THE recent exchanges about world mission, both the report and
the debate in the Synod at York, showed the C of E in its best
light. Through the parochial system, it has an interest in every
citizen of this country, and it has noted that many of these
citizens either come from or have links with other parts of the
globe. By this reckoning, every parish is part of the global
Church. This is wholly positive. Exposure to the faith and customs
of people in other countries, hearing of the problems they face,
helps churches conform to the New Testament model of charitable
interconnectedness.
The necessity of housekeeping and the temptations of internal
politics can turn a Church in on itself. This is why working with
mission agencies is so vital. These take the concentrated passion
of individuals with a calling to a wider mission, and use it to
enthuse the Church around them. The newest of these, the Anglican
Alliance, deserves to be better known, although, for the present,
its contribution is a fraction of that of the older,
better-connected agencies. Reading its list of priorities is
salutary after these weeks of anxiety about women bishops, gay
marriage, and (for a relative few) bishops in the House of Lords:
"economic empowerment, climate change, food security, women's
empowerment, youth empowerment, community empowerment, peace and
reconciliation, governance, and migrants and refugees". Also, it
seeks to play a part in alleviating suffering "in all disasters".
The harvest - God's fulfilling work - stands ripe in the field;
where are the labourers?
The Archbishop of Canterbury addressed this theme in a sermon to
Anglican Communion guests in Lambeth Palace chapel on Thursday of
last week. "What is it that binds us as an Anglican family? Not the
peace that we have achieved by negotiating with one another until
we come to a standstill, but the peace that is given by God." The
acceptance of all people as children of God has a profound effect
on our behaviour towards them. Love can be refused or spurned, but,
made in the image of God, Christians cannot stop offering it. Nor
is love hierarchical: one cannot love down to someone or up to
someone. Love, rather, is presumptuous, treating all as equals.
The Anglican Communion is in danger, at present, of being
characterised by argument. Different elements in national and
international Churches are at loggerheads, to such an extent that
it would be a relief to take different paths and have less to do
with each other. This is not, however, an Anglican option. As Dr
Williams said: "We make peace, we proclaim and work for
reconciliation, not because we think it's quite a good idea, but
because our Heavenly Father has implanted it in the DNA of our new
creation, our rebirth as his children. We cannot help ourselves; we
cannot give each other up as Christians."