Lambeth: Wrap-Up

Well.  That was a bit of a disappointment, at least for snarky bloggers seeking fireworks at the expense of somebody else's religious community.  Also for legit journalists seeking a story with a beginning, middle and -- especially -- an end.  It was probably disappointing for ideologically polarized Anglicans seeking victory over their enemies, even at the cost of their Communion, fiat iustitia et ruat caelum.

But for anybody who hopes to preserve the Anglican Communion, or even the memory of the Elizabethan Settlement, this year's Lambeth Conference was a modest, qualified and don't-say-it-out loud success.  Nobody walked out, nobody exchanged anathemas (except perhaps in the men's room after cocktails), nobody excommunicated anybody.  Since Archbishop Williams designed the event to (a) exclude the most polarizing figures, and (b) preclude resolutions, the grandstanding was presumably minimized and there were no resolutions to pass.

This doesn't mean that anybody left overflowing with good cheer.  They didn't.  Nor does it mean that a schism has been averted.  It hasn't.  But, still, it could all have been a lot worse.  

For a good summary, mixed with some critique of the press coverage, click the link to GetReligion.