February, 2000 - Vol. XXIX No. 1
Jubilee: Hope in New Beginnings

"Jubilee at Lambeth"
by The Rt. Rev. Robert L. Ladehoff

    In spite of what the media reported, the 1998 Lambeth Conference did not spend three weeks fighting about human sexuality.   Most of our time and energy was given to matters that I found far more interesting and far more closely related to the church’s mission in God’s world. I am grateful for the opportunity to report on one of the most important areas of discussion and action at the conference, one that focused on the biblical concept of jubilee.

    Several years before the conference opened, the planning committee sent a questionnaire to all of the bishops who would attend. We were asked to list the most pressing issues facing the church in our dioceses, issues we would particularly like the conference to address.

    The results came as a surprise to most of the American bishops. Anglican bishops from around the world did not seem particularly interested in the controversies that had absorbed so much of the time and energy of the church in this country, including human sexuality. At the top of the list of concerns for the Lambeth Conference, attracting far more interest than any other topic, was the international debt.

    American bishops realized that we had some homework to do before we went to Lambeth. When I started reading, I learned that among Christians the focus for much of the discussion of the world debt had become related to the biblical concept of jubilee.

    In Leviticus 25:8-13, we are told that the fiftieth year was to be hallowed, "You shall proclaim liberty throughout all your land." In this year of jubilee, slaves were set free, and debts were canceled. Religious leaders of our day had begun to ask: Would this not be a way to celebrate the dawn of a new millenium, by proclaiming a year of jubilee, in which the burden of international debt would be removed from the backs of the developing nations?

    When I arrived in Canterbury for the Lambeth Conference, I discovered that there had been far more conversation in England than in our country about jubilee. English bishops told about joining tens of thousands of people who had completely surrounded the heart of Birmingham, hand in hand in an expression of solidarity, calling for the cancellation of unpayable international debts.

    During the conference, a significant amount of time was set aside for presentations about this debt and about the concept of jubilee. We heard addresses by the President of the World Bank, the Archbishop of Cape Town, and the Bishop of Worcester. And we heard from the bishops of countries whose economic development was being held back by the debts incurred by a previous generation.

    As I listened to the speakers, I came to two realizations. First, we were considering a theological matter and not simply an economic matter.

    As members of the world-wide Anglican Communion drawn from rich and poor nations, we believe that God created a good world for all persons. It is a world in which we are bound together by our common humanity, formed in God’s image, and in which each person has equal dignity and value. With immeasurable generosity, God has given bountiful resources for all to share. We are responsible to hold God’s gifts in trust for one another seeking the good of all. *

    Second, we learned how complex this matter is. I remember hearing the bishops of the Philippines telling of the money borrowed by the Marcos regime, the price for allowing western military bases in the islands. Now Marcos is gone. None of the money he borrowed seems to have been used to build schools or hospitals, or to benefit the people of that nation. And, while the principal of their debts to the west has been paid, the payment of interest continues. The Filipino bishops asked, "Would it not be better for this money to be used to improve the quality of life for our people, rather than for it all to go to the banks?"

    Most of us were very sympathetic. It did seem a more responsible use of the limited resources of the Philippines. And yet there was the nagging question of whether or not the present government of the islands was capable of administering these funds in a responsible way.

    Two documents related to the world debt and the year of jubilee came out of the Lambeth Conference. First, twelve pages of the report of Section 1: Called to Full Humanity, are devoted to an analysis of the debt issue in the light of Christian belief. Second, resolution 1.15, "International Debt and Economic Justice," calls urgently for church leaders and governmental leaders to address the issue. Both documents resist the temptation of easy answers. Actions that would be helpful in one country would accomplish little in another country. The suggestions included in both documents recognize the complexity of the issue, but they deal with it in the light of our belief about creation, holding before us the opportunity that is ours as we enter a new millennium.

    Both the resolution and the section report are far too long to include in The Vineyard. I would be happy to make a copy of both documents and send them to anyone who is interested.

    During the Lambeth Conference, the Archbishop of Canterbury spent a day in London presiding over a meeting of financial leaders from the major nations of the west, exploring with them ways of responding to the international debt. Since then other religious bodies have joined in this call. Quite a number of national leaders, including our President, have asked for the cancellation of at least a part of this debt.

    We are hearing the word "jubilee" used more and more, as we approach the beginning of the new century. All of us are recognizing opportunities for new beginnings. Dealing with the international debt is one significant part of this worldwide movement. I am grateful that I had the chance in the summer of 1998 to have a small part in that conversation and to hear first-hand of the challenge that faces both the developing nations and the more affluent nations. Now, more than a year later, I am grateful at the way that so many others are responding to the initiatives we took at the Lambeth Conference.

_______________________
*The Official Report of the Lambeth Conference. p. 107

The Rt. Rev. Robert L. Ladehoff has been Bishop of Oregon since 1985. Contact him at robertl@diocese-oregon.org

© 2001, Diocese of Oregon
updated 05/03/2003 16:09
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