Believe it or not, other things happened at last year's Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops besides adoption of the resolution on homosexuality. There were in fact more than 100 resolutions on a myriad of topics which went before the bishops a year ago this week in Canterbury. All we have heard since then is that the bishops adopted overwhelmingly a resolution loved by traditionalists and belittled by revisionists.

Persons who truly care about Lambeth, and what went on there besides that resolution, will be interested in getting their hands on a copy of The Official Report of the Lambeth Conference, published by Morehouse. This new book is a record of the resolutions, reports and principal addresses of the 13th Lambeth Conference. It makes no attempt to capture the flavor and color of that event, or the daily worship and Bible studies. As Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey writes in his introduction to the book, "These elements of common life cannot be captured in printed form." These elements to which the archbishop refers are what make the Anglican Communion what it is - "a vibrant, faithful Christ-centered community ..."

So why, you may ask, should I be interested in this volume? Good question. It contains some valuable teaching which ought to be shared with more Anglicans than those who gathered in Canterbury. Five sermons are printed, including those delivered at the opening and closing services and the one by Jean Vanier of the L'Arche community. The Archbishop of Canterbury's pastoral letter, sent to all churches at the close of the conference, is reprinted, along with the report on the bishops' and spouses' program.

Every resolution is listed along with the names of each of the participants at Lambeth, members of the staff, other participants and observers. The detailed reports of each of the six sections of the conference are printed, and turn out to be the most interesting and informative portion of the book as well as the greatest portion of it. Before this book I had not read how the bishops viewed, for example, the Oriental Orthodox churches, the Reformed churches or the Moravian Church.

The Virginia Report, produced by the Inter-Anglican Theological and Doctrinal Commission, considers the nature and meaning of communion and provides some of the most fascinating reading of the 534-page book, hence its position up front. For example:

"Bishops are accountable for their words and actions at Lambeth, before God and the whole church. The bishops at Lambeth are to represent those who have no voice: those who can rely on no one else to tell their story and plead their case; those whose concern society and/or the church have chosen, sometimes deliberately, sometimes forgetfully to address. It is when the bishops consider themselves to be accountable to those who have the least that they discover the way of God's kingdom."

There is a section of photographs from Lambeth, and other high-quality photos are scattered throughout the book.

Is this book for everyone? Probably not. Those in positions of church leadership, and others who care about where the Anglican Communion might be headed may want to shell out $22.95 for this book, but average Episcopalians (is there one?) might rather use their money to purchase one or more of the reports from Lambeth, which also are available from Morehouse at $9.95 apiece, or $49.95 for all six. They include four section reports, the Virginia Report and the Interfaith Report. Or if you want just the briefest presentation, you can purchase summaries of the section reports in magazine form and nicely illustrated for $5.95.

Most people probably have more interesting things to read this summer, but who knows? This could prove to be enlightening.

David Kalvelage, executive editor