The Lambeth Conferences 1867-1998

Lambeth Palace is the London home of the Archbishop of Canterbury and it was there in 1867 that what became known as The Lambeth Conference of Anglican Bishops began, with 76 present. Later, when the numbers increased they met elsewhere, most recently at the campus of the University of Kent at Canterbury, a mile or so from the Cathedral. Here 900 or so assembled in 1998. (The 2008 Lambeth Conference departed fairly significantly from the pattern followed at previous Conferences, and may receive special treatment in a future offering from the Prayer Book Society.)

With some disruption due to wars, the Conferences have occurred every ten years. Though they are called "Conferences" they are more than a normal Conference but less than a Synod. That is, the Letter from the Conference to the Churches around the world, together with the Resolutions passed by those present, form a kind of consensus statement of where the leaders of the Churches are at any one time on matters of common concern. Thus they have – or should have – a form of moral authority for members of the Anglican Communion.

To read systematically through the Reports from committees, and the resolutions put forward by them, and then passed by all, provides one with a most enlightening insight into Anglican concerns decade by decade. There are some commitments which remain solid and others that are modified over the years; there are some positions that are espoused and then rejected; and there is evidence of changing views concerning liturgy, ecumenism, ethics and the work and persons involved in the Ministry.

What abides is a real sense of the importance of the fellowship and bonds of affection between the member churches; and the sense that while each one is autonomous all together are interdependent. And with this, the role of the Archbishop of Canterbury in inviting to the Conference and in presiding over it are clear from the first to the last.

Gods Secretaries: The Making of the King James Bible

The story of the writing of the most influential Bible translation of all time, the classic Authorized (King James) Version. This volume is not definitive on the topic, but a fresh and engaging introduction to it. The KJV "is a foundation of the English-speaking world
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