about how things are going so far and the non-commital but generally warm appraisals are beginning to disappear. A certain restlessness is emerging; surfacing in snippets of conversation from the participants about what is really going on behind the scenes: the process is unwieldy; the content is shallow; the real issues are being circumvented; personalities are beginning to clash in those "Indaba" groups. And then the Sudanese fired their cannon.
We will have to wait and see where it lands. It may land nowhere. There is little appetite here for a huge episcopal brawl, thanks in part to the absence of the self-exiled Nigerian and Ugandan contingents. Fatigue over this endless battle may be what saves this conference. If the "other side" resists the temptation to fire back, the Sudanese attack may be completely neutralized.
Need to Vent:
Even though the absence of the Nigerian and Ugandan bishops may in the end turn out to be the saving grace of Lambeth 2008, I must confess my great disappointment that the church in which I was raised is not represented. Every time I meet an African bishop here, the part of me that is still in denial hopes to meet one from Uganda, perhaps even someone I know. But of course, it is not going to happen - and that is where my pain lies. The Church of Uganda that raised me is the one which sheltered us through the dictatorship of Idi Amin and the many years of the civil war. It was a church of refuge for the suffering, the helpless, the poor and the powerless. The leadership of the Church I remember - my own father included - were men and women I admired for their courage to speak out for justice and against oppression, at great risk for their personal safety, I might add. It is deeply troubling to see that this Province, that could have been an effective bridge-builder in the current climate of strained relationships in the Communion is now notorious for its extremism. Very deeply troubling indeed.
Tomorrow:
I will give you a front-row / ringside account of how my fringe event unfolds. The Sudanese statement and any repercussions it may have on the events of the day today, may affect the discussion tonight. Please keep us in your prayers.
Blessings
We will have to wait and see where it lands. It may land nowhere. There is little appetite here for a huge episcopal brawl, thanks in part to the absence of the self-exiled Nigerian and Ugandan contingents. Fatigue over this endless battle may be what saves this conference. If the "other side" resists the temptation to fire back, the Sudanese attack may be completely neutralized.
Need to Vent:
Even though the absence of the Nigerian and Ugandan bishops may in the end turn out to be the saving grace of Lambeth 2008, I must confess my great disappointment that the church in which I was raised is not represented. Every time I meet an African bishop here, the part of me that is still in denial hopes to meet one from Uganda, perhaps even someone I know. But of course, it is not going to happen - and that is where my pain lies. The Church of Uganda that raised me is the one which sheltered us through the dictatorship of Idi Amin and the many years of the civil war. It was a church of refuge for the suffering, the helpless, the poor and the powerless. The leadership of the Church I remember - my own father included - were men and women I admired for their courage to speak out for justice and against oppression, at great risk for their personal safety, I might add. It is deeply troubling to see that this Province, that could have been an effective bridge-builder in the current climate of strained relationships in the Communion is now notorious for its extremism. Very deeply troubling indeed.
Tomorrow:
I will give you a front-row / ringside account of how my fringe event unfolds. The Sudanese statement and any repercussions it may have on the events of the day today, may affect the discussion tonight. Please keep us in your prayers.
Blessings
On the Fringes
They call them "fringe events" because they are outside the formal agenda of the conference. They are part of the chaos that is common at any conference. But the magnitude of this one both in terms of its length and number of official participants, prompts the organizers to bring some order to the choas, hence the formal track of registered fringe events designed to manage the chaos on the fringes.
To be a registered fringe event comes with certain privileges: there is some access to and support from the conference staff. There is also access to a wide range of conference tools including the venue, communication facilities, promotion and others. These do indeed make up a considerable part of the overall budget of the conference.
