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Okay, it’s 12:53pm. I’m at the Nationwide arena awaiting the start of the AAC press conference. The crowd is not yet large. IT may be because the HOD is still in business.

There are several things coming today that you should be looking for. First the amended and recommended resolution A159 is supposed to come to the HOD floor at some point this afternoon. I will likely camp in the HOD and blog live from the floor while I wait for that vote.

This is not quite so boring as you might expect. Between 10:00am and 11:00am today, in fact, there was a little (very light) kerfuffle over a resolution covenant or communion agreement with the province of Brazil.

A deputy from Springfield speaking to or against this resolution, asked from the floor what effect it might have on the situation with the diocese of Recife. He was told, by none other than Mark Harris, that the diocese of Recife has been “reconstituted” and that the communion or covenant agreement has nothing to do with “internal” Brazilian matters.

The question was called and there were a significant number of no votes, though not enough to ask for a count.

Canon Kevin Martin also gave a great speech on mission from the floor. His essential message is that ECUSA is dying and dying fast. We need to win souls it we are going to turn it around. I’m hoping he’ll post it from his website.

Oh, right, second thing. Don’t forget to check this site at 8:00pm (or probably a little bit before)...actually, don't leave this site. Stay here the whole day. Blow off work. There will be lots to read.

Anyway, at 8:00pm I’ll be live-blogging the PB’s speech as well as that of Senator Danforth. I know that the transcript will be published within hours or minutes of the event itself, but I want to get a feel for things in the room and so I’ll bring it to you live.

Like I said, at the moment I’m at the Nationwide arena waiting for the AAC briefing to start. It does seem a bit like people are recovering from the big party last night. People are groggy and sluggish. The SCECAC won’t meet again until tomorrow morning.

Stay tuned here (refresh) for live coverage of the AAC briefing

It's starting...Brust is up on the podium sans the bowtie...


Guitarist comes up. He’s leading us in singing “Great is the Lord.” This guy is really good. People are standing and putting their arms in the air. The place is filling up now. Apparently the HOD did get out late.

The song is over. Brust+ starts with Prov 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord…”

We’ve been educated and we have a fine if not inflated understanding of our own intellect, after all we are clever, erudite, good looking (laughter) but do we have wisdom…I learned that wisdom is something we learn the moment after we needed it.

Ps 111:10: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…

Hear those words. The fear of the Lord is just the starting place. But when was the last time you heard a sermon on the fear of the Lord. When was the last time you preached on it? When was the last time you prayed and cried out for forgiveness grace and mercy for fear of the Lord.

We shy from these things. Our ears are used to being tickled.

It is not enough to tell ourselves or the people to whom we minister that God loves us. We must tell them the cost of that love lest the cross be emptied of its power.

If we claim to be without sin….

God’s love is manifest in personal transformation. Anything less than this is a false gospel, not one based on sure knowledge based in the scriptures.

My advice for you is to seek God’s wisdom not human knowledge. Trust God with all your heart…

Prayer

Brust+:
Bishop Iker had to leave, but he did leave his report:

D022 was adopted as amended: Recommends the development of millennium dev. Goals

A055: was adopted with amendment: interim Eucharistic sharing with the UMC

C007: Was rejected: Asked that the ACC funding be held in eschrow until our ACC reps received voice and vote and all bishops of ECUSA are invited to lambeth.

Crocker+:

Constitution: A020: time is being taken to clarify who has the vote, developing.

A153: Title IV canons. The subcommittee was urged to remove the laity from the provisions of this resolution

Consecration of bishops:

Beisner: Two executive sessions no result. In the coming review…what about his three marriages. How will this serve as an example to his diocese in life and doctrine. There has been considerabe question about that.

Friday: +Lipscomb’s B013 will come up for hearings tomorrow’

A095: last resolve, the proposers are hoping it will reaffirm the actions and direction followed by ECUSA over the last 30 years.

I was present for some of the discussion in the hearings concerning the slavery, end of slave trade, reparations, the position of ECUSA wrt slavery.

C040: Supporting biblical literacy has been adopted with amendment. The original resolution referred to a way to develop a love for and a knowledge of scripture. The amended resolution is a lot different.

Hearing last night: Clarity was sought from all sides. The two ways of looking at things and walking were identified.

SCECAC: A165: They will not take up business again until tomorrow morning.

Michael Howell: Another important point to make is that the resolution clearly names 1.10. It was important for the committee to acknowledge what that means. Many think that “listening” means that the orthodox will listen to the revisionists until they change their mind. But the process called for in lambeth 1.10 it was in the context of obedience to Communion teaching…he is summarizing the meeting this morning (which you can read blow by blow in my morning live blog)

Brust+: You have the Encompass in front of you. What struck us is that both wings of the church were seeking clarity and honesty.

I attended the press briefing today: Wilson (SCECAC), when asked, expressed surprise that ++York would be allowed to speak at our meeting.

+Curry, focused on the millennium goals must be our common ground.

The SCECAC is VERY delayed. We do not think it is going to be near finished by Friday, as they had expected.

David Anderson:
The Hearings last night were interesting but it comes to mind that as much conversation as we have really been having, we’ve been talked to death over the years, I think that we could easily give the talking points of the other side.

There comes a point when you need to cut to the chase. I was surprised to hear +Whalen say, “ECUSA must only persuade the ABC of our compliance to Windsor” (paraphrase).

That may have been true in the past. But now you will notice that the primates are becoming equal partners..if not even the global number of bishops under those primates. And they are waiting. They have asked us some hard questions. Most of us, on all sides, would like clarity.

I was asked what I really want? In a perfect world, I want ECUSA to do a complete 180. I want it to truly repent in the honest sense of the world, to truly affirm the tenets of the Christian faith. I want ECUSA to rollback the misdeeds of the past years and undo them. Then we have a starting point.

That is in a perfect world. It would be a miracle on the order of the parting of the red sea. It is possible with God. We’ve also watched ECUSA for some time. Statistically it is not likely to happen. But barring God’s sovereign action it won’t happen.

Then what do we want. We don’t want to make an idol of clarity. But we do think clarity is important.

This is not about sex. Sex is the symptom. The disease is harder to describe. People cannot believe that ECUSA can have so much divergence on say…the authority of the bible, or the person and work of Christ. Is Jesus a savior or the Savior. Jesus is not an option along with Buddha and Mohammed. He is uniquely God the Son incarnate. There are not other choices. When you move off that you move away from historic Christianity. We are talking foundational beliefs. Clarity becomes very important here.

Jesus can’t be lord on Monday’s and Buddha on Tuesday’s.

Jesus is either the Lord as he claimed, or he is not. It is time for a full reconciliation or time for an honest divorce. But no fudge. And so, as we come to this point, it is clarity that matters. The only way we lose is if things are so muddy that no one can tell what happens here.

So I would urge you as you consider and debate. Seek clarity, seek the truth, then we will know where we are going when the convention ends.

Prayer: End