A new pastoral forum is to be set up to bring rebel provinces into line in the Anglican Communion.
The 650 bishops meeting at the Lambeth Conference in Kent debated proposals today for a body headed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, that would prevent any more consecrations of gay bishops or same-sex blessings.
The forum will also clamp down on “cross-border interventions” such as those where conservative bishops from Africa have consecrated bishops to pastor congregations in the United States.
The document says the forum is needed because repeated requests for moratoria on gay consecrations, same-sex blessings and cross-border interventions have not been heeded.
Wanna bet?
Will the document require the immediate withdrawal of all lawsuits against those churches which will not submit to the authority of Mrs. Schori and her Canadian allies? If not, then this is just another pathetic attempt to do nothing except produce words on paper.
If the US will not allow 1 & 2 (as well as legal threats, inhibitions, etc), then #3 (halting border crossings) cannot happen.
It is because of the abandonment of historic, orthodox doctrine and teaching as expressed in 1 & 2 that #3 is occuring.
So, why don’t they “get it”?
Peace
Jim Elliott <><
TEC can not accept this and save face. Madam
Schori would rather form her own The Episcopal Communion and set herself up as a popess rather than accept the she is wrong. Saying I’m sorry won’t cut it. They have to say they are wrong and make amends (make things right) to the rest of the communion and I don’t think that will ever happen. To do so would require that VGR be deposed as well as the bishops that purportedly consecrated him. They administered the consecration falsely which is an insult to God, which is blasphemy. The last time I checked, blasphemy is the only unforgiveable sin. So, what will TEC do? Don’t hold your breath until they repent, you will be more purple than a bishop’s shirt.
I don’t believe that TEC will stop same-sex blessings. The one advance in this document is that it drops the fig leaf of TEC’s not having approved “rites” for SS blessings but calls for them to stop outright. They won’t do it, because they genuinely believe this is “prophetic” and in response to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Believing that, how could they agree to stop? End of debate. Carry on, new Province and GAFCON.
If TEC declines and is removed from Communion meetings, this may give a glimmer of hope to parishes and dioceses still in that body — but a small glimmer only to parishes. Dioceses, maybe a little more daylight.
“purple-shirted flatulence”?
I didn’t say it.
Schori will agree to it, her revisionist pals will fill the air with plangent wails…then TEC will find loopholes to do what it damn well pleases and dare whatever entity that is in charge of enforcement to step over the line in the sand.
[blockquote]A new pastoral forum is to be set up to bring rebel provinces into line in the Anglican Communion.[/blockquote]
[i]You ah paht of the rebel alliance and a traitah. Take her away![/i] (Sorry. Couldn’t resist.)
I put ten invisible dollars on Jefferson’s prediction. They will agree in word but not in practice.
Don’t forget – ECUSA bishops can agree to nothing, they keep telling us – they will have to wait until General Convention 2009! Believe me, that will be the line towed, if the proposal is not rejected outright by ECUSA.
TEC will never retreat. Their “god” is their constitution and canons, which makes them, in effect, a theocracy unanswerable to any earthly body. They will go their own way and become The Episcopal Communion, and any thought of KJS’ dropping lawsuits against us rebels will be a fantasy.
If headed by ++Williams then it will come to naught.
Ms. Schori will pull a repeat of another meeting and talk about accepting this in principle and taking it back home where the decision-makers are. After the Lambeth tent is down, and the pictures are stowed away for another decade, the TEC HOB will debate this in September and reject it. Then the ABC will look for another out. The definition of insanity is when one repeats the same failed attempts without result. You finish.
Without the Communion creating another North American province, or at least a temporary trustee holding province for those lost to ecusa’s and the ACC’s cold grip, this discussion will avail ++Williams nothing. In case ++Williams hasn’t figured out what Schori and Beers explicitly made clear in the last year, it is all about power, money, and property, and they will run any bishop out of the HoB who doesn’t toe the line. The ACC is just its typically stumble-step behind ecusa.