There are, however, limits for the fringe-event organizer, particularly at this conference. The security is very tight. One of the organizers told me that there are people who have travelled to this city to cause disruption or to embarrass certain bishops. So the staff are doing everything possible to prevent any disruption. That means tight security. For example, it is almost impossible to have access to the bishops unless you happen to run into them along the pathways on the Campus or in the marketplace - which is open to the public. My original plan was to get to the university campus and track down one by one the twenty or so bishops who will be participating in my fringe event. I have since abandoned that course because I have no access to any of the buildings except the one where my event will be taking place and the one where the marketplace is located. Fortunately for me, I have some access to the inner-sanctum of the team that is running things around here: two of my colleagues are part of the volunteer staff team and one of them is helping me to relay messages to those bishops. This has lowered my anxiety considerably.
The notion of "fringe events" may lead to the assumption of a hierarchy of events. In other words, that you have your important mainstream events which are part of the formal agenda and then the fringe events that are not as significant. That is in fact a false assumption. Some of these fringe events are very serious and could have a significant impact on the outcome of the conference.
My event, for example, is bringing together approximately twenty bishops/Archbishops and their spouses, mostly from Africa and Canada, but also from Australia and Asia. They will attempt to reflect on what it means to be in companionship with one another; what it means to carry one another's burdens in the current climate of strained relationships in the Anglican Communion? Do we need new conceptual tools, new ways of understanding some of the older concepts such as partnership, mutuality, relationship and so on? It is as serious a conversation as you will see at this conference. As a matter of fact, we now have a rather curious problem. Twenty bishops and their spouses is just about all we can handle at this event. That is what we are prepared for anyway. Yet there are many other bishops now who have heard of this event and are asking whether they should come. Fortunately, that is not my decision to make one way or the other.
It will be the beginning of a conversation. There will be no resolutions or proposed changes in policies but hopefully a commitment to continue the conversation.
Tomorrow, if you'll endulge me, I would like to vent about something that has bothered me since I arrived here.
Blessings
To be a registered fringe event comes with certain privileges: there is some access to and support from the conference staff. There is also access to a wide range of conference tools including the venue, communication facilities, promotion and others. These do indeed make up a considerable part of the overall budget of the conference.
There are, however, limits for the fringe-event organizer, particularly at this conference. The security is very tight. One of the organizers told me that there are people who have travelled to this city to cause disruption or to embarrass certain bishops. So the staff are doing everything possible to prevent any disruption. That means tight security. For example, it is almost impossible to have access to the bishops unless you happen to run into them along the pathways on the Campus or in the marketplace - which is open to the public. My original plan was to get to the university campus and track down one by one the twenty or so bishops who will be participating in my fringe event. I have since abandoned that course because I have no access to any of the buildings except the one where my event will be taking place and the one where the marketplace is located. Fortunately for me, I have some access to the inner-sanctum of the team that is running things around here: two of my colleagues are part of the volunteer staff team and one of them is helping me to relay messages to those bishops. This has lowered my anxiety considerably.
The notion of "fringe events" may lead to the assumption of a hierarchy of events. In other words, that you have your important mainstream events which are part of the formal agenda and then the fringe events that are not as significant. That is in fact a false assumption. Some of these fringe events are very serious and could have a significant impact on the outcome of the conference.
My event, for example, is bringing together approximately twenty bishops/Archbishops and their spouses, mostly from Africa and Canada, but also from Australia and Asia. They will attempt to reflect on what it means to be in companionship with one another; what it means to carry one another's burdens in the current climate of strained relationships in the Anglican Communion? Do we need new conceptual tools, new ways of understanding some of the older concepts such as partnership, mutuality, relationship and so on? It is as serious a conversation as you will see at this conference. As a matter of fact, we now have a rather curious problem. Twenty bishops and their spouses is just about all we can handle at this event. That is what we are prepared for anyway. Yet there are many other bishops now who have heard of this event and are asking whether they should come. Fortunately, that is not my decision to make one way or the other.
It will be the beginning of a conversation. There will be no resolutions or proposed changes in policies but hopefully a commitment to continue the conversation.
Tomorrow, if you'll endulge me, I would like to vent about something that has bothered me since I arrived here.
Blessings
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