Yesterday was the day that was not. I’m not deliberately speaking in riddles but the Media were hoping for ructions. It was, after all, the day when the main subject was “Human Sexuality”. There were no ructions. It is true that there were times when bishops spoke openly and bravely about their concerns. Some believe that homosexual activity is a complete denial of everything biblical, whilst others say that biblical justice demands that there should be no discrimination against anyone. (I have over-simplified this but it will do for the moment.) The disagreement is partly shaped by the context any of us find ourselves in. In some countries represented at the Conference, for example, homosexual activity is regarded as a serious criminal offence; in other countries any discrimination against practising homosexual people is itself seen as a criminal offence. Some voices are saying that the major problem facing Western society is not homosexuality at all but rather the commercialisation of sexuality, not least in the ways young girls are subject to being sexualised at far too early an age. Other voices are saying that the constant discussion of homosexuality is a luxurious self-indulgence at a time when the world faces great problems of poverty and injustice.

Well. Why was the day one in which there were no splits, no shouting, no rancour? It’s partly because the conference tries to ensure that all voices are heard and partly because there remains some degree of uncertainty about what the outcomes of the Conference will actually be.

Let me try to explain some of the processes of the Conference because that may help to explain why things are as they are.

Each day begins with a collective act of worship led by one of the Provinces of the Anglican Communion. To-day, for example, the morning worship was led by the Church of Pakistan. The evening worship to-night will be led by the Church of the Province of South East Asia. After breakfast there are Bible Study sessions, based around a passage from John’s Gospel. This morning we were considering the “I am The Vine “ texts. Once we have had a mid- morning break for a cup of coffee we then go to our Indaba Groups. Each of those Indaba groups is made up of a number of Bible study groups meeting together. There are approximately forty people in each Indaba group. Each day a different topic for discussion is brought to the Indaba. A couple of days ago, for example, the main topic for discussion was the relationship between the Bishop and the use of the Bible in Mission; to-day the discussion has centred on the Covenant Document, ( more of this in a moment). The results of those discussions are taken by the Rapporteur to the Conference Reflection Group and they, in their turn, try to summarise and reflect what each Indaba Group has said and shape the results in to a coherent whole. They produce a first draft which then the forms the basis of “Hearings”,(a meeting of all the Bishops who wish to attend.) Every Bishop who goes to the Hearings has the opportunity to explain why they agree or disagree with the Summary. (Are you still with me?) Eventually a document will emerge which will be a summation of all that has been said.

I said that I would return to the matter of the “Covenant” in a moment; the time to do that is now.

The “Covenant” is a document produced in the years leading up to this Lambeth Conference by a team of international delegates. They have tried to produce a text which will help the Anglican Communion to resolve differences between Provinces about any difficult and complex issue that may arise in the future. It is also a document which tries to paint a reasonably clear picture of what Anglicanism is. If the Lambeth Conference decides to press ahead with the Covenant, and that’s not yet decided, the document will have to be debated by each Province throughout the world and be brought for further refinement if needed. It’s going to be a number of years before all that can be concluded, if ever.

So, having given you a flavour of just part of the Conference you can see why the Media are having such a difficult time trying to get a racy story out of all that is happening. It’s like trying to make watching paint dry a riveting read.

We have only a few more days to go and who knows what may eventually emerge? It may be that the paint will eventually catch fire or change colour very dramatically but at this stage that does not seem very likely. The style and tone of the Conference is genuinely friendly and open and patient. The only certainty I have is that there will be some who were not present who will claim to know far more than those of us who were. Look out for stories that begin by saying: ”The Lambeth Conference: What Really Happened.” If you see those stories, remember that you read it here first.