I believe that this gathering had a great chance to move forward in relationship building, and to some extent, as I have mentioned earlier, it did. But when it came to addressing the pressing needs of the Communion to develop a global Anglican strategy to address the issues of disease, poverty, illiteracy, the environment and state-sponsored violence against civilian populations, this conference succumbed to “blaming the victims.” As in 1998, the victims are those whose sexual orientation happens to be different from the majority. It is far easier to blame our divisions and our inability to act as a united Communion to address pressing global issues on those least able to defend themselves. Blaming the least among us continues to divert our attention away from the issues that threaten the very existence of humankind and the environmental health of our planet.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has called for sacrifices to be made to keep the garment of the Communion together. And for the American and Canadian churches, that clearly means sacrificing once again the full participation of gay and lesbian persons in the life of our church. I for one will not ask for any more sacrifices to be made by persons in our church who have been made outcasts because of their sexual orientation.
This Lambeth Conference could have been a positive turning point for the Anglican Communion, but instead the powers that be chose to seek a middle way that is neither “the middle” nor “the way.” It will therefore be up to bishops from around the Communion who have continuing partner and companion relationships to work toward a more holistic view of the church. The Anglican Communion must face into the hard truth that when we scapegoat and victimize one group of people in the church, all of us become victims of our own prejudice and sinfulness.
[blockquote]a more holistic view[/blockquote]
=[url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/syncretism]syncretism[/blockquote] (for those of you scoring at home)
TEC should be, under revisionist ecclesiology, be renamed TSC (The Syncretist Church).
I am sure that Robinson and his supporters perceive their position as Right, but it is incumbent on them to watch for the signs of sin, because perception of doing Right is pride. Pride is sin and leads to sin — substituting Human judgment for God’s Will.
How can we understand that Will? Through prayer of course. But pride may block effective prayer — or effective listening to God.
Another method of understanding the Good Lord’s Will looks at actions and their consequences — will they lead to the accomplishment of God’s Plan?
Here the proponents of placement of practicing sexual minorities in the hierarchy of the Anglican Church believe that their actions and the consequences are accomplishing God’s Will — that the forcing (and it is forcing!) the 6-10% of the population that comprise practicing sexual minorities into the Church hierarchy is more important than the benefits of sustaining the Communion.
I don’t know if it is or not — as I cannot presume to know God’s Will. I do think that it is something that, given the resultant split, is not the right thing at this time. So whether or not it is right, it is not right now. Not because it is not God’s Will — which none of us know — but simply because the consequences overwhelm any perceived benefits.
Hmmm. Bishop Chane is clearly not happy with ++Rowan Williams, is he? This is a promising sign that TEC’s influence in the AC has probably already peaked. I just hope it now recedes quickly.
This obstinate letter manifests such total spiritual blindness that it’s hard to imagine what it would take for Bp. Chane to come to genuine repentance. He is living in a fantasy world, where wrong is right, and darkness is light. Now granted, it’s a fantasy shared by a great many people in the global north, but it remains just a mirage nonetheless.
This sort of absolute nonsense from the notorious Bishop of Washington DC is clear evidence of why the GS bishops who abstained from Lambeth 2008 chose wisely. It makes it much harder for faithless heretics like +Chane to continue their charade that disagreements on issues like the “gay is OK” delusion or abortion are permissible and not “communion-breaking.” The fact is, they are, and the communiion is already broken. And the strife won’t be overcome until self-deluded proponents of what they vainly imagine to be social justice come to their senses and realize that they were totally wrong and truly repent of their grievous errors.
David Handy+
John Chane, stop using gay and lesbian people as a human shield to keep your church from acknowledging its problems and responsibilities.
The conference never blamed gay and lesbian people. Gay and lesbian people will feel blamed, where there is no blame. This will inevitably hurt gay and lesbian people.
In distorting the truth, you are also raising the level of tension and acrimony in the debate. Who is likely to be hurt the most with this tactic? Gay and lesbian people.
[T]here was a shift to Christocentrism, to the doctrine that Christ is the center of everything. But it is not only the Church that is divisive — so the argument continues — since Christ belongs exclusively to Christians. Hence the further step from Christocentrism to theocentrism. This has allegedly brought us closer to the community of religions, but our final goal continues to elude us, since even God can be a cause of division between religions and between people.
