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The Lambeth Call on Human Dignity will be the focus of a webinar on November 6 and 7, facilitated by the Episcopal Ministry team of the Anglican Communion Office. Since the Lambeth Calls were shared at the 2022 Lambeth Conference, the Episcopal Ministry team have been running a webinar series to explore each of the Lambeth Calls.
The Human Dignity webinar will gather speakers from around the Anglican Communion, including the Right Revd Kay Goldsworthy, Archbishop of Perth, the Right Revd Linda Nicholls from the Anglican Church of Canada, the Right Revd Ian Ernest from the Anglican Centre in Rome (as well as Mauritius), Domnic Misolo from the Institute for Faith and Gender Empowerment (IFAGE) in Kenya and Thembsie Mchunu from Mothers’ Union of Southern Africa.
The Lambeth Call on Human Dignity explores what it means to be made in God’s image and celebrates the uniqueness and value of each person. It outlines how human dignity can be undermined by personal and systemic injustice or abuse of power. It references topics of post-colonialism and the trans-Atlantic slave trade, inequalities of land use, health, education, religious persecution, oppression of human rights, war, conflict and exploitation as well as prejudice based on race, gender or sexuality.
As part of the series, several Anglicans from around the world have been contributing articles about Human Dignity, exploring the different themes in the Lambeth Call. They are available on the website for the
Lambeth Conference.
The Revd Dr Robert Heaney is a Professor of Theology and Mission at Virginia Theological Seminary and was part of the Lambeth Conference Design Group that shaped the whole conference. He facilitated the Call on Human Dignity. Looking ahead to the webinar, he said: “This Call marked a distinct moment in Anglican history. Some of the most contentious and controversial issues that divide us were faced squarely and set in the context of faithful discernment. My hope is that through this webinar and series on Human Dignity, people, provinces, and leaders of the Communion will reflect on what action is needed in response to the Call. In context, and across diverse contexts, the world watches as we seek to practice the redemptive and reparative Gospel we preach.”
In 2022, the Archbishop of the Province of the West Indies, Howard Gregory, chaired the drafting group for the Lambeth Call on Human Dignity. During the Lambeth Conference in Canterbury, discussion of this Call focused some of the deep differences held on matters of Anglican Identity and Human Dignity.
Reflecting on the conference, Archbishop Howard said how the Call was “…laid on the table at the Lambeth Conference in 2022. That is laying it out to leadership. But it must embody much more than leaders because the Call is a call to the 80-plus million Anglicans across the world. November’s webinar and the Lambeth Call series are ways in which the Calls are being shared to all parts of the Anglican Communion, to see how they can find expression in our congregations. This might be through discussion, or as a source for change in some attitudes, bringing us to a point where we can both celebrate our uniqueness and see our differences, appreciating them as a gift of God, rather than something to fight against. How congregations engage in programmatic activities can put flesh on the bones that the Call provides.”
Bishop Jo Bailey Wells is the Bishop for Episcopal Ministry at the Anglican Communion Office, and the Deputy Secretary General of the Anglican Communion. Her team has been instrumental in developing the ‘Add your voice to the call’ series along with a range of supporting resources for churches to use in Bible study and discussion.
Bishop Jo said: “Our Lambeth Call discussions often make me think of Anselm in his approach to theology as ‘faith seeking understanding’. We grow in depth and breadth of love and conviction through encounter with other disciples who stretch the muscles of our faith and imagination. Reflecting on Human Dignity this November, we will hear different perspectives and concerns from Anglican sisters and brothers around the world – all of them passionate to name and nurture the dignity of those people they find around them. I encourage us to seize this opportunity for enriching our faith, expanding our compassion and giving us a deeper appreciation of the magnificent variety in the body of Christ – both what we hold in common and equally how we differ, which so often has to do with a faithful response to our differing contexts.”
Janet Miles
Director of Public Engagement
The Anglican Communion Office
