It's just a matter of time before something blows.
The Windsor Continuation Group (WCG) has produced a non-document that pushes for a non-starter - the re-institution of the Windsor Report moratoria. But they are as dead as the Windsor Report itself. It's as if nothing has happened in the years following its publication.
GAFCON Primates have released themselves from Windsor oversight anyway and are on virtue's highway promising a cleaner purer Anglicanism.
The Common Cause Partnership is looking to be the GAFCON Primates North American partner.
The Communion Partners got some praise from the WCG, the same praise that went to the Windsor Bishops. It will have the same effect...nothing.
The Anglican Covenant idea, wedded to the Windsor Report, is floundering.
The Lambeth Conference can receive these reports, discuss them, mull over them, but in the end it is not ordered to do anything. It all flows back into Anglican Communion structures and committees and will be spit out the spigots at the next Anglican Consultative Council meeting or the next meeting of the Primates. But who will be there, and what sort of warrant will these meetings have?
Something is going to give soon, and it will not be pretty. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Afterwards there will be a place of refreshment.
But afterwards we can get on with the things that make each of our churches an instrument of God's unfolding will for the people of God. They will be different for each of us, but with God's grace we will see the work of God's grace in every place.
It seems I listened to rumors yesterday, but today I hear confidence beyond the mutterings and the scurrying of mice.
7/29/2008
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Yes, it's time to STOP playing PRETEND with the Archbishop of Canterbury as he attempts to pull off nasty "Windsor continuation" like diversions at the Anglican Communion...all in the name of NOT addressing the REALITY of what unholy antics are REALLY going on in The Anglican Communion.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the point of the ABC's leadership if he is unwilling to face the terrible tragedy and injustices PREACHED by fear/hate-mongering Anglicans within the Anglican Communion?
Vile words/spewings such as "lower than pigs" are launched against LGBT Anglicans/Christians and others in societies where brutality, murder, persecution and corruption are everyday, common events.
Forget +V.G. Robinson, he's fine, we're all fine and spiritually healthy as destructionists attempt to harm and mutilate the Anglican Communion by demonizing Christians/others.
Think about the promoting of on-the-ground ugliness by the Archbishops of Nigeria and Uganda in their HOME PROVINCES (they won't be exporting their ugliness much longer to the U.S.A. and Canada as there are not that many "selective Scriptural" self-deceivers in the Anglican West who are willing to tolerate much MORE blatant biggotry and thieving and self-deceiving dressed up as "reasserter" beliving).
The REAL danger, for REAL LGBT people and often Heterosexual Women exists in Africa and the ABC is remiss and remains negligent as he stays silent, snubs TEC and continues to look for ill-thought-out solutions when BASIC good sense and "love" and "justice" for fellow human beings is the ONLY solution that is acceptable at The Body of Christ.
Is it time for the Archbishop of Canterbury to "step down?"
This Anglican Communion is over. The archbishop of Canterbury has forfeited the opportunity to lead the new one because of his elitism, inconsistency, and arrogance. It is time to move on.
ReplyDeleteFWIW
jimB
I look forward to the afterwards. I grew up Episcopalian, not Anglican. Akinola, Orombi, and Venebles can do what they will; it does not affect my relationship with Christ anymore than my actions affect theirs.
ReplyDeleteOf course, with their reverse colonial demands that we in NH adopt their theology, nevermind that we don't ask them to adopt ours, I suppose they are trying to climb that our actions do indeed affect their spirituality. But thank you, +Mark, for this reminder.
Let us pray.
ReplyDeleteNot much of a "bombshell", but then again, the evos usually exaggerate developments. However, our American bishops should move to “table” and resolutions and to talk this crap to death, just as we have with the “Windsor Process.” Keep kicking the can down the road and sooner or later the Anglo-fundies will get tired of the game, and will go and leave us in peace.
ReplyDeleteWhen the mice are muttering they don't want to be heard by Him...
ReplyDeleteWhy else would they be muttering, and why are we straining to hear.
It is past time to stop straining to hear the muttering and time to start to rebuild the Church, to feed the hungry and clothe the naked. To lift up the downtrodden and marginalized.
If Cantuar wants to prop up the patriarchy, let him. It is His Choice and His Loss.
May the Peace of God, be with you now and evermore...
Well said.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the positive note.
ReplyDeleteThis entire affair--what has been said and what has not--has been very depressing for me, personally.
It has made me question much, never a bad thing, but the preliminary results of that have not been pretty personally or otherwise.
Here in the US, nothing will happen without consent. As those that wish to sail to foreign shores go, I suppose that leaves us, here, to some extent, in greater peace, but still leaves those in other countries in a terrible position.
This has been a time of great sadness for me, generally. I find myself looking down in shame more than looking up for thanks.
