Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Stephen Platten: In this time of divisions, let us defend Anglican unity

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/opinion/Stephen-Platten-In-this-time.4287890.jp

[Yorkshire Post] 15 Jul 2008--Today the bishops of the Anglican Communion from across the world will gather in Canterbury for the Lambeth Conference – or at least most of them will.

A minority of bishops – from Nigeria, Uganda and the diocese of Sydney in Australia – will stay at home, as indeed will a sprinkling of others from all over the place. All over the place may be a good term to coin. hat is how churchmen (and it is mainly men), journalists and other commentators see it.

The Anglican Communion is all over the place. It is about to split asunder.Yorkshire is no bad place to reflect on all this controversy, for it was the Archbishop of York, William Thomson, who helped persuade other bishops from the North of England and from elsewhere, not to attend the first Lambeth Conference in 1867. It had been called by Charles Longley, the Archbishop of Canterbury, formerly Bishop of Ripon.

Why did he call it and where did the Anglican Communion come from and is it worth defending?

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