But if we actually seek to practice Christ-like virtues at every single turn, I think we'll find a way forward. It may take a while - but patience is one of the virtues in question! But if we focus less on removing the splinters of error in others' eyes and more on our own planks of virtue-deficit, God can make a way where there was no way.
Third, mission. I've noticed that conflicts increase when we forget the main reason we're here. Idle hands - and minds and mouths - can find a lot to fight about when they aren't primarily focused on the mission Christ gave his disciples, a mission which many of us understand to be the call to make disciples, meaning people who actually live in the way of Jesus. Considering all the crises and catastrophes we face in today's world, I think we'd all agree we could use a lot more Christ-like people ... and the only organisation dedicated to recruiting people into a life-long journey of Christ-like living is the church. So that's what I hope we can all feel called towards, whatever our denominational heritage, and whatever labels we prefer - liberal, conservative, whatever.
CT: Do you find it ironic that you are here and some 250 Anglican bishops are not?
BM: No. The Anglican bishops who chose not to come did so for reasons that make sense to them, and I accepted the invitation to come for reasons that make sense to me.
CT: The sexuality issue is a big one and you advised bishops to be sensitive to different cultural settings. Does that mean we should shape the Bible around the surrounding culture?
BM: This question raises a host of assumptions and deeper questions that too few people are willing to grapple with. Because the fact is, what we're talking about isn't simply the Bible but our interpretations of the Bible. It's not just what the Bible says, but how we understand, interpret, and apply what the Bible says. In the Bible, for example, God commanded polygamy in certain situations in the Old Testament. And God also commanded stoning in certain situations. Nobody I know of wants to apply those passages literally today.
The question of which passages to apply to a certain situation, and how literally to apply them, is a question of interpretation, and interpretation is not simply a science or technique, like solving a math equation. There are many layers of skill in Biblical interpretation. In surgery, one needs to know biology, pathology, neurology, cardiology, and so on, and beyond that, one needs skills like cutting, suturing, cauterising, monitoring vital signs, and much, much more.
Similarly, in Biblical interpretation, one needs - among many other things, literary knowledge and skills, language and translation knowledge and skills, cultural analysis knowledge and skills, and very quickly, pastoral and peace-making knowledge and skills too - because even the best experts will frequently disagree!
CT: On a global level, how can the whole body of Christ effectively keep up with what you termed the "hurricane of change" in the world today in the face of so many conflicts and divisions?
BM: First, I'd say we need to realise that conflicts and divisions are only one dimension of our challenge in the aftermath of profound cultural change. Another great danger is marginalisation - where we only understand and speak to a smaller and smaller segment of the population. Another great danger - opposite in some ways to marginalisation - is over-accommodation, where we become too embedded with a majority culture or civilisation.
To me, the great inspiration in change is to focus on Jesus, who incarnated the Word in a way that was at once culturally relevant and counter-culturally potent. Jesus showed up right on time, and addressed the critical issues of his day in ways that were also historically transcendent and universally applicable.
