The changing face of Anglicanism, as it will be discussed at next year's Lambeth Conference, was presented by an English bishop Aug. 30 at St. John's Church, Waynesboro, Va. The Rt. Rev. Michael Nazir-Ali, Bishop of Rochester, presented the program and asked, "What is it about Anglicanism that is of value to everyone in the world?" - a question to be discussed at Lambeth by Anglican bishops from throughout the world.

Bishop Nazir-Ali, a native of Pakistan and the first non-white diocesan bishop in the Church of England, said the answer has to do with the commitment of the local church to the people in its area, while at the same time maintaining relationships to other local churches.

The bishop said the most important statements issued by Anglican bishops came from the Lambeth Conference of 1888, with the issuing of the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral, the "foundation of the Anglican Church, but they may be expressed in each culture in a way that is appropriate to the culture."

Bishop Nazir-Ali noted that the Anglican Communion has grown a hundredfold since that Lambeth Conference of 1888. He pointed out that the largest church in the Anglican Communion is now that in Nigeria, and that churches in Asia, particularly in Singapore, are among the fastest-growing in the Anglican world.

Considering the next Lambeth Conference, he said that foremost among the issues to be discussed will be "moving toward full humanity." He cited how the resurgence of conscious ethnicity throughout the world has led to the oppression of others, and mentioned Rwanda and Bosnia as examples. He said a related issue will be equity and justice. He mentioned how the gap between rich and poor, and between rich and poor nations, is widening and must be resolved.

Other issues to be addressed, he said, are the problem of unfair and burdensome international debt, proper stewardship of the environment, spreading the gospel, and human sexuality. The bishop believes all of this could be summarized in the issue of Anglican identity. As the church grows, "we must seek answers to what our identity will be. We must determine what part of our faith and our traditions are really important and keep them."