Recap of the ACNA 2024 Provincial Assembly

More than 20 clergy and laity from our Diocese attended the ACNA Provincial Assembly held at the end of June, where we worshipped, conducted the business of the province, and witnessed the passing of authority to the new Archbishop, Steve Wood.

 “I loved being here,” said Janice Breazeale, a delegate from St. Matthew’s, Fort Motte. “It was a wonderful experience. The thing that amazed me more than anything is how much Archbishop Foley had accomplished in 10 years.”

Delegate Justin Johnson, who is the Director of Camp Jubilee, said, “The best part, for me, was the ability to reconnect with old friends from around the province,  to make new friendships, to hear what the Lord is doing in other places outside of our diocese, and to be reminded of how diverse the Kingdom of the Lord is.” Look for additional news and reflections in an upcoming Jubilate Deo. View a photo album. 

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The Latest Edition of the Anglican Diocese of #SouthCarolina Enewsletter https://t.co/Bd6NO34gSx [Photo: Joy Hunter] #anglican #news #parishministry #lowcountrylife #religion #faith #ACNA pic.twitter.com/cWhSp94lPH

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) July 9, 2024

 I’ve said she is theological without being dogmatic, but I think the key to her project involves making space for theology more than defending specific claims. It’s the realm of metaphysics she cares about, the idea that our experience suggests something grander about us and about our apprehensions than our scientific models can account for. For her, the Christian narrative gives that transcendent realm its coordinates, but it’s our experience as human beings—Christians or non-Christians—that tells us that we matter and that the universe has beauty. She wants to recover a place for that mattering.

The gift of Marilynne Robinson’s long shelf of late work, then, is its refusal of cynicism, its declaration of wonder and awe, and its affirmation that our little minds haven’t exhausted the meaning of the universe—and won’t. Long before Robinson picked up her pen, Simone Weil told us that we’d already “lost the whole poetry of the cosmos.” Robinson hasn’t given up on that poetry.

One of my favorite notes of gratitude and hope comes in her novel Gilead (2004). “In eternity this world will be Troy, I believe,” her minister-hero declares, “and all that has passed here will be the epic of the universe, the ballad they sing in the streets.” It’s a startling image. It reverses the sense that our lives are trivial details in an unimaginable vastness. In Robinson’s vision, the universe—and the God who wills the universe into existence at the beginning of the book of Genesis—has a deep interest in us, such that even our follies are part of some epic song. It’s elevating. Maybe it’s fanciful, or maybe it’s true and sublime. “It depends upon the universe,” as Saul Bellow’s Herzog decides, “what it is.”

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There are a handful of writers that, when I read them, I marvel at both their writing and wisdom.

I just completed Marilynne Robinson’s *Reading Genesis*, and I can assure you of her place on that short list.

She has clearly walked closely with the Lord these many years. pic.twitter.com/UCJQdSG7mJ

— Steve Bezner (@Bezner) May 4, 2024

An artificial intelligence (AI) model that speaks the language of proteins — one of the largest yet developed for biology — has been used to create new fluorescent molecules.

The proof-of-principle demonstration was announced this month by EvolutionaryScale in New York City, alongside US$142 million in new funding to apply its model to drug development, sustainability and other pursuits. The company, launched by scientists who previously worked at tech giant Meta, is the latest entrant in an increasingly crowded field that is applying cutting-edge machine-learning models trained on language and images to biological data.

“We want to build tools that can make biology programmable,” says Alex Rives, the company’s chief scientist, who was part of Meta’s efforts to apply AI to biological data.

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“We want to build tools that can make biology programmable”
Ex-Meta scientists debut gigantic AI protein design model https://t.co/RJnpoLmVGJ

— Magdalena Skipper (@Magda_Skipper) July 8, 2024

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been hosted by President Biden at a state dinner and lavished with praise by White House officials, who describe ties with India as “one ofthe most consequential relationships” for the United States.

But this week, Modi reminded the world that he has another close relationship — with “my dear friend Vladimir Putin.”

As Modi makes his first visit to Russia since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the images emerging from Moscow of Modi wrapping the Russian president in a hug send a clear signal that the South Asian giant will maintain deep ties with Russia despite the Biden administration’s efforts to woo its prime minister. It also shows that Putin is not as isolated as the White House has hoped.

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Modi bear hugs Putin in Moscow, marking deep ties between Russia and India. The engagement, which overlaps with three days of NATO meetings in Washington, was met with consternation in Washington and Kyiv. @gerryshih @catherineBelton @maryilyushina https://t.co/jz4mAMsrTs

— Ellen Nakashima (@nakashimae) July 9, 2024

Bishop of Bath and Wells – Against the motion

“For many, it is the absence of such clarity that is causing such rage and distrust around our process. Now I know there is colossal pressure to get the Prayers of Love and Faith done. With all of us here, I would love us to be able to to move on to something else, but we know, from our national life, where a desire quickly to cut to the end of a process gets us. Until the doctrinal work is undertaken this motion is not oven-ready.”

Rev Aneal Appadoo (UKME co-opted) – Against the motion

“We have rigorous processes for Synod, which are right and build trust and enable trust to thrive among us, even when things look dishonest. What was revealed on Saturday night was that the House of Bishops have, at best, been playing fast and loose with our processes, and, at worst, and I pray not, been intentionally deceiving this Synod. For the sake of trust and the unity of this chamber and the Communion, which I love, I urge the Synod to vote against this motion. As has devestatingly been reported the processes have not been followed and I for one feel like I’ve been tricked.”

Bishop of London – For the motion

“We talk a lot about the need to do more theology, and that is not a bad thing, however let us be honest that at times it can be a displacement activity – and the truth is we will not all agree once the theology is done. Maybe, we would be wiser to put our theology to work, regardless of our theology of marriage or sexuality. We should put it to work sothat we can create a household of faith which is not homophobic, which is not misogynistic, which is not racist, or misuses power. Because, of course, theology is not just about words it is about our deeds.”

Rev Brenda Wallace (Chelmsford) – For the motion

“Let’s not get so tied up in law and doctrine that we lose sight of the people who are at the heart of our discussions. And let’s have the generosity to reach out with Christ’s loving arms and embrace them with love and faith. We ‘ve talked a lot about trust, so let’s move forward with trust that our God of Love loves all God’s children and wants them to live in relationships which are lifegiving, life enhancing and blessed by God and by the church.”

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The fully updated summary of yesterday's LLF debate with analysis to follow https://t.co/oi8hmrRlGn

— Anglican Futures (@AnglicanFutures) July 9, 2024

O God, who hast called us out of the bondage of sin into the perfect freedom of thy children: Grant us grace that we may yield ourselves unto thee as alive from the dead, and our bodily members as servants of righteousness; that we may have our fruit unto holiness, and in the end everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Good things take time #thicktrunktuesday pic.twitter.com/7Hvyr4kGON

— Hayley Twigs in Hair Figgis (@HayleyhHoward) July 9, 2024

‘But let all who take refuge in thee rejoice,
let them ever sing for joy; and do thou defend them,
that those who love thy name may exult in thee.
For thou dost bless the righteous, O Lord;
thou dost cover him with favor as with a shield.’

–Psalm 5:11-12

Starting the day with wonder and amazement!!!

Good Tuesday lovely people in my phone !!#TuesdayVibes #summer #grandrising #sunrise #weather #GoodVibesOnly #StormHour #jefinuist #outerhebrides #scotland pic.twitter.com/TCoyaihnWV

— DaliMach (@frenchscotjeff) July 9, 2024