The title above is the headline in the Church Times. A bit of truth-telling, no? The Covenant will be used to exclude and to punish.
The statement asserts the right of individual dioceses to sign the Covenant. Failure by the Church to sign the Covenant, or any attempt to prevent dioceses’ signing, “would be decisive”.
At the same time as producing this statement, the Anglican Communion Partner bishops have been planning to test the waters of diocesan autonomy. In a series of emails, they have discussed a potential request for alternative episcopal oversight by a priest in the diocese of Colorado, where the Bishop is a liberal....
The Anglican Partner bishops have declared themselves to be loyal to the Episcopal Church and to the Anglican Communion. Their move can be seen as an alternative path to that taken by the Common Cause Anglicans in the United States, who last year established the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) under the deposed Bishop of Pittsburgh, the Rt Revd Bob Duncan.
The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord George Carey, is concerned about conservative bishops in the US. “All signs suggest that, over time, they are likely to be cleaned out of the Episcopal Church.”
Over time many changes will come. We can't know now quite what the changes will be. At the present time, no one is trying to clean out conservative bishops from the Episcopal Church.
Lord Carey, give a thought to your own Church of England. Would you want conservative bishops to take the same alternative path in England? I can't say. Perhaps, you would.
The signatories of the Bishops' Statement appear to want to depart from the polity of the church that has been in operation since 1789.
Thanks to Themethatisme for pointing the way to the article in the Church Times.
UPDATE: Post corrected to read "Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord George Carey" rather than his son Andrew, the journalist. Thanks to Lapin for pointing out my mistake.
If this appears to continue to be part of a longterm manipulative plan done in concert with The Archbishop of Canterbury (he appointed the Covenant Design team, he appointed the Windsor *Continuation* Group). I find him appaulingly destructive and dangerously snide...who, would want to continue on with the likes of Lord Carey, or Rowan playing a game of defensive chess with OUR spiritual and everyday lives?
ReplyDeletePLEASE REMEMBER, Orombi has instigated a on-the-ground witch hunt in Uganda (currently attempting to destroy the lives of LGBT Anglicans and others...this is fact)...Rowan says nothing.
PLEASE REMEMBER, Akinola and the Nigerian HOB´s endorse vicious and brutal legislation against LGBT Anglican and our friends, family and coworkers who support us in our desire to be more honorable and open...Rowan says nothing.
General Convention will not authorize ANY forced march into our own captivity by ACC zealots or feckless and cowardly Communion members who wish to destroy Episcopalians and steal OUR patrimony while pretending they want unity within the Anglican Communion.
None of this is Christian, nor Democratic...it´s plain ramrodding of the type that Bush and his cronnies are famous for...selfish and destructive, bordering on ¨illegal¨ behavior designed to exploit OUR fellowship at the Body of Christ...all for egodriven, greedy, and self-proclaimed puritan demented fools...fools that are so self-righteously pompus they don´t even know they are common criminals, with criminal minds (with shifty lawyers who think they have discovered loop-holes in basic decency).
Leo, so much of what you say is true, however, I cringe at the name-calling. I believe that we make a stronger case if we refrain from name-calling.
ReplyDeleteYou rightly addressed their actions, and I absolutely agree with you, but I believe we are better off focusing on what they do.
Rowan enabled all of this. Perhaps this is what he wants, however if he wanted to save the Anglican Communion, he went about it all wrong. I am appalled that bishops in the Episcopal Church signed the document, bishops who say they are loyal to TEC.
I wonder what would happen if the Bishops of the World Wide Anglican Communion were brave enough to let the laos vote on the acceptance of the Covenant? I do realize that the chances of vote manipulation taking places in less-than-democratic provinces might affect the outcome, but it could be worth a try, if folks are going to insist on this non-Anglican move.
ReplyDeleteIt's cold here in San José, CA!
Let´s see, I apologize for using ¨demented¨ and ¨criminal minds¨ here (except that ¨criminal¨ one becomes more true everyday as legal judgments are rendered against Orombi, Akinola, Armstrong and Matt and others in U.S. courts)...still, you´re right, you, Grandmère Mimi are far more tactful and courteous than I could ever hope to be.
ReplyDeleteI´m long past being patient with dangerous exploiters and abusers of fellow human beings.
What kind of brainwashed mind(s) push 11 year old boys to suicide? What kind of religious leaders tell lies about LGBT Episcopalians/others and don´t blink? What kind of honorable man steals in the name of God who commands us NOT TO STEAL?
Many, but I won´t ever say they are spiritually or emotionallyhealthy as they have proven dangerous in my life and those around me...I guess actions speak louder than words and I´ll be more careful about my choice of words here, this is your blog and I will respect your wishes.
