Rowan Williams

The End of (the) Communion? (ii): So where are we now?

by

Andrew Goddard writes: Building on my earlier reading of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s contributions about Communion life, this article explores the ecclesiological questions that are important, and currently intertwined with, the questions relating to sexuality that tend to dominate discussion.  It argues that although all wish for unity and communion there are currently two main competing visions … Continue Reading

The End of (the) Communion? (i) What has been said?

by

Andrew Goddard writes: On Tuesday at the Lambeth Conference there were a number of significant developments in relation to the questions of sexuality and ecclesiology. The Global South, headed by Archbishop Justin Badi of South Sudan, issued a resolution in relation to Lambeth I.10 with a covering explanatory letter. Archbishop Justin Welby also issued a letter … Continue Reading

Lambeth Conference: going from ‘resolutions’ to ‘calls’

by

Andrew Goddard writes: The question of who will be attending Lambeth which was explored in the first article last week is distinct from, but connected to, the question of where Lambeth is going, what it will do, what outcomes are being sought. The significant recent development here is the announcement that the Archbishop of Canterbury has … Continue Reading

Are trans people ‘on a sacred journey’?

by

As preparation for hosting an international conference on LGBT+ rights, the Government committed to introduce new legislation banning ‘conversion therapy’. Despite significant lobbying pressure from some LGBT+ groups, others objected, on three main grounds: that the basic terminology of ‘conversion therapy’ was unclear; that the initial proposals effectively criminalised anyone with a ‘gender critical’ view … Continue Reading

How do the lives of earlier saints illuminate our path?

by

Richard Briggs, Director of Biblical Studies and Lecturer in Old Testament at Cranmer Hall, Durham, reviews Rowan Williams’ Luminaries: Twenty Lives that Illuminate the Christian Way (London: SPCK, 2019). In a little under 150 modest pages (small page size, large font), Rowan Williams takes us on a guided tour of 20 people whose lives have something to say to us. … Continue Reading

Is Church decline the fault of poor leadership?

by

In the summer, and after a year’s delay, Bloomsbury published That Was the Church That Was by Andrew Brown and Linda Woodhead. Woodhead is professor of sociology of religion at the University of Lancaster, and Brown has been a religious correspondent for a national newspaper for many years. So you might expect them both to know what they are … Continue Reading

Honey or vinegar?

by

I am a member of the Church of England Evangelical Council, and yesterday we had a meeting at Lambeth Palace. We were there to hear from the Archbishop of Canterbury, and to ask him questions, in the end both about what he had said and about wider concerns for evangelicals in the Church.

Rowan’s address, starting with a careful exploration of the what the NT says about the Spirit and power (the role of the Spirit does not seem to be merely to give us power, but the Spirit and power enable us to be formed in the self-giving image of God, and we make space for it when we recognise our own human weakness) and ended on a quite inspirational note. In relation to the goal of mission and evangelism, he commented:

Continue Reading