The Advocate July - August 2006
Archbishop of Canterbury and Presiding Bishop Griswold speak to 'Challenge and Hope for the Anglican Communion'
By
Jul 28, 2006, 12:39

(ACNS) The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, has set out his thinking on the future of the Anglican Communion in a theological reflection entitled “The Challenge and Hope of Being an Anglican Today, a Reflection for the Bishops, Clergy and Faithful of the Anglican Communion” which has been sent to the Primates with a covering letter. In it Dr. Williams says that the strength of the Anglican tradition has been in maintaining a balance between the absolute priority of the Bible, a catholic loyalty to the sacraments, and a habit of cultural sensitivity and intellectual flexibility. It is also available as an audio on the Internet. (See further communiqué summarized on page 13; full text at www.anglicancommunion.org)

(ENS) Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold issued a statement June 28 in response to this release: “I am greatly encouraged by the Archbishop of Canterbury’s timely call to the provinces of the Anglican Communion to join together in exploring our Anglican identity. I am one with him in his desire to develop a covenant capable of expressing that identity amidst the complexities of the world in which we live. I believe it is possible for us to hold up a renewed vision of what it means to be Anglican Christians.

The Archbishop has helpfully raised up in his text the constituent elements of classical Anglicanism, namely the priority of the Bible in matters of doctrine, the Catholic sacramental tradition and a “habit of cultural sensitivity and intellectual flexibility that does not seek to close down unexpected questions too quickly.” This both reminds us of the tradition that has formed us and points us to the future.

The conclusion of this lengthy process is now unknown. Therefore it is misleading that some, in responding to the Archbishop’s lengthy theological reflection, have focused their attention on speculation about a yet-to-be-determined outcome. And, as we enter into that process of discernment, we must never forget that God can always surprise us, and that the church is not our possession but is an instrument of God’s reconciling love in the world.”

The Most Rev. Frank T. Griswold
Presiding Bishop and Primate