Q: Have you been hearing from your fellow bishops from other parts of the world that they are still troubled by what the US has done?
A: Oh, yes. I’ve asked some of the bishops in countries where Christians are a persecuted minority, and I’ve asked them, have the actions of the Episcopal Church in 2003 caused problems for you and your people? One bishop said to me, “Of course, my brother, it’s caused tremendous problems.” They are persecuted every day by a Muslim majority. But he said to me, “I’m not asking you to make my life easier. I just want you to know what it has done here.” He is willing to bear the cross. If standing up for the least in his society, the voiceless who are people of homosexual orientation, if that is the price he must pay, he is willing to bear that cross. But he wants you to know that it’s a cross for him in a way that Americans do not have to bear.
Q: Americans have been the subject of quite a bit of discussion, and some of the proposals are pretty restrictive. Obviously, they are still proposals, but do you sense a movement toward some more punitive measures coming out of Lambeth?
A: There is some movement. Some want to use the language of judgment and of punitive actions and of bans. But there is something about banning people, banning actions of people who believe they are led by the Holy Spirit, there’s something about that that is very difficult for other Christians to do. I don’t believe there will be any bans coming out of this Lambeth Conference. Why? Because we’ve prayed together, we’ve studied the Scriptures together. We’ve argued together forcefully. How then can you ban your brother or your sister because they disagree with you on some fundamental things about ethics and morality? But Jesus, in one of his great parables, when he’s talking about who is to enter the kingdom of heaven, those who are entering the kingdom of heaven are entering not because of anything around sexual ethics or what they believe about women or views about interpretation of Scripture. Jesus said those who enter the kingdom are those who have fed hungry people. They are housing those who have no home. They are visiting people in prison and in hospitals. They are giving a cup of water to those who are thirsty. When we get back to these issues, I think it would be a wonderful thing if, when people think of the Anglican Communion, they think of oh, how they love each other and how they are feeding a hungry world, not oh, those are the ones who are bickering about sex.
Athanasius didn’t have a problem with it. Not all the actions of people who believe they are led by the Holy Spirit are from the Holy Spirit. Discernment, a gift of the Holy Spirit, must be used.
Nor did Luther. Consider the fate of the leaders of the Peasants’ Revolt of 1525, which was led by the enthusiast Thomas Muentzer.
I hope it’s unintentional, but the bishop’s response suggests salvation by works.
Jesus told Simon Peter “feed my sheep.” In one of his parables He asked “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake.”
What sort of water or food is the bishop feeding his sheep?
What is the house he offers the homeless built upon?
This won’t do. If it would, there could be no argument. There is argument against deviating from essential and fundamental things regarding ethics and morality. If you do that, with what authority can you speak, no matter how nice a guy you are? The divided house is failing and falling. Bickering about sex? Really!