Lambeth Conference: Miscellaneous Final Action Log

Episcopal News Service. August 11, 1988 [88180]

CANTERBURY, England (DPS, Aug. 11) -- The 1988 Lambeth Conference adopted resolutions on the following issues in addition to resolutions reported in separate articles:

Christ and Culture: affirming that God's love extends to people of every culture.

Freedom of Religious Activity: calling on governments to recognize the right to worship, teach and evangelize.

Palestine/Israel: affirming the right of Palestinians to establish their own state while also affirming the existence of the State of Israel.

Church and Polygamy: permitting polygamists who convert to Christianity to keep their wives, though they must promise not to marry again after conversion, and allowing reception of polygamists with the consent of the local Anglican community.

Sexual Abuse: pointing out the sinfulness of domestic violence and sexual abuse, especially in light of biblical teachings on the value of the human persons.

Conscientious Objection: supporting those young South Africans who have refused to serve in the South African Defense Force on grounds of conscience and assuring them of the bishops' prayers.

Human Rights: endorsing various effective instruments and institutions that support human rights and encouraging the Church to actively speak out against certain rights abridgements, i.e., torture, the death penalty, incarcerating political dissenters, and government denial of relief food from international agencies.

South Pacific Islands: expressing particular concern for the exploitation of these islands by exterior military and economic forces.

Poverty and Debt: pointing to the need to remedy the problems of world poverty and international debt and calling for international settlements to address these "life and death" issues.

Latin America: urging the lifting of sanctions imposed on Nicaragua, Panama, and Cuba by the United States and supporting Latin American churches in their ministries of justice and peace.

Namibia: calling on South Africa to withdraw from Angola and implement United Nations resolution 435, provinces in the United States, Great Britain, and Canada to press their governments to fulfill their obligations as members of the Namibia Contact Group of nations, and expressing support for Namibian independence.

South Africa: condemning injustice in South Africa and expressing the belief that to work for a just peace in South Africa is to work for the true liberation of all peoples of the region, black and white.

Environments, Militarism, Justice and Peace: identifying the inter-relatedness of the unjust distribution of the world's wealth, social injustice, the rise of militarism, and damage to the environment as a misuse of the planet's people and resources.

Ministry of Lay People: encouraging the training of lay people for evangelism and ministry.

Decade of Evangelism: asking for a decade of evangelism and ministry in the 1990s.

Evangelism in the Anglican Communion: calling for a shift to a dynamic missionary emphasis in the Church.

Mission and Ministry of the Whole Church: pointing to a revolutionary "shared style of ministry" -- a total ministry of all the baptized -- that is now enriching the Church.

Mission to Youth: encouraging diocesan reevaluations of their ministry among youth.

Support for French-Speaking Dioceses: offering particular support for these forgotten dioceses, principally in Africa.

Civic and Land Rights for Indigenous People of the Americas: commemorating the destruction of cultures in the Western Hemisphere that resulted from the arrival of British, French, Portuguese, and Spanish colonizers beginning exactly 500 years ago.

Islamic Fundamentalism: urging steps to halt the rise of destructive acts against Christian churches in such places as Nigeria and the Sudan that result from Islamic religious fundamentalism.

Human Riqhts for Those of Homosexual Orientation: urging elimination of discrimination against homosexuals, especially in light of biological, genetic, and psychological research being conducted by professionals.

Missions to Seamen: expressing thanksgiving and admiration for the worldwide Mission to Seamen, which has adapted in a "remarkable" way to changing circumstances and has been a leader in ecumenical involvement.

1988 Lambeth Call to Prayer: "recognizing the priority of the life of prayer," said the Archbishop of Canterbury, who moved the resolution.