Be loving in everything you do." - I Corinthians 16:13-14
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"Be on your guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be brave. Be strong. Be loving in everything you do." - I Corinthians 16:13-14 |
I always say, "It ain't a done deal 'til the check clears," but...To be reported in tomorrow's London Times:
The draconian disciplinary measure is expected to be recommended by a commission set up by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, to resolve the crisis over homosexuality...
The commission's findings, which will not be published officially until October, will cause widespread dismay among liberals and Anglican-Catholics in the West, who will regard it as a sign of capitulation to the conservative evangelical lobby.
But the alternative, an Anglican fudge, would alienate further the fast-growing churches in Africa and Asia, the Global South, leading inevitably to schism. A senior source last night told The Times: "This will not be a fudge. This report will have teeth."
The exclusion of the American Church would not necessarily be permanent but would last until the province, which is financially powerful but numerically weak, "repented" of its actions in the election of Bishop Robinson, who lives with his male partner.
It would be allowed back in when Bishop Robinson retired, or in the unlikely event that he was removed from his post, as long as Ecusa did not consecrate any more similar bishops, or commit the other "sin" of sanctioning rites for the blessings of gay unions...
Greg,
Your headline says it all to me -- I posted the below comment over at Kendall's web site and it applies particularly with your Pigs Flying reference.
Having lived through the past year, I can safely say that I know how the system works now. Headlines that trumpet all sorts of "harsh discipline" for the Episcopal church are followed by Lambeth Commission announcements of "harsh discipline" for the Episcopal church, which are then followed by some sort of report with language *describing the dreadful consequences of ECUSA's actions*, coupled with vague language of "we really wish that this hadn't happened and need to reconcile and isn't ECUSA bad but [using Al Gore language] there is no controlling legal authority and we recommend that the Primates determine what they can do".
All of the above to say this. Whenever there's some sort of "Announcement about Grand Upcoming Announcements" it means little. Witness, as Exhibit A, the recent "Colorada Task Force Pronouncements and Wonderful Compromise Offered for the Orthodox". We discover that it's really the same old, same old. "Send in your money, sit down, shut up, and RECONCILE." That's the offered compromise that the task force has spent *months* in carefully sculpting and honing!!!!! Incredible [or at least it would have been prior to my year of experience].
I'm not certain why this is the favored tactic. It's not as if the actual reports of various commissions and task forces are not revealed eventually. But somehow parties seem to think that if they trumpet the arrival of reports with a lot of bluster and self-gratified congratulations on its "teeth" or "unity" [depending on which topic the Commission or Task Force was to study -- how to "discipline" or how to "reconcile"] that the orthodox won't notice that, uh, the actual report doesn't say what the Report on the Report said it would say.
Sigh.
Jaundiced,
Sarah
# Posted by: Sarah at September 2, 2004 01:47 AMWhat am I missing? Why would the explulsion of ECUSA cause dismay for Anglo-Catholics?
# Posted by: Pam C. at September 2, 2004 03:09 AMPam,
Good question. My read is that what they meant to say was 'liberals here in England and all the American Anglicans,' since everyone in ECUSA, right, is liberal, right? I mean, there's no orthodox opposition to speak of, right?
Ah, to be a REAL journalist...
# Posted by: Greg Griffith at September 2, 2004 07:52 AMPam,
I think they mistake "Affirming Catholics" (Griswold would be one of those) with "Anglo Catholics". That's my theory and it seems to me that the British press seems to make that mistake.
# Posted by: Sarah at September 2, 2004 08:59 AMSounds like the gravity of the current situation may be dawning on the powers-that-be. Hopefully, those porcine aeronauts will be taking wing soon. I'm not holding my breath, though.
# Posted by: Michael Ware at September 2, 2004 09:26 AMI'm not holding my breath, either, but I don't believe that the Primates of the Southern Hemisphere provinces will be fooled by anything as intangible and wimpy as the Colorado report, and unless he is a complete fool the ABC knows this and so do the members of the Lambeth Commission. What the African Archbishops have said is that anything short of suspension or expulsion of ECUSA from the Anglican Communion will result in a shattering of the Anglican Communion itself, and no one thinks they are bluffing. So I'm cautiously optimistic that the Commission will do the right thing, as this early report says.
# Posted by: Rick Cavett at September 2, 2004 10:46 AMIMESHO, Sarah is too jaundiced. This was deliberately leaked to test the waters. It was also leaked to give people time to adjust to the idea. Those who fancy themselves "Orthodox" not yet part of the Network had better get themselves inside the Network in a hurry.
A great storm is blowing our way and there will be safety nowhere except within the Network.
Or so I think!
Bill+
# Posted by: R. William Dickson at September 2, 2004 04:09 PMI would love it if this were true, Bill. I so hope you are right.
Do I get a prize if I'm correct? I was correct about the ever expanding lists of dates that are announced two to three months prior to the upcoming date [a masterful tool that I will use if I ever get all the power!] thus dragging out the process further . . . . for which most recent accurate prediction I did not receive my platinum embossed certificate of Grand Master of Prophecy!!! If I had received my certificate I might be less embittered.
; > )
# Posted by: Sarah at September 2, 2004 05:04 PMSarah,
You have good reason to be embittered. You deserved that certificate and it is shocking that you did not receive it.
But you are wrong. The Primates are not kidding around and the Primates are in the driver's seat.
If it turns out that I am wrong and you are right [God forbid] then one day when we are both at some Lutheran conference finding out what's involved in becoming Lutherans, I'll buy you a Starbucks -- any size, any flavor
But that's a coffee you'll never get. The Primates mean business!!
blessings,
Bill+
Well, I guess I am somewhat mollified about the admission of outrageous and unjust denial of my Master of Prophecy certificate.
Believe me, if you're right, even the certificate injustice will slip from my memory.
Cheers,
Sarah
# Posted by: Sarah at September 2, 2004 06:00 PMI wonder if this "leak" was an effort to manipulate the final report so that it is not as stern as this news article makes it out to be. There was a later article which seemed to back off from the idea of "expulsion" and talked about giving the ECUSA until 2006 to shape up.
But even if Gene Robinson were to resign, I do not believe that would adequately solve the problem within the ECUSA. We would still have the issue of a bastardized prayer book and women's ordination to deal with/resolve.
For what it is worth.
Allen in SC