| In 2008, the Church of England and the rest of the Anglican Communion will have an opportunity to be included in a new and definitely religious response to the familiar and certainly disastrous process of climate change.
Already, many individuals, congregations, and synods have shown that they are well aware of the crisis, but this is a project to do what only Churches can do, nationally and internationally. It is proposed that, by the official arrangement of public worship, thanksgiving should be offered for the creation understood as ultimately the work of the Creator.
It is also proposed that prayer should be offered for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit, to equip humans for the rescue of this planet that we have been busy wrecking.
Of course, Anglicans have other concerns. New beliefs about sexuality and gender may lead to the wrecking of our Communion. In the mission of the Church, “fresh expressions” of “being church” are vitally necessary. Lambeth 2008 must be placed in the context of the many hundreds of millions of God’s children suffering from dire poverty and deadly diseases.
Yet it is not controversial to say that all Christians need new expressions of faith if our situation as humans in 2008 can be expressed in a terrible phrase: “This planet has cancer and the cancer is us.” Nor is it controversial to add that the power to hope and act must be received on our knees.
A new festival is needed as a focus for this prayer, which must not be gloom about doom. Yet, so far,
the only relevant addition to the Anglican church calendar has been the adoption of the feast of Christ the King, instituted by Pius XI in 1925.
Alas, the collect now provided in the C of E’s Common Worship makes that observance not very relevant. It prays that “the whole created order” will be brought to “worship at his feet”. It is not merely naughty to ask how this is to be managed by stars, fish, animals, plants, deserts, oceans, and continents of ice. Here is poetry — and, after an extremely alarming diagnosis of physical reality by science, poetry is not enough.
Obviously the current pope must have the most influence in the mobilisation of the world’s Christians by prayer, but, in the early stages, other church leaders are entitled to take initiatives.
Recently, the Ecumenical Patriarch made a realistic proposal, drawing on the rich heritage of Orthodox theology, which emphasises “creation” as well as “salvation”. He suggested that there should be a new concentration on the dangers by reflection and prayer in the period from 1 September to 4 October.
This initiative has been endorsed by the European Ecumenical Assembly. In 2007, this brought together representatives of the Roman Catholic bishops’ conferences, alongside Orthodox, Protestant, and Anglican delegates. Surely it is to be hoped that many Churches will now respond, in Europe, but also in every nation around the world.
Yet it may also be asked whether it is wise to leave the period without any one festival that could be sufficiently dramatic to be treated by the media as news, and sufficiently arousing to be linked with the broadcasting of relevant music and spoken words.
Even the regular supporters of the Churches could be stimulated and encouraged by special services in,
for example, cathedrals; and even regular supporters of charities that are not specifically Christian could be reached by the idea that an extra stimulus is added when it is believed that what is being damaged is the result of the Creator’s activity over long ages.
It may also be asked whether provision could be made for participation in their own ways by faith communities that do not regard Sunday as the holy day. On a Sunday, Christians; on a Saturday, Jews; and on a Friday, Muslims could explore what their scriptures and other parts of their heritage teach about the creation and its Creator. Of course, the smaller religions also believing in One God should be included.
There would be no need to get involved in the problems of interfaith worship, but many lasting benefits could result from this unprecedented festival as a response to an unprecedented threat.
If the idea is taken up widely, no doubt the administration needed must be the responsibility of great international institutions, such as the Vatican or the World Council of Churches, but it will always be to the credit of Anglicanism if it gives early support to a weekend festival.
If, during 2008, the initiative taken by the Patriarch and endorsed by the European Assembly is also blessed by the C of E’s House of Bishops and the General Synod, and by the Lambeth Conference, a ball will have been started on a roll that may touch many hearts and minds. There could be an impact on the globe, which humans inhabit, depend on, love, and mistreat.
The Very Revd Dr David L. Edwards is a former Provost of Southwark. |
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