Well, here it is, the Archbishop of Canterbury's message to the Global South Encounter 4 meeting in Singapore. He could not go, it is said, because of scheduling difficulties. So he sent this message. As "It's Margaret" points out, about 8 minutes into this speech it all becomes clear. The election of Mary Glasspool as bishop and the consents of the dioceses to that was a naughty thing to do, messes up the life of the Communion, has consequences, and the ABC is talking to people about what to do next. Read the whole of her article on all this mess, reflected in the light of say, the miserable business of "don't go near the woman" in Exodus.
So here is what the Archbishop had to say. Along about minute 8 he says this:
"But of course we are reflecting on the need for a covenant in the light of confusion, brokenness and tension within our Anglican family – a brokenness and a tension that has been made still more acute by recent decisions in some of our Provinces. In all your minds there will be questions around the election and consecration of Mary Glasspool in Los Angeles. All of us share the concern that in this decision and action the Episcopal Church has deepened the divide between itself and the rest of the Anglican family. And as I speak to you now, I am in discussion with a number of people around the world about what consequences might follow from that decision, and how we express the sense that most Anglicans will want to express, that this decision cannot speak for our common mind."
It is not even that the ABC says what is true, that "this decision does not speak for our common mind." He says "this decision cannot speak for our common mind." The first is perhaps the fact. The second is a rather large extension of the fact into the future.
Here is a nice man, a good and holy man, caving in. And the cave in is only the start to a capitulation to come. Next we wil hear about a Primates meeting without TEC and ACoC, approved of and called by the ABC. There's a bet. Any takers?
Here is the full statement.
4/20/2010
26 comments:
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He also says, "But at the same time we must all-—as indeed your own covering notes suggest for your conference—-we must all share in a sense of repentance and willingness to be renewed by the Spirit."
ReplyDeleteWhere is the Archbishop's "sense of repentance" or "willingness to be renewed by the Spirit"?
"Next we wil hear about a Primates meeting without TEC and ACoC, approved of and called by the ABC. There's a bet."
ReplyDeleteThe strategy of late has seemed to be to divide us North Americans. Why not invite the Anglicans up north to the next Primates' meeting but not TEC? The danger is they might refuse to go under those circumstances, but then they will have cast themselves out.
¨We see Glory in each others faces¨
ReplyDeleteOnly if we look into one anothers faces as EQUALS...only if we remove the blindfold of fear, hate, difference, CHANGE, ignorance and the absurd self-righteousness defended by the violently self-destructive evil of PRIDE!
Rearranging the words/intentions of ¨seeing Glory in each others faces¨ into seeking castigation for TEC who ¨Deepens the divide between TEC and the REST of the Anglican Communion¨ is evidence of corruption, resentment, pandering to excluders and encouraging schismatics...the holy innoncent stand before The Body of Christ exposing vulnerability to spiritual crimes of hate.
The Archbishop of Canterbury delivered doubletalk that included ¨no careful listening¨ or any space for a ¨renewed gift of the Holy Spirit¨...The Archbishop of Canterbury is unable to speak the clean TRUTH of ACTIION necessary to establish a Covenant with God that includes all of Gods children...each one of us must present ourselves before God individually to make our Covenant with God first, this is the intention of many LGBT Anglicans (everywhere)...¨collectively¨ is to imagine that we have not opened our eyes to the sins of greed, theivery, bigotry, excluding and hate that we have seen generated by some EQUALS at the Anglican Communion. Many of the not-so-talented writers of the Anglican Covenant document have hate and exclusion in their hearts. They do not listen or even minister to the marginalized, they outcast, they punish. They have self imagined themselves to be damning others in Gods name. The First Amongst Equals has subscribed to this unjust and evil shame.
Looking into the face of Bishop V. Gene Robinson and Bishop-elect Glasspool is seeking GLORY in one anothers faces...the Archbishop of Canterbury can not see.
Perhaps it is time to "shake off the dust" and move on.
ReplyDeleteOf course it will mean that our bishops will be denied tea with the Queen (or perhaps King by the next Lambeth Conference); but I think we can come up with something better to do with the time and money that little invite costs.
the ABC wrote, in the past, in support of what many of you in TEC want the AC to accept, he cannot be accused of "not listening" (even if that is defined as agreeing)....