Therefore, it is claimed, we must now move toward “regnocentrism,” that is, toward the centrality of the Kingdom. This at last, we are told, is the heart of Jesus’ message, and it is also the right formula for finally harnessing mankind’s positive energies and directing them toward the world’s future. “Kingdom,” on this interpretation, is simply the name for a world governed by peace, justice, and the conservation of creation. It means no more than this. This “Kingdom” is said to be the goal of history that has to be attained. This is supposedly the real task of religions: to work together for the coming of the “Kingdom.” They are of course perfectly free to preserve their traditions and live according to their respective identities as well, but they must bring their different identities to bear on the common task of building the “Kingdom,” a world, in other words, where peace, justice and respect for creation are dominant values.
This sounds good; it seems like a way of finally enabling the whole world to appropriate Jesus’ message, but without requiring missionary evangelization of other religions. It looks as if now, at long last, Jesus’ words have gained some practical content, because the establishment of the “Kingdom” has become a common task and is drawing nigh. On closer examination, though, it seems suspicious. Who is to say what justice is? What serves justice in particular situations? How do we create peace? On closer inspection, this whole project proves to be utopian dreaming without any real content, except insofar as its exponents tacitly presuppose some partisan doctrine as the content that all are required to accept.
But the main thing that leaps out is that God has disappeared; man is the only actor left on the stage…Only the organization of the world counts. Religion matters only insofar as it can serve the objective. This post-Christian vision of faith and religion is disturbingly close to Jesus’ third temptation.
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Benedict on social justice — and visions of Universality
RE: “It will therefore be up to bishops from around the Communion who have continuing partner and companion relationships to work toward a more holistic view of the church.”
Oh I agree — GAFcon and various other entities will be doing that.
Chane is clear about what he believes and where he stands. He is the poster child for the leadership of the Episcopal Church. This is not about denial any longer but intentional self deception and spiritual blindness.
Sarah you are right….GAFcon and various other entities will be doing that. Amen.
[blockquote]This Lambeth Conference could have been a positive turning point for the Anglican Communion, but instead the powers that be chose to seek a middle way that is neither “the middle†nor “the way.â€[/blockquote]
He’s right, of course…there is no middle ground on this. Either non-celibate homosexuals are ordained and consecrated or they are not. Binary choice here, ++Rowan.
[blockquote]It will therefore be up to bishops from around the Communion who have continuing partner and companion relationships to work toward a more holistic view of the church. [/blockquote]
Gibberish, at best.
[blockquote]The Anglican Communion must face into the hard truth that when we scapegoat and victimize one group of people in the church, all of us become victims of our own prejudice and sinfulness.[/blockquote]
A straw man. Scapegoating for what? No one is blaming gays for your lack of faith and obedience, Johnny-boy, but you.
Chane of fallacious reasoning and “faith”. He should seek release from his chained-to-the-secular and the librety of the redeemed who have been released from false allegiances!
John Chane to Lambeth, ++Williams, Gafcon and Anglican unity:
“Up yours”
Chane should focus on the sacrifice Christ made for the whole world of sinners. That would truly be inclusive! And, as has been the case, those intrinsically disordered in their sexual lives would have a Life towards which to turn. Chane, instead, offers death: The wage of sin.
Could have, would have, should have.
Relationship building? What is relationship building?
We are either related because of our faith in the crucified and resurrected Christ, or we are not.
What other basis of relationship can there be?
A march through central London in support of the MDG’s?
How did the U N become our faith?
To halve poverty goals by 2015? When is TEC going to cancel all of its lawsuits and all of its payments to lawyers, and spend that money on halving poverty goals?
An optimism which can hold us together? How does optimism trump God revealed in Jesus the Christ?
Marginalize the Canadian and American churches? Whose deep pockets have marginalized whom?
The pressing needs of the Communion to address disease, poverty, illiteracy, etc.?
Is there no pressing need to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom?
The issues that threaten the very existence of humankind? You mean like the continued domination of dictatorial leaders like Joseph Mugabe? You mean like the continued leadership of Kim Il Sung? You mean those kind of problems?
A more holistic view of the church? To be whole is to be hale, to be healthy, to be healed, to be in agreement with the Lord of All, to be holy. And TEc is certainly not holy these days.
What Christ makes all things new? The mystic one in our hearts, or the One Who was born of Mary in Bethlehem, lived as one of us, and was crucified for us on Calvary?
I wonder which Christ +Chane espouses.