The Living Church determined on a fast read of "A Response from the Executive Council of The Episcopal Church to the Saint Andrew's Draft." that the following headline summed up the matter: "Council: Delay Vote on Covenant Until 2015" The article began, "Executive
Council endorsed a report on the proposed Anglican Covenant which
expresses significant reservations with the current draft and
recommends delaying until 2015 a final up-or-down vote by General
Convention." This got picked up by various blogs as the Word on the matter.
But the paper itself did not say this. The Response from Executive Council answered the question, "Is it possible to give some indiation of any synodical process which would have to be undertaken in order to adopt the Covenant in the fullness of time?" positively, and in spelling out a sense of the process indicated that "If it is perceived that the Anglican Covenant forwarded by ACC does not require constitutional changes, the 2012 General Convention could take up the matter and vote on the covenant. However, if an Anglican Covenant suggests constitutional changes, then final consideration would have to wait for the 2015 General Convention for final reading and passage."
Er.....is the AC going to wait for 2012 or 2015 for a response? Please don't overestimate the importance of TECUSA or the affection in which it is held after the last several years of disruption in the AC
ReplyDeleteone more reason I keep considering canceling my subscription. Perhaps the new editor will reverse things a bit...
ReplyDeleteI tend to agree with Fr. Mark's post below. If there is to be this covenant thing (the whole purpose of which is to spank the North American churches for being too gay friendly and letting the women run things), in the end it will be so watered down as to be pointless.
ReplyDeleteI say why bother in the first place. In the end, it will be yet another big waste of time and money.
Dear Observer,
ReplyDeletePlease do not underestimate TECUSA's resolve for inclusiveness.
Dear Fred - BO33 makes me doubt TECUSA's resolve for inclusiveness as staying in Rowan's club seems most important to TECUSA leaders.....and I note the communique from Alexandria was unanimous....PBs always want to stay at the top table.....just watch KJS argue for an extension of BO33 at your GC09
ReplyDeleteOh, Observer, you do like to keep things lively here!
ReplyDeleteIt takes about two years for an individual church of any denomination to decide weighty matters - such as whether the next capital improvement expenditure should be repaving the parking lot or refurbishing the organ. I think the basics of organizational theory show that any church synod or convention will require some time to discuss something as radical as the proposed AC covenant. I suspect General Convention will make its decision just about ten years before the CofE, so we'll be accused of hasty decision-making in a few years.
I doubt you will find most Episcopalians overestimate their importance in the Anglican Communion. It would be very interesting for you to come clean on your religious background the source of your information on TEC. At times you speak as a outside provocateur who has little understanding of our history, polity and ecclesiology. But now and again you speak as an embittered convert to the more fundamentalist wing of TEC, someone who has looked beyond the local parish to find our true tradition is not one of Biblical literalism with great liturgy and vestments.
Hi Lynn C of England..... which Rowan is keeping in line with Lambeth 1.10 and ready to sign up to the Covenant, so I am quite happy with him and the CofE. I agree with you that things take years....mainly because some want everything to take years - but if TEC thinks the AC is going to wait to 2015 for a tiny province to say yes or no to the covenant, people are engaging in wishful thinking. But I expect lots of delaying tactics....including BO33 being kept in order to stay in the AC (but ignored on the ground, of course, with that special TEC integrity that allowed Griswold to be part of Dromantine's unanimous statement!) Still, Lambeth 1.10 stands.....good work, Rowan...he knows TEC will do anything to stay in his club
ReplyDelete