ReplyDeleteStop the presses, Mark. You and the Stand Firm crowd agree on something: The ABoC has "caved." When he takes a lashing from both the left and right at the same time, he's probably on to something wise and truthful. IMHO at any rate.
ReplyDeleteMy first reaction was not positive; so I read the message again and listened to it in his own voice. It sounded to my ears like someone looking/talking down the wrong end of a spyglass; the ABC as a man in a global crisis who sees only the tidiness of rules and regs.
ReplyDelete+++Williams apparently has little practical understanding of what sort of suffering is at stake here. Does he not understand the way power overwhelms everything in its path? Neither does he get the skandalon he's making of himself. He is tasked with fostering understanding in the AC and should insist on tolerance...but he's not doing either.
He quite clearly names his favorites; the issue of a Covenant has obviously been decided for us. By giving elevated status to the ultra-cons he indicates who will be treated as "right" and "wrong" within the AC. By his denigrating and subtle distancing toward TEC and ACC we can see where he stands. His heart lies with the Law, with Rules and Orthodoxy. He's blind to the consequences of sanctioning theft and border-crossings in TEC and ACC. (If some of us 2nd tier Xians get our noses bloodied, he's already shown he doesn't care.) This is what he wants out of the Anglican Covenent; a way to marginalize those who make waves.
The ABC's message provides no balance, no "sense of repentance," no movement of the spirit that I can detect. He DOES lay groundwork for an inevitable power-grab by ultra-cons whose preferential status he announces.
There is nothing Godly about the message! It's nothing but a license for the politics of power-over, marginalizing of those who are different, and finally, uttering no word of disagreement as the crowd murders its scapegoats.
We have no business being involved with the Anglican Communion if this is what it is to be. Our ministry dollars should not go to support an AC/ABC whose core beliefs run counter to the gospel.
NCMama
Hmm... I think the meeting will be called. I do not think it will happen. He will want to control the agenda and limit the evil done to TEC and AC Canada. Under those circumstances the bullies are not gonna show up.
ReplyDeleteYes he is caving but I don't think he yet understands that once you cave you do not get to negotiate.
So my bet is that you are half right.;-) How is that for hedging?
FWIW
jimB
The link to it's Margaret doesn't work.
ReplyDeleteAfter stewing all day it was finally time to read Evensong, and I think the Lord said, "Bill, quit stewing, I'll deal with this."
ReplyDeleteMuch of what +Rowan says is quite good. But some of it is quite dreadful. (To lump the Anglican Covenant with the Old Covenant and the New Covenant is a category mistake, and I think that's what he's trying to do.)
I wonder if he isn't thinking, "Look, I threw my friend Jeffrey under the bus for the sake of keeping the gaybashers -- why can't you Americans throw Gene and Mary under the bus?"
JimB is right -- once you cave you do not get to negotiate.
All I could do is compare and contrast this pharisaical statement of the ABC with the glow of true Christ-like love that emanated from Archbishop Emeritus Tutu in his sermon at the consecration of the new Bishop Douglas of Connecticut:
ReplyDelete"Ian, please tell the children of God each one of them is precious," he said. "Each one of them is held in this cosmic embrace."
No contest. Williams loses.
Next we wil hear about a Primates meeting without TEC and ACoC, approved of and called by the ABC. There's a bet. Any takers?
ReplyDeleteMark, I won't take your bet. Anything is possible. But if the PB is not invited to the Primates party, I pray we don't send money to fund the gathering.
David G...fixed. Thanks
ReplyDeleteDan Martins: Who would have thunk it?
Could be that he is on to something wise. On the other hand, could be that both the left and the right are correct and the ABC simply standing in the road, too close to the fast lane, where wreckage abounds.
I agree with him on the conseuqences thing. There are consequences, howbeit not only for TEC and the ACoC but for all. Family disagreements spread out over everyone in one way or another. (sigh...)
We can and have stood alone and we should never regret this. It is more important to me that we set the example of "each, all and every" in his image and living into God's covenant for his creation.
ReplyDeleteTaking Mark's bet that they will have their mad mitres tea party without us.
I don't think expelling the North Americans is in the cards, despite the fondest wishes of some American funded Africa bishops, and ACNA. It would be far more trouble than it would be worth, especially for the churches in the British Isles. ++Canterbury would only be inviting a split in his own church.
ReplyDeleteCounterlight - he does not seem to worried about losing the bits of the CofE that might protest.....they tend to be smallish and subsidised from central funds (guess who controls those funds...)
