Many in North America in Advent 2007, beholding the divided and disordered state of Anglicanism in the U.S.A., think that it is unlikely that the global Anglican Family can hang together much longer. So one hears constantly statements like, "We do not need a 'Canterbury Communion;' we are content with a new arrangement and changing center."

Yet, in contrast, from within Lambeth Palace, with its connections to over thirty Provinces worldwide, there seems to be-despite the sight of dark clouds-both an optimism and a determination to bring the Anglican Family through its present crisis, and for it remain as it ever was, Canterbury centered. This positive yet realistic message is found write large in confident tone in the Archbishop's Advent Letter.

The Letter itself

The Letter is long, and to be appreciated for its depth, must be read slowly and several times. It is not difficult to understand, but it has a lot of information and of persuasion in close argument and thus it requires careful review. So the more I read it the more I appreciated it-and having done a lot of writing myself I can see that many days and hours of work have gone into its drafting and completing.

Dr Williams begins from the current fact of a major disagreement amongst the Primates over whether The House of Bishops of TEC actually answered satisfactorily what had been put to it by the Primates Meeting, based on recommendations in The Windsor Report. However, as the Primates have not spoken with either an unanimous or even a clear majority voice concerning the responses of The House of Bishops of TEC, it fell to Dr Williams to exercise the duty belonging to the Archbishop-at least since 1867- in a time of crisis of "articulating the mind of the Communion."

He began this articulation by stating what is the basis of the Communion of Churches:

"The Communion is a voluntary association of provinces and dioceses; and so its unity depends not on a canon law that can be enforced but on the ability of each part of the family to recognise that other local churches have received the same faith from the apostles and are faithfully holding to it in loyalty to the One Lord incarnate who speaks in Scripture and bestows his grace in the sacraments."

Then he sets forth on this basis three basic principles that bind Anglicans from different provinces together-standing under the authority of Holy Scripture; exercising an authentic ministry of Word and Sacrament; and proclaiming the Good News locally. In this context he emphasized that the intense debates and major differences on sexuality are "symptoms of our confusion about these basic principles."

Obviously the innovators in same-sex relations believe that they have discovered a new and sure way of reading and interpreting the Bible; but such a reading is wholly unacceptable to others, who are the majority. In this situation, Dr. Williams sees that eventually it may be necessary for the innovators, persisting in their reading of Scripture, to separate from the Anglican Communion; but first he wants to see a lot of hard work before and at Lambeth 2008 to see what can be achieved through meeting and talking with one another. And he wants any future parting of the ways to be done with general agreement in an orderly manner for the good of the whole.

So for the Archbishop, the mind of the Communion right now is both to stand for that which is commonly agreed to be sound faith and morals, based on Holy Scripture, and also to be patient for a little longer in seeking to listen and bear with those who wish major changes.

With respect to TEC Dr. Williams strongly believes that most of its Bishops made a determined attempt to come in line with The Windsor Report and that it is unrealistic to press them further at this time. After all they have been under pressure for four years or so to answer questions from the rest of the Communion! At the same time, he does express some theological concern about the seeming submission of the House of Bishops to the final authority of The General Convention and thus the same House's refusal to promise anything past the time of the next one in 2009; and he wonders whether there is a difference in the understanding of the episcopate in TEC and the rest of Churches of the Anglican Family. For nowhere else is the House of Bishops subject to a Synod or Convention on matters of basic faith and morality as in TEC. In terms of what TEC Bishops promised ("New Orleans Statement") to the Primates' Meeting, Dr Williams is clear that they really meant not to elect any more persons like Gene Robinson as bishops, but he is not fully persuaded that they intended to stop completely the blessing of same-sex partnerships.

Lambeth Conference, 2008

Turning to the forthcoming Lambeth Conference, Dr Williams offered this definition of it:

"It is not a canonical tribunal, but neither is it merely a general consultation. It is a meeting of the chief pastors and teachers of the Communion, seeking an authoritative common voice. It is also a meeting designed to strengthen and deepen the sense of what the episcopal vocation is."

He then proceeded to explain what he expected of bishops invited and attending-a full participation in what had been an arrangement and especially in working at the proposed Anglican Covenant.

And, with reference to those who say they will not come (e.g., Nigerians and Rwandans) he said:

"The refusal to meet can be a refusal of the cross-and so of the resurrection. We are being asked to see our handling of conflict and potential division as part of our maturing both as pastors and as disciples. I do not think this is either an incidental matter or an evasion of more basic questions."

The mind of the Communion, says its appointed Canterbury interpreter, is for the Global South bishops to come, one and all, in July 2008. (I for one believe he is right!)

Dr. Williams has set in motion before the Conference a series of measures to help pave the way for Lambeth, and to help groups in North America not on talking terms to have special help to sit down and talk about what divides them. We may observe that meeting real people in a friendly situation can often help to get rid of false views of persons and also open channels of understanding-and there is need of this in North America right now.

In closing The Archbishop writes:

"A great deal of the language that is around in the Communion at present seems to presuppose that any change from our current deadlock is impossible, that division is unavoidable and that any such division represents so radical a difference in fundamental faith that no recognition and future co-operation can be imagined. I cannot accept these assumptions, and I do not believe that as Christians we should see them as beyond challenge, least of all as we think and pray our way through Advent."

Optimism, commitment and perseverance flow forth from Lambeth.

Let us pray for the healing of The Anglican Way and its renewal as a Way blessed by Lord, the Head of the Church, in 2008.

---The Rev. Dr. Peter Toon is President of the Prayer Book Society, USA. He lives with his wife in Seattle, Washington