tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10326675.post6808809823320060902..comments2024-02-15T03:32:25.686-05:00Comments on Preludium, Anglican and Episcopal futures: Time to do the homework: Give your response to the Draft Covenant.Mark Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06871096746243771489noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10326675.post-63921946806661045392007-04-21T09:45:00.000-04:002007-04-21T09:45:00.000-04:00Presumably, no one has commented on this post beca...Presumably, no one has commented on this post because everyone is busy pondering the study guide. Good. As one suspicious of the process, however, I want to say why.<BR/><BR/>The first reason to be suspicious is that the people pushing the covenant have shown themselves to be bullies intent on getting their own way. I don't have time to support this assertion here, but most readers know what I am talking about. (At the very least, certain primates are exercising power no one gave to them.) The frustration of dealing with the primates comes through clearly in the resolutions of the recent House of Bishops meeting.<BR/><BR/>Second, we are hoping against hope that some useful and Godly agreement will come of this process. The real reason for the covenant—we all know this—is to rein in The Episcopal Church. Why should we volunteer for enslavement if we truly believe our mission is something else entirely?<BR/><BR/>Finally, and perhaps most importantly in light of Mark's essay, is skepticism about the nature of the process. We are writing drafts before (1) we agree on what problem we are solving and (2) before we agree on the characteristics any solution should have. I write this as a computer scientist, not a priest. I am not longer surprised by what I consider to be an incompetent problem-solving paradigm regularly used by ecclesiastical bodies, but I am saddened by it. I made a plea before the 2006 General Convention for the church to consider what it was trying to accomplish in responding to the Windsor Report and to consider the likely effects of particular strategies. General Convention certainly did not take my advice. We can see how well that turned out.Lionel Deimelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08363018512775944659noreply@blogger.com