Wee, sleekit, cowrin, tim'rous beastie,
ReplyDeleteO, what a panic's in thy breastie!
Th need na start awa sae hasty,
Wi' bickering brattle!
I wad be laith to rin an' chase thee,
Wi' murd'ring pattle!
I'm truly sorry man's dominion
Has broken nature's social union,
An' justifies that ill opinion,
Which makes thee startle
At me, thy poor, earth-born companion,
An' fellow mortal!
I doubt na, whiles, but thou may thieve;
What then? poor beastie, thou maun live!
A daimen icker in a thrave
'S a sma'request;
I'll get a blessin wi' the lave,
An' never miss't!
Thy wee bit housie, too, in ruin!
It's silly wa's the win's are strewin!
An' naething, now, to big a new ane,
O' foggage green!
An' bleak December's winds ensuin,
Baith snell an' keen!
Thou saw the fields laid bare an' waste,
An' weary winter comin fast,
An' cozie here, beneath the blast,
Thou thought to dwell--
Till crash! the cruel coulter past
Out thro' thy cell.
That wee bit heap o' leaves an' stibble,
Has cost thee mony a weary nibble!
Now thou's turn'd out, for a' thy trouble,
But house or hald,
To thole the winter's sleety dribble,
An' cranreuch cauld!
But Mousie, thou are no the lane,
In proving foresight may be vain;
The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft agley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promis'd joy!
Still thou art blest, compared wi' me
The present only toucheth thee:
But och! I backward cast my e'e,
On prospects drear!
An forward, tho' I canna see,
I guess an' fear!
Mark - what about the likelihood of ECUSA stepping back or pausing from its present progressive agenda of elevating active homosexuals to ordained ministry and leadership in parishes and dioceses which the vast majority of other Anglicans find so troubling? What about the likelihood of ECUSA's HOB effectively disciplining leaders who make obviously heretical statements and deny the exclusivity of Jesus Christ as Saviour of the whole world? What about the prospect of ECUSA allowing parishes and diocese which want to separate from ECUSA to finally let them with the property which they have built and maintained themselves, or of allowing a meaningful alternative pastoral or episcopal oversight scheme to operate within its own borders so allowing grace to take precedence over legalism?
ReplyDeleteThese might be actions that ECUSA could take to prevent the whole thing blowing apart. Or is ECUSA so intent on pursuing its progressive agenda that it is willing to have the whole AC blow apart, and probably destroy itself in the process? I doubt that if the AC does blow apart it will have any much effect on the Anglican church in the global south, but it will fracture the church in USA, Canada, UK, Australia and NZ. Is it really worth it?
You might cut a little more ice around here, Brian F, if you had the rudimentary charity to avoid the repeated use of the provocative - deliberately so, I assume - term ECUSA for TEC.
ReplyDeleteQuestion - serious one - on your blog,you describe yourself as an "Anglican Minister". Nowadays that's not exactly a specific description, is it? I'm curious - which branch?
Brian F. seems to live in an alternative universe where the church might fracture. The rest of us have noticed Anglicans Missing in Action, the various African poacher groups, Bp. Minns et al, and realize the future was some time ago.
ReplyDeleteAs to the question is it worth it? Yes. Not sacrificing the lives of even one lbgt person is definitely worth it.
FWIW
jimB
Sorry, Lapinbizarre, but I call BS on that "provocative term" business. TEC, ECUSA, and even PECUSA seem to be more or less synonymous. After all, the title page of the Canons and Constitution reads
ReplyDelete"Constitution & Canons
Together with the Rules of Order
For the government of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America
Otherwise Known as
The Episcopal Church"
The Preamble's section on the Name of the Church reads, "The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, otherwise known as The Episcopal Church (which name is hereby recognized as also designating the Church), is a constituent member of the Anglican Communion."
The Episcopal Church's official website is at http://ecusa.anglican.org/.
The official name is given in the Canons as "The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America organization."
Inasmuch as there is some sort of hierarchy of appropriateness among PECUSA, ECUSA, and TEC, it appears to be something that you are reading into them. I think we have enough on our plates without having to worry if we are using the "correct" name for the Church.
Full disclosure: I'm a gay, faithful Episcopalian. And from now on, I'm going to be using PECUSA as my preferred acronym for the Episcopal Church, just to keep the rest of you honest. ;-)
Oh, there is just so much wrong with what Brian F says. I started to answer, but realized there is no way I could get it all in a blog comment box; nor do think it would make any difference to him. Bottom line, like Jim said, there is little, if anything, resembling Anglicanism in his comments. He is disingenous at best in imputing motives to others and flat dishonest in his (intentional?) misreprestation of their views and actual words.
ReplyDelete