Lambeth 2022, the worldwide gathering of Anglican bishops held roughly once a decade, but twice delayed due to the pandemic, will actually get under way this year – 2021.
According to an announcement made last October ‘the conference journey’ will begin in 2021 as a virtual phase with a yet to be revealed programme, but we do know that the theological underpinnings for this project are being provided by the St Augustine Seminar, a group of 35 New Testament scholars who ‘have shaped the theological foundations for the Lambeth Conference’. Leading members give brief video introductions to 1 Peter, the Biblical focus for the Conference, at www. lambethconference.org/biblical-focus/
While there is helpful material, the fundamental problems of Biblical authority and interpretation which underly the Anglican Communion’s continuing crisis are clearly evident. In ‘Dealing with Difficult Themes in the Book of 1 Peter’, Professor Christopher Hays of the Fundación Universitaria Seminario Bíblico de Colombia refers to Scripture as ‘a revelatory resource’. This falls far short of the Thirty-nine Article’s description of Scripture as ‘God’s Word written’ (Article XX) and opens the door to mischievous hermeneutics.
