The Council of The Associated Parishes for Liturgy and Mission (APLM), meeting in New Jersey, expresses its grave concern at the distressing news of the dismissal of the Episcopal Church´s members of Anglican international ecumenical dialogues on the basis of the Archbishop of Canterbury´s Pentecost letter. Our alarm, however, goes much deeper than the presenting issues.
It should now be clear to all that the result of the proposed “Covenant” is not only to control those Churches that ordain openly gay and lesbian persons. Rather, the Archbishop has finally come out about the ramifications of the proposed “Covenant:” reshaping the structure of the Anglican Communion into a hierarchically-centralized Communion.
As an association historically dedicated to renewing the liturgy and mission of the Church, APLM is amazed by the Archbishop´s lack of respect for the Constitution and worship of the Episcopal Church, a duly constituted member province of the Communion. Other member Churches should take note.
This is utterly pretentious rubbish issued by an unofficial band of supposed know-it-alls bent on insulting the ABC. I’ll have to remind my secretary to not even think of using their material. But, I will give them one thing… the Covenant is indeed a document which is crafted to foil the ruling clique of TEC (of which APLM is a subsidiary) and impose a sort of governor on the apparently limitless desire of Mrs Schori and her friends to engage in a virtually Maoist perpetual revolution. I do not understand why She who indulges in authoritarian behavior undreamed-of by any of her predecessors in office should mind letting the Spiritual Head of the Anglican Communion to a bit of his own autorizing, or de-authorizing as the case may be. Their objections seem more than a bit hypocritical.
Sigh. To be a member of an organization means adherance to the laws, by laws etc of the organization to which one wants to be a member. By definition the act of joining means surrendering your autonomy to the larger organization.
If they don’t want to play by AC rules they can leave the AC and be just as autonomous as they want.
But I thought we were are hierarchical church? At least that’s what we’ve been paying our lawyers to tell various judges. Is that not true?
Bizarre. This document takes a full reading to appreciate how weird is the alternate reality of TEC.
So – what are they like at producing music and liturgy?
Since when did the ‘Equal protection’ argument from the US Constitution became grounds for an argument against the ABC’s letter?
Would some one explain to these liturgists, that this is what happens when you decide to pick a fight and the other side decides to fight back.
“APLM is amazed at the Archbishop’s lack of respect for the Constitution and worship of the Episcopal Church…” I am amazed at the Esipcopal Church’s lack of respect for the Constituion and worship of the Episcopal Church.
Groucho Marx:
“I would never want to belong to any club that would have me for a member.”
These words of wisdom from the same people who said that the theology of the 1928 and 1979 prayer books was the same.
Pagentmaster #5, You wonder “what are they like at producing music and liturgy?” and I also wonder what kind of music and liturgy they are producing?
I hope this music and liturgy does not include native American chanting.
Who?