Luke,
Yes, that's right. Rowan Williams has taken the view that, at this time of tension within the Anglican Communion, what was needed was not more arguments and votes, but to gather in fellowship and communion. I think it is fair to say that he envisages a number of small group Bible studies and fellowship time, where members of the communion with divergent beliefs could get to know each other better in a less hostile environment. His intention, I think, was for Lambeth to be a time where everyone takes a deep breath and reaffirms their essential unity, with further discussions about the 'Anglican Covenant' then coming along in its wake.
The problem with this approach, of course, are that many members of the Anglican Communion do not feel that they have this kind of unity, especially with TEC and the Anglican Church of Canada. For these members, particularly the Nigerian and Ugandan bishops, attending Lambeth seemed to be a lose-lose situation - on one hand, attending would seem to declare that they were unified, while the lack of plenaries and resolutions meant that they did not feel anything worthwhile could come out it to move the Communion forward.
If we were dealing with a division about non-gospel issues in the worldwide church, I think I would have some sympathy with ++ Rowan's approach. It would make good sense as a 'team-building activity' and could provide a basis of common trust on which to move forward. Unfortunately, the issues are far too deep to be resolved simply by developing personal friendships. It is quite clear that various members of the Anglican church have been teaching and practicing contrary to the Bible and the historic faith of the church - a situation that requires more than just an occasion for a family portrait, IMHO.
Justin