...it could be worth a try, if folks are going to insist on this non-Anglican move.Padre, I'd be quite willing to risk the outcome, too. The more I think about this statement, the angrier I get.
ReplyDeletePut on your sweater.
Leo, love, it's not that I'm more tactful and courteous than you. As I read your comment, in which you make excellent points, I was distracted by the name-calling. I think that I may not be alone.
ReplyDeleteI am not gay, and I have not personally suffered as some of you have, so my perspective is different, and perhaps, somewhat lacking, but I try. I simply believe that we make our points better if we leave out name-calling.
Of course, I could be wrong.
Put on your sweater.Yes, ma'am!
ReplyDelete¨I think that I may not be alone.¨ Grandmère Mimi
ReplyDeleteDear Friend Mimi,
You are not alone. I have large readership at my blog and only few readers/visitors post comments...I have the feeling, sometimes confirmed, that I knock the wind out of sails with my confrontational style and apparent rudeness.
I´ve noticed the shunning that has come my way by a couple of more careful word users...a couple of them I hope never to be like anyway...they don´t offer much other that a certain religious tone of superiority (which I loath from Gay or Straight Christians).
Fr. Jake found me sometimes overbearing and out-of-line...I understood and understand...he has served as a strong ¨influence¨ as to my understanding of online proprieties when exposing the REAL actions of corrupt religious leaders.
Some, online, have found me enthusiastic, bold and helpful (starkly so) and idenfy with me both in the comment section or privately (we have conversations).
Here´s the deal for me.
I´ve spent a lifetime trying to do and say the right thing in the right way, I´m a very good listener too, I pay attention.
I´ve often ¨played¨ to my audience and gave them whatever it is/was I thought they might want from me (based on their remarks) so they would like and even admire me...I´ve showed restraint (afterall, I wanted people to think that I had a lovely character/nature because I knew what those character qualities represented and I was raised with fabulous ¨manners¨ so I COULD DELIVER).
Then, one day, many years ago, I cracked up. I discovered that ¨pretending¨ things were different than they REALLY were didn´t work for me (that included my innermost attitude)...I have since opted for direct, confrontational and spontaneous...direct is good for me because it puts me on the line...it keeps me vulnerable...like right now!
Choosing words more carefully, as not to ¨offend¨ offensive people can be done, and is done, by folks far wiser than I am...there are lots of ways to ¨be clever¨ about ¨pulling covers¨ and exposing abuse (or even worse)...it´s just, I´m not very tolerant of abuse nor good at waltzing around dangerous people who smear, persecute and sometimes KILL people like me.
I´ve told my personal story many times online and I think you know the basics too. For me, NOT boldly confronting reality has lead to some very tragic moments and events in my life...in my life and in the lives of some people around me whom I love (even if I´ve never met them in person or have ever seen them before) denial is deadly.
Thank you for being Mimi, as you said a few days ago, the online friendships are valid and meaningful.
I cherish them too.
Thank you for your suggestions and I accept them in good spirit as I too realize that I might be more popular if I were a bit more kind and careful regarding my choice of words.
Abrazos,
Leo
Leo, abrazos back. You are a dear virtual friend.
ReplyDeleteWhen I turned 70, I stopped worrying about what people thought of me. I stopped trying to be "good". If God wants me to be better, then God will have to give me more help.
With me, the aversion to name-calling is not about trying to be good. I grew up with a verbally-abusive, alcoholic father. I suppose that I heard enough name-calling as I grew up to last more than a lifetime. The roots of my aversion may lie there.
I hear what you say, dear Leo. You do as you must.
Mimi, Sorry, to derail this thread...I´ll stop IMMEDIATELY (in a second).
ReplyDeleteI found something very interesting in your last comment...I´m a alcoholic who stopped drinking 30+ years ago...when ¨active¨ and for quite a few years into recovery I was trying to be nice, be acceptable, be good, be charming, be polite, be loving, be tolerant, patient, on and on...it almost killed me in sobriety to try to live in a world of other peoples what ought be.
¨Defiance is a leading characteristic¨ of alcoholics...sometimes, like tenacity, defiance can be a plus if kept in healthy balance.
Thanks again,
Leonardo
Leo, I believe we all have our insecurities and our coping mechanisms, and they surely are not all the same.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
Mickey, it's 90 degrees here in NC. It just ain't right. Not in late April. And it appeared all of a sudden, but I hear this just happened in other states too.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Covenant, it just ain't right either. I'm agin it. Bad idea.
Hugs to you all.