Thinking out loud

As a member of the group asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury to advise him about the structure and contents of the Lambeth Conference in 2008, I know something of the challenges the Anglican Communion is facing globally at present.

Of course, there is the big question of who should receive the Archbishop's invitation to come.  Should it, as in the past, be every bishop?  Or should some be excluded on moral or doctrinal grounds?  And if all are invited then does that mean that some will choose to stay away as they are saying they will do at present?

Certainly, judging by the emails I receive, the Archbishop will need something of the wisdom of Solomon to resolve that conundrum and I know that he would value your prayers as he wrestles with it.

But, behind questions like that, lie the bigger ones that relate to the kind of Communion that we are, and are growing into.

For instance, historically we have done our moral thinking in the public arena.  In contrast to some other Christian Churches we have never, as a Communion, sought to define our position on many ethical matters very sharply.  On abortion we have held consistently to our belief in the value of all human life, but we have recognized that there are some circumstances where it may be justified.  On divorce and remarriage we have strongly supported the ideal of marriage being a commitment for life, but we have also wanted to find ways to express the love of God and the possibility of a fresh start when that ideal has not been fulfilled.

The result, of course, is that we are told by some that we are 'wishy-washy' and that the problem with Anglicans is that 'you don't know what you believe'.

But there will be nothing 'wishy-washy' about those bishops gathered in Canterbury the year after next.  I am certain that there will be some robust debates.  Debates born from a rich, diverse experience of the love of God expressed and experienced in their own lives and in the cultures from which they come.

As we face together issues both about the nature of God and his relationship with his world I am certain that we will disagree with each other - possibly very passionately at times.  But I am sure that those of us there will also discover a deeper unity based in God's love for us and, if we are willing to listen, a deeper understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit around our Communion.  And no, I do not believe that we will end up agreeing on everything, but I am glad to be part of a Church that does its thinking 'out loud' despite all the pain and the misunderstandings that such a voyage of discovery into the ways of God involves.

The Rt Revd Colin Fletcher is the Bishop of Dorchester