ReplyDeleteI don't believe he will risk calling the meeting, since if he calls it at all, let alone on the terms Orombi's handlers are demanding (do we suppose for one moment that they will attend if Canada & TEC are not excluded? - this is power play, naked and undisguised), he will face a likely melt-down of authority on a scale that will make the Dar-es-Salaam humiliation look minor. So I'm with Mimi.
ReplyDeleteFr Troll has outdone himself again, posting this:
"...the astonishing fact of a movement claiming to represent the fastest growing areas of global Anglicanism now being controlled by two men [Jensen & Venables] responsible for some of the least effective dioceses on the planet appears to have passed by without remark".. Observantly, he adds "Why does something about all this make me feel like we're the jester in King Lear?"
Not forgetting that the understated, but equally (if not more) important purpose of the demand is the destruction of the power currently exercised by the Anglican Communion Secretariat - and by extension by the ABC himself - and its replacement by the authority of the primates.
ReplyDeleteApparently some of the African bishops traveled to Singapore in first class seats paid for with American money. Madpriest scooped the story here:
ReplyDeletehttp://revjph.blogspot.com/2010/04/real-cost-of-whitewashing-tombs.html
He found it on an African Anglican blogsite which goes on to compare the splendid accommodations of these princes of the Church with the poverty of the priests in their care.
Well, at least their traveling on the American nickel and not taxing their peasants mercilessly. Nonetheless, the peasants are unhappy.
This to me is the entire schism in a nutshell, a princely coup.
I noticed that Dr. Williams spoke of the widening of the gulf between TEC and the rest of the Communion. The rest of the Communion? Hardly true as there are both member churches within the Communion that stand close to TEC and clergy and laity in many - most? - member churches who do as well. I was also struck by his repeated use of "provinces" rather than "member churches," perhaps indicative of his desire for greater control over the member churches by the Instruments.
ReplyDeleteI never understand why people think that if a speaker offends both the left and the right he or she has, of necessity, said something wise. Leaving aside the lastest statement from the ABC, why is this considered an intelligent thing to say?
ReplyDeleteIf you say 2+2=4 and I say it equals 1,000, is the guy who says it is probably somewhere in the high 400s really some kind of wise and judicious soul?
Who will finance the retirement of this reflexive cliche?
Who will finance the retirement of this reflexive cliche?
ReplyDeleteJim, do you take PayPal?
"...bits of the CofE that might protest.....they tend to be smallish and subsidised from central funds (guess who controls those funds...)"
ReplyDeleteI hope you will contact Fr. Jonathan Hagger (Madpriest) in Newcastle immediately and tell him where he can get some of these American funds. He has always been one of our most enthusiastic supporters in the C of E, and now faces unemployment.
Perhaps he can get the same first class accommodations provided by generous Americans to the African bishops meeting in Singapore.
I thought the Lutherans were part of the communion?
ReplyDeleteAnd they are certainly keeping up with the Episcopalians, in thought, word, and deed.
Rowan needs to WAKE UP!!
lol ...word verification is "resin",..something I'm sure Mr. Pine Pitch himself knows about!!
"...bits of the CofE that might protest.....they tend to be smallish and subsidised from central funds (guess who controls those funds...)"
ReplyDeleteAnyone who believes this isn't paying attention. This was a Telegraph investigation from 2002, reposted on Changing Attitude: Vicars bless hundreds of gay couples a year
And this would just rip apart the C of E, it would rip apart the Church of Scotland, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Brazil and elsewhere. I went to gay blessings in St Matthews in the City in the 1990s and They are still advertised in their website today.
So kicking the American and Canadian churches out (which, honestly, wouldn't bother me one bit) would tear the entire communion apart by forcing people to choose one side or another.
hi toujoursdan....even hundreds of such illegal proceedings (in CofE terms) is not a big number - but I know there are people who ignore what the ABC calls "the teaching of the church" and he has had to discipline some (see his letter to Dr Dudley)....... and I agree with you that some in the CofE may want to join "TEC Global" when it finally launches.....but that will not rip the CofE apart....we will lose none of our largest churches and not a large no of weekly attendance.....the ABC would not want to lose those people, but I think they would be happier in "TEC Global" and would not want to hold them back, asking them for "gracious restraint" etc etc
ReplyDelete