Carey Tells North Carolina Parish, 'Church Must Be Broad Enough to Include Skeptics'
Episcopal News Service. May 13, 1992 [92108]
Eugene Willard, Editor of the Highland Episcopalian, the diocesan newspaper of the Diocese of Western North Carolina
In a resounding message of Christ's love and reconciliation, the archbishop of Canterbury told Western North Carolina Episcopalians that "our Lord is always with those who truly seek him."
Speaking from the pulpit at St. James Church, Hendersonville, the Most Rev. and Rt. Hon. George L. Carey, the 103rd archbishop of Canterbury, was the "guest preacher" Sunday, April 26, to a congregation of some 600 in person, and to thousands more via television.
For his sermon, taken from the day's Gospel (John 20:19-31, the story of the Apostle Thomas's doubt and subsequent belief on seeing Jesus' scarred hands and side), Carey said, "We need the questioning mind of Thomas when we are faced with issues which stump us intellectually; issues having to do with human pain and suffering; when evil seems to triumph over good; when prayer is not answered; when we find that our hold on the Christian life does not equip us to overcome temptation, and we fail, again and again." But, he added, "Christ is to be found where you least expect to see him -- in the brokenness and bewilderment of the experiences of life.
"Your church -- like mine -- must resist the threat of internal fragmentation -- of dividing the fellowship because of disagreements within the body. It is a danger facing the Church of England also. The church of Jesus Christ must be broad enough not to exclude the Thomases, the skeptics and doubters, or those who do not feel at home in the ferment of debate."
The service also brought to St. James 15 archbishops and bishops and dozens of priests, deacons, and lay leaders of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) who were meeting at nearby Kanuga Conference Center.
Among the international visitors who took part in the service were Betty Govindan of Southern Africa, a member of the Standing Committee of the ACC, who read the first lesson from Acts 5, and the Rev. Canon Colin Cranston of England, chairman of the ACC, who read the second lesson, Revelations 1: 9-19.
Other visitors participating as intercessors for the Prayers of the People were Pamela Chinnis, U.S. representative on the ACC Standing Committee; the Rt. Rev. Simon Chiwanga, bishop of Mpwapwa, Tanzania, and vice chairman of the ACC; the Rev. Canon Samuel Van Culin, secretary general of the Anglican Communion; and Edgar Bradley, of New Zealand and member of the ACC Standing Committee.
Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning pronounced the Absolution, and Bishop Robert Johnson of Western North Carolina served as principal celebrant at the Eucharist.
To accommodate the overflow congregation in adjacent facilities, the Most Rev. Robin Eames, archbishop of Armagh and primate of all Ireland; the Most Rev. Brian Davis, archbishop of the Province of New Zealand and primate; the Rt. Rev. Samir Kafity, president-bishop of Jerusalem and the Middle East; and the Rt. Rev. Alexander Malik, bishop of Lahore, Pakistan, also served as celebrants and administered the Sacrament.
On questioning by area reporters, Carey spoke of his warm welcome to the diocese and summarized the mission of the two standing committees that are meeting at Kanuga, and the reason for his visit: "The faith of our Lord Jesus Christ is unchanging. But we have to find ways to make it more accessible to all peoples of the world."
Meeting jointly at Kanuga through May 1 were the Standing Committee of the Primates, who are the senior archbishops of the autonomous churches of the Anglican Communion, and the Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative Council.
The committees set the theme and agenda for next January's historic Anglican meeting in Cape Town, South Africa. That assembly will mark the first joint meeting of the ACC and the primates, and will embody an act of solidarity with the anti-apartheid movement in the Province of Southern Africa.