Cultural Relativism At Lambeth Conference

Every ten years an international conference of Anglican bishops is held at Canterbury. Issues affecting the world-wide Anglican communion are discussed and policies agreed.

The 1988 Conference, held in August, attracted over 500 bishops, representing most of the 164 countries in which Anglicanism is established. Proceedings were translated into French, Spanish, Japanese and Swahili, illustrating the diversity of nationalities attending. Inevitably there were vast differences of cultural background, giving rise to widely varying outlooks. On certain issues compromise agreements had to be accepted in order to preserve some semblance of continuing unity within one spiritual communion.

As expected, the place of women in spiritual leadership proved to he one of the most divisive issues. The Episcopal Church in the United States and Anglicans in Canada and New Zealand have already accepted the ordination of women as "priests". During the past two decades 1257 women have been ordained in these countries. Yet in other "provinces" of the Anglican Church women are barred from ordination.

At the 1988 Conference those "provinces" which have ordained women priests pressed for agreement that women should also be consecrated as bishops. There was much opposition to the proposal: at one point 40% of the Conference voted in favour of a motion intended to block this development. But those demanding the right to have women bishops finally won the day. It was decided that the consecration of women as bishops should be allowed in those areas where it was constitutionally approved. No judgement was made on whether this was a theologically valid step. The resolution acknowledged that disagreements on the underlying principles would remain, but bishops should respect each other's positions.

Predictably reactions varied. Dr. Runcie, Archbishop of Canterbury said that he would recognize the Church's first bishop "as validly ordained in the church of God" within her own "province", but would regard her ministry in England as irregular. He wished to develop the idea that a woman bishop was "someone whose ordination is valid in my mind, but is irregular as far as the Church of England is concerned". As Archbishop of Canterbury he could not formally recognize a women bishop, because that would imply she should be recognized by the worldwide Church, a position not in line with that adopted by the Lambeth Conference.

The Bishop of London, Graham Leonard, who has consistently led the opposition to women's ordination, announced that he would refuse to recognize any woman bishop or maintain fellowship with any bishop who consecrated one. He made the important point that on many issues he saw a great divide between "those who accept that the faith is revealed and given, to which we have to listen and obey, and those who think it is capable of being modified to meet the culture and situation of each generation". This comment certainly applies to the ordination of women as priests or their consecration as bishops. For Scripture consistently defines the role of women in public spiritual service as one of subjection rather than leadership (1 Cor. 14:34-38; 1 Tim. 2:8-15). The reasons given in verses 13 and 14 of 1 Tim. 2 are deep-seated in God's creative wisdom and in the history of the Fall. Such basic principles are not negotiable on the ground of cultural development and change.

In the Lambeth Conference discussion on AIDS there emerged a further argument based on cultural relativism. Some bishops were annoyed at the acceptance of an amendment calling on the Conference to "strengthen the traditional biblical teaching that sexual intercourse is an act of total commitment within a permanent married relationship". The annoyance stemmed from their hope that specific reference to marriage would be omitted so that homosexual relations could be included! Happily in this instance scriptural truth about marriage was affirmed.

Perhaps the compromise and doctrinal confusion which characterized much of the 1988 Lambeth Conference discussions may encourage perplexed believers to examine the way of God more carefully (Acts 18:26). That Way is still regarded by some as a mere sect (Acts 24:14); but to many it has proved to be the way of deliverance into the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27).

unknown | Dec 1988
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